b.17 Ballett am Rhein

b.17 Ballett am Rhein
©Gert Weigelt

“The creative act knows no memory, no science and no cognizance. These things are always bound up with the past. The creative act accepts no conditions outside of itself. That is why it is free.”

Sergiu Celibidache

It is my first experience at the Ballett am Rhein, for one of their new productions called simply “7”. I’ve seen ballet before but nothing quite like this. In my native Puerto Rico, we have a couple of ballet and contemporary dance companies, but they don’t do more than a couple of performances a year, presenting programmes limited very often to “standards” like the Nutcracker or Giselle. I have also seen several ballets here in Germany but something as strong and captivating like Martin Schläpfer’s work, never. He is the current director of Ballett am Rhein and fast becoming one of Europe’s top choreographers.

The work is a complex and emotionally charged choreography that combines great imaginative and sublime, often abstract, movements to Gustav Mahler’s complete 7^th Symphony. If you haven’t heard this symphony, let me tell you: it is a monumental orchestral tour-de-force with rich and dense harmonic colors juxtaposed with astonishingly beautiful melodic moments. So now imagine a ballet on top of that. At a first glance it just seems too complicated, that is why in the beginning as I sat there through the performance continuously trying to understand it, I asked myself the most basic question of all: Why?

Then I remembered a phrase by legendary Rumanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache. Immediately I stopped thinking and just went along with the work until finally I was liberated from myself and everything around me through a wonderful and marvelous work of art full of sound and movement in a way very rarely seen before. If you haven’t got plans for Friday December 6, I strongly advice you experience this performance.   

Arturo Castro for RhineBuzz

RhineBuzz can offer discounted seats in the stalls and upper tiers for the performance on December 6. Please email opera@rhinebuzz.com for details. 

Ia Orana!

Yes, I was one of the impossibly lucky folks who won a couple of round-the-world tickets.

But I didn't want to go around the world.

Instead I chose to visit the South Pacific ..... Jurassic Park for Real

Lush green, green landscapes that jut out of the never-ending blue ocean

A people colourful, songful, graceful and with a raw beauty that will surely always be of great mystery and fascination to us 

A journey of many tiny islands, often precarious, mostly very bumpy flights, sharks, Jaques Brel, awe inspiring waves, the home of surfing and tales of cannibals ....

I spent 8 weeks travelling around some of the most remote islands in the world including the Marquesas which, with their geographical location of being almost 5,000 km away from mainland Mexico, rarely see visitors but for the round-the-world-sailors that take shelter in their harbours. These islands were also the destination where the expressionist painter Gauguin chose to escape European civilisation and "everything that is artificial and conventional", and to this day, there is very little infrastructure. 

The Austral Islands were also on my schedule, the paradise where Fletcher Christian landed following the Mutiny on the Bounty and where in the middle of the deep, dark South Pacific Ocean I made friends with a colourful, curious tropical fish who ate out of my hand!

Beat the winter in Germany and come and join us for a lively talk and impressions of paradise on 

Wednesday December 11 at 7pm 

at the English Language Forum  in the heart of the Altstadt

Neustrasse 39

40231 Düsseldorf

Please register with Andy theforum@web.de or caroline@rhinebuzz.com

€10.00 inc South Pacific cocktail :)

Spaces are limited!

Philippines Benefit

The Düsseldorf non-profit organisation damenundherren Kulturverein e.V are hosting an event on Friday November 21 beginning at 7pm in aid of the Philippines.
The evening will be filled with Düsseldorf's creative folks who will offer Fillipino food, live music, the finest djs, Haru Specks and Henry Storch, a photo exhibition and a novel auction of vinyl!
Beautiful images of the Philippines put together by designer Detlef Klatt, who has worked extensively in the Philippines for many years will also be on sale.
All proceeds will go to an aid organistion known to Damenundherren Kulturverein e.V who also have close contacts to the islands.

damenundherren e.v.

