Actually, the headline is misleading as there was surprisingly no Beethoven on the musical menu at this year’s Kunstrasen Klassik Picknick. It was still a magical evening though for a picnic or even just a snooze to wonderful music from the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn.
This years programme, under the baton of Martin Lukas Meister was somewhat less ‘populist’ in comparison to last years offering by BOB (I do love that abbreviation for the Orchestrs!). No James Bond Theme or West Side Story. Some familiar musical fayre though even to my untrained classical ears. Walt Disney loved the most recognisable piece of the evening to me – Paul Dukas’ ‘Sorcerers Apprentice’ featured not long after the composers death in Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ and is now forever linked to visions of Mice in magicians hats and dancing brooms.
I enjoyed too the sweet singing of Anjara Bartz and the pomp of Samson & Delilah’s Bachanal that was cleverly placed at the set end to get picknickers on their feet in time to pack away for next years Klassik Picknick – always a magical evening – and how often is magic like this free?
Sunday’s Open Day at Villa Hammerschmidt (Official Residence of the Federal President) was a day of presenting the International side of the City to the people as well as a day of music.
To prove that The Hurdman and his website are super cool I headed out to where it was BAD. I’m talking Kunst!rasen Country, I’m speaking Sido cool ya all! Check out my baseball cap on stylishly backwards (try to ignore the ‘Rory Gallagher’ logo above the peak that puts me back in the 70’s).
It’s shortly after 11.30 am. I’m standing on the roof of the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn. It’s called the General Anzeiger’s Sommergarten Season but the question bugging me is, will it rain? I’m English so I assume the worst, but the two ladies onstage in front of me have come prepared – songwise at least, as Bonn’s own Anne Haigis and Thüringen born Ina Boo kick off in classic thumb to the nose at grey skies fashion with Tony Joe White’s ‘Out of the Rain’. Gauntlet firmly laid down by messrs Haigis and Boo, the grey clouds go scurryingly on their way – one force of nature conquered by another. Anne is here on the back of her latest disc ’15 Companions’ and within ten minutes she has several hundred companions hanging on her every lyric.
Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, The Balkans, anyone who has caught a concert by Marion & Sobo will have been taken on a journey with varied musical destinations. At 
If it can’t compete with the huge open air festivals of the world, then Bonn can celebrate them, and only a City with Bonn’s crazy flair could celebrate the mighty 1969 event that was Woodstock on the roof of an Arts Building. So it was that 1000+ people woke up, saw the sun shining and headed to The Bundeskunsthalle – though sadly I counted not a one with ribbons in their hair nor did I catch the merest whiff of forbidden substances. ‘A Taste of Woodstock’ was the band and the late 60’s was the musical timespace.
The Bromo boys keep going… Congratulations to Denis and Marvin Ledermann on a terrific second placing amongst 69 bands taking part after round two of Toys2 Masters.