Klopstock’s Sound and Ossian’s Voices

Song Recital and Lesson

Poems by Klopstock, Macpherson, Hunter, set to music by Bach, Gluck, Haydn, and Schubert, sung by Tia Pikija (soprano) and Daniel Sauer (baritone), class Florian Boesch; Jelena Pešić (piano), class Markus Hadulla; in cooperation with mdw – universität für musik und darstellende kunst wien

Lecture by Michael Auer
Klopstocks Sound and Ossian's Voices

Klopstock is European literature’s first star. In trying to tap into the sonic sources of poetry, he vies with its allegedly oldest and most august models: with Homer and, later, with Ossian. This evokes voices echoing through the millennia. Klopstock’s unique sound enthused the literature and music of his times.

Lecture in German

Michael Auer teaches Comparative Literature at the Szondi Institute of the FU in Berlin. Before he was professor for German Literature at the University of Vienna. Poetic sound studies are one of his areas of study. See: Souveräne Stimmen (Wallstein 2024) and Law in Suspension (Edition AVL 2026). He is editor of the Klopstock Handbuch (Metzler 2023).

In addition to the program, a guided tour with curator Alexander Roob will take place at 16:30 h in the Paintings Gallery.