© Jürgen Naß
Up-Leben –
a joyful song evening about the transience of life.
Up-Leben is a joyful song evening about transience, with Berlin-based singer Ragna, accompanied by Thomas Holzhausen on electric guitar.
Ragna sings songs of light and shadow — from the musty leaf piles of November to the first awakening of spring in March. Songs of death, and songs of life. For this evening, alongside her own compositions set to words by Shakespeare and William Blake, she has summoned her musical ancestors: Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Abbey Lincoln, Die Toten Hosen, and Leonard Bernstein. All of them wrote and composed about the small and large questions of our finite existence — and here they join a procession that celebrates not only the morbid, but life itself.
With a light touch, Ragna navigates the highs and lows of living and dying. Direct and charming, she steers from one song to the next, shares rituals and stories, and finds the bright, funny moments. Songs about the hereafter bring us right into the here and now.
© Jürgen Naß
“A moment of pure joy”
“simply wonderful”
“Heartfelt thanks for this special concert”
© Jürgen Naß
The theme came to me.
Again and again, people ask how I came to dedicate an entire evening to death and dying. The theme came to me. It was suddenly there. But if I had known what lay ahead, I would never have begun.
Back then I thought: “Strange – this subject really has nothing to do with me.” Two months later, a close friend was suddenly dead. An accident. Torn from the middle of life. And I stood there, paralyzed, unable to do anything – a whole year as if in a fog.
Now I knew why I absolutely had to create this program – and I was completely incapable of taking even one step toward it. So first, I thoroughly “distracted” myself with other, beautiful projects. That’s how LoveSongs3000 came to be; I moved, renovated an apartment, and reordered my private life.
Death on stage waited patiently. But death in life comes as it pleases. And so I found my way back to the theme. The result is Up-Leben.
Throw It Away
Abbey Lincoln
© Jürgen Naß
Ragna
Voice
Thomas Holzhausen
Electric Guitar
“Up-Leben was fantastic💯 Thank you for the wonderful songs, the inspiration, and a beautiful evening❤️ what a voice🌼”
Wenke Barlow“Songs like these – just cool!… I haven’t been this amused in a long time”
“THANK YOU for a wonderful concert! – brilliant guitarist, a voice full of feeling, and seriously good lyrics!!!”
“I’d like to say thank you once more for a wonderful concert. What I experienced was fascinating. These two musicians convinced me of what a powerful statement chansons can make. To see so much spirited humor brought to the theme we work with every day was refreshing and inspiring.”
© Jürgen Naß
All photos: © Jürgen Naß
Book Up-Leben
For performance and collaboration inquiries, I’d love to hear from you.