Cottbus 2026 Cultural Salon: "Water" to be hosted at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
Tears, as an expression of the deepest emotions, are the focus of the next Kultursalon event in the ‘Water’ theme year. Under the title ‘Crystal Floods’, the Ensemble Due sopra il Basso will explore the musical language of mourning in early Baroque music on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. But it is not only the theme that is extraordinary; the venue is too. This time, the Kultursalon will take place – fittingly – in the Experimental Hall at the Water Technology chair at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. BTU President Prof. Gesine Grande will open the event.
At the heart of the programme lies the close connection between human emotion and musical expression: what cannot be put into words finds its expression in music. Tears – at times hot and urgent, at times quiet and clear – take on a sound of their own. Baroque composers translated this emotional depth into striking musical images: as flowing lines, as plaintive motifs, as so-called ‘sighing figures’.
A special focus is placed on the English composer John Dowland, whose works are still regarded today as the epitome of musical melancholy. To mark the 400th anniversary of his death, the programme places his compositions within a broader European context spanning England, France, Italy and Germany.
The Ensemble Due sopra il Basso performs this music in a unique ensemble: two voices and lute. This reduced form creates an immediate, intense soundscape that allows the emotional content of the works to be experienced directly. The concert is complemented by subtle scenic elements that deepen the impact of the music. Since its foundation in 2016, the ensemble has been known for its lively yet historically informed performances of early music.
Collaboration with the Water Technology chair at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
The event takes place in cooperation with the Water Technology and Sanitary Engineering chair at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg – and deliberately at a location where water is not merely contemplated, but researched and experienced. “Water is experience. Music is experience,” says Dr Konrad Thürmer, Head of the chair. “Hydraulic testing forms the basis for understanding. A cubic metre of water weighs a tonne – and yet we can walk in it. Such phenomena cannot be calculated alone, but must be observed.”
Before the concert, Thürmer will give a brief introduction to the experimental facilities, including the water channel and water basin. His wish: “Visitors should be reminded of their childhood – of playing with stones in a stream or of the hole filling up on a Baltic Sea beach.”
It is precisely this shift in perspective that makes the evening so special: science and art meet not as explanation and interpretation, but as two distinct forms of experience.
Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2026, 6.30 pm (doors open from 6.00 pm)
Venue: BTU Cottbus Main Campus, Teaching Building 4A, Experimental Hall, Siemens-Halske-Ring 8
Note: The event involves prolonged standing. If you have any mobility restrictions, please contact us in advance.
Tickets:
€20 standard
, €25 support ticket
, €10 concessions (students
More information and tickets here: Kultursalon Cottbus – Encounters through Culture
https://www.b-tu.de/ag-water-technology/team
