Heilige Nacht von Ludwig Thoma - Pfarrer Rainer Maria Schießler und Geschwister Siferlinger
Holy Night
A Christmas legend by Ludwig Thoma
Reverend Rainer Maria Schießler musically accompanied by the Dreigsang Geschwister Siferlinger - Matthias Pürner / Ziach
featuring the original Holy Night songs by Ludwig Thoma
Playtime without intermission: approx. 70 mins.
The great folk poet wrote his lyrically-Bavarian Christmas story in 1916 on his beloved 'Tuft' overlooking Lake Tegernsee. The verses simply and therefore touchingly recount the biblical tale as it was likely heard for generations on Christmas Eve in the rural cottages. Memories come alive: of a warm room, the smell of cookies, the security of childhood.
Rainer Maria Schießler
Reverend Rainer Maria Schießler grew up in the district of the parish "To the holy twelve Apostles" in Munich-Laim.
He completed his Abitur at Wittelsbacher-Gymnasium in Munich in 1980. From 1981 to 1986, he studied theology at the University of Munich and the University of Salzburg. In 1986/1987, he spent a pastoral year in the pastoral unit of Bad Kohlgrub. He was ordained a priest on June 27, 1987 in Freising. From 1987 to 1991, he served as chaplain at the church of "St. Nicholas" in Rosenheim. From 1991 to 1993, he was a chaplain at the church of "Holy Cross" in Munich-Giesing. Since 1993, he has been leading the parish of St. Maximilian in Munich (officially appointed in 1995).
From 2006 to 2012, Schießler worked as a waiter every year at the Schottenhamel tent at the Oktoberfest in Munich. He donated his earnings from this job to a charity organization. [3][4] After a two-year break, he worked again at the Oktoberfest in 2015 and donated his earnings to a charity project for Syria initiated by the Bavarian comedian Christian Springer.
Since 2011, he has also managed the parish of Heilig-Geist am Viktualienmarkt in addition to the parish of St. Maximilian. From 2012 to 2015, Rainer Maria Schiessler had his own talk show called Pfarrer Schießler, produced and broadcasted by the Bayerischer Rundfunk.
He often receives public attention for his progressive and provocative statements advocating for a lively and active church. Not just believing, but being believable »Action instead of leaving« – that's the call from Rainer Maria Schießler. In a time when more people than ever are leaving the Catholic Church, the nationally known Munich city pastor manages to grow his community and inspire enthusiasm for worship. His recipe is plain speaking. His sermons on ecumenism and celibacy are often applauded. He simply cultivates his own style: in spring, the passionate motorcyclist blesses the community's motorcycles and the children's bobby cars, on Christmas Eve he has a DJ play and serves champagne – after all, it's the celebration of Jesus' birthday.
As Munich's city pastor, Rainer Maria Schießler is an important part of this institution. And as a churchman with unconventional views, he aims to loosen up entrenched structures from within. Pastor Schießler is firmly rooted in faith – but this does not stop him from blessing divorced and homosexual couples or starting media-fueled discussions.
What drives him? His joy in giving people support and a home. Thus, his new book is a Christian guide that is supposed to provide "strength for all situations." The basis for his guide? The Bible. "The Schießler Bible" combines Rainer Maria Schießler's modern thinking with one of the oldest and most influential books in the world.
Rainer Maria Schießler's books, the fifth book already in progress, achieve bestseller ratings, testifying that the path of Pastor Schießler is followed by a broad audience.
Life Lines - Rainer Maria Schießler: Sermons, Podcasts, and Partnerships: Pastor Schießler - Faith, Love, Rebellion | Life Lines | BR Television | Television | BR.de
Ludwig Thoma
"Now, folks, now shut yer traps! ... 'Tis the holy night. And the forest has awoken, the hares and deer look, the stag over the snow. No one asked them, no one told them, And soon they too, God's mother in the forest."
Ludwig Thoma was born as the fifth child of a forester in Oberammergau. One of his most popular works, the Lausbubengeschichten (Rascal Stories), undoubtedly remind of the not always easy and certainly not always so funny years of his childhood.
