Concert

Moving Krippenspielers © Gerhard Richter

Moving Krippenspielers

And it happened in those days: the arrival of the Herbers seekers in Cologne was near!
On Sunday, the twenty-first day of the twelfth month, so it is written in the annals of the festive season, a bright star will shine - not over a stable, but over the venerable city garden of Cologne. And behold, the high-born will arrive at the eighth hour after the zenith of the sun, so that the feast may begin. They will return on the fourth Advent: the legendary Moving Krippenspielers, traveling messengers of Christmas joy for sixteen years! And as every year, at the end of their divine performance, the Christmas message rings out, spoken by none other than the venerable Lady God herself. But hold on tight, because it's not just singing and acting: an international crowd of multi-instrumentalists will bring you the freshest Christmas sounds, woven into a musical variety that can normally only be heard in jazz heaven from all the angel choirs! With us this year:
Kalle Mathiesen, drum elemental force from Denmark,
Johannes Bär, the brass magician from Vorarlberg,
Simon Rummel, the keyboard genius from the Eifel, based in Cologne
and the Allgäu brasstrologist Matthias Schriefl, also based in Cologne.

As the wise Sven Thielmann from the WAZ proclaims:
"A frenzied roundelay of grandiose Christmas songs chases through the history of jazz, full of quotations."
You've certainly never heard the well-known Christmas tunes like this before! Sometimes you'll hear a cozy triad that reminds you of a cozy Allgäu parlor, sometimes tubas groove with drums to big city riffs that make even the angels dance. Boogie, gospel, Bach - here genres mingle to create a heavenly feast.

Four great musicians create a nativity play that is second to none: a work full of mischief, masterful craftsmanship, with twenty instruments, singing, costumes and even a few folk dances. Folk meets jazz meets Balkan meets calypso meets funk, punk, classical, reggae, disco beat, avant-garde, three-part singing and comedy - a feast for the senses, as unpredictable as the Star of Bethlehem itself.
Their first album "Moving Krippenspielers Vol.1" saw the light of day in November 2019, and the creation of a new sound work is already underway.

As Andreas Felber from ORF puts it:
"I didn't know whether Christmas and jazz would go together - but thanks to your work, the answer is clear."
And so fear not and flock to Martinszell, listen and look forward to a celebration that will fill your heart and ears in equal measure!

For the inquisitive scribes among you:
More information about the Moving Krippenspielers can be found here: https://schriefl.eu/de/bands/moving-krippenspielers

Sun, 21.12.2025
Concert Highlight!

Matthias Schriefl (trumpet, flugelhorn, baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, accordion, alpine horn, trombone, piccolo trumpet, vocals), Simon Rummel (viola, keyboard, piano, malodica, euphonium, recorder, vocals), Johannes Bär (tuba, clarinet, trombone, euphonium, trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, alpine horn, beatbox, vocals), Kalle Mathiesen (drums, e-bass, guitar, vocals)

Jazz, Folklore

concert hall Start 18:00 Doors 17:00

22 €/12 € red. Presale Please note: vendors of presale-tickets may charge additional fees. 25 €/15 € red. Box Office

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