Yesterday, Alamut was brought to life on the stage of Frankfurt's Jahrhunderthalle by Laibach in a visionary performance on the occasion of Slovenia's honourable visit to the Frankfurt Book Fair. Laibach's performance is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Slovenia's presentation in Frankfurt. Laibach performed an extraordinary symphonic multimedia spectacle in collaboration with more than 100 artists from Iran and Slovenia. Performances are also scheduled for Ljubljana, Trieste and Zagreb later this month. We are thrilled to welcome the outstanding Alamut spectacle and congratulate all the performers from the bottom of our hearts.
"In Laibach's Alamut, the ideas of radical political and religious nihilism are intertwined with the classical Persian poetry of Omar Khayyam, the sensuous verses of poet Mahsati Ganjavi are fused with minimalist sound colours based on Iranian tradition, and ibn Saba's infernal mechanism is echoed in the orchestra's industrial principle of operation and in Laibach's unique sound." (More on MMC Slovenia)
Even at the Sanje, the potent Alamut material is buzzing with new inspirations: while the Slovenian edition shines with undiminished power, a new deluxe international book edition of Alamut and an English website entirely dedicated to Alamut are in the pipeline.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS AFTER THE PERFORMANCE OF ALAMUT IN FRANKFURT:
"Alamut yesterday at the Jahrhunderthalle - still quite underwhelmed, it was superb. A throb under the skin, emotions running high, the realisation that a sense of humanity ran through Laibach and everyone on stage yesterday. The flashing images of blood, death, skulls, fear, destruction, devastation, dehumanisation evoke a sense of urgency. The war in Palestine is eerily close, closer than we think, we are all connected. The feeling that the audience understood and responded. And then the beautiful, infinitely different Iranian voices and writing... weaving a veil of surprising subtlety, evoking the twinkle of the stars in a city where you can't see them. Sons and daughters of Zaratustra! Potent alamut material, where is a director with the courage to knead the novelistic clay into a film without compromising it artistically. Maybe the director will. Rade Sherbedjija as Hasan ibn Saba, of course. Alamut, awakened dragon!
-Andreja Udovč, editor
"Alamut felt extremely relevant in times of war and also with a look onto the embarassingly fascist recent election results right there in Frankfurt. As breathtaking as thought-provoking it showcased the Laibach Kunstmaschine Gesamtkunstwerk in its full power, both in form and content."
Please read the full review here: derohlsen.blogspot.com/2023/10/laibach-alamut-live-at-jahrhunderthalle.html
LAIBACH: ALAMUT – Premiere At The Festival Ljubljana
