Vögelchen

In the bustling salons of 1860 Vienna, a lavish exhibition of miniatures draws together two unlikely patrons: the affluent industrialist Adalbert Mannsthal and the modest neurologist Dr. Clemens Urbane. Their collections reflect contrasting worlds—Mannsthal's opulent displays funded by a fortune, and Urbane's carefully chosen pieces bought with a conscience for the suffering poor. Amidst whispers of scandal, Mannsthal's marriage to a young woman brings a fragile daughter, Arabella, into a household fraught with secrets and societal intrigue.

The child, nicknamed “Vögelchen” for her bird‑like timbre, moves through the rooms with a shy, almost ethereal grace that captivates everyone who meets her. Her voice, soft as a distant song, seems to suspend time, inviting both protection and a careful distance, as if any close approach might set her fleeting spirit aloft. Listeners are drawn into the mystery of what makes Arabella so singular, and how her presence will echo through the tangled lives of those around her.