Walk, see, hum XI
Kaltern Pop
I come from a flat landscape; everything uneven draws me in. That could be the opening of an amusing interview with an Italian fashion designer from the Po Valley. Here, however, it is about two villages, monasteries, history, tradition, the future and inns beside churches. It is about tangible culture between worlds, from heavenly choral music to post-punk: walk, see, hum. Today may keep its view of tomorrow to itself, cries the hedonist. It takes little effort to catch sight of the horizon on the Lower Rhine; in the mountains, it takes more. The question now is whether the uneven is also interested in the flat. We believe it is. Experience keeps telling us: never leave the house without patience; your goodwill will bear fruit.
There is plenty of competition in a place like Kaltern. Here, attention is shared with beautifully aged history and an enchanting, uneven landscape. People draw excellent wines and other delicacies from this visual abundance. In this region of fine food, the palate and the eyes are under pressure: so much of everything. Why add a festival of unconventional music?
The chef stands before a saddle of venison and thinks of mischievous brass music. This delicious way of thinking around corners is perhaps the heart of a good festival: a sophisticated approach to contrasts, rethinking categories and freeing places from old clichés. In a cunning and shameless world, we leave the butter off our bread for a moment and try a good olive oil. We listen to what nobody expects, recognise new patterns and melodies, leave algorithms chasing nothing, and give sweat another chance. The many years in flat Haldern made uneven Kaltern possible. Here in the mountains we continue experimenting, learning and appreciating the most varied forms of hospitality.
“Once a year we take the time, turn the village soil, open doors and windows, and hope for the different, the unknown. It leads us from the half to the whole. Even atheists hold on to the church tower with their gaze, because it has remained — also for those who left in order to return.”
We can learn a great deal from billiards and chess. Diving headfirst into the water takes courage; we surface with refreshing joy. This tingling experience describes a small act of bravery almost everyone knows. We care about places, the people living in them, guests who visit with happy expectations, and celebrations shared. This approach also applies to further musical projects that let Kaltern Pop remain a generous bag of surprises. We do not enter places to win. We find in order to search.
St. Reichmann
Haldern & Kaltern Pop
