Wunderhorn

About

The Orchestre de Chambre de Genève presented Wunderhorn, an intriguing interdisciplinary project that blended live orchestral music with cinema. Conceived and directed by Belgian-Catalan musician and filmmaker Clara Pons, the production transformed the traditional concert evening into a “ciné-concert.” The visual component featured a striking film projected in the hall, starring baritone Dietrich Henschel as the protagonist. In a unique theatrical occurrence, Henschel simultaneously performed the live vocal parts on stage while his cinematic counterpart inhabited the narrative on screen. The production pursued deep coherence across all 24 songs of Mahler’s cycle, with imagery evoking Dutch master paintings. Musically, the evening was notable for presenting the complete cycle by combining 15 of Mahler’s original orchestrations with 9 new orchestrations by Detlev Glanert, marking the Swiss premiere of Glanert’s versions.