The Tower of Babel is a program dedicated to recent works by composers from the former Soviet Union. First performed at the Wiener Konzerthaus and Radialsystem Berlin in 2023, Klangforum Wien returns to Berlin with fresh discoveries, shining a spotlight on new compositions from Central Asia. This edition of the program maps the new musical landscapes of today’s post-Soviet societies, highlighting artistically uncompromising voices from Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine with clear-eyed directness. Like a “Tower of Babel,” the project is meant to rise above a cultural landscape currently suffering immense deprivation: radiant with polyphony, utopian as ever, serving as both a sanctuary and a vantage point.

KLANGFORUM WIEN
ensemble

25 musicians from 13 countries are constantly exploring new horizons of artistic creativity together with the most important composers of our time. Open-minded, virtuosic in performance and aurally perceptive, Klangforum Wien devotes itself to the artistic interpretation and expansion of experiential space. A performance of Klangforum Wien is an event in the best sense of the word; it offers a sensual experience, immediate and inescapable. Ever since it was founded by Beat Furrer in 1985, the ensemble — which, over the years, has received a great number of awards and distinctions — has written music history: It has presented around 600 world premieres, it boasts an extensive discography of more than 90 releases, and appears at the most important concert and opera venues as well as at the major music festivals. Every year, the ensemble commissions composers and gives numerous world and territorial premieres. The repertoire choice and the ensemble’s intense understanding of the pieces contribute to diversity, and are matched by the flawless execution of the music.