Dessau: The wild Mendelssohns of the 1920s

A concert evening in text and music

Composition by Josef Piras
with music by Felix Mendelssohn

Anja Signitzer, actress
Daniel Grossmann, conductor

Text by Constanze Nogueira Negwer
Dramaturgy Martin Valdés-Stauber

JEWISH

A new chapter in the German-Jewish history of the Mendelssohn family: The dazzling siblings Francesco and Eleonora von Mendelssohn were in Berlin in the 1920s , especially in the metropolis's nightlife . Dressed in extravagant outfits and drunk on absinthe, they celebrated with Max Reinhardt and Gustaf Gründgens—until the Nazis seized power. Although the family had been converted for generations, the siblings emigrated to America, where they met a tragic end.

TODAY
The 'Golden 20s' exert a special fascination – from 'Cabaret' to 'Babylon Berlin', this era continues to inspire creative minds to this day. At that time, the Mendelssohns' villa was the scene of lavish celebrations, while at the same time the calamity of fascism was approaching, and the Mendelssohn siblings had to make the difficult decision between staying and leaving. Parallels to world events today are easy to draw.

FOR ALL
In a concert evening with texts by Constanze Nogueira Negwer, we will unfold a captivating, fragmented biography of the siblings. Anja Signitzer (Münchner Kammerspiele Ensemble) recounts special encounters and events from Eleonora and Francesco's lives. The new composition by the young Munich composer Josef Piras weaves together early film music, the sounds of the salons and lavish parties of the 'Roaring Twenties,' the malaise of the 1930s, and music from the 'New World' into a striking melodrama.