DeutschIncense of Music 74
Soft Landing Option
A multisensory concert – Friday, 12 June 2026, 8 pm
Chris Dahlgren: viola da gamba
Jim Hart: vibraphone & marimba
Claudio Puntin: contralto clarinet, bass clarinet, clarinet
Incense: White sage, Aralia racemosa
PANDA Platforma in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin
An evening where the ancient and the avant-garde converge. Chris Dahlgren on viola da gamba, Jim Hart on vibraphone & marimba, and Claudio Puntin on clarinets weave a tapestry of sound. The air carries the cleansing scent of White Sage and the woodland aroma of Aralia racemosa.
This event is not recommended to people sensitive to smoke.
Photo by Fabio Dondero
A soft landing in the infinity of possibilities. Behind this lies the idea that tradition means not the preservation but the development of things, so that it can transform its merits into services. The sound fusion of this carefully selected combination of instruments—viola da gamba, clarinets, and vibraphone—captures several centuries of European music-making and instrumental art in an audible and tangible way. Origin and present come alive in the hands of this composers' band. The three musicians are united by a polystylistic understanding of music and lifelong improvisational and compositional experience in dealing with musical forms of expression and organization. In this way, they have created and continue to create an ever-growing and changing collection of works. Together, they create far more than the sum of three artistic individuals. These time-dissolving forms of planning generate a reality that will have a lasting impact on the future.
Photo by Fabio Dondero
Artists
Claudio Puntin — clarinets
Claudio Puntin (*13.10.1965) Improvisor, Clarinetist, Composer, Goldsmith, Painter, Performer. The sensuality and soulfulness of improvising people have inspired Claudio Puntin since his first musical steps. He has retained his playful instinct, turning his clarinet into his keyboard, his drums, and his sound processor, and creating works for orchestras, choirs, ensembles, and electronics. Together with improvisers from all continents, he creates music and art that allows us to participate in the eternal artistic present through images and sound. Through his playing, he reminds us that we are all sensual and social beings who enjoy creativity in order to be together in health, peace and soulfulness.
R. Chris Dahlgren — viola da gamba
R. Chris Dahlgren (*13.11.1961) Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer, Singer, Performer. "If I would attempt to state a credo for my path as a musician, an artist and a person it would go something like this: I'd try to emphasize, along with following one's own instinct and bliss, keeping a beginner's mind, a step-by-step mind, a here and now mind and an openness to life's inevitable changes. I was improvising before I knew what improvising meant – freedom and form are yin and yang and intertwining eternally, so don't emphasize one over the other. I don't want to fit into anybody's shoebox and least of all into a shoebox of my own making."
Jim Hart — vibraphone & marimba
Jim Hart (*1.6.1978) Vibraphone, Marimba, Drums, Percussion. Jim Hart is a British vibraphonist and drummer whose music thrives on curiosity, openness and creative range. After nearly 20 years in London he relocated to Alsace, France in 2014. He has released ten albums as a leader and moves fluidly between projects that stretch from intimate duos to adventurous cross-border collaborations and large ensembles. His versatility has brought him to the stage with artists at the highest level from around the world. Hart also shares his craft as a teacher at several conservatoires across Europe as well as running a choir in his local community.
Incense
White sage is an evergreen perennial shrub native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, specifically the coastal sage scrub habitats of Southern California and Baja California. It typically grows 1.3 to 1.5 meters tall and wide, with whitish evergreen leaves that are densely covered in hairs containing aromatic oils. When rubbed, the leaves release a strong, distinctive fragrance. The plant produces tall flower stalks with white to pale lavender flowers that are highly attractive to bees, hence the species name apiana.
As incense, white sage is traditionally used by Indigenous peoples of North America for purification ceremonies and spiritual practices. The dried leaves are typically bundled into smudge sticks and burned, producing a highly aromatic, resinous, and penetrating spicy scent. The smoke is believed to have cleansing properties, clearing negative energy from spaces and promoting mental clarity and relaxation. The herbaceous, woody, and slightly sweet fragrance makes it popular for meditation, yoga, and creating sacred spaces.
Aralia racemosa, commonly known as American spikenard, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the ginseng family native to eastern North America. It typically grows 1 to 1.5 meters tall, sometimes reaching up to 3 meters, with erect, branched stems that are dark maroon to almost black in color. The plant produces very large, two to three times compound leaves that can reach up to 75 centimeters in length. The small white to greenish-white flowers form large, upright panicles, blooming from June to August.
As incense, Aralia racemosa is valued for the aromatic properties of its root, which has a complex, spicy, and earthy fragrance with notes reminiscent of licorice or sarsaparilla. The aroma is described as warm, mildly sweet, and slightly pungent, creating a calming and grounding atmosphere. The root can be burned on charcoal as a loose incense or gently heated on a warmer to release its aromatic compounds. The plant should not be used during pregnancy.