An enticing voice, a lively bass, a swinging piano. This is music that makes the feet want to dance – and so do the brushes! And they actually do: Live before the astonished viewers, they conjure up a joyfully dancing couple on the white canvas to the rhythm.
The brushes are expertly guided by Robert Nippoldt and are not the only drawing tools that make an appearance in this unique interplay of music and art. In a matter of moments, chalk, pencil, and ink are used to reconstruct the Berlin City Palace, and the Memorial Church gets its roof back. Thanks to cameras and large projections, the audience is right up close – to every stroke that the artist's hand brings to the paper with casual elegance.
Moreover, the drawings projected onto the canvas during the show are just part of the diverse repertoire. In a perfect symbiosis of sound, acting, and image, a silhouette production of Brecht's "Pirate Jenny" emerges impressively. The Comedian Harmonists dismantle a concert grand piano in visible and audible ecstasy. One strolls with keen eyes through the capital, and a slapstick number pays tribute to the beginnings of sound films. It is also amazing how one can meet all the chancellors of the Weimar Republic in just three minutes.
All of this is brought to life, commented on, and inspired by the three fabulous musicians of the Trio Grössenwahn, who breathe new life into the classics of that time with verve and humor. Even an original antique keyboard instrument experiences a surprising renaissance under the nimble hands of singer Lotta Stein.
It is the feeling of life in a special city between the world wars that these four stylishly dressed artists dedicate themselves to this evening. A Berlin that has not lost any of its charm and welcomes us with open arms. If we follow this invitation, by the end of this enjoyable excursion, we will have a glimpse of what it might have felt like back then – in the roaring twenties.
ein-raetselhafter-schimmer.de
ROBERT NIPPOLDT
(Live drawings, silhouettes, animations, brush performance, graphic whimsy)
The illustrator and book artist became known through his award-winning book trilogy "Gangster," "Jazz," and "Hollywood," about America in the 1920s and 30s, as well as through his illustrations for The New Yorker and Time Magazine. He is currently working on a book about the night in 1920s Berlin. www.nippoldt.de
Favorite film: City Lights (1931) by Charlie Chaplin
What he doesn’t like at all: cucumbers and wasps in his throat
Dark secret: Although he makes books himself, he never reads them
TRIO GRÖSSENWAHN
(Vocals, piano, double bass)
Lotta Stein (vocals), Christian Manchen (piano), and Christoph Kopp (double bass) have been successfully active in the music scene with various formations for years. As the Trio Grössenwahn, they are entirely dedicated to the 20s and 30s. They carry the classics of that time into today with their lively interpretations, as virtuously as they respect them.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rhNy_xnc2w
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
