A stage for two: Wendy Eisenberg & Emily Wittbrodt #1 at Horns Erben (First Date)

The interest in the intimate, the unruly and perhaps also the somewhat uncomfortable is probably deeply human. Trash TV productions, such as Vox with its "First Dates - A Table for Two", perfect their offerings in this respect. There is also a "First Date" at the Leipzig Jazz Days. And I can see a few parallels.

This year's "First Date" concert with US artist Wendy Eisenberg and Cologne musician Emily Wittbrodt will take place at the cozy Horns Erben in a bar-style setting between a relaxed beer-drinking and chatting audience. Perfect for a date! This also prompts Eisenberg to ask who else in the audience might be on a date. But the camera angle is clear: a stage for two. And so the eyes and ears are focused on this very special date. I sat down in the front row so that I could observe the interpersonal communication as closely as possible. You can actually detect a certain nervousness or uncertainty, even though the two artists had actually already met during the day to calibrate. This is not a slick, over-rehearsed performance, but really - I almost don't dare to use this word - authentic.

First they try to groove together in a high register. Then they keep on playing their own pieces. First one by Eisenberg, then one by Wittbrodt. Eisenberg says on the second: "I love singing her music". Both of them look at their notes, close their eyes, try to settle in, quickly thank us for our presence. Eye contact is rare and only fleeting. Wittbrodt often plays something of her own with her interjections rather than elegantly complementing Eisenberg's harmonies. Eisenberg sometimes hesitates with Wittbrodt's strong string entries. A safe haven are the hooks of the songs, in which Wittbrodt plays catchy motifs on her cello and Eisenberg sings equally beautiful lyrics with a beautiful voice. Sometimes she casually doubles the sung melody with her guitar, sometimes she stumbles over a passage and looks slightly amused at Wittbrodt. Over time, something develops on stage. 

This honest approach, this orientation towards the roughly pre-structured, this use of one or two musical phrases - it really is reminiscent of a first date. But one in which both sides are genuinely interested in each other, even if it's not a direct success. So this concert can become a model for how this process can be worthwhile and result in a special moment. In the fourth song played, Wittbrodt complements Eisenberg's "In The Pines" so well that she receives a stank face from the composer. In the encore of the first part, Wittbrodt shows that she can also strum chord progressions with the cello, which gives Eisenberg more space again. This performance is followed by a second, separate part. Unfortunately, I only had a ticket for the first part, which I now regret.

For me, however, this Tuesday evening underlines how you can have enriching encounters with a positive manner and a lot of communication training (note to self: practise instrument!). It is perhaps neither "love at first sight", nor "birds of a feather flock together" or "opposites attract". Rather, Wittbrodt and Eisenberg prove that they have fun playing and are not trying to make a splash like a duo from trash TV.

TEXT: KONSTANTIN SCHOSER