Oberbilker Allee 35

40215 Düsseldorf

Well done to everyone involved in the evening, €2000.00 was raised and special thanks to 

Carmen Brown who turned up as the surprise singer for the evening :)

'Willkommen in Deutschland' three extraordinary concerts - a most personal review by Mircea Gogoncea

Mircea Gogoncea
©Carla Meurer - with many thanks
There are more of Carla's wonderful impression of the concert here

Mircea Gogoncea was the solo guitarist playing at the Tonhalle recently for the historical concerts commemorating the music and musicians that were banned in the exhibition 'Degenerate Music' which took place in the Ehrenhof in Düsseldorf, 75 years ago. Together with the Symphony Orchestra of the Robert Schumann Music School and the legendary Toten Hosen these three concerts were indeed 'more than a concert' as the city's press officer Natalia Fedossenko commented.

The performances could only happen in Düsseldorf - in this constellation, at this very location and with these artists. Those who either chose Düsseldorf, and all its rich musical heritage, to study here; or those who have been part of the local music scene for decades. Together with Germany's biggest rock band, the Toten Hosen, who have been rockin' for over 30 years and who are Düsseldorf 'kids' - the school choir who also sang in these concerts, came from the grammar school that two of the members of the Toten Hosen studied at themselves - and the students of the RSH Symphony Orchestra created remarkable music together, celebrating both the joys of the vibrant music scene of years ago and remembering in a most poignant way, of the tragedies.

This was essential viewing for anyone interested in the Düsseldorf, and indeed German music scene, both on a historical and contemporary level. I was so very grateful for the opportunity to be one of the audience, the tickets sold out in a handful of minutes.

As I met Mircea after the concert his eyes just beamed and beamed. This exceptional musician has played numerous concerts all over the world, but this experience poured out of every cell as a moment most exceptional in his young, yet all ready astounding musical life.

I asked him to write down his personal thoughts on what he had been part of, and sitting at an airport a few days later, having just won one of the 'grand slams' in the guitar world, the International 'Julián Arcas' Classical Guitar Competition in Spain, merely one week after the concerts, this is what he sent me:

Being part of the “Willkommen in Deutschland” concert series in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf this October has been one of the most exciting, horizon broadening and, above all, fun experiences I have ever had since moving to Germany in 2009!

I immediately clicked with the concept – the subtle play on words resulting from the Toten Hosen’s song “Welcome to Germany” and the message of the evening: of tolerance and acceptance as the societal antidote to the very Nazi ideological and practical intolerance against which the concert series has been conceived. As a foreigner in Germany – one who happens to have always felt quite welcome on the shores of the Rhine – this was an especially important point for me.

However, playing together with the Toten Hosen on stage, being part of the great show that they put on together with all the other musicians involved, and watching them do what they do best in front of the cheering crowd has been by far the most exciting part of it all. With great pleasure I discovered how superstars of the German punk-rock scene can be such wonderfully approachable, humble, and above all, dedicated and concentrated musicians who are not afraid to try something new and work with others on elaborate and highly demanding concepts!

Being on stage with them, in front of the clapping, whistling and constantly cheering crowd, was a truly unforgettable experience! Indeed, as classical musicians, we are used to audiences that generally choose to express their feelings and appreciation differently – and yet the thrill and satisfaction resulting from having members of the public cheer one’s every onstage move is something that can neither be replaced nor fully grasped without having been experienced first-hand.

And so I found myself during the last encore of the evening, surrounded by members of the Toten Hosen in the middle of a very sold-out Tonhalle, being carried by the audience’s wonderfully extroverted reaction and the Hosen’s own stage presence, complemented by the sheer force of a full symphony orchestra, smiling over the entire course of the piece of music and above all, enjoying: the fact that I was there, the fact that we were there, that we put on such a show, and that the audience was there to receive it the way they did.

It’s been an incredible for this for this skilled young person who is not only a world- class musician, but who is also tackling the world of technology with his pioneering platform - iolma - bringing the possibility of musical education to everyone on the planet and consequently sharing the great gift that only music can bring.

SHiFT Relays

RhineBuzz is delighted to be co-producing SHiFT, Social and Human ideas For Technology, which has now come to Düsseldorf.
Founded by Pedro Custódio in Lisbon in 2006,  SHiFT is a creative and vibrant exchange of ideas and realities for the future.

On October 11 2013 the SHiFT team from Lisbon and Düsseldorf will be hosting SHiFT Relays, a taster of the first SHiFT Conference in Düsseldorf, scheduled for next year.

