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24.1.– 31.1. 2024
Tehillim
In its tenth edition, taking place January 24th–31st 2024, the Mizmorim Festival will be dedicated to the universal cosmos of the Psalms under the title “Tehillim”. To celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary, it will for the first time last an entire week and present no less than twelve concerts, a photo exhibition, museum tours, a lecture, and a late night program, all taking place at eight different venues throughout Basel.
In its tenth edition, taking place January 24th–31st 2024, the Mizmorim Festival will be dedicated to the universal cosmos of the Psalms under the title “Tehillim”. To celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary, it will for the first time last an entire week and present no less than twelve concerts, a photo exhibition, museum tours, a lecture, and a late night program, all taking place at eight different venues throughout Basel.

10 Years × 10 Guests

Listen here

10 Years × 10 Guests

Listen here

Programme

Jewish Switzerland

Wednesday, 24. January | 17.30 h

Jüdisches Museum der Schweiz

Museum Tour 1

Jewish Switzerland

A museum tour with the historian Barbara Häne about the history of Judaism in Switzerland.

Pre-Concert

Wednesday, 24. January | 19.30 h

Der Teufelhof Basel – Archäologischer Keller

Mizmorim at Teufelhof

Pre-Concert

The Duo WOVEN with William Overcash and Nathan Watts, both members of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO), presents an exclusive pre-concert celebrating this year's anniversary.

Hallelujah

Thursday, 25. January | 19.30 h

Stadtcasino Basel – Musiksaal

Opening Concert

Hallelujah

The Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO), directed by Baldur Brönnimann, presents the "Serenade after Plato's Symposium" by Leonard Bernstein with Ilya Gringolts (violin) as well as Steve Reich's work "Tehillim" and the new work "Mimma'amaqim" by Basque composer Helga Arias (world premiere) with the vokal ensemble Basler Madrigalisten.

Hidden Psalm

Friday, 26. January | 12.15 h

Zunftsaal im Schmiedenhof

Concert 2

Hidden Psalm

Elionor Martínez Lara (voice) and Alice Burla (piano) perform songs by Alexander Uriah Boskovich (Swiss premiere) and Antonín Dvořák. Karolina Miśkowiec (violin) plays "Secret Psalm" by Oliver Knussen. And: Benedek Horváth and Claudio Berra (piano), Jiska Lambrecht (violin) and the Turicum Quartet play chamber music works by all the previous winners of the Mizmorim Composition Competition by Aram Hovhannisyan, Eleni Ralli and Victor Alexandru Colțea.

Mizmorim Jazz

Friday, 26. January | 19.30 h

SRF Radio Studio – Auditorium

Concert III

Mizmorim Jazz

The Vein Trio with Michael Arbenz (piano), Thomas Lähns (double bass) and Florian Arbenz (drums) present their very own interpretation of psalm music.

Late Night Concert 1

Friday, 26. January | 22.30 h

Der Teufelhof – Heaven

Mizmorim at Teufelhof

Late Night Concert 1

The Gringolts Quartet and the Turicum Quartet perform Béla Bartók's Quartet No. 3 and the two octet movements op. 11 by Dimitri Shostakovich.

Ligeti-Labyrinth

Saturday, 27. January | 15.30 h

Historisches Museum Basel – Musikmuseum

Museum Tour 2

Ligeti-Labyrinth

Guided tour of the exhibition about György Ligeti with Heidy Zimmermann (Paul Sacher Foundation).

Out of Deep Affliction

Saturday, 27. January | 18.30 h

Gare du Nord

Concert IV

Out of Deep Affliction

Alice Burla and Benedek Horváth (piano) perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach arranged for four hands by György Kurtág. Elionor Martínez Lara (voice) presents songs by György Ligeti (Swiss premiere), Leonard Bernstein and Stefan Wolpe (Swiss premiere). Ilya Gringolts (violin), Bruno Schneider (horn) and Alice Burla (piano) perform György Ligeti's legendary horn trio.

