C3

Beginning of September took place a very interesting festival in berghain. It was the C3 : club contemporary classical. C3 is dedicated to innovative mergings between classical music and club culture, presenting high-quality contemporary works that fit a club interior both aesthetically and aurally. Throughout the history of Western music, “serious“ music has been paired by composers with popular material, thereby pushing forward the development of the art form. This tradition continues today through composers utilizing techniques and aesthetics common to club culture and electronic music such as repetition, sampling or the integration of visuals. As an important location for classical music and the current world capital of the club scene, Berlin makes a highly suitable location for what is perhaps the first festival to exclusively showcase only music that blurs the boundaries between these two, usually very separate, worlds. C3 aims to open the ears of club and classical music fans, widening the audience-base for both, and to promote creative dialog between both scenes. Connections between art forms is also a focal point of the festival location, the berghain, considered one of the world’s top clubs. The artists featured in the C3 program were selected to reflect the wide variety of approaches underway internationally and are but a small representation of activity taking place in isolated pockets worldwide. Their work is presented in short, live sets of approximately 45 to 60 minutes accompanied by visuals. On the final night, DJs take over where the live performers leave off, building a purely electronic bridge from contemporary classical stage to dance floor.