SHiFT Relays, this coming Friday, will be bringing you hands-on insights to the reality of 'printing' whatever you need at home - from a flower vase to a spare part for your car; understand the future of 'connected healthcare' and find out how the phenomenon of the bicycle affects what you desire and ultimately buy. See what drones see; learn to play guitar from the very best educators in the world from the comfort of your own home; or discover how, as a startup, you can 'make people fall in love with you ...' 

All this, plus cool folks to exchange the very latest sparks for the future with at GREY düsseldorf 

Places are very limited, please register here

Séquence 8 - Les 7 doights de la main at the düsseldorf festival!

Urban circus, raw, graceful, spellbinding ...

The audience is enchanted yet, at the same time, completely on edge as the very young acrobats leap and climb and throw themselves into situations that are so precarious that all you can do is hold your breath!

Séquence 8 by the young Canadian circus company Les doights de la main is not 'just' acrobatics, it's also a social piece about the necessity of being dependent on others and yet being able to shine on a very individual level.

Philosophical, charming, thought provoking and also very entertaining. It's about life, the fragility of friendships. You, me, you and me.
Quite an achievement.

Love without ego.

Simply captivating - I wish I could go again!

Séquence at the düsseldorf festival! 

Friday September 26 and 27 at the Theatre Marquee on Burgplatz

Ticket Hotline: 0211 82 82 6622 

The festival continues until October 6

Galliano at the düsseldorf festival!

Richard Galliano and his quintet

©C. Vincent Catala

As he played the very first note, the smile in Richard Galliano’s face began to be noticeable. Although he had a sold out venue and created a concert that earned him a long lasting standing ovation, what really drew us was that smile, the joy of once again making music. For those of you who were there and didn’t see it, maybe you were too distracted by his fashionable red shoes?

 It didn’t matter that he was playing music by two composers who lived around 250 years apart from each other. These very demanding pieces sounded completely effortless and uncomplicated on his accordion. Playing pieces that are not even original for that kind of ensemble. Galliano was living every phrase and playing them with an astonishing artistry and sensibility.  

The concert of Galliano and his quintet, last Monday September 23, where he played music by Antonio Vivaldi and Astor Piazzolla, was one of those somewhat rare opportunities were you can actually be part of the creation of music.

The listener was treated to a masterfully and really creative contemporary interpretation of a so called “classic”. Regardless of your occupation and professional background, he made sure you felt immersed in this new musical dimension. 

We should learn what his smile is all about: he enjoys his concerts possibly even more than his audience and shares in a very contagious manner this feeling with everyone. 

Thank you RhineBuzz for the opportunity to witness this amazing performance, and for Galliano and the incredible düsseldorf festival! 

Once again, Bravo!

The  düsseldorf festival! continues until October 6

Arturo Castro

25 Years Unique - the Celebration at zakk

With Laura Vane and The Vipertones, 

the legendary Keb Darge, 

Eddie Pillar of Acid Jazz,  and many, many more on two floors ..... and of course Henry Storch

Henry Storch's Unique Records from Düsseldorf is one of the last independent dance record labels left in Europe specialising in soul, funk, rare grooves, hip hop, drum'n'bass and especially heavy breakbeats of all kinds!
Join Henry and friends and collaborators from 25 years of Unique and some truly big names in the world of dance music at zakk to celebrate with 8 international DJs from 4 live acts including the very bubbly Laura Vane from Brighton, England and her band the Vipertones, from the Netherlands.



The line up:
Live:

Laura Vane and The Vipertones
Planet Asia
Rhonda
Paul Doherty ( The Vals)

DJs Funk & Hip Hop Floor:
DJ Format
Spruzzi Monorecords Superfunktanker
Mister Gogo
Henry Storch
DJs Vintage Floor (Club)
The Legendary Keb Darge 
Eddie Piller (Acid Jazz)
Michael Wink
Gu

Tickets €15.00 online from Zakk with paypal, with eventim and at Hitsville in the Altstadt

or, try and win! Tell me where Laura Vane is from, send this to win@rhinebuzz.com and the first correct answer wins two tickets to the party! Thanks Henry!

25 Unique at zakk

October 2 

Fichten Strasse 40

40233 Düsseldorf

Ghost Track review for the düsseldorf festival!

