heimwē - wie das Heimweh Eingang in die Barockmusik fand

Switzerland, with its unique topography, history and cultural structure, provided fertile ground for the emergence of a phenomenon that was to gain significance far beyond its borders: pothopatridalgia, or more simply – homesickness.

The heimwē was considered a Swiss disease and had been occupying doctors, priests and philosophers since the 16th century. It was imagined that the permanent mental fixation on the fatherland would bind the spirits in those fibers of the brain marrow that were associated with ideas of the fatherland and thus made vital functions impossible. Changes in air pressure and the renunciation of familiar elements of home, such as the milk of local cows, make it difficult for people to adapt to foreign customs.
Homesickness soon became a topos in music: simple folk songs addressed the longing for the distant homeland. Swiss music or simple cowbell ringing were attested to an almost magical power. Mercenaries were forbidden to listen to or sing music from their homeland for fear of desertion. And like all human emotions, homesickness was predestined to find its expression in art music.

In its concert program, the ensemble LE GRAND TRIANON traces this fascinating phenomenon. The various aspects of homesickness are illuminated in works by Rhaw, Couperin, Castello, Telemann and others, and the concert is rounded off with a new composition by the Nidwalden composer Andreas Gabriel, which makes homesickness appear in a current context.