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FRANKFURT

This Week’s Highlights: February 14 – 20

This Week's Highlights: Motorcycles in Munich, Yoko Ono in Frankfurt, and a new video art exhibition in Berlin.

Published: 14 February 2013 08:15 CET
This Week's Highlights: February 14 – 20

BERLIN

Music/Concerts

Labor Sonor – The Sound of the Second Hand Clapping

The artists involved in Berlin’s Echtzeitmusik scene are among the city’s most innovative, contemplative, and experimental. A new series sees musicians from that quirky crowd interpreting each other’s works. Originally made to be played, and probably improvised upon, by the composer, pieces were transcribed and given to other talented music makers for a “second hand performance.” See what guitarists/electronic composers Annette Krebs and Burkhard Stangl do with each other’s music Monday night.

Price: €6

Location: KuLe, Auguststrasse 10

Times: Monday, February 18, 8pm

More Information: www.echtzeitmusik.de

Galleries/Museums

Animation and Video Works Curated By Katie Armstrong

Berlin institutions have a soft spot for artists based in their own city. But since Eigen + Art opened their new location in the former Jewish Girls School in Mitte last spring, the German capital has a new space devoted to international artists who aren’t based in Berlin. Next up is a group video show curated by the New York animation artist Katie Armstrong. See works by talented folks who don’t live in Berlin when the new exhibition opens Thursday.

Price: Free

Location: Eigen + Art Lab, Auguststrasse 11-13

Times: Thursday, February 14, 5-9pm (Opening); Tuesday – Saturday, 11am-6pm; through March 23

Phone: 030 246 28 40

More Information: www.eigen-art.com

COLOGNE

Music/Concerts

Anne-Sophie Mutter and Sinfonia Varsovia

A violin superstar, Anne-Sophie Mutter is known for her command of the classical repertoire, but she’s also a champion of contemporary music, having premiered works by the likes of Krzysztof Penderecki and Witold Lutosławski. On Thursday night, the German musician joins Warsaw’s Sinfonia Varsovia for an evening of works by Antonin Dvorak, Arvo Part, Benjamin Britten, and Lutoslawski. British baton waver Michael Francis conducts.

Price: €25 – 150

Location: Kölner Philharmonie,
Bischofsgartenstrasse 1

Times: Thursday, February 14, 8pm

Phone: 0221 20 4080

More Information: www.koelner-philharmonie.de

Bloc Party

Thank goodness the guys are back from their hiatus. The London band was always good at getting the party started, and it looks like they haven’t lost any of that electro-guitar vigor we’ve all come to love so much. Watch Kele Okereke and the boys rock the stage at E-Werk Monday.

Price: €31.50

Location: E-Werk Köln, Schanzenstrasse 36

Times: Monday, February 18, 8pm

Ticket Hotline: 0221 2801

More Information: www.e-werk-cologne.com

Unit Asia

Made up of musicians hailing from Asian countries, Unit Asia brings their thoughtful jazz fusion tunes to Europe this month. Witness the Japanese-Malaysian-Thai quintet go from mystical new-age melody makers to seething rock/jazz soloists in a single set. The group plays a free concert at The Japan Foundation in Cologne Friday.

Price: Free

Location: Japanisches Kulturinstitut Köln (The Japan Foundation), Universitätsstrasse 98

Times: Friday, February 15, 7pm

Tickets: 0221 940 55 80

More Information: www.jki.de

FRANKFURT

Galleries/Museums

Yoko Ono – Half A Wind Show

Yoko Ono turns 80 on Monday. It seems like just yesterday she and John Lennon were holding their “Bed-In for Peace” at an Amsterdam hotel. How time flies. Always one for out-of-the-box ideas, the Japanese artist has fostered an extraordinary oeuvre in her long career. Schirn Kunsthalle’s retrospective features some of her earliest works like “Instructions for Paintings” and “Grapefruit.” If you’re still holding a grudge for her alleged role in the Beatles’ break-up, let it go and celebrate the great lady as she turns 80.

