TOP 3: Atlas der abgelegenen Inseln – The title means "an atlas of remote islands," and it features stories from islands you haven't visited – and probably never will. TOP 2: Georgian Spring – A Magnum Journal – Ten Magnum photographers turn their lenses on contemporary Georgia. TOP 1: Der einzige Mann auf dem Kontinent – The title means "the only man on the continent," and it's the latest novel by Terézia Mora

• 12/6/09
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Even Haydn can become a political issue in China, at least when a German orchestra wants to play the composer's Nelson Mass in a small church. Conductor Enoch zu Guttenberg – the father of the current German defense minister – along with his choir and orchestra, found themselves suddenly surrounded by Chinese soldiers. But later on, both the audience and musicians were moved to tears. A concert tour full of surprises, and ARTS.21 was there.

• 12/6/09
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Lola Arias is an up and coming star of documentary theater. Born in Buenos Aires in 1976, she mostly writes about the feeling of having been robbed of one's childhood. Her latest piece is called Mi Vida Después, or My Life After. It stars young actors on a quest to find out about their families and the fates they suffered under the Argentinean military junta. The play is an historical investigation. Against a backdrop of photographs projected onto a screen, the performers journey into the past – collecting memorabilia, reading letters and listening to recordings. Arias turns the stage into the scene of a crime. We catch up with her at the Munich Kammerspiele.

• 12/6/09
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Johannesburg is considered one of the most dangerous places on Earth. But behind the dilapidated facades, a lively African art and culture scene has developed. Since May, the Goethe Institute has been running its GoetheonMain project in downtown Johannesburg - a room displaying artistic projects closely reflecting everyday life in South Africa.

• 11/29/09
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It is a liaison full of contradictions - the Berlin Staatballett's principal dancer Nadja Saidakova combines her vocabulary of classical movement with the pulsing beat of the international club scene, composed by the well-known London DJ Luke Slater. This exciting musical experiment is shown within the framework of the Berlin festival Spielzeit Europa.

• 11/29/09
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In 1939, the Jewish Berlin émigrés Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff founded the legendary Blue Note jazz label in New York. Their unique cover designs set standards for modern photography. Now, Berlin’s Jewish Museum is devoting an exhibition to the Blue Note label. And this year’s Berlin jazz festival is also celebrating Blue Note’s birthday. ARTS.21 and pianist/comedian Götz Alsmann explore the history of the label.

• 11/16/09
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Cult Shelves – Ikea’s top-selling item, the Billy shelving unit, turns 30 Not One of Us – New publications on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Hans Magnus Enzensberger Centenary – The Julia Stoschek Collection at the Performa 09 biennial of new visual art performance at the Museum of Modern Art in New York

• 11/16/09
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The tension ahead of the premiere was as great as the audience's approval. Martin Schläpfer, the new ballet director at the Düsseldorf Opera, has made a breathtaking debut. The performance entitled "b.01" is an ironic and humorous new beginning for classical ballet.

• 11/12/09
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"After the Fall" – Europe after 1989. Theater Festival in Dresden and Mülheim "Lenin on Tour" – A symbol of communism travels through the West "The Invisible Wall" – A photo journal by Stephan Kaluza

• 11/12/09
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Taxis instead of subways, white Boer women instead of rich war widows, impoverished black people instead of jobless Germans. The Namibian version of “Linie 1” is harder than the original cult musical from Berlin. ARTS.21 attended the premiere in Namibia and experienced verve, comedy, and enthusiasm.

• 10/28/09
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TOP 3: Dancing with Leaves – Berlin Ballett Dancers Help Clear Away Autumn Foliage in City Squares TOP 2: "Languages of Futurism" – An exhibition in Berlin commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Italian art movement TOP 1: Super-Library – An architecture prize goes to Max Dudler’s Grimm-Zentrum of the Humboldt University Berlin

• 10/28/09
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Chinese society is shaped by the contradictions between market economy and the power of the Communist party, between diversity and censorship, pluralism and bans. After ten years of preparations, China is now the guest country at the Frankfurt Book Fair. It's proved to be something that has already led to commotion.

• 10/22/09
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This year's award goes to Kathrin Schmidt for her autobiographical novel "Du stirbst nicht", a touching family story of survival after a long coma. In selecting the winner of Germany's most prestigious literary prize, the jury paid tribute to Kathrin Schmidt's "powerful language" in describing a patient's inner world. Award-winning Kathrin Schmidt in an ARTS.21 interview.

