Matthias Gerstner knows only too well that the audience of classical music is getting older, after all, the Zornedinger has been organizing choir and chamber concerts for decades. On the other hand, he has worked as an instrument teacher for just as long and leads the children’s choir at the Vaterstetten music school – so the next generation is very important to him. In this respect, it is almost a miracle that Gerstner’s concert series “Bach & more” is only now, in its 21st year, being expanded to include an extra program for children: every two months on Sundays at 4 p.m. there is now an organ concert for families. Matthias Gerstner, together with a narrator in the evangelical Petrikirche Baldham, brings biblical stories or even fairy tales to a hearing.
“I would just like to introduce a younger audience to classical concerts,” says the cantor. “And in this area there are really very beautiful works by contemporary composers.” In many organ concerts for families, similar to the classic “Peter and the Wolf”, the individual figures are assigned musical themes in characteristic timbres. “In this way, children have the opportunity to get to know a beautiful story and the organ, the queen of instruments, at the same time in a playful way,” explains Gerstner. There are also catchy melodies and child-friendly game lengths of 30 to 40 minutes.
The first appointment in this new series for families is on Sunday, September 19, at 4 p.m. in the Baldhamer Petrikirche. “Josef and his brothers” will be performed by Michael Benedict Bender: a biblical story in music for children and adults. The performers are Carolin Schubert as speaker and Gerstner on the organ. The performance is suitable for children aged six and over.
It will be like Christmas in winter: on Sunday, November 28th, at 4 pm, Christiane Michel-Ostertun will sing “Murks’ wonderful experiences on Christmas night”, an organ narrative concert for children in the Petrikirche. In this magical version of the Christmas story, Murks the sheep, who is being kept by two shepherd children and a dog at the gates of Bethlehem, tells what it has experienced. The organ plays Christmas carols, but also lets out the rustling of the wind, the rustle of a lizard and the twinkling of the stars. At the end you hear animals talk and flowers bloom. In addition, Mr Wolf sits next to Mrs Schaf and Mrs Hyäne next to Mr Ochs and Uncle Ratte next to Josef and Maria – and neither of them scares the other away or is disgusted. The performers are again Schubert and Gerstner, the piece is suitable for children from the age of five.
“The Prodigal Son” is on the program on Sunday, January 16, at 4 pm in the Petrikirche. The organ concert by Hans Kielblock deals with the parable from the Gospel of Luke, which is not assumed to be known, and is suitable for children from the age of six. Frank Senftleben acts as the spokesman. The young audience can look forward to “The Animal Conference” on Sunday, March 20, at 4 pm. The organ concert based on the famous book by Erich Kästner was written by Christiane Michel-Ostertun and is suitable for children from six. Alois, the lion, Oskar, the elephant, and Leopold, the giraffe, have had enough of people’s famines, strikes and wars. But because they like children, they want to do something. Therefore they decide to call a conference of all animals. “How they then force the adults to happiness and peace with extraordinary means is lovingly described in this beautiful and exciting organ concert”, the announcement says. Andrea Grießmann appears as the narrator.
The adventure of a little cherry will be on Sunday, May 22nd at 4 pm in the Petrikirche Baldham, with “Die Kirschin Elfriede”, an organ concert for children aged six and over based on a story by Gerhard Engelsberger, composed by Christiane Michel- Ostertun. The main characters of this fairytale text are the cherry, the moon and a cloud. The work will be performed by speakers Carolin Schubert and Matthias Gerstner on the organ.
Tickets for the children’s concerts are available from the bookstore in Vaterstetten, from AP-Buch or from Papeterie Löntz in Baldham and from Steffis Stationery in Zorneding. Remaining tickets are available at the box office. Children pay three euros, adults five euros and a family ticket is available for ten euros.