Lang celebrates 75 years of Bayerischer Rundfunk
On 20 December 2024, the BR musica viva series marked the 75th anniversary of Bayerischer Rundfunk and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks with the world premiere of Bernhard Lang’s
Radio Loops – Game 18 at Munich’s Herkulessaal. Commissioned for the occasion and performed by the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the baton of David Robertson, the work highlights Lang’s signature looping structures as he explores historical interval signals and broadcast motifs from various radio stations, most notably Bayerischer Rundfunk’s iconic “Alte Peter” chime.
The programme also featured the German premiere of Philippe Manoury's orchestral work
Anticipations, a commission by musica viva, Casa da Música Porto and Radio France.
World premiere of Radio Loops – Game 18 at musica viva
Press quotes
"Bernhard Lang has so skillfully dissected, even pulverised, the corresponding pause signs that they have melted into sonorous loops."
sueddeutsche.de, 22.12.2024
"The basic material consists – on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of BR – of ‘pause signals’ (today we say jingles) not only from German radio stations. Lang naturally breaks these down into their atomic components in order to create a fascinating new world of sound."
The New Listener, 23.12.2024
"However, there is always a signalling effect from the memorable snippets of sound that Lang stages as characters in his ‘GAME 18’. The BR Symphony Orchestra has to do more than just play music – rather, the musicians act freely within a system of rules, their decisions forming random dynamics that simultaneously confirm and subvert the listener's expectations."
Münchner Merkur, 23.12.2024
Score of Radio Loops – Game 18
Photos: Astrid Ackermann