Momo
based on the book
by Michael Ende
'There is one big yet totally everyday secret. Everyone shares it, but hardly anyone ever thinks about it. Most people simply accept it as it is and don't wonder about it at all. This secret is time.'
Michael Ende's novel Momo is far more than just a book for adolescents. The timeless story about a little girl who returns the time that has been stolen from them to people turns out to be a poetic pondering of living life at a slower pace, self-determination and the value of listening.
With her clear, striking voice, Claudia Michelsen brings the characters impressively to life. She not only reads – she becomes Momo, Beppo, Gigi and the mysterious time-thieves. Together with Stefan Weinzierl, who creates an atmospheric universe of sounds with his marimba, vibraphone, drums and sound effect instruments, she whisks the audience away to Momo's world. The result is an affectionate tribute to Michael Ende's work and a passionate plea to observe and listen.
Claudia Michelsen is equally at home in front of movie as well as TV cameras, and also on the theatre stage. Born in Dresden, she studied drama at the renowned Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art in Berlin and has performed at the Volksbühne, the Deutsches Theater and the Schaubühne Berlin. She has appeared in many major film and TV productions, most recently, for example, in the extremely successful TV miniseries Ku'damm and in the TV channel ARD's innovative improvisation series Das Begräbnis. As chief inspector Doreen Brasch in the Magdeburg-set episodes of the long-running TV crime series Polizeiruf 110, she regularly solves crimes in front of an audience that numbers millions. Claudia Michelsen has won numerous awards for her work, for example the prestigious Goldene Kamera film and television award in the 'Best Actress' category and two Grimme-Preis television awards. Her repertoire includes various reading programmes, and time and again she lends her inimitable voice to audio book recordings.
Stefan Weinzierl's music cannot be pigeonholed – and neither can the range of instruments he uses, whether a large orchestra drum set or small sound effect instruments. With the unique sound spectrum of his multifaceted instruments, the drummer and multi-percussionist (who has a Master's degree gained at HFMT Hamburg) develops soundtracks for energetic stage productions and likes to bridge the gap between his sounds and literature or drama. In his Hamburg recording studio, he regularly develops and produces music for plays, audio books, radio productions, documentaries and corporate image videos.
