Schlaraffia: When the doctor picks up the guitar. Hermann Doßmann in Concert
In daily life he is a doctor. His business is functional gastrointestinal diseases and psychosomatics. At least once a month you can find the man from Hamburg, more precisely Henstedt-Ulzburg, on stage. Then he becomes the songwriter 2.0, the doctor who picks up the guitar. That was the case in Braunschweig yesterday. The Cockaignes had invited. Well, there wasn’t any milk or honey yesterday, but it was still an entertaining evening.
In arte voluptas
Actually, women are not allowed in this castle. The “Schlaraffia Brunsviga” alliance is a pure male alliance. So roughly comparable to the monastic republic of Athos in Greece. This Friday, however, the Schlaraffen, as they call themselves, are opening their doors. And indeed, things are medieval here. To introduce the evening, Thomas Ostwald said that the association was founded in Prague in 1859 out of spite. At that time, artists were dependent on their patrons and were not welcome in everyday life. German artists, academics, craftsmen and citizens from many classes came together in a friendship group. The Schlaraffen’s trademark is an eagle owl. Ostwald quickly robs the audience of an illusion when he lets us know that we are not in the land of milk and honey flowing here. Rather, we are in the land of milk and honey of the spirit. Also beautiful.
The community says of itself that it is not a lodge. But I have to admit that when I enter the castle and especially the knight’s hall, I start to think a bit. Both the layout and the decoration of the room take some getting used to. So I’m wondering where I ended up here. But the Schlaraffen’s motto “In arte voluptas”, there is joy in art, dispels the first doubts. And then the artist comes onto the stage with a glass of water in his hand.
And you’re left high and dry
“I just got a glass of water and you’re left high and dry.” At first I don’t know how to classify Doßmann’s comment. After a short conversation with the organizers, it becomes clear that the sentence is meant seriously. There are no drinks this evening. The counter remains dark and serving is not permitted. That somewhat spoils the joy of the musical evening. But it cannot be changed. Then Doßmann gets started. It quickly becomes clear that the event will be entertaining even without drinks. The artist quickly manages to spread his joy of music in the hall, and his humorous lyrics do the rest. It’s all about pastries that you can’t keep your hands off of. Another time, the fighting vegans and die-hard vegetarians have to believe when it is said: “Food is important, eating is fun. Even a vegetarian doesn’t like to bite the dust.”
“If you lose hair, you gain face”
But Doßmann is not above making himself the object of ridicule. This evening he is wearing a black cap on his head. As the evening progresses, he reveals with a smile that there is no mane under the headgear and remarks: “If you lose hair, you gain face.” You can certainly see it that way.
I am amazed at Doßmann’s large repertoire. He entertains his audience for a full two and a half hours and doesn’t lose a bit of his momentum and his joy in performing. The audience claps and sings along enthusiastically and asks for encores. The artist plays three more songs before the hat cash registers and an entertaining evening comes to an end.
