Cologne 75: The secret of the legendary piano concert reveals!

Cologne 75: The secret of the legendary piano concert reveals!

A special event is imminent in Vienna: The film "Cologne 75" comes to the film casino and highlights the impressive story of the most famous piano album ever, "The Cologne Concert", by Keith Jarrett. On Wednesday, July 2, the premiere will take place at 6 p.m. The special thing about it? After the film screening there is a live concert with pianist Florian Birklbauer in the Margaretner Amtshaus, which will demonstrate his skills at 8:15 p.m. Entry to the film is 10.50 euros, with a card reservation under Filmcasino.at . The concert is free of charge, whereby donations are welcome-reservations can be made by email to booking.f.birklbauer@gmail.com

The history of the film revolves around 18-year-old Vera Brandes, who has the courage to bring Keith Jarrett to the Cologne Opera House-against the will of her conservative parents. The concert itself experienced some breakdowns, including the fact that the ordered concert wing was not available. Instead, Jarrett had to improvise on a smaller and not optimally maintained Bösendorfer model, which he obviously succeeded. Despite the initial concerns of canceling the concert, he appeared and improvised the entire piece, the jazz, classical, minimal music and gospel.

a milestone in music history

originally advertised as the worst concert of a difficult to grasp artist, "The Cologne Concert" developed into Jarrett's most famous album. The concert, which took place on January 24, 1975, is considered one of the most important solo piano works of the 20th century and has had a lasting impact on the music world. With over 3.5 million copies sold, it is the best-selling solo piano album in history. Critics emphasize the emotional immediacy and the structural density of the work, which has redefined the boundaries between improvisation and composition. Historical elements and numerous puzzles around the concert, including contradictory testimonies and the lack of archive material, have contributed to mystically surrounding the work.

The concert consists of four parts and takes around 66 minutes. An official grade edition was published by Schott Music after Jarrett was long against such a publication. This grade output offers amateur and professional musicians a detailed reproduction of the original concert, which is further evidence of the lasting meaning of Jarrett's masterpiece.

For music lovers and everyone who wants to take a look behind the scenes of this unique concert, the film "Cologne 75" in combination with the live concert offers a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of Keith Jarrett and to explore its most famous work.