Herbert Lippert and Philharmonia Schrammeln

PHILHARMONIA SCHRAMMELN WIEN & HERBERT LIPPERT
“THE WORLD IS A FOOL’S PARADISE”
Viennese Songs by Robert Stolz, Leo Ascher, and Edmund Eysler

Herbert Lippert, vocals
Viennese Philharmonia Schrammeln
Johannes Tomböck, violin
Dominik Hellsberg, violin
Stefan Neubauer, picksüßes Hölzl
Günter Haumer, button accordion
Heinz Homada, contraguitar

Herbert Lippert, one of Austria’s most versatile singers, internationally successful on the opera stage as well as in oratorio and lieder, has a deep connection to operetta and especially the Viennese song. He repeatedly succeeds in capturing the joy and waltz-like bliss, as well as the melancholy and pensiveness of Viennese music. He possesses an incredible instinct for this repertoire and delights audiences with pieces such as So lang’s in Wien noch Maderln gibt by Edmund Eysler, Ja, das ist der Frühling im Wienerwald, and Wiener Gemütlichkeit, both by Leo Ascher, among many others.

By his side are the congenial Philharmonia Schrammeln Wien, who delight audiences at Theater im Park year after year – contributing their unique Schrammel sound with their very special instruments, the picksüßes Hölzl and the button accordion.

ARTISTS

Herbert Lippert: The Singer
Born in Linz, Herbert Lippert began his musical career as a soloist with the Vienna Boys’ Choir. Over the course of his career, he became one of the world’s leading Mozart tenors and gained international recognition for his expressive singing style and warmly timbred voice.
For over 35 years, he was a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble, performing all the major tenor roles of the classical repertoire. He also appeared as a guest at major opera houses such as La Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and at the Salzburg Festival.
His extensive discography includes over 300 recordings, many of them award-winning, including a Grammy Award.
He has collaborated with some of the most renowned conductors of our time, including Sir Georg Solti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Riccardo Muti, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Notably, he has maintained a decades-long close collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic, with whom he has undertaken numerous significant projects.

Herbert Lippert: The Painter
As a visual artist, Herbert Lippert has also made a distinguished name for himself. His painting combines post-figurative impressionism with a harmonious balance of abstraction and representational imagery. His works are characterized by a distinctive visual language, in which colors and forms resonate with impressive energy and depth.
His art has been exhibited in major exhibitions – including at the Vienna State Opera – as well as in unusual and innovative spaces. Recognition of his work continues to grow, including among leading museums and institutions in Austria.
The dialogue between music and painting is central to his artistic work. Inspired by the idea of making images audible and music visible, Lippert developed a new approach: each composition consists of two independent images – one abstract and one post-figurative. These two works enter into a visual dialogue, offering viewers multiple dimensions of a musical composition in visual form.

Herbert Lippert is considered one of the most exciting contemporary painters and one of the great dual talents of the 20th century – Prof. Dr. Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Albertina Vienna.

Philharmonia Schrammeln Wien
They emerged more than half a century ago from the Spilar-Schrammeln. Alfons Egger founded the ensemble, played first violin until 1999, and created a large number of arrangements that remain a core part of their repertoire today. These include marches and various polkas, as well as the so-called “Weana Tanz.” The Philharmonia Schrammeln Wien also enjoy performing arrangements of “classical” works, e.g., Schubert, Wagner, and R. Strauss.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the ensemble had a cycle at the Wiener Konzerthaus; since 1999, this has taken place in the Brahms Hall of the Wiener Musikverein. Over the decades, they have produced numerous recordings, such as the complete recording of the “Kremser Alben” with Heinz Zednik, Walter Berry, and Angelika Kirchschlager, and in 2017, the CD Wiener Künstler. Most recently, in 2021, they released the double CD G’mischter Satz with Günther Groissböck, Karl-Michael Ebner, and Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz.

An important aspect of their work is collaboration with renowned classical singers, with one particularly long and fruitful partnership being with tenor Herbert Lippert, who is especially dedicated to preserving Viennese songs from operettas.

Through careful personnel changes over time, the ensemble has continually rejuvenated itself while maintaining its playing style and programmatic focus. The current lineup, unchanged since 2019, is devoted to preserving the rich heritage of Viennese folk music. The ensemble has a special fondness for simple, traditional dances, often from folk traditions or composed by lesser-known (non-Viennese) composers, as well as for the works of the Schrammel brothers, J. Lanner, and the Strauss dynasty.

Program and cast