LeineRoebana Dance Company
©Deen Van Meer

Position yourself in front of the majestic Rhine in the old part of Düsseldorf, Germany. Then picture a multi-award winning, avant-garde Dutch contemporary dance company and a traditional Indonesian Gamelan ensemble doing a performance together. Can you really imagine it? A musical tradition of almost two millennia collaborating with a European modern dance company alongside the Rhine?  

On September 19 and 20 the LeineRoebana Dance Company along with the Kyai Fatahillah Gamelan Ensemble created an incredible and enigmatic atmosphere with their performanceGhost Track. With a very enthusiastic public which was in an absolute awe during the 75 minutes worth of show, the musicians and the dancers communicated with great ease and sensibility a really complex and yet so easy to appreciate piece of art.

As a foreigner in Germany and as a young artist I am really starting to understand why I crossed the Atlantic and learned a new language, cultural offerings like the düsseldorf festival! - which I never would have known about had it not been for RhineBuzz - where you can hear the music of Bach and Mozart in a church one day and the next an eclectic incredible performance like Ghost Track make my time here richer than I would have ever imagined.

Arturo Castro-Nogueras 

Arturo is a  Mexican/Peurto Rican student at the Robert Schumann Music Conservatory. Not only is he a most talented musician, but he also has a keen interest in all the arts added to which, he also happens to be a fabulous cook! All elements which are greatly influential at the düsseldorf festival!

He will be following the festival along with me and I certainly look forward to more of these quite personal posts :)

düsseldorf festival!

The düsseldorf festival! hits town on Wednesday September 18 with a spectacular opening evening in the beautiful St Andreas Church with works by Bach, Poulenc, Haydn and Mozart in a seductive concert featuring Mark Schumann, of RhineBuzz favourites The Schumann Quartett, all under the charismatic direction of Ulrich Brall. This concert was sold out pretty much as soon as it was announced.

Then up until October 6, the city will be treated to an incredible assortment of dance, contemporary circus with Circa; magic, jazz, funk with Amp Fiddler; folk music, hip hop with Rage; theatre, beatbox, poetry, harps with Giovanni Pessi and Susanne Wallumrød;
and .... and .... and ... all taking place at various locations throughout the city and based at the Theatre Marquee on Burgplatz.

Once again Christinane Oxenfort and Andreas Dahmen have put together an incredible festival. Us Düsseldorfers are so very fortunate to have this on our doorstep.

If Grief Could Wait
Photo ©Giovanni Ulvo

Take a look at the programme and if you are uncertain what to choose, perhaps go for something you are not normally drawn to. All performances are chosen with great diligence to bring you the most colourful, dynamic and stimulating festival imaginable.

Ghost Track
©DeenVanMeer

Win tickets with RhineBuzz!

Tell us which countries the dancers are from in the performance Ghost Track and you can win two seats for Friday September 20.

Send your entry to win@rhinebuzz.com. The first correct answer wins the tickets! If you have already won tickets for the 2013 festival you are exempt from taking part.

Kunstpunkte - Open Studios 2013

On the first two weekends in September the city invites you to take a look around some 500+ artists' studios which are opened to the public.

Kinetic installations by Birgit Brebeck-Paul

You can pick up a flyer, which lists the studios and gives you a free map (look under 'Karte') in numerous cafés, museums and book stores around town and you can go and explore independently or, you can take a tour where you will be driven to 5 or 6 different studios in a funky vintage bus. Each tour is accompanied by two artists who introduction you to the studios you are about to visit and encourage an exchange with the the artists you visit.

RhineBuzz will be giving two tours in English, on the Sundays, Sept 8 and 15, at 3pm. On one I will be accompanied by Gesine Kikol, who studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and on the second writer and poet Frank Schablewski will join me.

Not only do you get to see some fascinating art over the weeekend but you also have the chance to discover many hidden spots in the city. Many said this was the best RhineBuzz event of 2012, as you venture into parts of the city, you simply had no idea that existed. We visit former bunkers, an artists' colony built by Hitler, studios in disused factories by the Rhine and beautiful, balmy courtyards.

in the studio of Hiroyuki Masuyama at the wharf in Reisholz

Open Studios is not just about visual arts - on Saturday September 14 at 5pm and Sunday 15 at 4pm, there will be two premiere performances of electronic music by Damian T. Dziwis and Maximillian Yip at Kunstpunkt Studio 209 - Sound @ART at the old artists' house in the city in the foyer of Atelierhaus Sittarder Strasse 5.

