»WILDE BÜHNE«, WILD TIMES. Werner Richard Heymann's cabaret songs

The Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz cordially invites you to a concert with songs by Werner Richard Heymann in the plenary hall on October 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. Meta Hüper, Maximilian Nowka, and Tal Balshai (piano) will sing Heymann's cabaret songs from the Wilde Bühne (1921–23) and also incorporate texts from contemporary witnesses.

Werner Richard Heymann, composer of film hits such as "Das gibt's nur einmal" (There's Only One), "Ein Freund, ein guter Freund" (A Friend, a Good Friend) and "Irgendwo auf der Welt" (Somewhere in the World), was musical director and resident composer at Trude Hesterberg's cabaret "Die wilde Bühne" (The Wild Stage) from 1921 to 1923. Many of his chansons are now cabaret classics, while others disappeared in the turmoil of exile.

The new edition from Schott Music – Werner Richard Heymann: Die Kabarettchansons der "Wilden Bühne" (The Cabaret Songs of the "Wild Stage") – presents all the titles available today: in addition to the well-known ones, there are also those that have long been out of print, only handed down in manuscript form, as well as six chansons whose lyrics and sheet music were handed down separately. Brought together, they can now be sung again for the first time in over 100 years. The lost world war, political crises, inflation, and reactionary attacks form the backdrop against which Tucholsky, Mehring, Klabund, and others shaped a new literary style. Contemporary, realistic, full of brittle poetry and irony, the songs tell of fads, the big city, women's fates, crooks, and love.

Elisabeth Trautwein-Heymann, the composer's daughter, will begin by reminiscing about her father.

The event is being held in cooperation with Schott Music and the Berlin Academy of Arts.

Entry is free. For organizational reasons, we kindly ask you to send us a short email if you would like to attend the event.: veranstaltungen@adwmainz.de

Invitation flyer