Press room

Karl Bartos: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari  

Robert Wiene's groundbreaking 1920 psychological thriller The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is set to haunting new narrative film music and sound design performed live by Karl Bartos (ex-Kraftwerk) to a 4K screening at the Barbican this summer.

The original orchestral music composed for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari by film composer Giuseppe Becce in 1920 had long been lost and, in 2005 after watching the film, Bartos imagined what it would be like to create an entirely new one in the 21st century in his home studios in Hamburg. While writing the score, Bartos ransacked his own library of musical compositions, recreating pieces he had written as a young classical musician in his pre-Kraftwerk days, creating new sounds, melodies and textures. Composing on piano and computer, Bartos approached the task as any earlier composer would, painstakingly creating a score which was then electronically orchestrated with the help of his musical partner, sound engineer Mathias Black. The result was not simply a film score but an immersive listening experience. Alongside music, special sound effects now match the action as audiences enter the film as both spectator and participant. A creaking door, footsteps on gravel, the turning of pages in a ledger and a half-heard fragment of dialogue are now seamlessly synchronised to the action on screen. 

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is Bartos’ first piece of film music and sound design, and this screening will also feature the beautiful digitally restored film by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Foundation together giving this enigmatic work both the crystal-clear images and soundscape that it deserves. 

"On the surface, the story is about a quest for truth. But at the end, we’re surprised to find it’s much more about the disappearance of reality. That was how people received it in 1920. And that’s exactly how we perceive it today. It is for this reason that I think The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari still has something to say to us, even 100 years on.“ - Karl Bartos

Produced by the Barbican

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Roo Panes and The Delphi Quartet

Roo Panes, the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter known for his folk-infused and soulful music, presents a special one-off performance in the Barbican Hall alongside London based string ensemble, The Delphi Quartet

Roo Panes, hailing from Dorset, first garnered critical acclaim with his debut album, Little Giant. Since then, his music has steadily built a global fanbase and accumulated over 500 million Spotify plays and 40 million YouTube views. In March 2023, he released The Summer Isles, which was followed by a sold-out tour across the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands, concluding with a performance at Glastonbury Festival.

Joining forces with Roo Panes, The Delphi Quartet, led by Lottie Gabriel, has made a mark in classical and contemporary music circles - with notable performances at Daylight Festival at Union Chapel, the Marylebone Music Festival, Kennington music series and Brighton Music Festival in collaboration with composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouche. 

Produced by the Barbican, in association with Kilimanjaro

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SUPPORT ACT ANNOUNCED

Lila Downs

+ Las Adelitas

GRAMMY award-winning artist Lila Downs brings a typically charismatic performance to the Barbican in July 2023.

One of the most influential artists in Latin America, Downs weaves genres and rhythms together from Mexican rancheras and corridos, to jazz standards, hip-hop, cumbia, and North American Folk. With music often focusing on social justice, giving a voice to migrants, indigenous people and women, London audiences can expect a performance from a musician whose activism is as powerful as their artistry.

Singing in Spanish and English as well as Native American languages Zapotec, Mixtec, Nahuatl, Maya and Purépecha, Downs has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra as well as with Barbican International Associate Ensemble – Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra.

Support comes from Mariachi Las Adelitas, a unique band formed in London in 2013 with a mission to shatter stereotypes within the traditionally male-dominated Mariachi genre. The name 'Adelitas' pays homage to the Mexican women who took up arms during the Mexican Revolution, rebelling against the injustices of their time. Originally from Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Italy, and the U.K, this 7-piece band is the only female Mariachi band in Europe. Their formation is a celebration of the fearless warrior women symbolized by the iconic 'Adelitas' of the Mexican Revolution.

Produced by the Barbican in association with La Linea - The London Latin Music Festival.

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