Josef van Wissem + special guest: Kristof Hahn

This autumn, Dutch lutenist Josef van Wissem will grace Prague with his presence with a new project – adding music to the silent film Destiny by the German director Fritz Lang.

Last year he released two records: Behold, I Make All Things New (Incunabulum) and Nosferatu, The Call Of The Deathbird (Incunabulum). His inspiration comes not just from baroque music or drone music – but also from the world of film. After the vampire story filmed by F.W. Murnau, he reached for another fantasy film Destiny by the expressionist Fritz Lang – a master of narrative scenes, close-ups and advanced character psychology. Wissem has already tried a similar type of work, when they composed the music for Jim Jarmusch's film – Only Lovers Left Alive, for which he won the Soundtrack Award in Cannes.

German guitarist Kristof Hahn, the longest-serving member of Swans after Michael Gira, lives and works in Berlin, from where he tours the world with the Swans, in which he has been on and off since 1989. He also performs solo concerts and collaborates with the bands Les Hommes Sauvages, Sultans of Gedankebrain, and Pere Ubu. His music is characterized by abstract soundscapes in wide-spectral cinematic music alternating elegant rock and roll noir songs with a drone atmosphere.

The meeting of Josef van Wissem and Kristof Hahn on one evening will only take place in Bratislava (24 November 2023, A4-zero space) and Prague (25 November 2023, Convent of St. Agnes). It was made possible thanks to the connection of the Slovak music agency Music Press Production and the Czech association Stördienst.