Die ganze Welt war einmal… – Musikalische Reflexionen zu Szenen und Themen aus John Miltons „Paradise Lost“ | zamus: early music festival 2026

In the organizer's words:

Brosse Consort
Irene Klein, Brian Franklin, Katharina Schlegel, Hermann Hickethier, Heike Johanna Lindner - viola da gamba

Kai Wessel - language and composition

"The whole world was once ... paradise". The Brosse Consort traces central themes from John Milton's "Paradise Lost" in compositions from his era and earlier decades in the old English instrumentation of five viols. Pieces by Anthony Holborne, which deal with hope and sadness, reflect the emotional world of seduced people after tasting the forbidden fruit. A canzone theme by John Ward, which begins in the lowest voice, can symbolize the symbiotic love relationship between Adam and Eve in combination with the motifs of longing in the upper voices. The quotation from Else Lasker-Schüler mentioned at the beginning is one of the excerpts from her poem "Paradiese" that Kai Wessel chose as the basis for "Erlichtung", a composition for speaker and viola da gamba quintet written especially for this program. At the end is an enchanting musical vision by Holborne: "Paradizo".

Kai Wessel: "Erlichtung" for viol quintet and narrator ad libitum (2026, premiere), music for viol consort by Anthony Holborne, Michael East, John Ward, Luca Marenzio and Tomás Luis de Victoria as well as quotes from John Milton's "Paradise Lost"

Concert introduction 19:10

One-way ticket: 22/14 €
Each plus VVK fees

Tickets available online via zamusfestival.de and zamus.de, by phone on +49 221 9874 38 21 (Mon, Wed, Fri 10:00-14:00) and on site at the Neumarkt box office (Mon-Sat 10:00-18:30, ticket hotline +49 221 42 07 6000 or via tickets@theaterkasse-neumarkt.de)

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