Speicherstadt
We are walking along the street on a sunny day. The district looks inconspicuous – everywhere are old brickstone buildings with big gates on every floor of it, like something could have been lifted up. This is the `Speicherstadt‘, the warehouse district. We are astonished, because we expected something different. When we are going into the building everything is really narrow. The buildings in the `Speicherstadt‘ have just one room on every floor. Inside we immediately smell the smell of musty coffee and tea. It is a noisy wooden floor and the ceiling is supported by steel bars. When we are back outside we see hooks on steel ropes that are hanging above the gates. People used to transport ware along the facade. At this point we are surprised about the technology people used to use. On the back of the building is a ship canal on which the ships used to unload their ware. Nowadays only boats for tourists are driving on the ship canal.
audio version:
Italian:
speicherstadt-ital.mp3
Elbphilharmonie
Part a.
A lot of people are talking, I'm in the metro. From here I can see the city, especially high buildings. Most of these have been built with red bricks and the others have a gothic atmosphere. When I go out I can hear the sound of the street, but it is special because there is also the sound of the sea.
I cross the road and I‘m on a bridge where I can see the city with high bell towers then I turn myself and I see a big structure, I‘m feeling like an ant: it is the Elbphilharmonie.
It is inspired by sea waves indeed the higher part of the structure reflects the waves, because it is made of chrome and windows are curved. The base of the Elbphilharmonie is made with red bricks (because there was an old house). These two parts are divided by a terrace. I climb the stairs, they are covered by white plaster with opaque circle glasses. There’s a big window and for the first time I can see Hamburg from high.
audio versions:
Italian:
Elbphilarmonie_1_ital.mp3
German:
Elbphilharmonie-A-deut..mp3
English:
Elbphilharmonie-A-engl..mp3
Part b.
Now I am at the Plaza, a spectacular terrace that surrounds the Elbphilharmonie. The view is awesome because I can see at 360° the sea, warehouses, harbour, container ships and Hamburg rooftops.
I am in a silent place: it is the little concert hall. The walls are covered with wood that has the waves form, it has a warm atmosphere because of the wood colour. This room has special features because there is no echo, it gives you a strange sensation and you feel isolated from the world.
When I go out from this room I can see stairs that appear like origami that unveil the big concert hall. It has a drop soft shade, not edgy appearance but it has a lot of curves and a big stage at the center. If I imagine myself as a soloist in Elbphilharmonie I will feel in a comfortable situation where I could feel people around me like a hug. It seems that there are not a lot of people like in a common theatre because these are spread in all of the concert halls. It is a modern way to see a theater.
audio versions:
Italian:
Elbphilarmonie_2-ital.mp3
German:
Elbphilharmonie-B-deut..mp3
English:
Elbphilharmonie-B-engl..mp3
MUSIC IN THE CITY
(1)
Hamburg is known for its great music, theaters, and concerts, but you cannot only find music in the big theatres. You can also find it in the middle of the streets, where people are walking and working.
You can find it everywhere at every time, even if you are rushing on a Saturday evening, the day is pretty warm for the season but you are still wearing heavy coats and you might be on your way to some tourist destination when you hear a familiar sound. In the corner of the street, two men are playing music. One of them is playing the violin and the other one the guitar. They are playing “Papanamericano”. Since the two musicians are just two men playing a song in a crowded street, only a few people are standing around them. The violin is the main instrument and they are playing their version of the song. The violin and the guitar are so harmonic that you will completely forget about your plans and stop to hear the music.
Usually, most musicians play the guitar, but those other ones in front of the town hall are playing a big, white and shiny piano and a golden trumpet. These two are playing a different kind of music. It is not the kind of music you would expect in such a place. They are playing in front of the town hall, next to a subway station. It is very crowded and chaotic but anyway, a lot of people stop to listen to their music. They are playing Bohemian Rhapsody. Your heart starts beating at the same rhythm as the music. All the other noises disappear.
