Music

Soundcheck on Site: Berlin

November 01, 2007

During the week of November 5-9 Soundcheck turns its focus to Berlin. Host John Schaefer and members of the Soundcheck staff travel to the city to speak with musicians, journalists, producers, and o....

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Ute Lemper

Soundcheck

November 02, 2007

Before she kicks off Carnegie Hall's "Berlin in Lights" festival tonight at the Neue Gallerie, Ute Lemper joins us to talk about a program that includes the dark gems of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. And she gives us a sneak preview of her appearance all next week on WNYC's Evening Music, part of our "Berlin Without Walls" extravaganza.

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Hot Berlin Nights

Studio 360

November 02, 2007

Techno, raves, cabaret, punk, poetry, erotica ... it’s all happening in Berlin. We sent cultural correspondent Fiona Chutney to sample some of the city's famed nightlife. (Chutney is a character of the writer and performer Iris Bahr.)

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Ear to Ear: Theo Bleckmann

Evening Music

November 03, 2007

Theo Bleckmann has been a steady force in New York's jazz and new music scene for over 15 years. The vocalist/composer talks about his most recent release, a collection of Cabaret songs from his native Germany, inspired by American politics and German history.

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Contriva Live in Berlin

Soundcheck

November 05, 2007

Since the mid '90s, the Berlin-based band Contriva has created music that combines elements of post-rock, acoustic folk and electronica. We join two members of the band, Masha Qrella and Rike Schuberty, in their home studio. They perform live, talk about writing lyrics in both English and German, and discuss how Berlin has changed over the past decade.

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Weill and Brecht

Evening Music

November 05, 2007

Ute Lemper burst onto the international scene in the late 80's with her recordings of Kurt Weill's cabaret songs. The star chanteuse explores the short but intensely fruitful collaboration of Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht with original, historic recordings and modern renditions of some of their most powerful music.

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Berlin Without Walls: The Players

Evening Music

November 05, 2007

The Berlin Philharmonic is made up of virtuoso players from around the world; in this segment of Berlin Without Walls, we hear from the instrumentalists themselves, as they describe their experiences from the initial audition to performing with one of the world's great orchestras.

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Nomad SoundSystem at the Berlin in Lights Festival

The Leonard Lopate Show

November 05, 2007

Nomad SoundSystem describes its music as sitting on "the cutting edge between electronic dance grooves and passionate Arabic live music." Leonard talks to ensemble members DJ Shazam and Tomoki Ikeda about their sound just before they take the stage at the Berlin in Lights festival.

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Booming Berlin

Soundcheck

November 05, 2007

In recent years, Berlin has become a destination for musicians thanks to its low cost of living, cheap rents, and creative atmosphere. Still, some critics wonder if the city has already peaked and the lifestyle that drew musicians here in the 1990s could soon be a thing of the past. Today, a debate over the Berlin music's present and future with musician Alec Empire, a founding member of the band Atari Teenage Riot as well as founder of Berlin's Digital Hardcore Recordings; and Birgit Herdlitschke, a filmmaker, journalist and editor of "Tracks," an arts program on Europe’s ARTE TV network.

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Brecht and the HUAC

Evening Music

November 06, 2007

Listen to an excerpt of Berthold Brecht's testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947. Like the famous "Hollywood Ten," Brecht was later charged with contempt of Congress — but managed to avoid a jail sentence since he had already fled the country.

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