7 days to go: how The Magic Flute found its way to the cello
Dear friends,
In exactly one week we will all gather in the parish church in Bürglen. Until then, every morning we will send you a short note about the programme: one work, one story, a little listening link. Today we begin where the concert begins, with a little magic.
Opening with The Magic Flute
The evening opens with Beethoven’s Seven Variations on «Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen», a duet from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. In Act One, Pamina and Papageno sing it together: a simple, heartfelt song in praise of love. What makes it so moving is who is singing. Not the young lovers, but a princess and a bird-catcher.
Beethoven wrote his variations in 1801, ten years after Mozart’s death. He holds the tune up to the light seven different ways. It dances, it sparkles in the piano, it comes back in the cello in new clothes. Then comes the sixth variation, an Adagio, where everything slows down and turns inward.
Today’s listening tip
Listen to Mozart’s original duet first; it’s just over three minutes. Get the tune in your ear. On 18 October you’ll recognise it straight away, and it’s great fun to follow what Beethoven does with it.
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Beethoven clearly loved The Magic Flute: he wrote cello-and-piano variations on it twice. A few years earlier he took on Papageno’s song «Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen» (12 Variations, Op. 66). Play the two back to back: Papageno, lovesick and a little lazy, then the tender duet. Same composer, same opera, two completely different moods.
Search for: Beethoven Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen Op. 66
Did you know?
In Beethoven’s day, cello and piano together was something new. He was one of the first to treat the two as equal partners. The piano isn’t accompanying here; it’s talking back.
Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and Martin Helmchen know this music inside out. They are currently performing all of Beethoven’s works for cello and piano, and a recording is on the way.
Tomorrow: a composer who was nearly forgotten and is now one of the great rediscoveries.
Warm wishes,
Andreas Haefliger & Marina Piccinini
The duo
Marie-Elisabeth Hecker won the Rostropovich Competition in Paris in 2005, the first cellist in its history to take first prize and two special prizes at once. Martin Helmchen won the Clara Haskil Prize in 2001, and his recording of all five Beethoven piano concertos won a Gramophone Award in 2020. Married, they perform together around the world and run the «Fliessen» festival in Brandenburg. Their latest album: «From Eastern Europe» (Alpha Classics, 2025) on Spotify · Apple Music
Marie-Elisabeth Hecker & Martin Helmchen, cello & piano
Sunday, 18 October 2026, 5.30 pm · Parish Church of St. Peter and Paul, Bürglen UR
Pay as you like (cash or TWINT) · about 70 minutes, no interval
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