DeutschIncense of Music 66
A multisensory concert – Friday, 12 September 2025, 8 pm
Artem Yasynskyy: piano
Incense: Grapefruit, Dammar
PANDA Platforma in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin
Program: works by John Cage, Valentin Silvestrov, Alexander Scriabin, Maurice Ravel
Panda Platforma is proud to present a unique concert experience that transcends the traditional recital. On September 12th, acclaimed pianist Artem Yasynskyy takes the audience on an immersive journey through the works of John Cage, Valentyn Silvestrov, Maurice Ravel, and Alexander Scriabin. This is more than just a concert; it is an exploration of synesthesia, where senses merge and influence one another. As Yasynskyy navigates the atmospheric soundscapes of Silvestrov and the mystical harmonies of Scriabin, the air will be filled with the bright, uplifting scent of grapefruit incense. The sharp, citrusy aroma is chosen to provide a vibrant counterpoint to the impressionistic colors of Ravel and a moment of clarity within the conceptual spaces of Cage.
Artists
Artem Yasynskyy — piano
Artem Yasynskyy was born in 1988 in Donetsk, Ukraine. He gave his first concert at the age of eight. He graduated with honors in piano from the Prokofiev State Music College in Donetsk, during which time he achieved numerous competition successes. Since 2010, he has been residing in Bremen, where he completed both a postgraduate and a master's program at the University of the Arts Bremen. Starting from 2015, Artem has been teaching piano as a lecturer at the University of the Arts Bremen. In the summer of 2021, Artem won the 2nd Prize and five additional awards at the Sydney International Piano Competition. He is also the recipient of the Gold Medal at the Cincinnati World Piano Competition in Ohio, USA. He has received awards in prestigious international piano competitions such as the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, the Sendai International Music Competition in Japan, the Gian Battista Viotti International Piano Competition in Vercelli, and the Horowitz International Piano Competition in Kyiv. Artem has performed with orchestras including the Utah Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Ukraine, the Kharkiv Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kyiv National Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2016, Artem performed a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Incense
The grapefruit (Citrus × paradisi) is a subtropical citrus tree known for its large, sour to semi-sweet fruit. It is an evergreen hybrid with glossy, dark green leaves and large, fragrant white flowers. The fruit's peel, ranging from yellow to reddish-pink, is rich in essential oils, and it is from this peel that its characteristic fragrance is drawn.
Unlike many other incense plants, grapefruit carries no millennia-old ritual tradition: it emerged only in the 18th century as an accidental cross between a pomelo and a sweet orange in Barbados, spreading from there through the Caribbean and Florida to become one of the world's major citrus fruits. Its use as incense and in aromatherapy is correspondingly recent — a product of modern wellness culture's search for fresh, energizing scents.
As incense, grapefruit is powerfully uplifting and clarifying. Its vibrant, zesty aroma combines a sharp, tangy sweetness with a slightly bitter, green undertone from the peel. It is excellent for purifying the atmosphere, dispelling heavy or stagnant energy, and sharpening the mind — ideal for work, creative sessions, or starting the day with focus and positivity.
Dammar resin is harvested from large tropical rainforest trees, most notably in the genera Shorea, Hopea, and Canarium, native to Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia. The resin exudes from the bark as a protective response to injury and hardens into pale yellowish to nearly translucent tears or lumps — unlike many other resins, it barely darkens with age, which may be the source of its name, thought to derive from a Malay word meaning "light" or "torch."
Beyond its use as incense, dammar has historically served as a raw material for varnishes and lacquers, and remains valued today in art conservation, where its clarity and protective qualities are used to seal paintings and wooden objects. Across Southeast Asia, burning dammar has long been part of cleansing rituals intended to clear the atmosphere and invite positive energy.
Burned, dammar releases a bright, citrusy scent with notes of lemon and lime, underscored by a warm, faintly vanilla-like sweetness and a clean, resinous undertone that recalls fresh sap rather than deep, aged wood. It is considered a "lighter" resin compared to frankincense or myrrh, and blends well with other resins to add a bright top note to more complex compositions.