The twelfth APPLAUS awards ceremony took place on November 17th — for the second time in Munich. APPLAUS is the German Federal Government’s prize recognising outstanding programme planning by independent music venues and promoters. The award was presented by the Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer.
We, the Offene Ohren e.V., are very happy to receive this award for the eighth time. Still in celebratory mood we are looking forward to this year's closing concert – and also to what is sure to be an exciting concert season in 2026!
Rudi Fischerlehner, drums [A]
Marta Warelis, piano [PL / NL]
Florian Stoffner, guitar [CH]
Photo © Dawid Laskowski
We welcome a new and thrilling trio that unites three dynamic figures of the European jazz and improvisation scene, fusing influences from jazz, contemporary music and noise into a trance-like, improvised flow.
Piano – guitar – drums: a demanding and complex instrumental combination, challenged by the inevitable interference between the specific chordal intervals of piano and guitar and their underlying harmonies. All the more remarkable is the natural ease with which this trio transforms such a complex constellation into a vibrant musical trialogue.
The music that emerges here exists only through the magic of free, collective improvisation, where each of the three musicians assumes responsibility for the whole and the very idea of a “solo” disappears – replaced by a breathtakingly organic interweaving of sounds played at full speed.
The trio’s musical empathy elevates the already exceptional level of each individual improviser and transports them into a rare state of trance. This collective shaping of sound goes far beyond mere individual “musicianship”.
To weave their playing together, the three employ a rich palette of techniques: pulsating figures, repetitions, telegraphic cadences, sudden outbursts, dotted lines and phase-shifted electric textures, together with the sparkling, tingling resonance of piano strings. As the improvisations unfold, the music becomes hypnotic, electrifying and at times otherworldly.
The intensity of penetrating empathy and restless energy is phenomenal. Wild force unfurls with extreme precision – both in the rhythmic surges at the climactic peaks and in the finely poised spaces between, where incisive interjections, lively accents, sharp strikes and pinpoint detonations interact to the split second. Hallucinatory.
Amsterdam-based pianist Marta Warelis is known for her solo projects and collaborations with musicians such as Wilbert de Joode, Ab Baars and Kaja Draksler. Following her appearance at the MMI Festival in May and her concert with the Dave Douglas Quartet in July, this marks her third performance at MUG this year.
Zurich guitarist Florian Stoffner has worked with Paul Lovens, Rudi Mahall, Chris Corsano and John Butcher, and was last heard at Offene Ohren e.V. in late May with John Butcher and Chris Corsano.
Berlin-based drummer Rudi Fischerlehner has released two solo albums and is a member of the bands Xenofox, Der Dritte Stand and Gorilla Mask. He, too, is no stranger to Offene Ohren e.V., having appeared at the end of 2023 with the trio Der Dritte Stand.
Location: MUG – Munich Underground at Einstein Kultur
Entrance fee: 15 Euro, members of Offene Ohren e.V. 12 Euro, free admission up to 21 years (inclusive)
The friends of improvised music of the Offene Ohren e.V. would like to thank the Kulturreferat München for its continuous help allowing to present improvised music in Munich.