MaerzMusik

MaerzMusik will take place from 21 to 30 March 2025 under the artistic direction of Kamila Metwaly. The 24th festival edition will open with the multimedia music theatre production “MELENCOLIA – A Show Against the Indifference of the Universe” by Brigitta Muntendorf and Moritz Lobeck at Haus der Berliner Festspiele. The work, commissioned by the Bregenz Festival and Ensemble Modern, will celebrate its German premiere at MaerzMusik in cooperation with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Immersed in 3D soundscapes, performers from Ensemble Modern and the Apollo Choir of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden take listeners into a deep exploration of enigmatic, melancholic worlds where reality and virtuality are combined on stage.

Over the following nine festival days, further multidisciplinary projects and concerts will be presented that transcend traditional dualisms, presenting new interrelational perspectives that underscore the profound interconnectedness of social, technological and ecological systems. Here, music and sound move beyond binary frameworks, reshaping our understanding of relational experience and opening pathways to a more unified perception of existence and listening.

Central to this artistic exploration is Enno Poppe’s new composition “Streik“ for ten drum sets, which poses the question: What happens when a solo instrument is multiplied many times? Another perspective on percussion as well as a reflection on the power of breath is offered by the work “POETICA” by Chaya Czernowin, composed for Steven Schick and Les Percussions de Strasbourg. “Minor Characters” by Jennifer Walshe and Matthew Shlomowitz will be presented by Ensemble Nikel in their festival debut, alongside “Limina / Sensation 1” by Mark Barden and Ligia Lewis. And we are looking forward to the new work “Drifting to the Rhythms at the Southeast of Nowhere” by the Berlin-based duo Nguyễn + Transitory, which will be developed this winter in Thailand in collaboration with dance artists from Chiang Mai.

MaerzMusik 2025 will also present works by Jad Atoui, Wojtek Blecharz, Raven Chacon, Susie Ibarra, Mazen Kerbaj, Panayiotis Kokoras, Kuba Krzewiński, Joan La Barbara, Catherine Lamb, George Lewis, Liza Lim, Wadada Leo Smith, Ute Wassermann, Pamela Z and others, alongside ensembles that include Percussion Orchestra Cologne, Synaesthesis, Yarn/Wire and The Monochrome Project. Together, composers, artists and musicians will push the boundaries of sound, inviting audiences to explore new, transformative possibilities in contemporary music.

Tickets for “MELENCOLIA” are available now. Advance ticket sales for further programme highlights will start at the beginning of January. The complete festival programme will be published on 9 February.