About this event
"Poème Symphonique" – György Ligeti's Classic of Mechanical Music
The metronome is typically a tool for musical performance: its ticking establishes and controls a fixed tempo. In György Ligeti's "Poème Symphonique," composed in 1962 and one of the most extraordinary pieces of music ever written, the metronome itself becomes an instrument, even a musician: Identically wound and set to different tempos, 100 metronomes are started simultaneously, ticking in unison and gradually ceasing to beat, until only one remains – and falls silent.
This purely percussive, mechanical music forms a constantly shifting tapestry of sound. It unfolds a humorous yet also quite hypnotic effect and prompts reflection on processes of transformation of all kinds.
The Lausitz Festival presents Ligeti's classic work at three different venues in the region, inviting audiences in each of these diverse settings to experience this unique and intense musical and holistic performance for a relatively short duration of about fifteen minutes.
A museum ticket is required for admission.
Exhibition Period
Open during the exhibition period
