A choral project based on "The Broken Jug"

"Stimmen statt Scherben" (Voices instead of shards) is a choral-performative exploration of "The broken jug". Composer Kilian Verburg (*1993) developed the choral project with a group of amateur singers.

What did village magistrate Adam do to Eve?

When Eve recounts how the village magistrate Adam visited her at night and blackmailed her, she leaves out what exactly happened in her room. The choral group also leaves this blank space open.

Singing and clattering crockery, Eve's monologue and marionette dance

"Stimmen statt Scherben" is divided into five parts. Firstly, the choral group sings the first verse of the folk song "Sah' ein Knab ein Röslein stehen" (A boy saw a little rose standing there) and then dissolves into individual singing and speaking. In the next part, there is a clattering of crockery and the performers lure each other in. The performers individually explore the different ways of looking at things, from dancing together to gestures of being (bluntly) led. The group then forms into Eve's monologue, which is followed by a puppet dance. Finally, the third verse of the folk song is sung behind the curtain and disintegrates into wind noises at the end.

Live recording from the Kleist-Museum

"Stimmen statt Scherben" was performed twice at the Kleist-Museum on 11 October 2025 to mark the Kleist Festival. The live recording can be seen and heard here.