1000 Beats Per Minute

About

“1000 beats per minute” is a solo percussion performance created by Leonie Klein in 2023 for the Kammertheater Karlsruhe. It combines solo percussion with projections and spoken language to form a stage collage about time and its shifting perceptions. A wide array of instruments—drum set, timpani, finger cymbals, and even novelty sound makers—produces both unusual timbres and driving rhythms. Audiences are encouraged to abandon habitual listening and encounter the percussion family from a new angle. Klein is sole creator and performer: concept, music, text, and performance are all by her. The work sits between concert and theater, embedding percussion in a narrative, multimedia framework where speech and projections are integral to the structure.