Doku »Every note you play« im Kino – Improvisation trifft Routine

Life would be a mistake without music. ”According to Friedrich Nietzsche, who was not only a philosopher, but also – quite remarkably – composed. First you always make music for yourself, then for others – according to the starting point, which the festival of the small town of Monheim am Rhein feels committed. Music begins with the relaxation of your own rhythm, the pace in which your life moves. And there are always cross -borders when things that seem to rule out initially to exclude themselves in an unusual way – and create a very own sound.

Of course, this is always an experiment. The music of existence cannot be consumed and not selling like a product- it is part of a process in which self-knowledge and world knowledge combine. According to the starting point of the Monheim Triennale, which will take place for the second time this summer. The first time, 16 experimental musicians from all over the world were invited to a ship on the river bank of Monheim. Something should connect here: avant -garde and urban society. In times when one considers the first musical education in schools to be unnecessary, this seems to be a remarkable initiative that goes back to the mayor of Monheim Daniel Zimmermann.

And you got the director Mika Kaurismäki to make a film about the Monheim Triennale that was supposed to capture the spirit of this small festival. Mika Kaurismäki is the brother of Aki Kaurismäki, who is one of the world’s most innovative directors. In 1989 he shot a road movie with “Leningrad Cowboys Go America” ​​about a – fictional – rock band from Siberia, which decides to go to the USA due to continuing unsuccessful lack of success and finally ends up in Mexico, where it actually succeeds. An absurd story, told with an adorable overnight joke and the real punch line that the unsuccessful band from the film then became a cult band. But Mika Kaurismäki also shot a number of remarkable music documentation, including “Moro No Brasil” (2002) and “Mama Africa” ​​(2011) about the South African singer Miriam Makeba.

The music of existence cannot be consumed and not selling like a product.

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To sign Mika Kaurismäki for a documentary about the Monheim Triennale ensures enormous attention to the festival. The key word here is improvisation. There is folk, jazz, but also electronic elements and modern chamber music that combine a new sound experience. Because music is sounded at first, simply said: a sound that we react to. This becomes the starting point of three experimental days, in which the rather small community of experimental musicians, for example with the students of the Monheim high school, stands on stage in order to jointly invent a new music. Heiner Goebbels from Germany, known for his almost revolutionary performance practice in the music theater. Or Shahzad Ismaily from New York, who speaks of the “musical spirit”, who only makes sense to life.

Of course, there is a festival like that in Monheim against the prevailing trend of commercialization with ever larger forums in order to fulfill the self -fueled expectations on stage and the audience. An event has to grow, otherwise it is none! But Monheim wants something different: remain open to discoveries, even on a small scale. Expectations are thwarted, nobody knows at the beginning what will be created in the end. That is the much more interesting concept – but one that is less catchy and requires the willingness of the audience to get involved with new sound experiences. Can you show the moment when music arises? Kaurismäki tries it, but the special moment hides more often than it shows.

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Ultimately, this is always a question of the energy that is between the stage and the audience – or not. An experiment with an open outcome remains. Because music is a universal language, but it may also be that it is not understood at a certain time at a certain time. This experience is part of such a festival. Reiner Michalke, the director of the Monheim Triennale, is looking for a connection between art and politics – she finds it ideal here in Monheim. His credo: “In a smaller city it is easier to increase concentration.” How long will Monheim be able to afford such an exclusive festival?

Mika Kaurismäki in “Every Note You Play” is not about the background of this or other kind. He focuses on individual musicians, presents them one after the other in their respective peculiarity. But does it become a movie for the general public? No, probably for small and already involved in the topic in advance. Also, the impression does not get rid of the fact that a advertising film for the Monheim Festival, which is quite inspired, has arisen here.

“Every note you play”: Germany 2024. Director and book: Mika Kaurismäki. 82 min. Now in the cinema.