On April 10th, for the first time ever, FRAMED BERLIN presents acoustic concerts in an intimate atmosphere at legendary Kraftwerk Berlin. Shai Maestro will play an acoustic solo piano concert as a pre-release of his upcoming album “Solo: Miniatures and Tales”. The second concert will be a unique solo balafon performance by Aly Keïta.
The Event includes a visit to the installation “WE FELT A STAR DYING” by Laure Prouvost, commissioned by LAS Art Foundation. Please visit LAS’ website for further information.
Timetable:
19:00 doors open
20:00-21:00 Shai Maestro solo piano concert and album pre-release
21:00-22:00 Aly Keïta balafon solo concert
22:00 – 23:00 Visit Installation “WE FELT A STAR DYING” by Laure Prouvost, commissioned by LAS Art Foundation (included with the ticket)
Shai Maestro is one of the most talented pianists of his generation. Since his debut with his own trio in 2011, Shai has shaped a strong and unique personal identity and has portrayed an incredible musical fluidity, making him and his band one of the most powerful and harmonious groups in the music world today.
In Kraftwerk Shai will present “Solo: Miniatures and Tales”, his first solo piano album recorded live. Album stands as the most profound expression of his musical identity thus far. Maestro dove into every piece, allowing each note to breathe and evolve at its own pace. The result is a rich sonic palette that swings between thunderous, percussive energy and delicate, almost spectral reverberations. The album explores two distinct musical landscapes centered around the idea of contrast. The miniatures, with their bright, precise phrases, create a sense of clarity and focus, while the Tales embrace a raw, introspective depth, unfolding with patience and nuance. This musical duality is further reflected in the album’s video recordings: the miniatures, shot at ConcertLab in Utrecht, are presented in crisp high-definition against a stark white backdrop, emphasizing their brightness and brevity. Meanwhile, the Tales, filmed at Victor’s Berlin studio, are captured in a darker, grittier aesthetic that mirrors their more unfiltered, exploratory nature. The contrast in visuals is not merely aesthetic but an extension of the music itself, reinforcing the album’s fundamental dialogue between refinement and spontaneity. Through these contrasting environments, Maestro highlights the interplay of color, texture, and form.
The whirling balafon playing of Aly Keïta, the winner of the ‘Special Instruments’ prize of the German Jazz Award 2022, is spectacular. The mallets in his hands seem to dance on the bars. The West African musician has achieved world fame with his mastery of the balafon, which he has played since childhood, and has made it into the ranks of the greats: Omar Sosa, Joe Zawinul, Rhoda Scott, Paco Séry, Pharoah Sanders, Paolo Fresu, L. Subramaniam, Trilok Gurtu & Jan Garbarek, to name just a few.Aly Keïta was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. His ability to place the balafon, an instrument that is thousands of years old, in a modern musical context has made him famous worldwide. The balafon is traditionally the instrument of the griots, the oral storytellers and songwriters of West Africa.
Although he is rooted in tradition, Keïta’s Afro-pop and funk rhythm section and his preference for complex jazz-orientated arrangements clearly set him apart from most balafonists. Aly comes from a famous family of musicians. His instrumental brilliance has enabled him to work with jazz and world music legends such as Trilok Gurtu, Joe Zawinul and many others. Keita made his debut as a bandleader in 2008 with the album Akwaba Inisene, which caused a sensation throughout Europe. It immediately reached the top 20 of the World Music Charts Europe. In the months following the release of the album, Keita toured extensively throughout Europe and Africa. Keita and his ensemble performed from Maputo to Barcelona to Amsterdam. Today, Aly Keïta lives in Berlin and connects musical worlds with the impressive virtuosity. He wanders between spectacular African rhythm, polyphony and jazz elements, and combines them to create a wonderful and unique sound world – two magical hands and a thousand and one strokes.
“I want my music to be alive and full of energy, hope and love, music that I can share with the audience and through which the audience and I can share our joy.” Aly Keïta
Laure Prouvost, WE FELT A STAR DYING 2025. Installationsansicht im Kraftwerk, Berlin. In Auftrag gegeben von LAS Art Foundation, gemeinsam mit OGR Torino. © 2025 Laure Prouvost. Foto: Andrea Rossetti © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025
Kraftwerk Berlin is a former combined heat and power plant and a piece of Berlin’s industrial history. Built around the same time as the Berlin Wall between 1960 and 1964, it was intended to supply the people of Berlin’s Mitte district with heat. Since 2005, the entire building has been extensively remodelled and extended and is now a special venue for exhibitions and events. It is the first time that FRAMED BERLIN has an event in this extraordinary space.
