Past Event

Sat, December 2, 2023 at 7:00 PM

BOULEZ ENSEMBLE & MATTHIAS PINTSCHER

Lichtspielszenen: Mozart, Schoenberg, Ligeti, Chin

© Peter Adamik
Pierre Boulez Saal

The Old High German word gougalon is the origin of the modern verb gaukeln, which describes the performance of medieval street entertainers. In her eponymous ensemble piece, Unsuk Chin employs contemporary musical means to imagine “Scenes from a Street Theater,” inspired by a blend of hypermodern urbanity and the labyrinthine, history-rich alleyways of 1960’s Seoul during the composer’s childhood. Matthias Pintscher and the Boulez Ensemble combine Chin’s “imaginary folk music” with Schoenberg’s “accompaniment” to an equally imaginary film scene and the suggestive polyrhythms of Ligeti’s Piano Concerto, featuring Barenboim-Said Akademie alumna Julia Hamos as the soloist. Mozart’s C-minor Serenade opens the program.

Artists

Pushing the Boundaries A Conversation with Julia Hamos

You’re making your solo debut at the Pierre Boulez Saal with Ligeti's Piano Concerto, which is notorious for its extremely virtuoso piano part…

It’s a challenge to play, and can also be challenging to listen to, but in a live performance it becomes very, very exciting. Musically speaking, it’s a masterpiece that draws on African rhythms and Hungarian folk songs. A lot of it is written with the piano and the orchestra in different meters—for example, the conductor might beat in four but you’re playing in six, and when the music is fast and loud, this can throw you off. There are often different key signatures for the right and left hand, and you also need a lot of rhythmic coordination between the two hands. So you have those three elements creating a challenge. I played the piece for the first time last year with a big orchestra, where most parts are doubled or tripled, but I actually think it works better in the ensemble version we’re doing at the Pierre Boulez Saal, because you can hear the individual lines more clearly, including the piano. 

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YOUR VISIT

How to get there

Pierre Boulez Saal
Barenboim-Said Akademie
Französische Straße 33d
10117 Berlin, Germany

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Public transport

U-Bahn U2 Hausvogteiplatz (350m) U5 Museumsinsel, U6 Unter den Linden (600m)
Tram M1, M12 Mitte / Am Kupfergraben
Bus 147 Werderscher Markt (100m), 100, 300, N5 Staatsoper (300m)


By Car 
Q-PARK parking garage Unter den Linden / Staatsoper
Bebelplatz 2
10117 Berlin

Theater rate (5:30 pm – 11:30 pm by prepayment): €10

More information on getting there by public transport, bike, or car is available on our Getting there page.

Opening Hours

Box Office

Monday to Friday 2 pm to 6 pm
Closed on weekends and holidays
On performance days, the box office is open one hour prior to an event on weekdays and two hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

During the summer, the box office will be closed from June 30 to August 1 and from August 11 to September 5, 2025.  


Papagena Call Center

Ticket hotline +49 30 4799 7411

Monday to Saturday 9am to 8pm
Sunday and public holidays 2pm to 8pm

Food & Drinks

Casalot Catering welcomes Pierre Boulez Saal visitors before and after concerts, serving a variety of dishes of Arab cuisine.

On concert nights, the catering opens one hour before the start of an event and remains open after the performance. You may also place pre-orders for intermission right at the counter.

More info on our catering here.

Accessibility

To book wheelchair-accessible seating, other seats for visitors with disabilities, or companion seats, please contact us directly.


+49 30 4799 7411 
| tickets@boulezsaal.de 


All wheelchair seats are accessible by elevator. All visitors, including patrons using a wheelchair, will enter the Pierre Boulez Saal through the main entrance. Tickets will be checked at the hall doors.

In order to make access as easy as possible, we kindly ask that you inform us of your requirements when booking your tickets.

Restrooms for visitors with disabilities are located in the basement and on the balcony level and are accessible by elevator.

Four parking spaces for visitors with disabilities are available on the street Hinter der Katholischen Kirche.

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