GERMAN LITERATURE AND A WHOLE LOT MORE — SALON FÜR TEXT UND MUSIK #7 AT VOLKSBÜHNE

The Salon for Text and Music will take place for the seventh time next Thursday (02.02.2023) at the Volksbühne theater. The event is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Volksbühne ensemble and Das Wetter magazine, which in recent years has become a bible for the art and culture scene. Katharina Holzmann and Sascha Ehlert (the Berlin publishers who call themselves the “Rich Kids of Literature”) have jointly curated the program. The theme this time is control. Everyone and everything is involved: friends, family, ensemble members, music, dance, text, acting and art. Marie-Rosa Tietjen and Rosa Lembeck will read the long poem “Kontrolle”, (first published in Das Wetter). Mira Mann, Leif Randt and Alexander Winkelmann will give a talk, with the latter also playing the bass. Meanwhile, Max Gruber will play acoustic guitar with Jannis Kleiß on drums. All of this is real, though there’s a music video by Rosanna Graf, Katharina Pia Schütz and Hanna Osen that isn’t quite what it seems. It’s going to be a lot, but it will definitely be beautiful.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Cover: Das Wetter / Photos: Rosanna Graf & Tobias Kruse

Volksbühne at Rosa–Luxemburg–Platz, Linienstr.227, 10178 Berlin–Mitte; map

Salon für Text und Musik – Nummer 7 Über Kontrolle on 02.02.2023 at 20h in the Roter Salon. Tickets are available here.

@wetteristimmer
@volksbuehne_berlin

Comment on this post (0) Post on Facebook

Cafes

WITHOUT CHICHI, BUT WITH A LOT OF TRADITION: SOURDOUGH BREAD, CINNAMON BUNS & MORE AT THE JOHANN BAKERY

On a frosty morning, I visit Johann in his new bakery, my glasses fogging up with the warm air as I am greeted heartily. The smell of freshly baked bread reminds me of home – of carefree mornings at my grandparents’ house. If I had to say where my love of bread comes from, I would certainly say my grandfather. Chatting about baked goods at the breakfast table was how we spent most of our time. In the village where I grew up, you knew not to judge bakeries by appearance, lest you miss out on the crème de la crème. It’s more about tradition, the smell that makes you stop as you walk by, and the warmth of the people behind the counter. I found all of that at Johann’s Bakery – and it took me back to my childhood.

Next to the counter, Johann is busy putting his sourdough loaves in the oven. In between, he takes the time to personally serve visitors and share stories about his ingredients. His focus is sourdough, which he can discuss for hours. It’s clear that Johann has fulfilled a long-awaited dream with the bakery, devoting himself 100 percent to the craft. He hands me a caramelized cinnamon bun, fresh from the oven. Warm, crispy puff pastry on the outside, fluffy on the inside. I wonder for a moment why they don’t make cinnamon buns only out of puff pastry. Behind the counter, I’m allowed a glimpse into the bakery. Here, too, I’m greeted in a friendly manner and spend the rest of my morning with people who enjoy their craft. Although Johann insists on tradition, he allows himself the freedom to experiment and discover – which is why you won’t find the same thing behind the counter every day. But there’s one thing you can always look forward to: Johann’s loaves, which you can also sample at neighboring restaurant Bonvivant and Château Royal.

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Johann Bäckerei, Gleditschstr.47, 10781 Berlin–Schöneberg; map
Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 8–16h & Fri 8–19h

@johann_bio

Comment on this post (0) Post on Facebook

Culture

NINE ARTISTS, ONE PERFORMANCE AND LOTS OF LITERATURE — CCCCCOMA COLLAB X SHE SAID BOOKS

Art, literature, writing, text and language: the new year is here and curator collective Cccccoma (“curational collective connecting concepts of communication and art”) is back with a second edition of Cccccoma Collabs, a series that aims to foster a dialog between different cultural sectors while lowering entry barriers to the art scene. The group exhibition opens tonight (19.01.2023) at queer-feminist bookstore She Said on Kottbusser Damm. All nine showcased artists – Samantha Bohatsch, Sophie Calle, Lea Draeger, Harry Hachmeister, Šejla Kamerić, Julia Lübbecke, Markues, Rima Radhakrishnan and Anys Reimann – put language and literature at the forefront of their artistic work. Join at 20h for Bohatsch’s performance: an exploration of the nun and mystic Hildegard von Bingen. The title of the work: She Said.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Credit: Anys Reimann; Julia Lübbecke; Markues & PSM, Berlin

Cccccoma Collabs x She Said, Kottbusser Damm 79, 10967 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
19.01–18.02.2023, Mon–Fri 10–19h & Sat 10–18h. Opening 19.01.2023 from 19h30. The performance begins at 20h.

