Sophie Hunger curates »Reflektor« festival at the Elbphilharmonie

Hamburg, 10 October 2024: Swiss singer-songwriter Sophie Hunger is not only one of Europe's most successful female singer-songwriters, she is also a film composer, author and multi-instrumentalist. After a temporary break from the stage, she celebrates her comeback from 20 to 23 March 2025. Hunger is organising her own »Reflektor« festival at the Elbphilharmonie over one weekend: she sings her songs, which range from indie rock to poetic pop, together with an orchestra, reading from her recently announced debut novel »Walzer für Niemand«, which will be published in spring 2025 – and bringing many musical friends to Hamburg with her. Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson, the Austrian singer Soap&Skin, the jazz trumpeter Erik Truffaz, Swiss musician Dino Brandão and the Japanese composer and singer Hinako Omori will be on stage. The »Reflektor« is accompanied by a lovingly designed supporting programme. On sound walks through the foyers with percussionist Julian Sartorius, the Elbphilharmonie will be transformed into a walk-in percussion instrument, while film screenings present Sophie Hunger as an imaginative soundtrack composer. Tickets for all events are available now at www.elbphilharmonie.de.

Sophie Hunger celebrates the start of her »Reflektor« festival at the Elbphilharmonie with symphonic arrangements of her songs. She will be accompanied by the Metropole Orkest, one of the world's longest-established pop orchestras, which has worked with greats such as Shirley Bassey, Ella Fitzgerald and Laura Mvula, and has collected four Grammys and 21 nominations over the years. The orchestra is conducted by Jochen Neuffer, who has arranged Sophie Hunger's songs for the symphonic line-up (20/21 March). »Walzer für Niemand« (Waltz for Nobody) is the name of a song by Sophie Hunger, released in 2008 on her debut album »Monday's Ghost«. It is also the title of her first novel, which will be published in spring 2025. The coming-of-age story, which is as abysmal as it is poetic, tragicomic and sophisticated, tells of what we have to lose in order to make something of ourselves. As part of her »Reflektor« festival at the Elbphilharmonie, Sophie Hunger reads from her book and sing some of her songs, accompanying herself on the guitar (23 March).

On the opening evening of the »Reflektor« festival (20 March), two highly talented singer-songwriters perform in the Recital Hall one after the other: Swiss artist Dino Brandão and the Berliner Nichtseattle. Katharina Kollmann, alias Nichtseattle, took her name from the Tocotronic song »Wir sind hier nicht in Seattle, Dirk«. In her songs she sings laconically and poetically, seriously yet full of irony, about stories both large and small of life in East Berlin. Dino Brandão began his musical career as a street musician, enjoyed success with the band Frank Power and released his bittersweet and poetic first solo album »Self Inclusion« in spring 2024. After an acclaimed trio concert with Sophie Hunger and Faber in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall in 2021, he returns now with new songs.

The Canadian singer La Force first became known as a member of the music collective Broken Social Club. For the album »XO Skeleton«, La Force (whose real name is Ariel Engle) took two years during the Covid pandemic to explore her feelings. The result is music that revolves around life, love and death. The singer gives her public comfort and confidence with her unique, warm voice. Her songs oscillate between sorrow and lightness in a fine mixture of folk, synthpop and R&B (21 March).

Lake Geneva-born jazz trumpeter Erik Truffaz moulds the sound of his instrument very carefully and sensitively,contrasting it with funk, hip-hop and drum'n'bass beats. At the Elbphilharmonie, Truffaz presents his programme »Rollin’ & Clap!«, which reinterprets the soundtracks of classic films (22.March). Be it the iconic theme from »Elevator to the Scaffold« by Miles Davis or music by Ennio Morricone or Nino Rota – Erik Truffaz lends his unmistakable signature to the catchy tunes of film history.

He doesn't only fill large concert halls in his native Canada: singer-songwriter Patrick Watson, whose high, velvety voice is reminiscent of Rufus Wainwright or Jeff Buckley, hits the nerve of the times with his melancholy »chamber pop« (22.3.). Japanese composer and singer Hinako Omori's latest album »stillness, softness…« is introspective in character.  In a late-night session on 22 March, Omori immerses the audience in a hypnotic stream of synthesiser sounds over which her gentle voice floats. The Japanese musician and Sophie Hunger got to know and respect each other during the recording sessions for Hunger's album »Halluzinationen« (22 March).

The career of Soap&Skin alias Anja Plaschg began as that of a prodigy of dark and melancholy songwriting. The Austrian has now released three albums and written numerous pieces for theatre and film. Plaschg also works as an actress, for example in Ruth Beckermann's »Die Geträumten«, as Death in the Salzburg »Jedermann« and most recently in »Des Teufels Bad«. She caused a sensation at the Berlinale in the role of Agnes in this morbid historical drama, and was awarded the Austrian Film Prize 2024 for Best Actress in a Leading Role (film release in Germany: November 2024). »TORSO«, an album with covers of songs by David Bowie, Tom Waits and The Doors, among others, is due for release at the end of the year, and Plaschg presents the material at the Elbphilharmonie on 23 March. Interpreting the songs of other artists enables her to escape from herself, she says: »It can be both wonderful and frightening to enter these places, to open up these fully furnished spaces of other souls.«

What does the Elbphilharmonie sound like? Percussionist Julian Sartorius finds his own unusual answers to this question. Instead of playing a drum set on stage, he turns the building itself into an instrument. Using sticks and mallets, Sophie Hunger's former drummer elicits a wide variety of sounds from walls and objects during his »Soundwalks« (22/23 March). The animated film »My Life as a Courgette« about little Icare begins in the dreary atmosphere of a dysfunctional family, but then turns into an impressive story about children's ability to create substitute families. Not least the light-footed soundtrack by Sophie Hunger endows the film with an increasingly life-affirming atmosphere. Swiss director Claude Barras is known for his affectionate characterisation using stop-motion technique. For »My Life as a Courgette« he adapted a novel by Gilles Paris; the screenplay was written by French director Céline Sciamma. The orphanage drama about the power of childhood friendship premiered in Cannes in 2016, and was showered with awards (22/23 March).