Munich Chamber Orchestra - Street Music
Documentary • Germany 2008 • 13 min
Contemporary music leaves the concert hall: The Munich Chamber Orchestra brings 20th-century soundscapes to the streets — a bold dialogue between music, memory, and public space.
Synopsis
While modern and contemporary visual art has long found its place in diverse environments — including public spaces — contemporary music often remains confined to its self-imposed “ghetto”: the concert hall. Bringing it into the streets still represents a risk — both for the musicians and for the audience.
This challenge was taken on by the Munich Chamber Orchestra and its artistic director Alexander Liebreich with the Streetmusic Project. On October 12 and 13, 2007, the orchestra performed at various locations across Munich, Germany, presenting works by Erhan Sanri, Gideon Klein, Alfred Schnittke, Luciano Berio, John Adams, and Tom Johnson.
The expressions on the faces of both the musicians and the passersby reflected a deep engagement with the music — an immediacy and participation often lacking in mainstream cultural contexts.
Contemporary music here becomes a form of remembrance — bearing witness to the 20th century, to the Holocaust, and to the complexities of modernity.
This film opens up contemporary music to a broader audience through a thoughtfully curated dramaturgy of compositions. It highlights the continued social and political relevance of cultural production.
Film Stills
Credits
Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Producer: Michal Kosakowski
Concept: Michal Kosakowski, Uli Aigner
Sound Design: Fabian Lorenz
Title Design: Rafal Kosakowski
MUNICH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Artistic Director: Alexander Liebreich
Chamber Orchestra: Daniel Giglberger, Max Peter Meis, Gesa Harms, Bernhard Jestl, Viktor Konjaev, Mario Korunic, Romuald Kozik, Mary Mader, Eri Nakagawa-Hawthorne, Kelvin Hawthorne, Stefan Berg, Maria Hristova, Nancy Sullivan, Peter Bachmann, Benedikt Jira, Michael Weiss, Onur Özkaya
Music: Erhan Sanri, Tom Johnson, Alfred Schnittke, John Adams, Luciano Berio, Bernhard Jestl, Gideon Klein
Project Management: Florian Ganslmeier, Marc Barwisch, Anne West
Production: Michal Kosakowski Productions
