Solange Knowles is constantly subverting expectations. With her last two albums — 2016’s A Seat at the Table and this year’s When I Get Home — she pushed her creativity to new and thrilling territories. Her live shows are no exception. Venturing into uncharted territory, Solange utilises instillation, fashion, performance art, dance and sculpture to create whole universes, often deconstructing or re-imagining her music to accompany it.
Last week, she played two shows in Germany at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. Accompanied by a 38-piece orchestra and dancers dressed in fuchsia, centred in the dome-like architecture of Elbphilharmonie’s concert hall, Solange delivered Witness!, a new performance-piece written, directed and choreographed by her. Featuring six new musical works and an ensemble of tubas, trumpets, cellist, violinist, and percussionist, Solange also interpolated songs from A Seat at the Table and When I Get Home.
In exclusive images, i-D have been given a peak behind-the-scenes of the construction and rehearsal of Witness!. The images give a sense of the movement and musicality of the performance, while highlighting Solange’s minimalist direction and aesthetic. “Performing at the Elbphilharmonie was a very gracious and special moment I’ll hold close forever,” Solange said about the performance. “To hear and see these compositions and choreography come to life on that scale, and with such a divine ensemble will be such a lasting memory to carry on.”
Credits
Photography Cary Fagan
