Yesterday, I was able to experience something wonderful in the Radialsystem V here in Berlin. Their Nachtmusik programme consists of late evening concerts in a studio/loft on the fifth floor in the Radialsystem. It’s a low ceiling space, industrial concrete, large windows, but with very good acoustics! The audience lays down in a circle around a central spot in which the artists can stand. Yoga mats and pillows are there for your comfort. The whole atmosphere is just great.
So, yesterday evening we listened to a Dutch quartet of male singers – Egidius – who sang songs from the 14th century until now. It was amazing how well and clear the alto was performed and I like the bass also. The tenor seemed a little insecure and the baritone was sweating but steady. It was very interesting to hear that the music in itself did not change so much, although you could clearly distinguish the modern music from the older pieces (clusters and so on…).
They sang beautiful (and difficult) songs from Orlando di Lasso and Schubert with a lot of respect, and texts such as the Egidius poem were performed breath-takingly. For me, this was a very successful performance.
