Masaaki Suzuki, conductor James Gilchrist, Evangelist (tenor) Aki Matsui, soprano Damien Guillon, alto Zachary Wilder, tenor Christian Immler, bass
Bach Collegium Japan, chorus & orchestra
March 15, 2020, at Kölner Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany
On March 15, 2020, Bach Collegium Japan made its debut at Kölner Philharmonie without an audience because of COVID-19 spread. It was just before all the lockdowns all over the world. Together with all the experts and kind cooperation of the Kölner Philharmonie, our performance of J. S. Bach's St. John Passion was live broadcast through Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and more than 250,000 people watched it worldwide. Fortunately, all the artists could go home safely and stayed healthy in isolation. We will not forget this concert under such unusual circumstances.
For German illustrator Klaus Kremmerz, there's only one tool that he loves to use; one that delivers artwork that looks like nothing else currently out there. And that's the humble felt-tip pen.
In a context where travel is restricted and many museums remain closed, music superstars take you on a cultural tour through space and time, color and emotion. British singer and songwriter FKA twigs tells her story of the sensuous portrait of Mary Magdalene by Artemisia Gentileschi, an avant-garde depiction of empowered femininity created in 17th century Italy.
Ben Zank: It always starts with a lot of frustration. Then I panic because I haven’t been creative lately and I’m wasting my life. I’ll play video games for several hours or maybe take a walk. Then I’ll see something kind of interesting and return to it with my gear, and that usually involves one or two ruined articles of clothing. I’ll edit for up to 3 days to make sure I don’t miss any problems. Then I’ll be really happy with my new work for a few days. Rinse and repeat.
Once you see a single picture by Alessio Bolzoni, you will recognise the elements that make them his: bodies contorted and interlinked, leaning into each other. Sometimes, his subjects look like they’re stretching to crack bones, or are fruitlessly trying to find comfortable sleeping positions. They are malleable, and skies often expand endlessly out of the frame.
If you’ve spent any amount of time gazing at billboards in Europe, or within the worlds of Luca Guadagnino, you will have seen these pictures. Having shot for Kris Van Assche’s Dior, Off-White, Fendi and Berluti, Alessio -- who was born in Italy, but is now based in London -- and his expressive images have become staples of fashion campaigns and editorials. But the codes of his work bleed through into his collaborations with that aforementioned arthouse movie director too. For Call Me by Your Name, Suspiria and, most recently, We Are Who We Are, Luca has enlisted Alessio to shoot stills on set. Far from the screengrab-esque imagery we are used to, they seep beyond the frames Luca creates and act as insights into the characters within the film. Alessio’s artistic stance is inspired, but always pays homage to the project at heart.
In the photos: Jordan Kristine Seamón, Jack Dylan Grazer, Vittoria Bottin, Tom Mercier, Spencer Moore II, Sebastiano Pigazzi, Kid Cudi, Francesca Scorsese, Faith Alabi, Corey Knight, Chloë Sevigny, Ben Taylor and Alice Braga
I AM he that aches with amorous love; Does the earth gravitate? Does not all matter, aching, attract all matter? So the Body of me, to all I meet, or know.
September 16, 2020 | Suraya Mohamed -- Look to the left of Nubya Garcia's Tiny Desk (home) concert and you'll see a hanging plant swaying right above the keys. It never stops moving during the next 23 minutes, and it's for a bizarre reason. Garcia's (home) concert took place on a boat — a first in Tiny Desk history — because she was in between homes. Before the pandemic hit, the London-born jazz saxophonist and composer was booked for an extensive global tour that started in February 2020, and it was expected to continue through the end of the year. Because she was only going to be in London for a very short time, she gave up her flat, planning to stay with family and friends for short breaks. It seemed like a good idea until March, when COVID-19 shut down most of the world and the tour, too.
Garcia and her band are at Soup Studio, a recording facility built on a decommissioned floating lighthouse moored on the River Thames. It's also where Garcia recorded her excellent new album, SOURCE. This set features three songs from the record; the title track starts it off with a reggae, dub vibe. Garcia skillfully uses the entire range of her tenor saxophone, hitting convincing low and high notes with ease and resolve. Throughout the set, her tone is gorgeous, her musical intuition perfect. She projects rich and full melodic lines with refined solos that leave just enough space to take in the expressive sincerity of the music. There are no lyrics but her music conveys a message of staying grounded, being present in the moment and appreciating the comforts and feelings of what it means to be home.
SET LIST "Source" "Pace" "Boundless Beings"
MUSICIANS Nubya Garcia: tenor saxophone: Joe Armon-Jones: keys; Daniel Casmir: double bass: Sam Jones: drums; Richie Seivwright: vocals; Cassie Kinoshi: vocals
CREDITS Video by: Fabrice Bourgelle; Additional Cameras: Lou Jasmine, Israel Wilson; Audio by: David Holmes; Mixed by: Kwes at Soup Studio; Producer: Suraya Mohamed; Audio Mastering Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Video Producer: Morgan Noelle Smith; Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey; Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
All my life I have been trying to improve my German. At last my German is better —but now I am old and ill and don’t have long to live. Soon I will be dead, with better German.
Spirals, the new single by Django Django is out now.
Director - Maxim Kelly Production company - Caviar Producer - Stephanie Paeplow EP - Daniella Manca DOP - Jordan Buck Art Director - Jess Morgan Editor - Charlie Reddie Edit house - Homespun VFX artist - Martin Goodwin Colourist - Felipe Szulc Post house - Nomad Post producer - Liv Lawton Commissioner - John Hassay
