Stories

When Andrea and Franz Froschauer sing and read, the room falls quiet. It is a warm, attentive kind of silence. On 19 December at 5 pm, they will be our guests at Refugium Lunz. Their programme, “… auf ein Wort nur, mitten im Trubel …” (“Just a word, amid the bustle”), is an evening of gentle tones.

Advent and Christmas touch every one of us. With moving, contemplative and also humorous songs and texts, Andrea and Franz Froschauer set out to trace the heart of this season. It is about humanity, about becoming human and being human. That holds not only in Bethlehem but also here among us, in everyday life.

The evening brings together songs by Herman van Veen, Georges Moustaki, Simon & Garfunkel and Gregor Meyle. They are joined by texts from Theodor Storm, Janosch, Rafik Schami, Gisela Baltes and Thomas Schlager-Weidinger, as well as the duo's own works. Every word, whether sung or spoken, invites you to listen and to smile. It lets you share in the feeling and trace your own longings. The Neue Presse Passau described the evening as a tender, mindful wake-up call.

This is an evening for everyone who wants to step away from the pre-Christmas rush for a few hours. The words warm you and stay with you long afterwards, set against the quiet atmosphere of Refugium Lunz.

As part of our literary series, selected authors are invited to Refugium Lunz. The series is curated by Petra Hartlieb, who has accompanied us from the beginning with her fine instinct for voices, themes and remarkable books. It brings writers to Lunz whose work moves, surprises or simply deserves to be told, each in their own distinctive way.

Those who wish can combine the evening with a stay. That leaves time for conversation, for retreat, or for a good book that lingers long after the final page.