Thoma wanted to become a forester like his father and began studying forest science in Aschaffenburg, but dropped out after the first year and switched to law, which he studied in Munich and Erlangen.
From 1890 to 1893, he was a law clerk in Traunstein. In 1894, his mother died, and in the same year he established as a lawyer in Dachau. Here he got to know "his farmers," whom he described so aptly in the following years. In 1897, he moved to Munich, where he came into contact with the employees of the satirical weekly magazine Simplizissimus, founded in 1896 by Albert Langen. This was followed by his first publications in this magazine under the pseudonym "Peter Schlemihl". In 1899, he gave up his work as a lawyer and became a permanent employee of Simplizissimus, and a year later its editor-in-chief.
In the following years, he embarked on travels throughout Europe and engaged in a lively literary activity. Among other works, he wrote the plays "Die Medaille" and "Die Lokalbahn". In 1905, he married 25-year-old dancer Marietta di Rigardo, born in the Philippines, known as Marion, a young woman emancipated for those times. The marriage did not last long, as the temperaments of the two were too different, Marion increasingly bored, and she had extramarital affairs. In 1910, the marriage was dissolved, but the two remained friends.
In 1906, Thoma became the co-editor of the magazine "März" together with Hermann Hesse. In the same year, he was sentenced to six weeks in prison for a poem published in "Simplizissimus" insulting some members of a morals society, which he served in Stadelheim near Munich. One of his greatest successes came in 1908 when his comedy "Moral" premiered. Here he had a representative of a morals society who committed a grave offence against the principles of such a society say: "To be moral, I can manage that alone in my room, but that has no educational value. The main thing is to publicly profess moral principles. This has a beneficial effect on the family, on the state".
In 1908, he moved into his house "Auf der Tuften" in Tegernsee.
Ludwig Thoma found his final resting place in Rottach-Egern on Lake Tegernsee. His grave lies next to that of his longtime friend, the writer Ludwig Ganghofer.
Dreigsang:
Geschwister Siferlinger - Traudi, Maria, and Hermann Siferlinger
As children and teenagers, the Siferlinger siblings performed at many prestigious folk music events. Maria, Traudi, and Hermann have repeatedly accompanied readings of "Holy Night" with legends such as Fritz Straßner, Karl Obermeier, or Gustl Bayrhammer with their singing. Even now, as they perform together publicly for the first time in years, they captivate the audience with their unpretentiously authentic, finely harmonized sibling voices, providing the perfect musical backdrop for Ludwig Thoma's touching texts.
Traudi Siferlinger, a native of the Chiemgau region, comes from a folk music family. She attended the musical Ignaz Günther Gymnasium in Rosenheim, studied violin and music education at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich, and completed an advanced study program at the Carl Maria von Weber University in Dresden.
For many years, she has worked for the Bayerischer Rundfunk, first as a radio presenter, later as the author of magazine programs and feature films.
Since 2005, she has been the musical designer of the program "Wirtshausmusikanten beim Hirzinger", which she has also been moderating together with a co-host (until 2017 Wolfgang Binder, and since 2017 Dominik Glöbl). With this show, which is popular far beyond Bavaria, she reaches a wide audience.
Matthias Pürner – (Ziach)
Matthias Pürner, born in 1990 in Trostberg in the northern Chiemgau region, is studying in the Bachelor's program in folk music with a focus on Styrian harmonica (under Alexander Maurer) at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich.
In addition to traditional Alpine folk music, his focus is on exploring various genres from classical to jazz and pop music. By using effect devices and loops, the instrument's possibilities are expanded to experiment with new sounds and playing techniques.
With his band Großstadt Boazn, he performs at festivals, cabaret stages, and taverns from Verona to Berlin.
In addition to traditional folk music pieces and diverse compositions for Großstadt Boazn, his works also include commissioned compositions for theater and television.
Doors open: 7:00 PM
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