• 10/22/09
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ARTS.21 presents the shortlist for this year's German Book Prize. Rainer Merkel's «Lichtjahre entfernt» (Light Years Away) explores the vicissitudes of love. Norbert Scheuer's «Überm Rauschen» (The Rushing of Water) is a novel about childhood with autobiographical elements. Kathrin Schmidt's novel «Du stirbst nicht» (You're Not Going to Die) depicts the interior life of a woman who has suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. «Die Frequenzen» (The Frequencies) by Clemens J. Setz revolves around the stories of two childhood friends whose paths cross again. Stephan Thome's debut novel, «Grenzgang» (Walking the Boundaries) takes a look at the search for happiness. The critics' favorite is Herta Müller's «Atemschaukel» (Everything I Possess I Carry With Me), a novel about the fate of ethnic Germans from Romania, focusing on one young man in a Soviet labor camp after World War II.

• 10/16/09
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Gunter Hampel is a musical pioneer who has made international jazz history. He has played with the jazz greats in the United States; and he improvises with young musicians. The 72-year-old is now on tour with his band "European Trio".

• 10/16/09
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Never has Arabic art been in such evidence at the Venice Biennale as it is this year. The artists represented are both experimental and multi-facetted. Often they're self-taught, and deal with daily life in their home countries. In presenting their work. the Biennale is offering subtle glimpses into cultures that would otherwise remained closed to outsiders.

• 10/16/09
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Ai Weiwei is China's best-known artist, blogger and critic of the government. The Haus der Kunst in Munich is now hosting his largest solo exhibition to date. Ai Weiwei enjoyed long years of freedom, but ever since he investigated the victims of the Szechuan earthquake, he's come under pressure in China. Nonetheless, Ai Weiwei won't let himself be intimidated. ARTS.21 presents a portrait of the artist.

• 10/16/09
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He composes New Music. His best-known work is a duet for two horns. The Finnish composer Juho Kangas has a 6-month stipend at Schloss Wiepersdorf, south of Berlin. Finnish horns now resound in the country house, which was the home of Ludwig Achim and Bettina von Arnim and is suffused with the spirit of romanticism.

• 9/16/09
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· TOP 3: “Schöne Neue Welt” – “Brave New World“, the new album by the German band Culcha Candela · TOP 2: Global culture – Berlin's House of World Cultures turns 20 · TOP 1: Succinct and informative – A guide to art in Europe

• 9/16/09
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In one month, Germany will elect a new parliament – but neither politicians nor voters seem terribly excited. What’s making headlines are the candidates in two satirical films. Is this a harmless expression of humor in politics, or a sign that German democracy is in trouble?

• 9/16/09
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Four artists who live in Berlin are nominated, but only one can win the prestigious Prize for Young Art. The candidates are Keren Cytter and Omer Fest, both Israeli-born, German photographer Annette Kelm and conceptual artist Danh Vo, originally from Vietnam. ARTS.21 reports on their work, which is being presented at Hamburger Bahnhof museum of contemporary art in Berlin.

• 9/16/09
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A strong German presence at the Venice festival this time round: flying the German flag in the competition for the Golden Lions are films by Shirin Neshat, Fatih Akin and veteran filmmaker Werner Herzog who has distinguished himself by being the first-ever director with two entries in the running. ARTS.21 sizes up the German chances in Venice.

• 9/16/09
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· TOP 3: «Aufbruch» – The new novel by German writer Ulla Hahn · TOP 2: Museum in Hagen – A showplace for the works of expressionist artist Emil Schumacher · TOP 1: Faust production in Vienna – A grand start for the new Burgtheater boss Matthias Hartmann

• 9/16/09
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The indie rock German band spent four years working on their latest album, «Immer Da Wo Du Bist Bin Ich Nie». Once again, they've produced austere, beautiful music. ARTS.21 takes a look at the imaginative arrangements and poetic lyrics of singer Sven Regener.

• 9/16/09
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An unusual German-Russian cooperation: the German director will be staging a production in Russia of Leo Tolstoy's unfinished five-act drama, «And a Light Shines in Darkness». ARTS.21 reports on Volker Schlöndorff's production at the Yasnaya Poliyana estate near Moscow and in Neuhardenberg in eastern Germany.

• 9/16/09
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· TOP 3: James Cook – An exhibition in Bonn about the famous British explorer and his voyages to the Pacific · TOP 2: Plenty of prizes – Ursula Krechel’s novel "Shanghai, far from everywhere” cleans up · TOP 1: Moses und Aron – Schönberg's opera at the Ruhr Triennial in Bochum

• 9/6/09
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La Brass Banda is a five-man combo from Bavaria that is redefining folk music. They have attained international renown for their mix of traditional Bavarian sounds, Balkan beats, and African and Caribbean rhythms.

• 9/6/09
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In the political thriller ”Storm”, an idealistic public prosecutor devotes herself to getting to the bottom of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. In his fascinating new film German director Hans-Christian Schmid casts light on the work of the United Nations Tribunal in The Hague.

• 9/6/09
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