Edgard Varèse
Arcana for large orchestra (revised version from 1960)

Miroslav Srnka
Superorganisms, Commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic Foundation, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and Orchester de Paris

INTERMISSION

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 6 in F major, op. 68 »Pastorale«

Under the title Paradise lost? On the Threat to Nature, the Berliner Philharmoniker and chief conductor Kirill Petrenko open their third Biennale. One work that ideally reflects the theme is Beethoven’s “Pastoral”, which exuberantly celebrates the beauty of country life. However, the idyll proves to be fragile and is swept away by an apocalyptic storm.

Miroslav Srnka’s work Superorganisms, heard here in its German premiere, embodies a completely different kind of natural phenomenon. It depicts life forms that can only exist in a community in a fascinating way. The concert opens with Arcana, by Edgard Varèse; The title refers to 16th-century alchemist and astrologer Paracelsus, who sought universal knowledge, and believed that the stars could help understand human healing.