A legend visits the federal republic
Even the start of the new show will be spectacular: From the moment of December 1st when the dragon illuminates the Olymphiahalle, Munich and enchants thousands of fans with the fight of Good and Bad. After the Excalibur shows in Basel, Nurenberg and Freiburg the rock opera even pays a visit to the highly modern convention centre of Erfurt, which is well known for its fabulous acoustics and wide array of international stars like Depeche Mode.
After Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Dortmund, Excalibur finally – with one of the last shows during this fantastic journey – reaches the Mercedes-Benz-Arena in Berlin, our capital. The arena along the Spree river can hold up to 20,000 Excalibur fans and is sure to impress the audience with modern sound engineering, which will add to the show around King Arthur. After some more shows in Bremen and Hamburg the rock opera’s final curtain will fall in Leipzig with a fantastic finale and one final performance of the roundtable’s destiny.
On musical trails
Whoever feels called out to prove that the virtues of knightliness are still waiting for their awakening deep within the hearts of mankind, should book a ticket right away. The Celtic rock opera Excalibur brings the medieval myth with Merlin, Arthur and singing knights, to top notch venues around Germany and is a widely interactive show. You can make yourself a part of the saga. There is no doubt that this folk-rock-delicacy, led by the luminary Michael Mendl as Merlin, will stick in your mind for a very long time…
The Soloist
Moya Brennan (Clannad), Michael Sadler (SAGA), Eric Fish (Subway to Sally), John Kelly and Maite Itoiz (Elfenthal), Bob & Jesse Siebenberg and John Helliwell (Supertramp), Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Maggie Reilly (Mike Oldfield), Dun Aengus (Roberto Tiranti), Siobhan Owen + Special guest and band and Michael Mendl as Merlin.
Michael Mendi – A Merlin like no other
Merlin smirks and mocks, considers and acts. He himself stands by the knights of the roundtable and supports their attempt to re-awaken the six virtues of knightliness. It’s not an easy task and therefore only Michael Mendl – one of the biggest character actors in the German drama and theatrical world – can become the great wizard of the rock opera Excalibur.
A life for the stage
In his early student times Michael Mendl, residing in Vienna and Essen at that time, studied theatre and drama play and soon after started his career as an actor at state- and national theaters throughout Germany, reaching from Berlin to Munich. In the 1970s and 1980s he began to engage his energetic acting with TV appearances and got discovered by a whole new audience.
Even back then his performances in “Derrick” and in the “Tatort” were honoured by newspapers, before he completely subscribed his life to film and television in the 1990s. He distinguished himself amongst others in “Kleine Haie” under the direction of Sönke Wortmann and keeps on delighting the public with character roles like in “Der Untergang” and “Soweit die Füße tragen”. His acting as the character of German chancellor Willy Brand in the documentary “Im Schatten der Macht” earned him a Goldene Kamera (German movie award) as best German actor.
A Merlin that nobody has seen before and that nobody ever forgets…
Michael Mendl’s wizard in Excalibur is not a passive spectator or even the wise guy in the back. Instead he is a very complex and active character, who can make you see into the depths of medieval soul at any time during his acting.
Mendl presents his character with energy and dynamic, without losing the gratitude and dignity of the legendary Celtic fairytale figure. It’s a great achievement that couldn’t be performed by any other actor than him. Excalibur is his story. It is the story of wizard and the knights of the roundtable. It is the story of the audience – and you will find yourself involved in the charming and frightening spells of an ancient world.
Orchestra and The Band in perfect symbiosis
As soon as Merlin and the knights of the round table enter the stage, in order to take away the audience to foreign lands of the Arthur saga, you will not only be taken through one of the biggest legends of all time with rock music, but also via the classic string notes of the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Martin Sanda. Where the rock music represents the harshness of the Celtic middle ages, the Symphonic Orchestra will enchant their listeners with the airwaves of myths and stories.
16 years of music
When the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra of Prague was founded in the year 2000, nobody knew what journey lay ahead of those educated, classic musicians.
From the beginning, the Orchestra has been able to prove their high standard of professionalism, with both the full cast of 70 musicians and a small chamber music ensemble.
The orchestra demonstrated their vast diversity in interests and their devotion to art by performing classical works from Mozart to Antonin Dvorak, with music of the Czech pop sensation Iveta Bartosova over to film- and gaming-soundtracks or musicals to stage adaptions of Jeff Waynes “War of the Worlds”.
The passion for rock music was demonstrated in the years of 2010 to 2015 with their engagement at “Rock meets Classic”, they had the chance to tour with the central masterminds of legendary rock acts such as Deep Purple, Status Quo or Alice Cooper. During that time they created breathtaking new interpretations of some of world’s biggest rock
