Wundergrund Festival
Various venues in Cph; starts Sat, ends Nov 2; tickets: 70-200kr, www.billetto.dk, 3393 0024; www.wundergrund.dk
If you like performance art and experimental music, you should check out the programme of this year’s Wundergrund Festival, where the meeting between the two is in focus. You might even learn what a silver circle sounds like, get astounded by a giant colourful dress or experience the sounds of New York.
Over the course of eight days, Copenhagen will experience experimental music in a new way by local as well as international performers from a broad variety of music genres. It is the eighth year in a row that
Wundergrund is taking place, and this time the festival is giving its audience the opportunity to experience how musicians work with performance elements in their music, and how performance artists work with experimental music live.
Wundergrund is organised by SNYK, the official genre organisation for new music in Denmark. It started its musical journey in 2000, and ever since it has aimed to establish a scene for new music, gathering composers, musicians, organisers and publishers alike, in order to make new experimental music more visible to a broader audience.
So grab your inner music-enthusiast and head down to one of the venues for a visually stimulating music experience.
The Carl Nielsen Award
Den Sorte Diamant, Søren Kirkegaards Plads 1, Cph K; Fri 19:30; tickets: 200kr, Diamant club members: 170kr, under 30s: 100kr, www.billetlugen.dk
Before Wundergrund actually begins, there’s an award concert with Danish composer Simon Steen-Andersen who will receive Denmark’s biggest art award. Four of his creations will be played together with DR Underholdningsorkester, and the night also brings the opportunity to hear another award winner, the soprano Henriette Bonde-Hansen.
Kickstart in Koncertkirken
Koncertkirken, Blågårds Plads 5A, Cph N; Sat 21:00; tickets: 100kr
At the official opening of Wundergrund, composer Simon Steen-Andersen performs his Black Box Music for the first time in Copenhagen. Afterwards Danish singer Kira Skov releases her new album accompanied by visuals created by video artist Anna María Helgadóttir.
Mother Earth
The Red Room, Skuespilhuset, Sankt Annæ Plads 36, Cph K; Sun 19:30; tickets: 80kr
The music and dance performance Gaia confronts the dark side of Mother Earth. It involves a massive dress made of 150 metres of colourful fabric, five classical musicians and performance artist Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen – all accompanied by the music of American composer Pete Drungle.
Wax on! From samtalekøkken til saunabar
Literaturhaus, Møllegade 7, Cph N; Mon 18:00; tickets: 70kr
Wax on! From samtalekøkken (conversation kitchen) til saunabar begins with a live review of the weekend’s two concerts by music critic Søren Schausser, and also a debate on music and performance by Simon Steen-Andersen and Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen. This initial part is in Danish, but there will also be food and performances on the programme. At 21:00 Norwegian musician Maja Ratkje, the trio POING and a Copenhagen choir perform Wach Auf, a collection of revolutionary music from world history, which was first performed at a sauna bar in Helsinki.
Graphic Worlds
Literaturhaus, Møllegade 7, Cph N; Tue 20:00; tickets: 70kr
Three artists explore the colours of different tones and sounds that people often overlook in their everyday lives. For instance, what’s the sound of a silver circle? You will find the answer when Lars Greve, Jacob Kirkegaard and Pete Drungle interpret Else Marie Pade’s graphic universe. After the concert the documentary Svævninger will be shown.
Dream Sequences
Literaturhaus, Møllegade 7, Cph N; Wed 20:00; tickets: 70kr
Dream Sequences is a grand piano performance by American composer Pete Drungle, who has composed music for many movies, but in Dream Sequences the roles are reversed and the pictures accompany him. The pictures are taken from 28 of the surreal director Luis Buñuels’ movies and edited into a one-hour sequence. Drungle first performed Dream Sequences at David Lynch’s Club Silencio in Paris.
Intense Improvisations
Copenhagen Jazzhouse, Niels Hemmingsens Gade 10, Cph K; Thu (Oct 31) 20:00; tickets: 110kr
Experience a free-jazz improv night with musicians from New York to Denmark. First American musician Mat Maneri plays the violin and bratsch with Henrik Sundh on electronics and Kresten Osgood on drums. Afterwards there’s a blow-out featuring Kidd Jordan on sax, Joel Futterman on piano, Peter Friis Nielsen on base, Kresten Osgood and Randy Peterson on drums.
New York meets Copenhagen
Copenhagen Jazzhouse, Niels Hemmingsens Gade 10, Cph K; Fri Nov 1, 21:00; tickets: 120kr
This night is about New York, and how it sounds. The first performance of the night is by the Danish experimental musician Jørgen Teller, and afterwards the free-jazz legend Charles Gayle, who for more than 15 years lived as a homeless street musician in New York, plays the sax. They will both bring their own interpretation of the sound of the Big Apple to Copenhagen.
