In Metropolis, set in the year 2026, the lower class is worked to exhaustion to keep monstrous machines running, while the upper class lives in luxury. A scientist creates a robot indistinguishable from the woman whose appearance has been copied against her will. The peace-loving Maria is an icon of patience and reconciliation between the classes, but her alter ego has been programmed with a different purpose…

Acclaimed composer Steven Kamperman, who also provides the instrumental part of the accompaniment together with Yonga Sun and Jorrit Westerhoff, has written music filled with eerie vocals, penetrating percussion and crossovers between human and technological sound. In doing so, the music adds an extra layer, but also questions this iconic classic. The certainties of the late 1920s now raise questions: to what extent is the perspective on women still recognisable? How does the gap between rich and poor relate to present-day reality? And does the ending of the film truly offer such a complete resolution?

Kamperman’s musical interpretation of Metropolis provides a way to experience Lang’s work in a contemporary manner.

• vocals Wishful Singing composition & bass clarinet Steven Kamperman drums & modular synthesiser Yonga Sun electric guitar & programming Max Jorrit Westerhof film Fritz Lang