BÄ!

music theatre for young audiences aged 5 to 9 (2023)

composition and piece development: Clemens K. Thomas

direction and piece development: Miriam Götz

stage and costumes: Sarah Mittenbühler

puppetry and coaching: Antje Töpfer

Neue Vocalsolisten

Martin Nagy, child

Guillermo Anzorena, teddy bear

Andreas Fischer, father/clock/cactus/doctor/cyborg

The story

Little Martin has moved to a new city. He doesn’t feel comfortable here yet and isn’t keen on all the changes. His teddy bear, Bä, feels quite differently. Martin’s fluffy favourite cuddly toy is not just any teddy but is truly alive and the best playmate with the craziest ideas. Amidst the chaos of moving boxes, the adventurous Bä begins to build a sound time machine. And it actually works!

Martin and Bä embark on an adventurous journey through time into the wildest fantasy worlds. They encounter a clock hand that has lost its rhythm, land in the hot desert where Bä falls in love with a cactus, find themselves in tricky situations, and manage to escape. Finally, they encounter a cyborg who is up to no good with Martin.

As imaginative as their journey is the music: when Bä accompanies himself on the ukulele with a love song, the cyborg world emerges from digital birdsong, rhythmic wordplay helps the clock hand find its rhythm again–singing, Martin and Bä travel through playfully magical soundscapes with a wink and a smile!

The composer’s thoughts on BÄ!

»Martin and his teddy bear Bä invent a time machine that takes them to all kinds of imaginary spaces: a series of funny, touchingly sad and happy-cheerful childhood moments. Martin is a somewhat shy and introverted boy who only fully blossoms and opens up in the presence of his teddy bear.

From the boy’s point of view, Bä is not an inanimate stuffed animal, but his friend and playmate, who certainly has his own peculiarities. ‘BÄ!’ is set in Martin’s imaginary parallel world (the bear is alive!) and the »serious« world of adults (Bä is just a soft toy). Bä is a little clumsy and totally cute.«

(Clemens K. Thomas)

Neue Vocalsolisten

The seven singers are constantly seeking new vocal expressions in collaboration with composers. A key focus is working with artists who virtuously exploit the possibilities of digital media, with a passion for networking, playing with genres, dissolving space, perspectives, and functions. Interdisciplinary formats between music theatre, performance, installation, and concert staging shape up to 30 premieres per year. Together with programmers and web designers, the Neue Vocalsolisten explore »magical spaces«–performance formats that blend analogue and digital perception. At the heart of the ensemble’s work is vocal chamber music theatre: hundreds of works have been composed specifically for the singers. For their contributions to contemporary vocal music, the Neue Vocalsolisten have been honoured with numerous awards, including the Silberner Löwe of the Biennale Venedig 2021 and the Italian critics’ award Premio Abbiati 2022. In masterclasses and a digital »NVS Academy,« the Neue Vocalsolisten introduce young artists to the challenges of experimental vocal music.