BERLIN. DIE SINFONIE DER GROẞSTADT

In the organizer's words:

Weimar Republic 1927, documentary, 64 min.

Directed by Walther Ruttmann.

Language: without dialog, live soundtrack.

Walther Ruttmann's "Berlin. Die Sinfonie der Großstadt", Walther Ruttmann stands at the very beginning of the history of documentary film and the European tradition of urban realism (or city symphonies such as "Manhatta" by Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand or Dsiga Wertow's "Der Mann mit der Kamera"). Ruttman's Berlin never rests, clashes opposites, is paced, precise, monumental and at the same time with a lot of love for beautiful little things. Between a bread roll on a baking tray, theater lights and the pounding of heavy machinery, Ruthmann leads us through a day in the big city, "a design made of iron, blood and light", "as an artist feels it".

Matthias Hirth (composition, piano, electronics) from newsoundKino has composed soundtracks for the film and will accompany the evening with live music. The music for this film is primarily based on the pulse of city life, which is characterized by hectic and bustling activity, but is also interspersed with small oases of calm. In detail, these specifications were underlined by music that matches the rhythm of the images and a detailed sound design was used to reinforce individual film passages and make specific scenes intensely tangible with subtle acoustic nuances. Each moment of the 24-hour daily cycle brings its own musical mood with it. From the quiet twilight and lethargy of the morning, the hustle and bustle of the morning, the rest at midday to the eccentric pulsation of the night. The result is a contemporary, unmistakable soundscape in the sense of the contrasts of city life.

ENG: Walther Ruttmann's "Berlin. The Symphony of a Metropolis" stands at the very beginning of the history of documentary film and the European tradition of urban realism (or city symphonies such as "Manhatta" by Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand or Dsiga Wertow's "The Man with the Camera"). Ruttman's Berlin never rests, clashes opposites, is timed, precise, monumental and at the same time with a lot of love for beautiful little things. Between a bread roll on a baking tray, theater lights and the pounding of heavy machinery, Ruthmann leads us through a day in the big city, "a creation of iron, blood and light", " as an artist feels it".

Matthias Hirth (composition, piano, electronics) from newsoundKino has composed new soundtracks for the film and will accompany the evening with live music. The music is primarily based on the pulse of city life, which is characterized by hectic and bustling activity, but is also interspersed with small oases of calm. In detail, these specifications were underlined by music that matched the rhythm of the images and a detailed sound design was used to reinforce individual film passages and make specific scenes intensely tangible with subtle acoustic nuances. Each moment of the 24-hour daily cycle brings its own musical mood with it. From the quiet twilight and lethargy of the morning, the hustle and bustle of the morning, the rest at midday to the eccentric pulsation of the night. The result is a contemporary, unmistakable soundscape in the spirit of the contrasts of city life.

Price information:

- 12.00 € (regular) - 10.000 € (reduced*) - 3.50 € (with Leipzig Pass, disabled pass, volunteer pass) - Tickets are available online (plus €0.70 booking fee), remaining tickets at the Box Office.