For immediate release: Wednesday 6th March 2019 Barbican April highlights Fertility Fest, the only arts festival devoted entirely to the subjects of modern families and the science of making babies, arrives at the Barbican for the first time. London-based artist and 2018 Jarman award-winner Daria Martin’s first solo commission for a major London public gallery, Tonight the World, continues in The Curve. Smart Robots, Mortal Engines: Stanislaw Lem on Film is a season of lesser- known adaptations of the work of Polish author Stanislaw Lem, screening in the Barbican Cinema. Masterful composer and percussionist Midori Takada and singer and producer Lafawndah present the world premiere performance of their Barbican- commissioned collaborative work Ceremonial Blue. CINEMA Poetry in Motion: Contemporary Iranian Cinema Wed 3–Wed 24 Apr 2019, Cinema 1 & 2 Barbican Cinema is pleased to present Poetry In Motion: Contemporary Iranian Cinema, which takes place between 3-24 April and showcases some of the country’s most inventive filmmakers. Reflecting Iranian culture’s rich, diverse traditions and love of storytelling, Poetry In Motion presents the work of bold contemporary directors whose stories will charm, surprise and enchant, a mix of everyday, universal themes, and the retelling of traditional narratives in new ways. The season showcases emerging voices in Iranian cinema through the prism of Persian poetry, rather than through its modern day politics and often stereotyped representation. It features seven films – several of which are UK premieres – and ScreenTalks with an array of the country’s leading directors and artists. Smart Robots, Mortal Engines: Stanisław Lem on Film Thu 11–Tue 16 Apr 2019, Cinema 3 Part of Life Rewired Smart Robots, Mortal Engines: Stanislaw Lem on Film is a cinema season of lesser-known adaptations of the work of Polish author Stanislaw Lem (1921-2006). Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, nanotechnology and trans-humanism: Lem was thinking and writing about today’s hot topics many decades ago. The season opens on 11 April with a discussion with the Quay Brothers, the artists Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal – who adapted two Lem short stories into a graphic novel – and Dr Mark Bould, academic at the University of the West of England and author of the BFI Classics monograph on Solaris. The panel, chaired by novelist and science writer Simon Ings, will discuss the legacy of Stanislaw Lem and the challenges of adapting his work to screen. The discussion will follow a shorts double-bill of Maska by Stephen & Timothy Quay and Roly Poly by Andrzej Wajda. Other season highlights include The Interrogation of Pilot Pirx in which the commander of a flight to Saturn must decipher which of his crew are androids and which are human; schlocky East German-Polish space opera Silent Star; and the rare 1968 TV version of Solyaris in which an astronaut is confronted with a replica of his dead wife, an emanation of the planet he is orbiting. This season is curated by Barbican Cinema in partnership with Kinoteka The 17th Polish Film Festival. White Paradise # + live musical accompaniment Silent Film & Live Music Austria 1924, Dir Max Neufeld Sun 28 Apr 2019, Cinema 1, 3pm This Czech melodrama, a box office hit from 1924, follows orphan Nina and her guardian Ivan, an escaped convict. Tomáš Vtípil provides a live score mixing contemporary electronics, with improvisation on piano and violin. In Partnership with the Czech Centre, London. MUSIC Khatia Buniatishvili in recital Mon 1 Apr 2019, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm The Georgian-born France-based piano virtuoso Khatia Buniatishvili is renowned for her refined and elegant technique; she herself has described the piano as ‘the blackest instrument …a symbol of musical solitude’. As a performer she excels in repertoire that exploits this sensitivity, and it is a side of her that will be demonstrated in her Barbican recital. The programme will include works by Schubert, such as Sonata in B-flat major, D960, Ständchen (arr. Liszt), Gretchen am Spinnrade (arr. Liszt) and Erlkönig (arr. Liszt), and by Liszt, such as Transcendental Étude No 4 in D minor, Mazeppa, and Hungarian Rhapsody No 6. Handel: Semele The English Concert Fri 5 Apr 2019, Barbican Hall, 6.30pm The English Concert and its Artistic Director Harry Bicket return to the Barbican with Semele in what promises to be another spirited Handel performance. The performance also features The Clarion Choir and its artistic director Steven Fox, and Brenda Rae in the title role leading a cast of soloists featuring Elizabeth DeShong (Juno/Ino), Soloman Howard (Somnus/Cadmus), Benjamin Hulett (Jupiter), Christopher Lowrey (Athamas) and Ailish Tynan (Iris). Gabriel Kahane Sun 7 Apr 2019, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm American composer and singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane (voice, piano, guitar) will make his Barbican contemporary music programme debut in an intimate solo show at Milton Court Concert Hall on 7 April 2019. Here he presents material from his