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— CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS: BERLIN IN LIGHTS FESTIVAL —
NOVEMBER 2–18, 2007
17-Day Citywide Festival Explores Berlin’s Vibrant Cultural Landscape Through
Music, Cabaret, Film, Architecture, and Art
Highlights Include Weeklong Berliner Philharmoniker Residency with Sir Simon Rattle
and Major Arts Education Projects in New York City Public Schools
(NEW YORK)— Carnegie Hall’s first major international festival—Berlin in Lights—a 17-day celebration of the extraordinary city that is Berlin today will run from November 2–18, 2007 with more than 40 events presented throughout all five boroughs of New York City, at Carnegie Hall and at partner venues.
Berlin in Lights offers a snapshot of Germany’s vibrant capital city through classical, cabaret, world, and techno music concerts and film, architecture, literature, and photography events. The festival centers around an eight-day residency by Berlin’s greatest cultural ambassador, the Berliner Philharmoniker and its music director Sir Simon Rattle, with residency activities to include orchestra and chamber music concerts, and special arts education projects in New York City public schools. It culminates on November 17 and 18 with approximately 120 New York City public school students taking to the stage with Sir Simon and the Berliner Philharmoniker for two exciting dance performances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and original student compositions at The United Palace Theater in Upper Manhattan.
“With Berlin in Lights, we draw together the full range of Carnegie Hall’s world-renowned artistic and educational resources, inviting audiences to experience a unique two and a half-week cultural journey,” said Executive and Artistic Director Clive Gillinson. “With great music making at its center, the festival examines a fascinating city reborn with the reunification of Germany, one that has reinvented itself in our lifetime and largely reshaped its identity through culture.”
Central to Berlin in Lights’ programming is an increased number of Carnegie Hall collaborations with several of New York City’s finest cultural organizations, including the Center for Architecture, Goethe-Institut, Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Neue Galerie, The American Academy in Berlin, and World Music Institute. “We’re especially grateful for the creative programming by our Berlin in Lights partners,” said Mr. Gillinson. “With their participation and enthusiasm, we are able to broaden our reach and bring a rich context to our festival theme.”
Berlin in Lights events will include:
MUSIC
Max Raabe & his 12-piece Palast Orchester perform dance and film music from the golden age of songwriting (Carnegie Hall)
First Fridays at the Guggenheim Museum: Art After Dark , featuring a late-night dance party filled with Berlin electronica sounds (Guggenheim Museum)
Nomad SoundSystem, Berlin-based group combining world music influences with techno beats (Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall)
Conductor-chansonnier HK Gruber performing music by Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler (Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall)
Six nights of Berlin cabaret featuring performances by Ute Lemper as well as Robert Osborne and Alicia Hall Moran (Café Sabarsky at Neue Galerie)
Turkish and Kurdish Folk Music by performers residing in Berlin (Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall)
A survey of the avant-garde music scene in Berlin with KNM Berlin (Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall)
26-year-old conductor Gustavo Dudamel in his New York conducting debut leads two concerts by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, an ensemble long mentored by musicians from the Berliner Philharmoniker (Carnegie Hall)
Berliner Philharmoniker in three concerts led by Sir Simon Rattle, featuring two US premieres as well as Mahler’s last three major works (Carnegie Hall)
Chamber performances by members of the Berliner Philharmoniker; Ensembles to include The 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Scharoun Ensemble Berlin, Philharmonia Quartett Berlin, and Berliner Barock Solisten (Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall)
FILM
Berlin: Symphony of a City, a screening of the classic 1927 silent film depicting a day in the life of Weimar Berlin with a live performance of an arrangement of Edmund Meisel’s original score (Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall)
Kino Berlin: Ten Years of New Cinema , a weeklong exhibition of films set in contemporary Berlin (MoMA: Museum of Modern Art)
ART & ARCHITECTURE
Berlin architecture panel discussion, hosted by Barry Bergdoll, MoMA’s Chief Curator of Architecture and Design (Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall)
Berlin / New York Dialogues architectural exhibition, plus symposia and a family day (Center for Architecture; throughout November)
Berlin photo exhibition (Goethe-Institut)
Photography exhibit by Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk, depicting images of modern Berlin (Zankel Hall lobby at Carnegie Hall)
Berlin in Lights exhibit at The Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall
ADDITIONAL PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Berlin literary talk and politics panel discussions, presented with The American Academy in Berlin (Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall)
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Seven free Neighborhood Concerts throughout all five boroughs of New York City by members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and musicians of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela
Rite of Spring Dance Project/Songs: Ritual Rhythms
The Berliner Philharmoniker’s residency concludes on November 17 and 18 with performances marking the culmination of two major educational projects exploring Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring through movement and music. In September, approximately 120 New York City public school students from Upper Manhattan will begin eight weeks of work with choreographer Royston Maldoom in preparation for performances of The Rite of Spring at The United Palace Theater, presented with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker. In a parallel program, 80 high school students will work with the Berliner’s education staff and musicians in the development of an original composition, using elements from Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Entitled Songs: Ritual Rhythms, a performance of this original composition will open the programs at The United Palace Theater. This exciting project is a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in partnership with Zukunft@BPhil, the Berliner Philharmoniker Education program made possible by Deutsche Bank.
Berlin in Lights is made possible by a leadership gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.
Major funding has also been provided by Mercedes and Sid Bass, with additional support from Martha and Bob Lipp, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.
For more information about Berlin in Lights, the general public is invited to visit
www.carnegiehall.org/berlininlights
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Carnegie Hall presents performances by the world’s greatest artists in its three halls – the celebrated Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, the innovative new Zankel Hall, and the intimate Weill Recital Hall. The legendary concert venue presents over 190 events each year, ranging from orchestral concerts, chamber music, and solo recitals, to jazz, world, and popular music, and produces such acclaimed series as Perspectives, Making Music, and Distinctive Debuts.
The establishment of The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall has paved the way for expanded opportunities as Carnegie Hall moves forward as an international cultural center representing the very best in musical performance and arts education. The Weill Music Institute taps the resources of Carnegie Hall to bring a wide range of the finest music education programs to people in the New York City metropolitan region, across the United States, and around the world.
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Members of the media are invited to find more information and a detailed Berlin in Lights calendar of events at
http://carnegiehall.texterity.com/carnegiehall/berlininlights/
For high resolution images of Berlin in Lights artists, please contact the Carnegie Hall Public Affairs Office at 212-903-9750 or
publicaffairs@carnegiehall.org
. Additional images available upon request.
Photos L to R: Berlin Sign by Etienne Giradet; Sir Simon Rattle by Pete Checchia; Carnegie Hall by Don Purdue; Max Raabe and Palast Orchester by Uwe Ehrens
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