On the Fridays before Kunstpunkte, many extra spaces are opened where you can not only see art and meet the artists but there are also special performances, workshops and talks. See Off-Raüme for details.

Chansons amongst the art in Off-Raüme

The RhineBuzz tours in English will take place on 

Sunday Sept 8 at 3pm and Sunday Sept 15 at 3pm 

€15.00 per person

Reservations by email to Petra Weiß: petra.weiss@duesseldorf.de

Bus leaves from Düsseldorf Rheinterrassen, Joseph-Beuys-Ufer 33

Please by there by 2.50pm

There are limited places on the bus 

Make a binding reservation early to avid disappointment

We were oversubscribed last year

Prita

I met Australian songstress Prita at a concert that was part of the Stadtklang project earlier in the year. Enchanted by her music, her lyrics, the loop pedal she incorporates in her own pieces, and her extraordinary aura, we exchanged a few words after the gig and have kept in touch since.

I've rarely met a musician who connects with their audience in such a natural, yet bold and quiet way.
Prita looks you straight in the eye as she sings, but she's not yearning "love me, love what I do" she is sharing what she does with you. She gives you the feeling that if you like what you hear she will be delighted, but if you don't "well hey .... thanks for coming, anyway!"

Ahead of her next concert here in Düsseldorf on Thursday August 8, open air at the Vier Linden beer garden in Oberbilk, I asked her a few questions about her great gift of song and what makes Prita .... well Prita!

If you didn't sing, what would you be doing?

Maybe I'd have my own café/cupcake shop or a wellness center with lots of healthy types of things, juices, yoga and massages.

Can you tell us about your very first gig? 

I think my very first gig was at kindergarten dressed up as a 'star' as in twinkle twinkle little star.. or something like that.. I sang all through school any chance I got.. but my first 'proper gig' was with my first band (blues/rock) in Albany WA, when I was about 12 or 13 yrs old, we played at the beautiful big old town hall in the centre of Albany at the end of year guitar school concert (I was learning classical) .. I was the singer in the band and was dancing a lot and wearing a mid-riff top - very cool in the 80's no doubt.. singing songs like 'roadhouse blues' (the doors), 'total control' (the motels), 'come together' (the beatles) etc.. the band was put together by the teachers at my guitar school and the band was called 'protege'.

The message in "Get Out of Your Own Way" is very simple, but actually doing this is of course a very different matter. How did you managed to make that jump?

It took me a long time to build up the confidence in myself and my abilities as a singer and performer - I worked and studied all kinds of other things before I made the big jump - but I really just got to a point where I had to put all my energy and efforts into being a musician and performer - I had to give it a shot - or risk regretting it later in life that I never tried.. - and so far it has definitely paid off for me - making that jump into the unknown and following what I love to do.

Why did you choose to cover Nina Simone's "I'm Feeling Good", that's pretty courageous!

I love Nina Simone, she has such a classic style and attitude - I love watching old videos of her live shows on youtube - she is very passionate and real and just so talented - I guess she is one of my heroes - and also I just love the positive lyrics in 'feeling good' it's a nice way to end a show on a positive note!!

Where were you before you were lived in Berlin? 

I lived in Australia for many years then went travelling overseas - worked for 2 years as crew member on a private yacht, travelling all over the Caribbean, USA, Mediterranean before settling back in my home town for a few years to pursue music and then leaving home to follow my dreams of living and touring in Europe!!

What's next for Prita? 

I hope to have a new Live Album coming out soon - I did some recording in France when I was on tour recently and would love to release that soon!! I'm also playing in a few festivals in Germany and have lots of touring around Germany before I head back to France and possibly the UK again for some touring!

Good luck Prita! You certainly deserve every success and I'm really looking forward to seeing you again!
Thanks heaps for the interview Caroline! :) See you soon!

Check out Prita's videos, bio, music and photos on her website

The concert will take place even if it is raining - then it will be moved inside!

Vier Linden

Siegburger Str 25

40591 Düsseldorf

100 Years Museum Kunstpalast Celebration

The Museum Kunstpalast, often referred to as 'the treasure house of the city', celebrates its 100th year this week. On Saturday July 6 a full programme is planned including free tours and a festival in the Ehrenhof. Bands will be playing from 3pm until 11pm including musicians from the Clara Schumann Music School and the Robert Schumann Music School and the Japanese drummers Shin Daiko. There will also be a children's workshop.

