The festival LIEDBasel is a contemporary and interdisciplinary exploration of the art form of song. It's not just about the intimacy of voice and piano, nor solely about the past. The performers are people living in the present. The song is about life in a nutshell. It reflects everyday life across centuries and in its many diverse facets. It tells and sings of the individual trying to assert themselves within society.
Inspired by an annually changing theme, LIEDBasel works closely with the artists to curate a fascinating and rich program that encompasses far more than just classical song recitals. This year's edition, themed "All Just Stolen," explores how musical ideas are created, passed on, and transformed—and where the line between inspiration and plagiarism lies. Power relations will also come into focus: Who shapes the canon? Whose voices are passed down, and whose are ignored? These questions form a programmatic core of the 2026 festival edition. As duo in residence, Annette Dasch and Wolfram Rieger will shape the festival's artistic and pedagogical aspects, including the LIEDAcademy with five international song duos. In addition to the evening concerts, each of the festival days will also host workshops and classes; consult the website to peruse the whole program at https://liedbasel.ch/programm-2026/.
For the song recital “The world is only beautiful in dreams,” Swiss composer David Philip Hefti has set poems by Dragica Rajčić Holzner to music. The world premiere, featuring Jonathan McGovern (baritone) and Judit Polgar (piano), is juxtaposed with songs from the “Wunderhorn” tradition of Mahler, Zemlinsky, and Schoenberg.
Before the recital, starting at 18:00 in the foyer, journalist, music critic, comic book writer, and non-fiction author Jens Balzer will present “There is no such thing as a mother tongue.”
Admission to the event at 18:00 is free. Tickets for the concert at 20:00 are CHF 20-60.

Website
liedbasel.ch/programm-2026/

Where
Don Bosco Basel
Waldenburgerstrasse 34
4052 Basel

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