Concert and Reading - The Opera Singer Emilie Welti-Herzog (1859–1923)

Emilie Welti-Herzog was one of the world’s most famous stars at the turn of the century: as a soloist, she performed before the last German emperor and the last Russian tsar. She supported then-unknown composers such as Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss and corresponded with Johannes Brahms. She spent her later years in Aarburg, the hometown of her husband Heinrich Welti (1859–1937), who, as a musicologist with a doctorate, made a name for himself as a music writer and critic.

Through this staged musical reading—in which actress Astrid Keller, in the role of Emilie Welti-Herzog, recites letters, reviews, and diary entries—audiences gain insight into the private and public life of this singer, who today seems remarkably emancipated. The various moods are brought to life musically by soprano Alexa Vogel and pianist Margareth Schicker-Looser as they perform the most significant vocal highlights from Emilie Welti-Herzog’s career. These include, for example, Gilda’s aria from Verdi’s opera *Rigoletto* and the Queen of the Night’s second aria from Mozart’s *The Magic Flute*. The event will take place at the Reformed Church in Aarburg, located in the immediate vicinity of the Aarburg Museum, where the accompanying exhibition will open beforehand at 3:00 p.m.

Exhibition, concept, and idea: Reto Knöpfel

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