(2)
The music in the ballet is completely different from anything you might have ever heard before. It guides you through so many emotions.The music is fast, loud and gives you a good feeling in one moment but suddenly it changes and becomes slow, sad and emotional. You nearly can feel the dancers’ emotions. The music leads and controls the dancers on stage. Being there listening to the orchestra sounds and watching the dancers movements in a perfect harmony is one in a lifetime experience.
The Elbphilharmonie is an amazing place and there you can hear the finest and most classic kind of music. The whole building was designed thinking of the quality of the acoustic, so you can hear anything with the same quality, no matter in what seat you are. The walls are very interesting because in each room they have a different pattern designed to make the sound better, but it is also very beautiful and nice to touch. The walls pattern is similar to the outside architecture because both of them have waves which remember the sound waves but also to the water which is a very important topic in Hamburg.
audio versions:
Italian:
music_in_the_city1.mp3
German:
Music in the City - German.mp3
English:
Music in the City - English.mp3
MAN IN A METROPOLITAN CITY:
SUBWAY
Imagine.
You are no one.
You’re invisible, without a social status but with all your senses, feelings and personality.
You don’t belong to any place.
Right now you are on the flight of stairs to go to the subway.
You have to run because it’s raining so hard outside.
People all around you are running, trying to come to the subway; so you start going downstairs too, because they force you, pushing you when you try to pass.
The subway represents perfectly the chaotic life of a big city like Hamburg.
As soon as you enter inside you feel being in an unnatural place, which is hotter than the outside but a little mistier.
It smells like a basement or a garage… maybe both because it’s under the ground.
Generally it stinks and it’s a bit disgusting because of the amount of rubbish thrown on the floor and homeless people laying on the floor, waiting for some help or something during the day or the night.
The tube station seems to be soundproof as bubbles, isolated from the rest of the city.
It’s like a limbo, a non-place.
The typical noise you can hear here it’s the breaking of the trains on the rays, underlined by a strong cold wind that comes with the train.
It develops gradually as you start hearing it from a quite long distance till the moment in which the train stops with a metallic and loud noise.
When the train stops there’s like an empty moment, like the whole world is just waiting, just in pause.
Then the doors open and lots of voices, different languages and emotions can be heard.
A cloud of people suddenly restarts moving.
They start pushing, elbowing, they want to enter the subway.
They want a seat, it doesn't matter which, they don’t care about others.
Each for themselves.
The true side of people comes out.
Entering in the train is kinda difficult because of all these people, but when you get in and can sit down you notice that everyone in the subway is living their own life but right now you are all stuck in the same place.
You feel a bit uncomfortable but you tend to analyse some human beings who catch your eye, to find out why they are there and which lifestyle they have.
You collect lots of first impressions and you won’t ever know if you are right.
During this process you’re continually interrupted by the need to pay attention to every stop.
When your stop comes you start being a bit nervous and, after you get up, you push your body against the others to go out the doors.
When you are out you are in the middle of the ground.
Take a moment for yourself and look around: you think that this subway station looks like the others.
It isn’t illuminated by natural light so it seems artificial.
The low-hanging ceiling makes you feel oppressed and the colours make the place look abstract.
Lights are very intense and they stand out in the general darkness like the spotlights in a theatre.
You can believe that, after all these emotions, getting out of here is one of the best feelings.
audio versions:
Italian:
subway-ital.mp3
German:
subway-1-deut.mp3
English:
subway-1-engl.mp3
MAN IN A METROPOLITAN CITY: SOUNDS OF A BIG CITY
You get outside the subway and you notice it stopped raining.
You’re in a big square.
The air is fresh and clean because of the storm, the sky shines like a crystal.
You hear sounds coming from everywhere, from every direction because of the roundness of the square.
But it’s not a noise, it’s not annoying, it’s just the voice of the city, its beating heart.
You feel embraced from all this life, wishing to be a part of the town.
Voices, honking cars, music of the street artists, crying children and steps of people running around the square.
All this sound is getting mixed together in your head and you start to smile because you can imagine the music of a big city.
You start to walk and after you cross the square you enter a big shopping centre.
The shopping centre is completely filled up with rude people.
