Carnival of Happiness

About this event

Katja Riemann, the versatile actress, dedicates this evening to the writer and intellectual Roger Willemsen. Together with violinist Franziska Hölscher and pianist Marianna Shirinyan, she brings Willemsen’s playful poetry to life, set against Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. In the first half, the musicians perform the animal-themed suite while Riemann recites the witty, mocking verses, occasionally adding recorder and glockenspiel herself. The second half turns more reflective with the text ‘Das müde Glück’ (Tired Happiness), a modern Job story accompanied by music by Mozart, Elgar, Schnittke and Fazıl Say. It is a concert that balances light‑hearted humour with a quiet, philosophical meditation on vulnerability, hope, and the healing power of words and music.