@cccccoma_berlin
@shesaidbooks

Comment on this post (0) Post on Facebook

Guests, Shops

YES STUDIO BERLIN: THE LOCAL CONCEPT STORE IN KREUZKÖLLN — RECOMMENDED BY KERSTIN FINGER

If you find yourself in Kreuzkölln, walking to the market on Maybachufer or along the Landwehrkanal, be sure to stop by Nadia’s Yes Studio. In this concept store you’ll find a carefully curated assortment of jewelry, textiles, books, fragrances, stationery and beautiful things for the home. Among them are brands like New Tendency (one of my all-time faves), Atelier Haussmann, and Christian Metzner, as well as design pieces by llot llov. Nadia, who used to work as an online sales manager and has now fulfilled her dream of opening a brick-and-mortar store, attaches great importance to providing a platform for designers, artists and manufacturers from German-speaking countries.

On my first visit, the gorgeous paper flowers by Nana Neukölln immediately caught my eye. If it were not for the fact that she works with artificial colors, I could have sworn the flowers were real. I was also an instant fan of the colorful acrylic bangles by Berlin’s Zhuo Zhao, which catch the light brilliantly. So if you’re ever looking for a gift for yourself or a friend, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for in this fairyland of design.

Graphic designer Kerstin Finger came to Berlin in 2007 and has been running the Italian shop Amore Store in Neukölln since 2015.

Text: Kerstin Finger / Photos: Yes Studio

Yes Studio Berlin, Bürknerstr 26, 12047 Berlin–Neukölln; map
Mon–Sat 12–18h

@yes_studio_berlin

Comment on this post (0) Post on Facebook

Culture, Medienpartnerschaft

WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER — JANÁČEK’S “THE MAKROPULOS AFFAIR” AT THE STAATSOPER

A prototypical femme fatale – emotionally impoverished, torn between restlessness and longing – cold-hearted opera diva Emilia Marty is looking for a potion that promises eternal life. Its recipe is hidden somewhere among the documents of an absurdly complex inheritance dispute that has been going on for a hundred years. The plot summary of Leoš Janáček’s opera Die Sache Makropulos (The Makropulos Affair) reads as wildly and emphatically as the sounds of his music, which are uniquely characteristic of him. Staging is by Claus Guth with musical direction by Finnegan Downie Dear. The audience at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden is literally sucked in, so dense are the melodies, storylines and profound questions of this meta-opera about the pros and cons of eternal life.

The work’s suggestive power and light footedness is supported by Etienne Pluss’ stage design and the choreography. You see a cross-section of a Wes Anderson-esque anthill in which the protagonists wander through hotel corridors, theater aisles and the shelves of a law firm while pondering the big questions of life: meaning, death and finitude, love, its absence and how it all connects. Dvořák’s friend Janáček, who worked long hours in Austria and Germany and was fluent in German, always preferred Czech in the Pan-Slavic tradition. And so his penultimate opera is also in Czech (with English and German subtitles): composed in tune with the unique harmony of the language.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Photos: Monika Rittershaus & Marcus Ebener

Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Unter den Linden 7, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map

Die Sache Makropulos 21.01–02.02.2023. You can book tickets here. Save 20 percent on tickets with the code “Hallo2023” (maximum of four tickets per booking. Simply enter code at the end of the online booking process).

@staatsoperberlin

Comment on this post (0) Post on Facebook

Back Next

Language

GERMAN LITERATURE AND A WHOLE LOT MORE — SALON FÜR TEXT UND MUSIK #7 AT VOLKSBÜHNE

WITHOUT CHICHI, BUT WITH A LOT OF TRADITION: SOURDOUGH BREAD, CINNAMON BUNS & MORE AT THE JOHANN BAKERY

NINE ARTISTS, ONE PERFORMANCE AND LOTS OF LITERATURE — CCCCCOMA COLLAB X SHE SAID BOOKS

YES STUDIO BERLIN: THE LOCAL CONCEPT STORE IN KREUZKÖLLN — RECOMMENDED BY KERSTIN FINGER

WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER — JANÁČEK’S “THE MAKROPULOS AFFAIR” AT THE STAATSOPER