Caspar David Friedrich becomes a stage character in a musical

The painter Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) will become a stage character at his long-standing place of work in Dresden. Under the title "The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog", the play with music by the band Silbermond will premiere on July 11, Comödie Dresden announced - and wrote of a "modern story about two lost souls in search of hope".

"The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" is a famous painting by Friedrich, who was born in Greifswald and lived in Dresden for more than four decades. The musical is said to focus on two souls: The painter Friedrich, a quiet loner who prefers to paint his feelings in landscapes rather than put them into words, and Edgar, a young climate activist of today - angry, insecure, full of questions about himself and the world.

Music by Silbermond provides the sound of the musical

The album "Leichtes Gepäck" by Silbermond, which was released ten years ago, serves as the musical engine of the plot. "Between soft ballads and powerful pop-rock, the music tells of departure, lightness and the longing for a place where you can arrive," is how Comödie described the sound. The musical will be performed in the open air at the Elbschloss Übigau in Dresden. It was written and directed by Christian Kühn, the artistic director of Comödie Dresden.

Last year, on the 250th anniversary of Caspar David Friedrich's birth, his hometown of Greifswald and Dresden made a city bet. More than 2,000 people each dressed in the style of Romanticism. The decisive question was who could get more people on their feet. Greifswald won by a narrow margin - 2,241 women, men and children took part. In Dresden, 2,033 took part in the campaign.