Price: €10

Location: Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt
, Romerberg

Times: Tuesday, Friday – Sunday, 10am-7pm; Wednesday & Thursday, 10am-10pm

Phone: 069 29 98 820

More Information: www.schirn.de

Music/Concerts

Winter Journey – Twenty-Four Songs By Franz Schubert Set to Poems By Wilhelm Muller

The composer Franz Schubert was so taken by the poetry of Wilhelm Muller that he wrote two song cycles based on his verse. The second, “Winter Journey” was written in 1827, the same year the Dessau poet came to his unfortunate death at the mere age of 33. Hear vocalist Jan Kobow and pianist Michael Guenther perform “Gute Nacht,” “Gefror’ne Traenen (Frozen Tears),” and the 22 other songs about love and loneliness Saturday in Frankfurt.

Price: €15

Location: Bolongaropalast, Bolongarostrasse 109

Times: Saturday, February 16, 8pm

Tickets: 09 395 997 811

More Information: www.clavier-am-main.de

HAMBURG

Theatre

Jerome Bel and Theatre Hora – Disabled Theatre

Don’t underestimate the mentally disabled. Acclaimed choreographer Jerome Bel worked with Theatre Hora, a Zurich based company made up of actors with mental disabilities to create the aptly titled piece Disabled Theatre. The play challenges social conventions about disabled people’s relationship with the creative process and offers a new perspective on intellect and art.

Price: €15 – 22

Location: Kampnagel, Jarrestrasse 20

Times: Thursday, February 14, 8pm; Friday, February 15, 8pm; Saturday, February 16, 8pm

Tickets: 040 270 949 49

More Information: www.kampnagel.de

Music/Concerts

The New World Songs – Songs From North America, Australia, and New Zealand

It may be second nature to look to Europe for culture, but the “New Worlds” have their own unique styles of music too. This week, New Zealander Eve Hirsch, American Audrey Bashore, and Australian Andrew Young sing traditional and contemporary tunes from their homelands, while Paul Matthews tickles the ivories. Enjoy an evening of Anglophone song at The Irish Rover, and have a Guinness while you’re at it.

Price: €13

Location: The Irish Rover, Grossneumarkt 8

Times: Thursday, February 14, Friday, February 15, Saturday, February 16, 7:30pm; Sunday, February 17, 3pm

Tickets: 040 317 31 41

More Information: www.roverrep.net

MUNICH

Events

International Motorcycle Exhibition

Get out the leather jacket, strap on your helmet, and ride like the wind to Munich this weekend. The International Motorcycle Exhibition celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. From Harley Davidson to Honda, BMW, and Suzuki, the world’s most esteemed motorcycle manufacturers have set up their shiny new models at the MOC Event Center. Go and lust over the latest sport bikes, scooters, cruisers, and touring bikes.

Price: €12

Location: MOC Event Center, Lilienthalallee 40


Times: Friday, February 15 – Sunday, February 17, 9am-6pm

Phone: 07071 156 91

More Information: www.imot.de

Galleries/Museums

Rise and Fall of Apartheid: Photography and the Bureaucracy of Everyday Life

A girl sits on a bench designated “for Europeans only,” while her black nanny caresses her neck from the bench behind her. The photo, which is part of a new exhibition at the Haus der Kunst offers a view of life during apartheid. It joins over 500 photographs, artworks, films, videos, documents, posters, and periodicals to present the history of apartheid in South Africa. Go to the panel discussion Thursday when historians, filmmakers, and photographers talk about Drum Magazine, a historic publication that featured shots by both black and white photographers.

