Three times this season, the stage of Semper Zwei will be transformed into a bar full of unexpected musical possibilities. Guests will not only see familiar faces from the opera stage transformed into true entertainers, but also the Semperoper’s head graphic artist, Bernd A. Hartwig, displaying his vocal skills in jazz standards and soulful ballads, ably supported by one of Germany’s best-known and most versatile pianists, Gunter Papperitz. The soprano and acclaimed interpreter of new music, Sarah Maria Sun, will also be accompanied by a keyboard whiz, namely Jan Philip Schulze. Together they will perform songs by Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Tom Waits and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, among others, all taken from her latest album »Killer Instincts«. And finally, the newly assembled members of the Semperoper Junges Ensemble will once again introduce themselves with an evening of favourite songs. The Semper Bar is an experimental space that always has a musical surprise in store for its loyal audience and curious newcomers, all of whom can enjoy freshly made cocktails in this fantastic lounge-bar atmosphere.

On 18 November, Semper Zwei’s popular bar series invites Bernd A. Hartwig to take his place at the microphone and Gunter Papperitz at the piano. With a brilliant programme of jazz and soul, they are sure to get the room and the audience swinging. »HausMusic« was originally a series of extremely popular living-room concerts held in a Cologne flat-share. Bernd A. Hartwig’s path led from there to the graphics department of the Semperoper. Papperitz, originally a sound engineer, has risen to become one of the most sought-after pianists, keyboardists and arrangers in the German pop scene. In Semper Zwei, the long-time friends are getting back together for some »HausMusic«, which sees them interpret jazz standards from the American Songbook, soul ballads and gospel classics in a laid-back bar atmosphere.

It was Stefan Zweig who once put the words (uncontradicted) into Richard Strauss’s mouth that »anyone who wants to become a real musician must be able to set a menu to music.« Well, while Strauss may not have composed a piece about a three-course meal, he did write a wonderfully ironic homage to Vienna’s traditional coffeehouses with his ballet »Schlagobers«. This is the starting point for a cheerful musical exploration of the Austrian capital, its cafés and bars, its waltzes and melodies by both Richard and Johann Strauss – who, by the way, were not related to one another by blood or marriage. Under the baton of Thomas Leo Cadenbach, the members of the Junges Ensemble will take us on a journey into a »bar of unimagined musical possibilities«.

It was Stefan Zweig who once put the words (uncontradicted) into Richard Strauss’s mouth that »anyone who wants to become a real musician must be able to set a menu to music.« Well, while Strauss may not have composed a piece about a three-course meal, he did write a wonderfully ironic homage to Vienna’s traditional coffeehouses with his ballet »Schlagobers«. This is the starting point for a cheerful musical exploration of the Austrian capital, its cafés and bars, its waltzes and melodies by both Richard and Johann Strauss – who, by the way, were not related to one another by blood or marriage. Under the baton of Thomas Leo Cadenbach, the members of the Junges Ensemble will take us on a journey into a »bar of unimagined musical possibilities«.