To mark the centenary a book has been produced by the museum and the Rheinsche Post, 40 Düsseldorfers were asked to choose a piece of art work from the collection and write a personal story about this. I was absolutely delighted to be invited to write too (and hugely nervous!). The book was presented at a reception at the museum on Tuesday July 2, one day after the actual birthday.

I chose to write about Marta Klonowska's Glass Goat, a delightful sculpture from the Hentrich Glass Collection, one of my absolute favourite spots in the city.

The book is in German only and available in the gift store at the musuem and at bookshops in the city and includes contributions by cult director and Düsseldorfer Wim Wenders, City Mayor Dirk Elbers and video museum owner Julia Stoschek.

I'll have to check if I may add my piece, originally written in English and translated by the museum, here for you to read in English ... and here it is!

Marta Klonowska in her studio in Flingern

Open Source Festival 2013

Dinosaur Jr are headlining the programme at this year's Open Source Festival at the race course in Grafenberg on June 29.
Spend a day outdoors with a fabulous line up on various stages, stalls with wares from the local creative folk, yummy food and then finish up at by taking the shuttle bus to Stahlwerk for an all night party!

Why wouldn't you want to go?!!

Modeselektor

Discounted tickets available until June 28. Purchase your tickets here

Meet Thomas Herbrich - 'Master of Manipulation', Digital Photo Pro

Hovering Island
©Thomas Herbrich

A very special event especially for RhineBuzz!

Meet Thomas Herbrich - Düsseldorf photographer whose projects have included work on Roland Emmerich's blockbuster "Independent Day".

Thomas Herbrich will not only treat the RhineBuzz community to a fascinating talk and presentation on his extensive work, but he will also give us an insight into Thomas the entertainer, the artist, the people's person. He loves to share his work, his 'trade secrets', his experiences. He is a regular speaker at the world's greatest photography festivals and exhibitions, at a recent date the authorities were obliged to actually close down his space as the queue for visitors wishing to reach his stand exceeded safety limits!!

I've had the great pleasure of meeting Thomas several times now - he is funny, charming and extremely giving.

Thomas loves the idea of RhineBuzz and has agreed to give a talk at a very special rate. 

He often gives talks to an audience of up to 1000, but we have chosen Bar Zogel as a location in order to make this event very personal, so do make sure you book your place soon. Seating is very limited.

I feel there will be no 'last minute spaces' as are often requested at our events!

The presentation will begin at 5pm and last one hour and then Thomas would love to have a drink and chat with us :)

Cost €18.00

This event is generously sponsored by the International School on the Rhine in Neuss - ISR

Please email events@rhinebuzz.com for reservations

Thomas Herbrich at Bar Zogel at 5pm

12 May 2013

Schirmerstr 1

40211 Düsseldorf

Unique Records 25 Years

Henry Storch's Unique Records turns 25 years old this year!
Celebrations kick off on May 8 at the KuFa in Krefeld at 8pm, expect groovin' jewels from Unique, the last independent record label in Europe with worldwide distribution.

What's up:

@ Mainfloor
AL SUPERSONIC & THE TEENAGERS (Spain | Unique Records)
THE PRIME MOVERS (PRISONERS/UK) original line up feat.: Graham Day, Allan Crockford, Simon Howard 

--> afterwards:     Monsters of Funk & Soul Allnighter

DJs: Eddie Piller (Acid Jazz Records/UK) | Henry Storch (Unique Records) | Matt Fox (Cologne Soul City) | Kristian Auth (Soul Inn/Berlin) | Lars Bulnheim (Hamburg) | Michael Wink (Monkey Cave)

@ Club 
XAVER FISCHER TRIO (Unique Records) 
JAFFA (Unique Records)

--> afterwards:     Unique Club Culture 
DJs: Mister Gogo | Dr. Ben* | Marius Ruhrmann (Soulbuddies) | Burnhart (Plankton) | Junior Dread (High Noon Soundstation)

KuFa Krefeld

               Dießemer Str. 13

47799 Krefeld

Tickets €16:00 can be purchased in advance here
Evening box office €20:00