20th Castle Concert Under the Christmas Tree

Sergei Prokofiev:
"Peter and the Wolf" (arrangement for piano, four hands)
with text by Loriot

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov:
"Scheherazade" (arrangement for piano, four hands)
with selected tales from
"One Thousand and One Nights"

// Julia Marie Müller & Iwan König (piano)
// Yara König (narrator) & Lorin König (narrator)

Sergei Prokofiev was a musical prodigy who achieved international success early in life. After years abroad, he returned to the Soviet Union in 1936 - to a cultural landscape that demanded clarity and accessibility to the people. In this context, "Peter and the Wolf" was born. The music works with distinctive motifs and clear characters: lines, rhythms and contrasts take centre stage, making the narrative structure particularly transparent. The version with Loriot's text adds refined, often subtly ironic humour.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was originally a naval officer and brought his impressions from travels and passion for foreign cultures into works like "Scheherazade". Inspired by "One Thousand and One Nights", the music reflects his vision of the Orient and demonstrates his mastery of orchestral colour. In the arrangement for four-hand piano, this richly coloured orchestral language is condensed to its structural essentials: themes, repetitions and developments emerge clearly, making the composer's sophistication immediately tangible.

The texts are read by siblings Yara and Lorin König (ages 13 and 8).