most recent album Book of Travelers as well as from his earlier releases The Ambassador and Where are the Arms. The day after the 2016 presidential election, Kahane boarded a train at Penn Station and travelled 8,980 miles around the continental U.S. with no phone or internet access, talking to dozens of strangers in an attempt to better understand his country and fellow citizens. The resulting album, Book of Travelers, marks Gabriel’s debut for Nonesuch Records. This collection of songs is at once a prayer for empathy and reconciliation, as well as an unflinching examination of the complex and often troubled history of the United States. Midori Takada and Lafawndah present Ceremonial Blue Sun 7 Apr 2019, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm This world premiere performance of the Barbican-commissioned work Ceremonial Blue is a collaboration between the masterful Japanese composer and percussionist Midori Takada, and London-based devotional pop polymath Yasmine Dubois aka Lafawndah. They first worked together in 2018 on Le Renard Bleu, an art and music film, and this Barbican commission develops their partnership into an evening length show, with the music from Le Renard Bleu at its heart. Midori Takada and Lafawndah will be joined on stage by contemporary Indonesian dancer Dian Bokir and SAMGHA, a group of Japanese chanting monks. Midori Takada returns to the Barbican following her solo performance at Milton Court Concert Hall in September 2017 and Lafawndah’s debut album ANCESTOR BOY will be out in March 2019. Minimalist Dream House Featuring Katia & Marielle Labèque, Bryce Dessner and David Chalmin + special guest Thom Yorke Works by Caroline Shaw, David Lang, Timo Andres, Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin, Max Richter and new works by Thom Yorke Tue 9 April 2019, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm Acclaimed pianists, sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque, are renowned for their passion for minimalist music, and in 2013 they released their Minimalist Dream House album. Now they continue their journey with a series of live concerts, also featuring Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin and special guest Radiohead front man Thom Yorke. The programme will include works by Caroline Shaw, David Lang, Timo Andres, Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin, Max Richter and the UK premiere of Thom Yorke’s new composition for Katia & Marielle Labèque Don’t Fear The Light. Kian Soltani (cello) ECHO Rising Stars Fri 12 Apr 2019, LSO St Luke's, 1pm The ECHO (European Concert Hall Organisation) Rising Stars series returns to LSO St Luke’s, presenting emerging young talent tipped for stardom by the directors of Europe’s premier concert halls. Each artist’s performance features a short new work, commissioned by ECHO from a range of international composers. This performance will feature Austrian-Persian cellist Kian Soltani performing works by Debussy, Reza Vali, Shostakovich and a new work by jazz pianist David Helbock specially-commissioned by the Wiener Konzerthaus and European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). Soltani will be accompanied by pianist Mario Häring. Supported by Classical Futures Europe and the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. Hauschka Fri 12 April 2019, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm German pianist and Oscar-nominated film composer Hauschka (Volker Bertelmann) performs a solo show, presenting new material from his recent Sony Classical debut album A Different Forest. The new album’s themes present the artist’s experience of nature as a metaphor for the pursuit of the meaning of life. Hauschka is noted for his compelling live shows that reimagine the expressive possibilities of the piano through an array of imaginative ‘preparations’ on its internal mechanisms. He has worked in the fields of theatre, dance and classical ensemble works, and has also written scores for films. Hauschka returns to the Barbican’s programme following appearances at the Centre in 2012 and 2015. Glen Hansard + Joe Quartz Mon 15 & Tue 16 Apr 2019, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm Singer-songwriter Glen Hansard returns to the Barbican alongside his band, presenting new material as well as material from his back catalogue. Glen Hansard is a founding member of The Frames, and he is one half of The Swell Season, which also features pianist Marketa Irglova. Together they wrote the music for and starred in the movie Once. The song Falling Slowly from the film was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Glen Hansard’s new album This Wild Willing will be out on 12 April. Support comes from French duo Joe Quartz featuring multi-instrumentalists Jeanne Susin and Olivier Schlegelmilch. Apparat + K Á R Y Y N Sat 27 April 2019, Barbican Hall, 8pm Berlin-based electronic musician Apparat (Sascha Ring), returns to the Barbican in support of his new album LP5 (out on Mute on 22 March). As a member of Moderat, or as a solo performer, Apparat seeks to transcend the dance floor and the concert hall alike.