MaerzMusik – the Berliner Festspiele’s festival for contemporary music – turns to the local music scene in 2014. For the first time in the festival’s history, Berlin takes centre stage – a globalised hub of innovative music in an international blend that is second to none. Berlin, especially after the fall of the Wall, has always been a powerful magnet for artists of all genres and directions, and musicians have often based their lives and work in the city on a temporary or long-term basis. And due to this artistic ‘immigration’ – from abroad as well as from other parts of Germany – Berlin has become a cosmopolitan city of art and music.
MaerzMusik 2014 | Trailer
http://https://youtube.com/watch?v=EUoZWiqFZvU
The field of new and contemporary music in particular has experienced a boom over the past 20 years, enjoying constant recharging and refreshing from an influx of new musical talent. In its diverse scenes and networks, Berlin has seen manifold initiatives to establish ensembles and new production structures. In the past few years especially, an astounding number of small, independent concert venues have shot up in Neukölln, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg that enjoy a lively artistic and audience interest. One of the virtues of Berlin’s cultural community is that newcomers are warmly welcomed and accepted into the fold. The spirit of networking and cooperation largely outweighs competitive behaviour.
The Necks | Silverwater
http://https://youtube.com/watch?v=8QuhUwa0ETY
Berlin’s magnetism was already apparent in both parts of the city before the Wall fell: the alternative, untamed and freer sociocultural space of the isolated island city attracted some artists to West Berlin, while the centrality and bundling of both material and nonmaterial resources in the GDR’s capital made the East attractive too. The role played by the DAAD’s Berlin ArtistsinResidence programme, which was initiated in 1963, should not be underestimated in enlivening West Berlin’s international art scene.
Denseland | Glass Jar Sitting In Your Hand
http://https://youtube.com/watch?v=HJbrtbd44E8
It was not uncommon for significant artists from all over the world to prolong their stay after the end of their scholarship, with some even permanently resettling. In the GDR, the Akademie der Künste in East Berlin provided a platform for new music and gave musicians a certain freedom, a means of exchanging ideas and education for young talented composers. And in both parts of Berlin, milieus of subculture were attractive, even if they took on very different forms
Splitter Orchester | Live at Wabe
MaerzMusik 2014 presents a very diverse, though unsystematic, selection of works, in particular from younger musical ‘immigrants’ in the form of concerts, dramatic pieces, performances and sound installations. The central venue will be the Haus der Berliner Festspiele but will also include – in a similar way to the nomadic nature of the artists themselves – alternating urban locations, utilised in a wide-ranging and sporadic way. Let’s go to Berlin! To Berlin!
For the detailed programme and schedule, please check the website: berlinerfestspiele.de/maerzmusik
MaerzMusik 2014
Friday, 14 March – Sunday, 23 March 2014
Various Locations in Berlin
berlinerfestspiele.de/maerzmusik
