Last Saturday was in Den Haag for the long awaited live concert from the Berlin based pianist/composer Dustin O'Halloran with the Dutch Lunapark strings quartet, as i expected the room was packed which wasn't a surprise at all because of Dustin's reputation and the increasing hype of the Modern Classical movement. As soon as the first piano strokes took place the only thing i could ear in the room beside the absolute silence was the drone sound from the air conditioned and waves of a light breeze touching my neck, can't really explain why but had this strange feeling that was on a deep dive submarine journey, from my seat i could gaze at the imaginary ocean that was made of the most beautiful and melancholic sounds swimming all over the room in between bursts of abstract smoke flying around the stage mixed with textures made of warm colors, this hypnotic experience was only interrupted by the loud applauses and Dustin explaining some facts behind some of his played songs
Dustin O'Halloran played a absolutely stunning and deeply contemplative set that included pieces from his latest album "Lumiere" and others from his extensive repertoire, most of them i knew them by heart and was quite mindblowing just to watch from such a short distance and was everything i ever dreamed/expected to be.
The concert was part of the Dag In De Branding (Festival voor Nieuwe Muziek) and State-X New Forms Festival in Den Haag and next year are already expected some major concerts that i'm looking really forward.
10 March Johann Johannsson + Hildur Gudnadottir
26 May Nils Frahm
The Afternoon continued with Sleepindog feat Adam Wiltzie (Stars of the Lid), strangely the room was quite empty and he became more empty has the concert proceeded, in a stroke of luck it become seriously intimate with Chantal talking about the noises coming from the seat and Adam asking for a Whiskey, Dustin O'Halloran was so kind that brought him is own glass, all this prompted general laugh. Its true that there were some technical difficulties but they were overshadowed by the stunning mellow voice from Chantal Acda, the subtle arrangements that accompanied the performance are the core of the album "With Our Heads In The Clouds And Our Hearts In The Fields", Adam Wiltzie as usual superb ambience's taken from The Stars of the Lid compendiums with Chantal minimal pianos and guitar accords. The concert started with my favorite track from the album "Polish Love Song" and ended in a delicious improvised act when Chantal unplugged herself and sit down in the stage just inch from the few remaining spectators, this last minutes of the afternoon made all this trip to Den Haag even more worth it.
Thank you to the State-X New Forms Festival for including Audiopleasures in the guestlist.
