Welt-Weihnachtskonzert Rudi Zapf - a lively and atmospheric Christmas concert

WELT-WEIHNACHTSKONZERT RUDI ZAPF & FREUNDE

Rudi Zapf - pedal hammered dulcimer, button accordion & vibrandoneon
Sunny Howard - violin
Ingrid Westermeier - guitar
Ludwig Klöckner - double bass

Rudi Zapf, Ingrid Westermeier, Sunny Howard and Ludwig Klöckner bring together pedal hammered dulcimer, violin, guitar, double bass, button accordion and vibrandoneon for a Christmas concert unlike any other. Those expecting cosy farmhouse settings, gentle Advent music or traditional "Stubnmusi" will find their musical Christmas wonder here.

The programme is full of surprises and knows no musical borders. International folk, wintry classical music, jazzy sounds and sweeping improvisations combine into a concert journey that stirs up Christmas anticipation in a thoroughly unconventional way.

A defining quality of this music is the concentration and sensitivity it invites from the listener. It asks for a certain openness, because Rudi Zapf and his friends are drawn to minor keys and subtle nuances, and their playing lives and breathes through instrumental skill. This Christmas concert will once again be something truly special - "simply lively and full of atmosphere".

Press reviews:

Rapid, gripping, full of energy - that's how the whole evening unfolded...

They all harmonised beautifully, picking up each other's cues or improvising together...

The pace at which Zapf and his fellow musicians played their pieces was enough to make some listeners dizzy...

The lead performer switched effortlessly from hammered dulcimer to button accordion and then to vibrandoneon. The excerpt from Vivaldi's Piccolo Concerto sounded incredibly delicate and surprisingly festive...

Rudi Zapf has been performing a Christmas programme for over 30 years, always assembling a changing ensemble for these concerts. He and guitarist Ingrid Westermeier have been playing together regularly for 40 years.