Samy Deluxe & Mikis Takeover! Ensemble

Mikis Takeover! Ensemble, Max Mutzke

Who likes limitations and boundaries? In music, thankfully, they can be ignored. When concertmaster and rapper Miki Kekenj takes the stage with his chamber music "Takeover! Ensemble", fans of classical and pop music follow suit. The virtuoso violinist's ensemble seamlessly blends styles, translating pop, soul, and rap into classical sounds. Instruments like violin and cello take the place of the usual rhythm section and dense sound, giving music a new, unplugged shine.

Stefanie Heinzmann & Mikis Takeover! Ensemble

Take a blank musical canvas, six classical instrumentalists and a gifted soul singer and equip them with lush, onomatopoeic brushes. Then lock them in a rehearsal room together and give them two handfuls of catchy pop songs. What happens then? That’s right, that’s when Takeover happens! This time, the wonderful songs of Stefanie Heinzmann are taken over and turned inside out. It will be interesting to see which classical quotations ensemble founder and arranger Miki Kekenj will incorporate into the pieces and which instruments will be allowed to nestle against Stefanie Heinzmann’s sometimes silky, sometimes soulfully powerful vocals. In any case, it will be a sound-painting masterpiece that would have delighted both Da Vinci and Pollock.

Takeover! by Miki & Samy Deluxe

"Takeover! by Miki" is a popular concert series at the Essen Philharmonic. Mihalj Kekenj, aka Miki, a violinist and crossover artist, transcends genres, bringing people to music. This season, Miki returns with his chamber music ensemble and special guest Samy Deluxe. It's going to be great!

Takeover! by Miki & Samy Deluxe

"Takeover! by Miki" is a popular concert series at the Essen Philharmonic. Mihalj Kekenj, aka Miki, a violinist and crossover artist, transcends genres, bringing people to music. This season, Miki returns with his chamber music ensemble and special guest Samy Deluxe. It's going to be great!

Ensemble!

Ensemble Resonanz

Why would an ensemble that made its name performing rarities from early and contemporary music then turn to the most successful oratorio of the Baroque? Ensemble Resonanz would presumably answer, »Christmas without the Christmas Oratorio is only half the story. As often as you may have heard or played the piece, you still want to hear or play it again.« The ensemble has been performing its own version of Bach’s Christmas classic for six years now – pared down and with unconventional instrumentation, a little like a concert at home for friends. The concert hall becomes a sitting room, the musicians become a choir, and the work becomes chamber music with Baroque violas, electric guitar and vintage keyboards.

Decoder Ensemble

The Decoder Ensemble is one of the most bold and original representatives of the international New Music scene. With its high-energy sound, the ensemble thrills audiences in prestigious concert halls as well as in clubs such as Berlin’s Berghain. For several years, Decoder hosted the Elbphilharmonie’s »Below Deck« series, in which they presented fascinating performance evenings with a range of very different guest artists.

GURDJIEFF ENSEMBLE

In the early 20th century, Armenian philosopher, mystic, and composer George Gurdjieff traveled widely in the Caucasus, Middle East, Northern Africa, and Asia. He later transformed his experiences of the diverse local musical traditions he encountered into numerous compositions, most of which have only been accessible in piano transcriptions. Led by artistic director Levon Eskenian, the Gurdjieff Ensemble performs these works in new arrangements for traditional instruments, while also highlighting the centuries-old tradition of Armenian ashughs (bards) such as Jivani, Baghdasar Dbir, and Sayat-Nova.

Ensemble Musikfabrik

Zum ersten Mal waren sich der Franzose Pierre Boulez und der Amerikaner Elliott Carter in den frühen 1950er Jahren in Paris begegnet. Und sofort entstand zwischen diesen Komponisten eine Freundschaft fürs Leben. Das Ensemble Musikfabrik und Bas Wiegers erinnern nun an diese zwei wichtigen Tonsetzer der Moderne mit Kultstücken der Neuen Musik. Und einer der Solisten ist Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, der Boulez und Carter viel zu verdanken hat.Zunächst steht Klarinettist Carl Rosman im Mittelpunkt – in Boulez’ »Domaines« (1968), in dem er den Raum erwandert und dabei den Dialog mit fünf weiteren Instrumentalisten sucht. Ein musikalisches Gespräch entwickelt sich ebenfalls in Elliott Carters »Doppelkonzert« (1961) zwischen zwei Kammerorchestern – mit ihren solistischen Wortführern Benjamin Kobler am Cembalo und Pierre-Laurent Aimard am Klavier. Igor Strawinsky hielt übrigens dieses »Double Concerto« für ein absolutes Meisterwerk!

RAMAL ENSEMBLE

The Ramal Ensemble returns to the Pierre Boulez Saal to present a program centered around the idea of real and imaginary journeys. Originally founded in Damascus, the group reassembled in Germany in 2015 and counts several Barenboim-Said Akademie alumni among its members. No strangers to the experience of cultural mobility, the five musicians have cultivated a unique sound and will perform original compositions as well as improvised music. At the Fringe of Time is part of the Ramal Ensemble’s concert series “Creative Music Lab II.” A project of Barzakh gGmbH, supported by the Capital Cultural Fund.