From December 6th to 9th, 2018, the Zafraan Ensemble will return to the Sophiensaele together with the Company Christoph Winkler to explore the composer Julius Eastman and his music over four evenings.
Julius Eastman was one of the rare multi-talents in music history: as a musician, composer, singer and dancer, his talent quickly caused a stir and he collaborated with artists as diverse as Morton Feldman, Pierre Boulez, Meredith Monk and Arthur Russel. Although his compositions were successfully performed in the USA and Europe, he was unable to assert himself as an openly gay African American in the scene of a white-dominated art form. He died in 1990, aged just 50, homeless, after a long period of drug abuse.
A large part of his compositions were also lost with him. Thanks to numerous reconstructions, his work has been rediscovered and internationally celebrated in recent years. With special consideration of the work history of minimal music and contemporary dance, Christoph Winkler, together with international guests, translates three of Eastman’s pieces – Gay Guerrilla, The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc and Femenine – into a choreography that focuses on the rhythmic aspects and program of Eastman’s music is focused. What inspiration might dance have drawn from Eastman’s work if it had become part of the musical canon?
Program:
Julius Eastman: Gay Guerrilla (1979) for 4 grand pianos and 5 dancers
Julius Eastman: The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc (1981) for 6 cellos and 2 dancers
Julius Eastman: Femenine (1974) for 2 pianos, 2 keyboards, 2 cellos, 1 vibraphone, 2 cellos, 2 saxophones, 1 flute and 7 dancers
Thursday, December 6th, 2018, 8 p.m. (premiere)
Friday, December 7th, 2018, 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 8th, 2018, 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 8th, 2018, 8 p.m
Supporting program:
December 7th, 2018, 6:30 p.m.: Dance Scout with Maren Witte
December 8th, 2018, 6:30 p.m.: Precarious Disidentifications: Julius Eastman and the Black American Avant-Garde – lecture by Thomas F. DeFrantz
Admission: 15 € / 10 € (reduced)
Sophiensaele, Berlin
Advance ticket
Idea, concept: Christoph Winkler
Choreography, dance: Aloaii Tapu, Jahra ‘Rager’ Wasasala, Karima Amrani, Lois Alexander, Lisa Rykena, Zen Jefferson, Christofer Medina (choreography Femenine : Zen Jefferson)
Arrangement: Clemens Hund-Göschel
Zafraan Ensemble & Guests : Clemens Hund-Göschel, Johannes Malfatti, Claudia Pérez Iñesta, Andreas Schulz (piano); Martin Smith, Alice Dixon, Stefan Heinemeyer, Mathis Mayr, Angela Park, Tony Rymer (cello); Liam Mallett (flute), Martin Posegga (saxophone), Daniel Eichholz (percussion)
Technical direction, lighting design: Claes Schwennen
Set design: Valentina Primavera
Costumes: Raki Fernandez
Production management: Laura Biagioni
A production by Company Christoph Winkler. Funded by the Capital Culture Fund, the Senate Department for Culture and Europe and the Augstein Foundation. Media partner: taz. the daily newspaper
