EN
2025 was a great year for all Thomas Mann fans. The 150th birthday of the great German writer led to many publications, biographies, events and also the re-recording of a special audio book, The Magic Mountain. Thomas Sarbacher used the newly revised first edition as the text basis for the audio book. A great literary work that, read unabridged for the first time, leads to 38 hours of listening pleasure. Thomas Sarbacher himself read for the first time that evening in the Stadtstadel from the chapter "Richness of Melodies". It describes the musical pleasure of the young protagonist Hans Castorp. The choice of text passage motivated Murat Parlak to write a new composition for the work of the Magic Mountain, which he also presented for the first time that evening. Eloquently and with changing vocal pitches, gestures and facial expressions, Thomas Sarbacher drew the audience deeper and deeper into Hans Castorp's musical experience. The atmosphere in the Berghof sanatorium became omnipresent in the room. The very special life situation of the young sanatorium visitor Castorp and his choice of music on the technically perfect gramophone of his time was transferred to the listeners and gave rise to many, very individual images in their minds. Murat Parlak reinforced this feeling with his piano music passages and enchanted the guests in his very personal way. He virtuosically transformed the story into music. It resembled an echo of the written words of Thomas Mann. A touching experience that deeply moved the young and older guests. A wonderful comment by a visitor summed it up most aptly: "If stories had been read to me in this way as a child, I might have become a writer"
Photographer: Bernhard Simon