"Hugo" competition

When young people open their hearts

The "Hugo Pitch" was very exciting - also because the jury and audience were not of the same opinion.(Bild: Lucas Breuer/Montforter Zwischentöne)

The Montforter Zwischentöne is entering its tenth year of existence. The competition for the "Hugo" is particularly popular - and was once again a highlight at this year's edition.

It all began with the medieval singer Hugo von Montfort. He is the namesake of the "Hugo", a competition for innovative concert formats organized by Montforter Zwischentöne (MZT), which is now the most important of its kind in the German-speaking world. This year, 42 teams from seven countries applied. Their theme, set by the MZT, was "Me/We".

Four teams were finally invited to the final round of the pitch on Friday at the Altes Hallenbad in Feldkirch. They each presented a ten-minute teaser of what, if they won, would be shown over the course of a whole hour on November 29 at the Pförtnerhaus Feldkirch. After each of the short screenings, three concert management experts took part in a discussion - always hosted by Andrea Thilo. This year it was Anja Christine Loosli from the Schlossfestspiele Thun (Switzerland), Marie-Sünje Schade from the Konzerthaus Dortmund and Mathis Huber from the styriarte Graz.

The first of the four teams to perform were four men from Freiburg (Germany), who call themselves "Konglomerat". They brought a large ball with them, which was worked on by three of them, grew to the height of a man and shrank back down again. This was accompanied by an abstract movie and music or sounds from the tape. The unimaginable number of sensory impressions to which every human being is exposed were processed electronically here. The planned concert, which aims to shield the audience from the musicians with curtains so that they only reveal themselves towards the end, also has to do with perception.

"Konglomerat" during their pitch.(Bild: Lucas Breuer/Montforter Zwischentöne)

"Die Pflastersteine" from Linz, four students of elementary music education, presented themselves quite differently. One cobblestone on its own is pointless, only many together are of any use, was their answer to the motto "Me/We". It was a very sympathetic performance with live music, movement and body percussion, where in the case of the complete performance the audience should also be encouraged to join in. "Kings of hearts", Mathis Huber called them a little ironically in his statement, not the only original comment from the Styrian organic farmer and festival director.

This was followed by the group "FL!K", a group from Erlangen, Nuremberg and Leipzig. Their motto was "the red thread", and their idea was to use everyday objects to create sound, along with music from different eras, from Telemann to jazz and Peter Eötvös. A large frame with a membrane stood on the stage, with someone moving in front of and behind it. Finally, someone pushed through the membrane - and people joined hands. A touching moment!

FL!K" were delighted to take first place.(Bild: Lucas Breuer/Montforter Zwischentöne)

The fourth ensemble, "cryptic", came from Hamburg. It fused free jazz with English poetry and pointed out our environmental problems in an oppressive escalation - and finally a soothing ending.

The evaluation was exciting: "FL!K" won, but "Die Pflastersteine" were able to make up some ground in the audience evaluation. The winning team receives 1000 euros in prize money and a production budget of 5000 euros. Whether that's not a bit meagre is just one of the questions that remain unanswered in this format. To conclude, Mathis Huber is quoted once again: "Despite all the criticism we receive here, it is a great gift that young people allow us to look into their personalities and open their hearts."