Entering the stalls, I was met with an almost museum-like scene: pianos, on pianos, on pianos lit from within by a deep yellow light, immediately warming, safe and nostalgic. Supporting Nils Frahm was Szun Waves, a good beginning if slightly underwhelming.
What was apparent was an overarching theme of planetary grandeur. The constant noise ebbing from the trio engaged listeners, although I yearned for more variation from the saxophone and more movement with the synths. More also could have been made of the percussionist. Clearly dedicated to his role, he added melodrama to an otherwise stationary performance. The careful clinks of his tiny cymbal added much needed spice to the primordial soup sound.
A high point of this set was a piece reminiscent of a James Bond-esc soundtrack. The saxophone was employed and produced nuances like a tracking scene in Casino Royale.
Perhaps more suited to a smaller venue, allowing for greater intimacy, movement and concentration, within the large vaulted venue the performance felt lost. It became difficult to distinguish between, understand and process the musical layers. In my opinion, a similar setup to Max Cooper and Four Tet at Village Underground would have been more suitable. Furthermore, similar visuals would also have been more appealing. Triangles, moons and strobed linear patterns, interjected with mossy standing stones and mathematic text- the projections seemed embarrassingly reminiscent of my Tumblr/a misunderstood free-thinker let loose on the school projector.
Suddenly the auditorium was full. It was time for the headline act.
A humble pianist in multicoloured checkered socks, Nils Frahm’s biggest solo concert was audibly, visually and sensually stunning. Throughout the concert Nils seemed to evolve into multiple ecclesiastical figures. Beginning his set as the organist, us the audience laymen standing to sing reverent hymns, he drew us deep into his evangelical, warm, musical workings. This peaceful atmosphere was only broken by the venue’s banging doors and hand-dryers ringing as if from the pits of hell.
Rising from his first piece and beginning an almost ASMR interlude, he grew into the priest, the reverend, the educator, projecting an impressive, gentle self-confidence. Thus convincing the audience that he is the enlightened one and we must believe. His description of the stalls as Economy Class and the circle as Business reflected this concluding with, “It doesn’t matter anyway. We are all going to the same destination.”
His pieces swelled from this confidence as well. A crowd-engaging bass track, Sunson proved his extraordinary piano skills, unmatched energy and discipline. It was clear how well he understood the instruments and their potential, even bringing in (to the audience’s amusement) panpipe layers. A Bishop he became, his rhythmic movements predicting his next tempo and beat. Other pieces allowed for rest- for him and for us, allowing a spirituality to come into its own. His immense effort was evident even in stillness. A deep respect resonated from the audience promoting him to Cardinal.
A worshipful, consistent concentration could be felt from the audience although some pieces made me terribly aware of my own thoughts. I enjoyed the lack of agenda and the lack of lyrics that engendered personal thought progression, in-depth questioning and opinion making. At the point of too much introspection I became distracted, which maybe gave away my age. Seemingly one of the youngest in the room, I was shocked at the lack of phones and inhibition of those around me- an eclectic mix of customers.
I was initially unsure of what to expect from Nils Frahm. My personal listening seemed to be a frankly lacking education in his musical workings. Pieces such as Ambre, You and Them seemed out of place against with the more synth, sampled and electronic masterpieces presented at the Eventim Apollo. It was in his intervals on the grand piano where he gave away his skill, his flighty, hummingbird wing-fingers playing each note with classical control. The penultimate Pope.
Finishing the encore and standing on his stool with a glass of white wine found him transcended, a heavenly being, the contemporary pianist Messiah.
