Die schöne Magelone

Ludwig Tieck's romantic fairy story of the joy and sorrow of the 'beautiful Magelone' is dressed up by Heribert Breuer: 'From the very beginning I wanted to devise a complete concert evening in which not only Ludwig Tieck's story is recited but also two piano works from Brahms' last creative period are included. – Having been familiar with this song cycle by playing and singing it since my early youth, I wanted to make the polyphonic structures of Brahms' piano setting more transparent and even more colourful with my chamber music version than is possible on a piano. To ensure a practical instrumentation, I have chosen two contrasting quintets: a woodwind quintet and a string quartet cum double-bass.'