Miles oder die Pendeluhr aus Montreux

Monologue for an actor and a jazz band / German-speaking premiere – A play by Henning Mankell

With “Miles oder die Pendeluhr aus Montreux” (Miles, or the Pendulum Clock from Montreux), Henning Mankell created a monologue about Miles Davis that places the man behind the icon at its heart. The story is told from the perspective of a scrap dealer whose encounters with the legendary musician illuminate themes of friendship, loneliness, and the significance of art in everyday life. Daniel Rohr, Artistic Director of Theater Rigiblick, lends his voice to this remarkable text.

Fifteen years ago, we presented this extraordinary work at Theater Rigiblick for the very first time. Since then, it has returned to the stage time and again, losing none of its musical magic or narrative power.

The musical framework is provided by Sketches of Spain, the landmark album created by Miles Davis and Gil Evans in 1960, performed here by the Zurich Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Ed Partyka. The interplay of spoken word and live music creates a dialogue between Mankell’s story and one of the defining recordings in the history of jazz.

The film about the performance by Beat Hebeisen