Price: €8

Location: Haus der Kunst, Prinzregentenstrasse 1

Times: Thursday, February 14, 7pm (Panel Discussion); Monday – Sunday, 10am-8pm; Thursday, 10am-10pm; February 15 – May 26 (Regular Hours)

Phone: 089 21127 113

More Information: www.hausderkunst.de

For members

BERLIN

EXPLAINED: Berlin’s latest Covid rules

In response to rapidly rising Covid-19 infection rates, the Berlin Senate has introduced stricter rules, which came into force on Saturday, November 27th. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 27 November 2021 16:16 CET
Updated: 29 November 2021 14:17 CET
A sign in front of a waxing studio in Berlin indicates the rule of the 2G system
A sign in front of a waxing studio indicates the rule of the 2G system with access only for fully vaccinated people and those who can show proof of recovery from Covid-19 as restrictions tighten in Berlin. STEFANIE LOOS / AFP

The Senate agreed on the tougher restrictions on Tuesday, November 23rd with the goal of reducing contacts and mobility, according to State Secretary of Health Martin Matz (SPD).

He explained after the meeting that these measures should slow the increase in Covid-19 infection rates, which was important as “the situation had, unfortunately, deteriorated over the past weeks”, according to media reports.

READ ALSO: Tougher Covid measures needed to stop 100,000 more deaths, warns top German virologist

Essentially, the new rules exclude from much of public life anyone who cannot show proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19. You’ll find more details of how different sectors are affected below.

Shops
If you haven’t been vaccinated or recovered (2G – geimpft (vaccinated) or genesen (recovered)) from Covid-19, then you can only go into shops for essential supplies, i.e. food shopping in supermarkets or to drugstores and pharmacies.

Many – but not all – of the rules for shopping are the same as those passed in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg in order to avoid promoting ‘shopping tourism’ with different restrictions in different states.

Leisure
2G applies here, too, as well as the requirement to wear a mask with most places now no longer accepting a negative test for entry. Only minors are exempt from this requirement.

Sport, culture, clubs
Indoor sports halls will off-limits to anyone who hasn’t  been vaccinated or can’t show proof of recovery from Covid-19. 2G is also in force for cultural events, such as plays and concerts, where there’s also a requirement to wear a mask. 

In places where mask-wearing isn’t possible, such as dance clubs, then a negative test and social distancing are required (capacity is capped at 50 percent of the maximum).

Restaurants, bars, pubs (indoors)
You have to wear a mask in all of these places when you come in, leave or move around. You can only take your mask off while you’re sat down. 2G rules also apply here.

Hotels and other types of accommodation 
Restrictions are tougher here, too, with 2G now in force. This means that unvaccinated people can no longer get a room, even if they have a negative test.

Hairdressers
For close-contact services, such as hairdressers and beauticians, it’s up to the service providers themselves to decide whether they require customers to wear masks or a negative test.

Football matches and other large-scale events
Rules have changed here, too. From December 1st, capacity will be limited to 5,000 people plus 50 percent of the total potential stadium or arena capacity. And only those who’ve been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 will be allowed in. Masks are also compulsory.

For the Olympic Stadium, this means capacity will be capped at 42,000 spectators and 16,000 for the Alte Försterei stadium. 

Transport
3G rules – ie vaccinated, recovered or a negative test – still apply on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses in Berlin. It was not possible to tighten restrictions, Matz said, as the regulations were issued at national level.

According to the German Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, people have to wear a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask  on public transport.

Christmas markets
The Senate currently has no plans to cancel the capital’s Christmas markets, some of which have been open since Monday. 

According to Matz, 2G rules apply and wearing a mask is compulsory.

Schools and day-care
Pupils will still have to take Covid tests three times a week and, in classes where there are at least two children who test positive in the rapid antigen tests, then tests should be carried out daily for a week.  

Unlike in Brandenburg, there are currently no plans to move away from face-to-face teaching. The child-friendly ‘lollipop’ Covid tests will be made compulsory in day-care centres and parents will be required to confirm that the tests have been carried out. Day-care staff have to document the results.

What about vaccination centres?
Berlin wants to expand these and set up new ones, according to Matz. A new vaccination centre should open in the Ring centre at the end of the week and 50 soldiers from the German army have been helping at the vaccination centre at the Exhibition Centre each day since last week.

The capacity in the new vaccination centre in the Lindencenter in Lichtenberg is expected to be doubled. There are also additional vaccination appointments so that people can get their jabs more quickly. Currently, all appointments are fully booked well into the new year.

 

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