Solve puzzles and play opera

The Inselschulhaus is located in one of Basel's most socially deprived neighborhoods. The proportion of foreigners and the number of welfare recipients are among the highest in the canton. An exciting class music project began here eight years ago. In the second and third year of primary school, learning to play a string instrument is on the curriculum three times a week. Six years ago, Dorothee Mariani, cellist and head of class music-making, founded the Orchesterschule Insel association to offer the children the opportunity to gain musical experience in an orchestra with professionals. The association has expanded beyond its traditional school premises and now has around 50 children making music. They receive instrument-specific group lessons on Friday afternoons under the guidance of professional musicians. They rehearse together on Saturday mornings: "The lessons are free and the children receive an instrument free of charge, which they can take home with them to practise. In return, regular rehearsal attendance and appropriate preparation are required," writes the musician on the website. There are four performance levels. An important principle of the lessons is that the advanced students help the beginners to learn. In addition to classical string repertoire, the orchestra school plays folk music from the children's various countries of origin.

The performance of the children's opera The three puzzles proves that instrumental learning in heterogeneous groups at elementary school can be a valid alternative to conventional instrumental lessons at music schools. The instrumental lessons integrated into the timetable reach children who would never go to a music school, for social reasons, but above all for financial reasons. Working in an orchestra with professional guidance, as offered at the orchestra school, seems to motivate the children enormously. Around 100 children and young people from the Insel Orchestra School, the Basel Girls' and Boys' Choir, the Insel Primary School, music schools and some members of the Basel Symphony Orchestra took part in this successful performance. The 20 most advanced string players from the orchestra school were joined by groups of instruments from various music schools in Basel, including flutes, guitars, wind instruments and percussion. It was a wonderful experience to see the many younger and older children sitting at the podium for an hour and a half, concentrating and attentively following the conductor's signals. The remaining children from the orchestra school played, sang and danced on stage together with the young, outstanding singing professionals, or they helped out backstage. At the performance on May 13, 11-year-old Yannick Köllner played the leading role of Lasso. He attends the Liestal music school and his teacher was also on stage as a soloist. With a beautiful, intonation-sure voice, he moved confidently and mastered the rhythmic pitfalls of his extensive role without any problems. - Chapeau!

Under the clear direction of Stefano Mariani, Detlev Glanert's varied, colorfully orchestrated and rhythmically demanding score was interpreted convincingly. Despite adverse spatial and acoustic conditions - the Stadt-Casino is not suitable as a theater space - an entertaining evening of opera was achieved. Maria Riccarda Wesseling's direction focuses on movement, humor and symbolism. The characters are brought out theatrically and vividly. Little Lasso's loveless parental home is personified in his hysterical mother (Christina Campsall), who aggressively wields her vacuum cleaner, while the adult world hides behind uniform and threatening masks. Lasso escapes from his staid world and dreams of being a princess at the royal court. However, his dreams are not that easy to realize. On the run, he is almost killed by his mother's poisoned cake and at court he meets a dotty king (Robert Koller) and all sorts of bizarre characters. The princess (Sophia Schwendimann) is brittle and protects herself with an oversized crinoline. He can only win her over if he asks her three riddles that she cannot solve. This plan works. The king thinks the riddles are all just silly and no one at court knows the answers. He is allowed to spend a night with the princess without touching her. During this innocent pyjama party together, she blossoms, the royal court goes under and the young couple go out into life together with the gallows bird (Akinobu Ono), a good friend.