Fri, November 3, 2017 at 7:30 PM
The Strange Order of Things
Wasmuth Lecture: Daniel Barenboim & Antonio Damasio
Pierre Boulez Saal
How did humans become human—and where did that which we call culture originate? The world-renowned Portuguese neuroscientist Antonio Damasio (Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain) has a surprising answer: not sense or intellect, but emotions were the decisive factor. In his latest book, The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling, and the Making of Cultures, he takes a fresh, exciting look at the foundations of human civilization.
In conversation with Daniel Barenboim, Antonio Damasio will present the book at the Pierre Boulez Saal. The two panelists will also discuss the role of music in our emotional lives. As the first ever Wasmuth Lecture, this event inaugurates a new series made possible by the generous support of the Johannes Wasmuth Foundation, an organization that preserves the legacy of gallery owner, impresario, and curator Johannes Wasmuth, who died in 1997. Wasmuth’s impressive personality and artistic expertise laid the foundations for many projects, including the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck near Bonn.
A presentation of the Barenboim-Said Akademie at the Pierre Boulez Saal.
Students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie will perform works by Elliott Carter.
Conversation in English. Simultaneous German translation will be available, with headphones provided. A valid photo ID (or alternatively €50) must be presented as security deposit.
Artists
Narrator
Narrator
YOUR VISIT
How To Get There
Pierre Boulez Saal
Barenboim-Said Akademie
Französische Straße 33d
10117 Berlin
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Public Transport
U-Bahn U2 Hausvogteiplatz, U5 Museumsinsel, U6 Unter den Linden
S-Bahn S / U Friedrichstraße
Tram M1, 12 Mitte / Am Kupfergraben
Bus 147 Werderscher Markt; 100, 300, N5 Staatsoper
Bicycle
Bicycle racks are available on the street “Hinter der Katholischen Kirche.”
Car
Q-PARK parking garage Unter den Linden / Staatsoper
Bebelplatz 2
10117 Berlin
Theater rate (5.30 pm – 11.30 pm, paid in advance): €10
More information on getting there by public transport, bike, or car is available on our Getting there page.
Opening Hours
Box Office
During the summer, the box office will be closed from June 30 to August 1 and from August 11 to September 5, 2025.
Monday to Friday 2 pm to 6 pm
Closed on weekends and holidays
On performance days, the box office opens one hour prior to an event on weekdays and two hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
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 bar 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 informantion on our catering can be found here.
Coat Check
Small bags up to a maximum size of A4 (21x30 cm) and jackets may be taken into the concert hall. Luggage, helmets, large umbrellas, and other bulky items must be stored at the coat check.
The coat check is free and located behind the staircase in the foyer, on the left-hand side.
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.
