World premiere: Contemporary music and butoh dance take over three floors of Berlin's creative venue Kühlhaus on the opening night of the festival. The performance is a collaboration between Klangforum Wien, the VOICES Festival, the staging team of director Philipp Grigorian, and a group of butoh dancers specially assembled for this event by performer Valentin Tszin. At the heart of the event are musical pieces performed by Klangforum Wien across the three floors of the Kühlhaus. The format of the evening is a promenade concert, meaning the audience can move freely through the different spaces.

The title nachspiel (epilogue) does not refer to a relationship with something before or after, but rather to the desire to conclude an event that has suspended the flow of time.

PHILIPP GRIGORIAN
director and set designer

Philipp Grigorian graduated from the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute in Moscow. In his theatrical projects, he typically works as both director and set designer, defining the unique style of his productions — a balance between drama and visual art, between performance and installation. Grigorian has directed numerous works, including Molière's Tartuffe at the Electro-Theatre, Offenbach's operetta La Périchole at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges at the Perm Opera House, Bluebeard's Castle at the Wuppertal Opera and “Xerxes” by Händel in Stadttheater Gießen in 2024. Grigorian is also known for his work on genre-crossing projects. His 2013 production Full Moon won a Golden Mask award in the Experimental category.

OLGA FEDIANINA
theater critic, translator,
and dramaturg

Olga Fedianina studied theater studies and theater criticism at the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute in Moscow. From 1993 to 2007, she lived in Berlin, working at institutions such as the HFF Konrad Wolf in Potsdam-Babelsberg and the Volksbühne at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. She has authored numerous text adaptations for various Russian and European stages and is a member of the expert council of the Russian The Golden Mask theater festival. From 2015 to 2021, she was a permanent advisor to the contemporary art festival TERRITORY in Moscow. As a freelance dramaturg, she collaborates with Russian-speaking directors staging productions across Europe.

VALENTIN TSZIN
butoh dancer, performer, actor

Valentin Tszin is one of the most visionary figures on the contemporary dance scene, blending rave culture, techno music, and digital art with the world of Japanese butoh and physical theatre.With over 50 stage performances and numerous film appearances, Tszin has performed at festivals such as Atonal Berlin, CTM, Today's Art, and the Athens Biennale. He has collaborated with fashion brands and created works and workshops alongside key figures in the butoh scene. His pedagogical work includes leading international masterclasses and teaching at Berlin's Universität der Künste. Tszin’s transdisciplinary approach highlights the intersections of dance, architecture, film, theater, contemporary art, and new media. In his physical performances, he explores the boundaries of body and mind, bridging the gap between individual perception, bodily sensations, and mental states.

VANYA BOWDEN
set and costume designer

Vanya Bowden is known for her work in theater, film, and exhibit spaces. An alumna of the Moscow Art Theater School and London’s Wimbledon College of Arts, she has worked extensively in Russia, Israel, and throughout Europe. In 2018, her production Homeland won a Golden Mask award in the Experimental category, and she has been nominated several times for her set design in subsequent years. Her designs skillfully blend the practices of film and theater, allowing her to create visual stages that are both realistic and metaphorical. Specializing in site-specific productions, Vanya excels at crafting immersive, detailed environments that enhance both storytelling and atmosphere. Her work brings narratives to life by transforming spaces into dynamic, integral parts of the performance. When designing for performance, her approach emphasizes the seamless integration of visual elements that support and elevate the entire piece.