150 + 1 Psalms

Saturday, 27. January | 20.30 h

Gare du Nord

Concert V

150 + 1 Psalms

The Mizmorim Festival Ensemble under the baton of Baldur Brönnimann  presents a new work commissioned by the Festival – "Glades" (world premiere) by Lukas Stamm with Ilya Gringolts (violin) and Arnold Schönberg's Chamber Symphony no. 1 op. 9. Christian Dierstein (percussion) performs "Psalm 151" by Peter Eötvös.

Late Night Concert 2

Saturday, 27. January | 22.30 h

Der Teufelhof – Heaven

Mizmorim at Teufelhof

Late Night Concert 2

Benedek Horváth (Piano) plays the Sonata in B flat minor K. 128 by Domenico Scarlatti and the first version of the Sonata in B flat minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Mizmorim Kids

Sunday, 28. January | 10.00 h

Druckereihalle im Ackermannshof

Concert VI

Mizmorim Kids

Mariella Bachmann (clarinet) and Helga Karen (piano) perform music inspired by psalms from different eras and cultures in an interactive concert for children and families.

Mizmorim Kids

Sunday, 28. January | 11.30 h

Druckereihalle im Ackermannshof

Concert VII

Mizmorim Kids

Mariella Bachmann (clarinet) and Helga Karen (piano) perform music inspired by psalms from different eras and cultures in an interactive concert for children and families.

The Ringing of Wood

Sunday, 28. January | 17.00 h

Druckereihalle im Ackermannshof

Concert VIII

The Ringing of Wood

The Percussion Ensemble of the Musik-Akademie Basel performs "Timber"  by Michael Gordon (Swiss premiere) for six percussionists who play on raw timber and create an irresistible pull with their repetitive sound.

3 × 4 Strings


Sunday, 28. January | 19.30 h

Druckereihalle im Ackermannshof

Concert IX

3 × 4 Strings


Ilya Gringolts (violin), Lawrence Power (viola) and Nicolas Altstaedt (cello) play chamber music works from the first half of the 20th century. Whereas Arnold Schönberg, in his String Trio, pushed the limits of what could be considered “music” , Frank Martin and Bohuslav Martinů remained true to a harmonic ideal. The fact that Gideon Klein was able to create a string trio in Theresienstadt is nothing short of a miracle.

Experiencing Psalms

Monday, 29. January | 17.30 h

Musikwissenschaftliches Seminar der Universität Basel

Lecture

Experiencing Psalms

The musicologist Edwin Seroussi (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) explores the unique character of psalm recitation.

On the Rivers of Babylon

Monday, 29. January | 19.30 h

Beit Yosef Synagoge der Israelitischen Gemeinde Basel

Concert X

On the Rivers of Babylon

In the Basel Synagogue, the Vocal Ensemble Amarcord brings us very close to the Psalms of the Holy Scriptures.

Music of Strings

Tuesday, 30. January | 19.30 h

Stadtcasino Basel – Hans Huber-Saal

Concert XI

Music of Strings

The Gringolts Quartet with Ilya Gringolts (violin), Anahit Kurtikyan (violin), Silvia Simionescu (viola) and Claudius Herrmann (cello) performs the String Quartet in F major op. 18 No. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven and the "Twelve Microludes" by György Kurtág. And together with Katia Skanavi (piano), the melancholy Piano Quintet by Alfred Schnittke, which only brightens up at the end of the piece.

David, the Singer of Psalms

Wednesday, 31. January | 17.30 h

Jüdisches Museum der Schweiz

Museum Tour 3 | Christina Meri

David, the Singer of Psalms

Guided tour with Christina Meri to King David, the temple and the synagogue – an informative introduction to the final concert of the Festival.

Pro Pacem

Wednesday, 31. January | 19.30 h

Martinskirche Basel

Concert XII

Pro Pacem

The ensemble Hespèrion XXI and the Capella Reial de Catalunya under the baton of Jordi Savall presents a selection of the most beautiful psalms, sung in the ancient Jewish tradition of southern Morocco.