At the Elbphilharmonie, »Masters of Ceremony« brings together two worlds that at first glance seem opposed: Ensemble Resonanz, Hamburg’s vibrant string ensemble, meets a professional ensemble from the HipHop Academy Hamburg. What often remains separate within Hamburg’s cultural scene comes together through curiosity. Under the direction of Marlene Schleicher and with choreography by Professor Niels »Storm« Robitzky, the ensembles jointly developed a production that transcends genre boundaries. The dancer Franklyn (Slunch) Kakyire describes the process as a journey marked by »respect and openness – a harmony in which two groups became a genuine team.«
Trailer: Masters of Ceremony
At the heart of the production lies a milestone of the early 20th century: Igor Stravinsky’s »Apollon musagète« from 1928. Originally conceived as a neoclassical ballet for string orchestra, it tells the ancient story of the god Apollo, who achieves perfection through his encounter with three muses and establishes divine order.
In »Masters of Ceremony«, the protagonists encounter a world in which order no longer exists. The established rules have been suspended. Everyone is searching for new orientation. The Apollo figure in the piece rises as a hero, only to be exposed shortly afterwards by the oracle in person. At that moment, it becomes clear that there is no single, all-powerful leader: each of the protagonists can step into the spotlight for a brief moment and claim the truth for themselves. But can they find the truth? And what can one still orient oneself by: heroic narratives, fortune cookies, or the classic 10-point plan?
Between Stravinsky’s fragile ballet music and hip-hop beats, a charged space emerges in which singers, dancers and musicians collectively search for identity in a world open to manipulation.
Performers
Ensemble Resonanz
Barbara Bultmann violin
Corinna Guthmann violin
Skaistė Dikšaitytė violin
Tom Glöckner violin
Tim-Erik Winzer viola
Maresi Stumpf viola
Saskia Ogilvie violoncello
Saerom Park violoncello
John Eckhardt double bass
HipHop Academy Hamburg
Andy Calypso hip hop dance
Franklyn (Slunch) Kakyire hip hop dance
Jenny Love hip hop dance
Marco (Mallekid) Baaden Breaking
Merve (Mer-C) Can Breaking
Grace (Gege) Owusu vocals
Sebastian (Sebó) Bosum rap
Amir (107 Amir) Dacic rap
Marlene Schleicher stage direction
Professor Niels (Storm) Robitzky choreography
Tobias Schwencke composition
George Brenner producing
Thorben Schumüller stage, costume
Charlotte Beinhauer script
Tim Dollmann musical advice Hip Hop
Manuel Horstmann sound design
