Urban Lys Reviews
Urban Lys Reviews
Online magazine about music between Ukraine, Germany and global
Ukrainian Songs
and African Drive
The Resident Music Collective
in Humboldt Forum
"Mit Pauken und Palästen" ("With Drums and Palaces") is a multidisciplinary art project combining a musical program performed by the Music Resident Collective, contemporary dance and video projections that immersively interact with the space and the audience. The main topic of reflection is the Humboldt Forum exhibition "Blown Away: The Palace of the Republic", which opened in May and is dedicated to the Palace of Republic.
Text, photos & videos
Olga Kovalevska
Date
March 2024
Location
Humboldt Forum
Tags
Photoreport
Reviews
Special Projects
Palace of Republic is a building that was the political centre of the GDR and stood on the site of the Humboldt Forum until 2008. Hence the name, which is a play on the German phrase "mit Pauken und Trompeten" (literally "with drums and trumpets", used in the sense of "gloriously").
Despite the historical context, the concert "With Drums and Palaces" did not feel politically committed. The composer, conductor and musical director of the project, Clemens Rynkowski, has arranged for the team a stylistically colourful programme combining elements of traditional cultures and original songs by the participants, as well as several specially written compositions.
The Music Resident Collective itself is an international, multi-instrumental mix of artists, most of whom have successful solo careers in various musical styles and are based in Berlin.
The Music Resident Collective participants:
Adrián Artacho – live electronics / video / sonification
Ali Hasan – frame drums
Jakob Dinkelacker – self-made percussion / horn / electronics
Gal Golob – cello
Ganna Gryniva – voice / electronics
Aly Keïta – balafon
Bo-Sung Kim – Korean percussion (Gugak)
Shih-Che Lee – trombone
Khadim Ndome – vibraphone / timpani
Joan Osca – saxophone
Ernesto Robles – electric guitar
Laura Robles – cajón
Clemens Rynkowski – musical direction / theremin / keyboards
Florian Rynkowski – bass / viola da gamba / strings, electronics
Hanne Pilgrim – movement / sonification
Junjian Wang – dance / sonification
The highlight of the programme is its only voice - the Ukrainian-born singer Ganna Gryniva, who performs Ukrainian folk songs with a jazz quintet and solo, using a loop station. Around the ancient "Tuman", "Kupala" and "Lyuli", an amazing synergy of sounds from different cultures and times is formed.
It should be noted that this is the second project of the Humboldt Forum with the Music Resident Collective. And it's especially nice that in the first Star Dust show, the programme opened and ended with archaic Ukrainian songs performed by Ganna. Thus, both programmes draw considerable attention to Ukrainian culture.
Ganna Gryniva & The Resident Music Collective - Luli
Ganna's vocals, however, permeate the entire programme, sounding organic both in the African groove and in the German song "Der Alex ist ein Stern", a 70s hit famously performed by East German pop star Veronika Fischer. By the way, ‘Alex’ is the popular nickname of Alexander Platz, the modern title of the area where the Palace of the Republics was located.
"
This is an East German song. It's about Alex, he's a star of asphalt. And this is about concrete. The thing is that they sing about concrete in a very poetic way, which we wouldn't do nowadays. For me it was connected with the Palace of the Republic.
Composer and musical director of the project, Clemens Rynkowski
Veronika Fischer - Alex
While Ganna infuses the programme with the Ukrainian tenderness, this is Aly Keita, a virtuoso balafonist from Côte d'Ivoire, who adds drive to both shows. His cheerful compositions make the respectable audience get up and dance, and his solos make them hold their breath and applaud.
Aly Keïta, Ganna Gryniva & The Resident Music Collective - Maloya
The balafon, combined with its metal European brother, the vibraphone, fuelled by the rhythms of Korean drums and Peruvian cajon, the whimsical theremin and the wistful viola da gamba, together form a colourful palette of timbres and textures. Despite such an unusual ensemble, the programme is perceived organically and evokes strong emotions in the audience.
"I asked several musicians to bring their songs - my brother (Florian Rynkowski), Ganna, Aly and the drummer. Also I wrote some of the songs and we put them all together and tried to combine them with the theme of the Palace of the Republic. We also had some original artefacts from the Palace, which we used when we made a circle with the dancers,’ says Clemens Rynkowski.
By the way, the production with the participation of dancers Hanne Pilgrim and Junjian Wang played an important role in the perception of the music. During the show, they appear in unexpected parts of the hall, interacting with the audience and each other. The audience also moves freely in the space. "This concert is something special.
It is an experiment in which the musicians are in a circle and can see each other. The audience can also see the musicians from different angles and move around them," - Clemens describes the format.
Dramaturgically, "With Drums and Palaces" was much more coherent than the first project "Stardust". It featured a demonstration of non-traditional musical instruments designed for therapeutic purposes between the parts of the concert. Due to the large number of people who wanted to try acoustic therapy, the atmosphere created by the musicians in the first part of the show felt somewhat lost. However, the installation with kinetic violins driven by candles and creating a background for the ‘live’ artists is a promising direction that deserves additional attempts at creative research.
The richness and diversity of the mediums in both programmes create a certain intrigue for the future: one wonders what the third music programme of the Humboldt Forum could be. Nevertheless, you will still have the opportunity to see and hear both projects in person: in December, the Music Resident Collective will meet again to perform With Drums and Palaces with a reconstituted line-up, and next year, perhaps, a completely new project will appear.
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