Klangwelt Klassik has been bringing chamber music to the Isar Valley for ten years.
The anniversary year of all things is proving difficult.
But the makers are not discouraged.
Ms. Gaebel, ten years of the Klangwelt Klassik: Do you remember the beginnings?
Bettina Gaebel
: I experienced the beginnings as a subscriber from the very beginning and was very enthusiastic about the concerts.
I was elected to the board after the Kessler couple withdrew due to illness in 2016.
The new team found itself quickly.
Klangwelt Klassik, a sounding name, literally. How did the name come about?
Gaebel
: When I took on the communication and marketing tasks in the club, we first brought structure to the brand.
Four names were used in external communication, which of course leads to blurring.
Together with our colleagues, we then legally registered Klangwelt Klassik as a logo and umbrella brand and completely redeveloped the external appearance, for example with introductory lectures and well-founded programs.
What is your main focus?
Gaebel:
Our focus is on internationally awarded ensembles and soloists and a demanding program design that also takes contemporary repertoire into account.
The format of the two event series "Meistersolisten im Isartal", a subscription cycle with six concerts a year, and the international string quartet festival "Ickinger Frühling", which takes place on a weekend in spring, has meanwhile a sounding name far beyond the region.
Has there been a concert in the past ten years that you particularly fondly think back on?
Gaebel:
Indeed, there is one concert I will never forget: That was our summer concerts last year with the Aris Quartet.
The atmosphere was unique because it was the first concert after the painful experience of the first lockdown, when the whole concert life suddenly came to a standstill for weeks.
It was the first time we had an open-air concert in the atrium and it was a complete success.
Everyone swam in bliss.
How did you get into classical music yourself? What do you mean to you?
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Bettina Gaebel, chairwoman of Klangwelt Klassik.
© Jurga Graf
Gaebel
: For me, music is the elixir of life.
Singing in a choir was an important approach.
That gave me a lot, not only for my musical development, but also for my personal development.
It's always about using your own voice safely and still hearing others and the big picture.
Ultimately, this is a lesson that has an impact far beyond music.
This is exactly what makes chamber music so incredibly exciting, because this dialogical debate and the struggle for the right phrasing can be experienced directly in chamber music than in any other genre.
Is the Isar valley a particularly good place for classical music?
Gaebel:
Yes, absolutely.
The advantage of this region is not only the beauty of the landscape and the proximity to the cultural metropolis Munich, it is also the cultural and musical diversity on site.
Something like that doesn't come about in one generation, something like that grows up in several generations of commitment.
There are youth and amateur orchestras, music schools, religious and secular choir and concert series as well as music series with Bavarian music.
All of this opens people's hearts and ears.
You always manage to get interesting and promising artists. How do you do it?
Gaebel
: Klangwelt Klassik meanwhile has a very good name in the market.
We get a lot of inquiries from musicians who want to play with us.
We make the decisions as a team.
The important agencies already know us.
On the other hand, we travel a lot ourselves to listen to ensembles and to network with them.
If we notice musicians at a competition, we speak to them directly.
Many concerts take place in the Rilke Gymnasium. What are the advantages of the concert hall?
Gaebel
: The concert hall is the ideal size for chamber music, you are close to the artists, there is an intimate, informal atmosphere and you come into contact with each other.
It is of course a gift for us that we can use this hall for a manageable sum.
It offers a good view from every seat and has very good acoustics.
Also read: Thunderous applause for "Quatuor Ardeo"
The anniversary year is not going well. Nobody knows when concerts will even be possible again. How do you deal with that?
Gaebel
: The ability to plan is the big issue at the moment.
When drawing up the annual program, we assumed that the number of participants would be limited and that two concerts would take place per date.
We are currently in the process of arranging replacement dates with some ensembles.
The Goldmund Quartet is now scheduled for March 27th, if that doesn't work, July 24th.
We have also arranged an alternative date for the Beethoven evening with Chi Ho Han on March 6th, on May 15th.
We also want to make a new appointment this year for the piano recital with Wataru Hisasue, which was canceled last season.
We try to save musical life over this dry spell and pay the musicians half of the agreed fee as long as and as far as we can.
