An evening full of wit, swing, and surprises: in 2026, the HEINZ ERHARDT project ‘Augen auf und durch’ will embark on a major tour — with a new cast, the legendary Glenn Miller Orchestra, and even the world premiere of a previously unpublished Heinz Erhardt piece.
At the heart of the program are three audience favorites: Cordula Stratmann, Dietmar Bär, and Stefan Gwildis. Together, they bring new life to the texts, songs, and unique wordplay of Heinz Erhardt — sometimes charming, sometimes swinging, sometimes full of soul.
The stars are accompanied by the Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Jörg Achim Keller. He arranged all the titles in this program, including the classics ‘Fräulein Mabel,’ ‘Dann rege dich nicht auf,’ and ‘Agamemnon,’ which shine in spirited new arrangements. The 17-piece orchestra provides an unmistakable big band sound. In addition, a poem by Erhardt, set to music by Stefan Gwildis, adds a very special piece to the program.
Heinz Erhardt’s humor remains unique to this day: playful, layered, and always delivered with a wink. Hardly any entertainer after him mastered the subtleties of comedic — and often musical — communication with the audience so perfectly, managing to amuse and captivate them. Even now, at least two generations after his death, young and old alike enjoy the sketches, films, songs, and witty poems of the ‘Uncle of the Nation,’ as the FAZ calls him. In ‘Augen auf und durch’, his timeless sketches, poems, and chansons meet the energy of a big band and the stage presence of three exceptional performers.
It all began when Nicola Tyszkiewicz, his granddaughter, asked former NDR Bigband pianist Vladyslav Sendecki to ‘just try out’ the previously unknown Erhardt pieces that had been discovered during the clearing of the attic in the family’s brick house in Wellingsbüttel.
From this emerged — over many days — a full evening’s program distilled into the essence of this rediscovered chapter: a concert experience that unites humor, swing, and soul — lively, surprising, and guaranteed unforgettable.
