In Focus: Tacheles
The year 2026 has been designated the ‘Year of Jewish Culture’ in the Free State of Saxony. To mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Saxon Regional Association of Jewish Communities, the theme ‘Tacheles’ will run from one Hanukkah to the next, traditionally celebrated in mid-December. The word, which originates from Yiddish and Hebrew, stands for freedom of expression and the resulting dialogue on equal terms.
In the coming season, the Gewandhaus will once again participate in the “Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony”, which, under the motto “Jewish – Saxon – Human”, brings the history and present of Jewish life to the fore. The Gewandhaus is placing the diversity of Jewish musical creativity at the centre of its programme.
A key highlight is the performance of Hans Gál’s cantata De profundis. This large-scale work was composed in exile in 1936 and combines poignant texts from the time of the Thirty Years’ War with a highly concentrated, expressive musical language. De profundis exemplifies an artistic legacy that was interrupted by persecution but not extinguished, and which remains poignantly relevant to this day.
The programme also pays tribute to Bruno Walter, the 13th Gewandhaus Kapellmeister, who was forced out of office in 1933. Alongside his work as a conductor, his rarely heard piano quintet will also be performed for the first time at the Gewandhaus – one of the few examples of his compositional voice.
The highlight of this thematic focus is the concert performance of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, which premiered in Leipzig in 1930. This radical social satire, situated somewhere between opera, jazz and social commentary, is an event that is as unusual as it is impressive when performed in concert. At the podium is HK Gruber, himself a composer, conductor and proven expert on 20th-century music, who brings Weill’s sharp musical language to life with particular stylistic authenticity.