In 2013, the New York Times announced the American premiere of the 2nd act of the opera DONNERSTAG aus LICHT (Thursday from Light) by Karlheinz Stockhausen at the Lincoln Festival Center in New York as a “surefire box-office hit”.
And rightfully so: the celebrated, Cologne-based 30-headed Ensemble Musikfabrik’s rendition of “Michaels Reise um die Erde” (Michael’s Journey around the Earth) exceeded all expectations. It is not about Jules Verne’s adventurous spirit, however, but about the musical and spiritual life path of trumpet-playing protagonist Michael, an archangel bearing characteristics of the composer himself.
http://https://youtu.be/kG-Rq-zgwnE
The journey begins at the South Pole and eventually reaches Jerusalem via stations including Cologne (New Music of the 50s and 60s), New York (jazz), Japan (the temple instruments keisu, rin and the geisha bell), Bali (gamelan), India (harp and string instruments) and Africa (percussion music) with a hymnal ceremony.
Indeed, “Michaels Reise um die Erde” is one of the craziest trumpet and ensemble concerts that has ever been written, and a fireworks display of live electronic sound projections. For the first time, the Fabrik musicians and their solo trumpeter Marco Blaauw bring this highly virtuoso travel adventure to Berlin: to the stage of the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.
This event is presented by Digital in Berlin. Check out our Facebook page to win tickets.
Ensemble Musikfabrik plays Stockhausen: Michaels Reise um die Erde
Friday, 18 September 2015 | 20:00 CET
Saturday, 19 September 2015 | 17:00 CET
Haus der Berliner Festspiele | Schaperstraße 24 | 10719 Berlin/Charlottenburg
