Die 5. Jahreszeit - Ouvertüre

In the organizer's words:

The performance runs in a loop. The production is freely accessible between 7.30 and 10 pm. The audience is welcome at any time.

The 5th Season - Overture
Based on the Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

A project by Novoflot

With guitar and electronics, two soprano voices, viola da gamba, choir, electric bass, keyboard instruments and the sampled violin sounds of a (real!) Berlin Philharmonic, Novoflot shifts the perspective on Antonio Vivaldi's evergreen "Four Seasons", composed 300 years ago. Amidst the hustle and bustle of contemporary world events, populated by countless question marks, Novoflot's Seasons ensemble investigates rumors that the scores of Vivaldi's four violin concertos may contain the secret code for an all-changing, as yet undiscovered FIFTH season. A unique hybrid of the seasons made up of art, climate and carnival elements! As Novoflot relentlessly pursue a wide variety of tracks, they transform one of the most famous works in music history and open up unusual interstices: in the midst of overheated summers, postponed springs, winters that are far too mild and absent autumn storms, Novoflot initiate an international cultural dialog with this overture and begin a widely ramified journey through Europe and South America. Following this overture, the Berlin opera company will combine performative formats, workshops and scientific-artistic discourse into a musical-theatrical carnival for two years. Together with a diverse and international ensemble of performers and composers from the music theater scene, a cultural gig will be created that postulates the 5th season as a promising social utopia!

This exceptional phenomenon is a collaboration with the Kühlhaus Berlin, the Greek National Opera, the Citykirche Zürich, the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and the Matucana 100 Santiago de Chile.

Rosemary Hardy and Peyee Chen singing
Antonis Anissegos, Jacopo Salvatori and Vicente Larrañaga keyboard instruments
Chris Dahlgren: vocals, viola da gamba, double bass, electric bass
Álvaro Parra violin
Peter Fasching Video message
Girls' Choir of the Singakademie zu Berlin

Arrangements and composition: Antonis Anissegos, Chris Dahlgren, Jacopo Salvatori Direction and concept: Sven Holm Musical direction: Vicente Larrañaga Costumes: Regine Standfuss Video: Mirko Borscht Dramaturgy and concept: Malte Ubenauf Management: Dörte Wolter Production management: Axel Lambrette and Rania Mavriki Lighting: Joachim Hupfer Sound: Daniel Körner Public relations: Tom Müller-Heuser

The overall project (Camp 1 - Camp 4)

With the 5th season, Novoflot are developing a music-theatrical exegesis of international carnival cultures. Carnival is an invention for otherworldly contributions to discourse, to express oneself beyond conventional rhetoric and to let the laughter of today be followed by the reflection of tomorrow in mask and costume. The meeting points for our carnival research are various music theater camps where our different ensembles come together. The camps are real, highly political and existential events. On the one hand, the camp stands for camping. But it also stands for the offer of an over-pointed perception of cultural products and political discussions. In times of international crises, the 5th season becomes an artistic mouthpiece; it offers opportunities to leave behind the stare of shock and speechlessness and to develop encouraging and courageous forms of expression in music-theatrical discourse. It is complicated to express oneself politically. Working together is even more difficult. This is a first attempt.

Supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and the Fonds Darstellende Künste