JOHANN JOHANNSSON "Flight From The City" - Víkingur Ólafsson Rework
Shot in the barren landscape of a desert, their film presents Berlin-based, Russian-born dancer Valentin Tszin’s interpretation of Jóhannsson’s score. His emotionally charged improvisation unlocks the expressive power and physical energy of the butoh dance genre. Founded in Japan in the late 1950s by two great dance masters, butoh has a rich language of gestures and movements and enjoys wide international appeal today. Tszin explores the nature of metamorphosis in his dance, while Waldschütz and Rotter employ a range of camera techniques – including shooting through prisms, creating mirrored images and using the different perspective offered by drone footage – to create a short film full of the symbolism of change and new beginnings.
Jóhann Jóhannsson (1969–2018) was a leading figure in a dynamic and developing scene of composers who move freely and innovatively between film scores, minimalist classical, ambient and electronic music. His visionary work and unique musical language redefined the film scoring landscape, blurring the lines between score and sound design. Within his unique sonic spaces he developed extraordinary otherworldly textures, but also gave the music space to breathe and evolve.
“Flight from the City – Víkingur Ólafsson Rework” is based on the opening track of Jóhannsson’s milestone debut DG album Orphée.
Ólafsson’s hypnotic playing and meditative reflections on “Flight from the City” also accompany a new music video directed by Andreas Waldschütz and Lukas Rotter, a project welcomed by the pianist. “In March 2018, a month after Jóhann died,” Ólafsson explains, “I met with our mutual friend and collaborator Christian Badzura to record this improvised, elegiac fantasy over Jóhann’s ‘Flight from the City’. I am grateful to see it come alive in this beautiful video by Andreas and Lukas.”
Directed by: Andreas Waldschütz & Lukas Rotter
Producer: Lukas Rotter
Camera: Andreas Waldschütz
Drone Camera: Faruk Pinjo
Edit: Andreas Waldschütz
Post production: Michael Hollinger @ mindconsole
Perfomance by Valentin Tszin
Set photographer: Kamil Rutkowski
Outfits by KAI GERHARDT
