You are currently on stage in Hamburg with “Alice – Spiel um dein Leben”, a very successful one-person piece with piano about the Holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer. Do you sometimes think about only doing theatre?
No not at all. Filming has completely different requirements than acting, and both make me very happy. I love the variety and feel very fortunate that I can do both. And if I have my way, it will stay that way.
Tell me how you prepared for this challenging role(s).
Since it is a scenic one-person piece in which I constantly jump roles and play a total of over 20 roles and also live classical piano, it required very thorough preparation and an exceptionally long rehearsal time. It started with a lot of research about Alice and the other historical figures, trips with the author Kim Langner to Theresienstadt, Prague and Tel Aviv, where we met Alice’s family and a former student of hers. When the play was finished, the director Francois Camus and I staged the first scenes and created the characters more than two years ago. Each role has its own rhythm, voice and physicality to distinguish them well, and it took many iterations before it had the virtuosity that this style of playing demands. In addition, since I knew this was really happening, I’ve been trying to catch up on studying piano, I’ve worked with two piano teachers, and I’ve dealt with theory of harmony, interpretation, learning theory, performance training and much more. occupied. An incredibly exciting and exhilarating process.
You have fulfilled your wish to play a pianist. What’s at the top of your wish list now?
Oh, I feel like I’m still in the middle of fulfilling my wish: ALICE – GAME FOR YOUR LIFE is just beginning and it’s already such a great success that I’ll definitely be able to play it for a very long time. And since I’m also the producer of the piece, I’m completely occupied with everything that comes with it.
Also, on March 1st, the CD for the piece will be released, which is completely crazy for me. In this respect, I’m not yet at the point of having big new dreams, but enjoying the one I’m in the middle of.
Thank you for the interview!
“Die Toten von Salzburg – Schattenspiel” will be broadcast on ZDF on Wednesday, January 25 at 8:15 p.m.
“Der Bergdoktor” runs every Thursday at 8:15 p.m. on ZDF. Each episode is a week ahead in the media library to disposal.