They’re nervous and impatient because they want to follow their interests and they don’t have enough time to do it.
While you are standing next to the entrance someone from behind pushes you away and grumbles something that doesn’t sound nice; they rush in as fast food stores.
You decide to follow them because your stomach growls.
After ordering a burger you sit down and start to eat.
While you’re eating you look around and see some people sitting together and talking.
The store structure is rectangular, the walls are red and white.
Everything creates a joyful atmosphere.
After the meal you leave the restaurant and pay attention to the different types of people that are walking around the city.
Their differences are evident.
Various cultures are mixed together, creating the metropolis.
Despite what happened before you’re still in a good mood because of the fairy weather and the clean air.
The chatters of boys and girls resound between the walls of the buildings and you feel younger than you actually are.
Walking aimlessly, without many thoughts in your mind, you realize you’re in front of Hamburg’s opera.
audio versions:
Italian:
Man-in-a-metropolitan-city-ital.mp3
German:
Geräusche-einer-Großstadt-deut..mp3
English:
sound-of-a-big-city-engl..mp3
Neumeier Ballet - Bernstein Dances
Dance is art: movements meet music to communicate feelings and stories with no words. It’s a magic process full of poetry and beauty.
The way in which bodies create sculptures lasting just for a few seconds is incredible.
Choreographies speak by themselves but a big power is added by live music played by the orchestra and beautiful set designs inserted in marvelous impressive theatres.
The ballet’s magic starts right when the curtains open and the audience is able to look (first partially and then completely) at the stage. The curtains’ opening means impatience and creates suspense; its gradualness grows the desire of the show to begin.
Hamburg Ballet is directed by the American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier. His works take inspiration from mythological or literary subjects and his personal interpretations demonstrate his dramaturgical sensitivity.
John Neumeier decided to dedicate his last ballet to Leonard Bernstein who was an American pianist, composer and director in honor of his birth hundredth anniversary. The ballet, lasting 2h30 and divided in 2 acts, is called “Bernstein Dances” meaning at the same time that ‘he dances’ and that ‘dances visible on stage are created to express his personality’. Neumeier’s idea was indeed to present a great artist creating a dance performance starting from his music. Many songs taken from different Bernstein’s works are put together in an amazing harmonious way despite their various styles.
Even if the story is inspired by Bernstein’s biography it doesn’t want to present the character just by his life’s information; Neumeier wants instead to put on stage the story of a man who represents the whole humankind. In order to achieve this universal concept of life, he develops life’s feelings, memories, dreams, fears and emotions in movements led by music.
The lack of the plot is an interesting aspect of Neumeier’s work, but it makes it difficult to be followed and understood. While you’re sitting in Hamburg’s theatre watching talented dancers (both ballerinas and male dancers, which is another particular and unusual point of this show), at first your mind tents to understand apathetically what the movements ara saying, but later your soul is completely attracted by the music notes which are perfectly spread in the whole hall, by the lights on stage which sculpture the human bodies, by the ballerinas’ incredible elegance and strength, perfection and sensitivity.
Every position is accurately created but, despite its difficulty, seems easy and spontaneous.
Each detail is important and dance technique is perfectly combined with stylistic variety and true passion which create a magical atmosphere.
The general contest of the theatre is gradually lost in favor of a personal impression which makes you feel that dancers are exactly speaking to your heart.
Costumes are also an important part of the scenic design. John Neumeier opts for a simulated naked aspect which lets the audience feel more free to identify themselves with the dancers who are in this specific show actually performing an universal condition of humanity.
John Neumeier puts on stage real life and presents it using 6 main characters who meet and divide continually, motivated and inspired by ‘Love’ which is the 7th character and appears occasionally to move the action on.
Modern dance combined with classical technique removes the traditional ballet’s typical sense of fiction and at the same time renews it, keeping in any way its poetry and magic.
audio versions:
German:
Bernstein-dances-ballet-German.mp3
English:
Bernstein-dances-ballet-engl.mp3
Italian:
Bernstein- dances - ballet - Ital.mp3