At Musikfest Berlin 2025, some of the most distinctive voices of contemporary music gather on the stages of the Philharmonie Berlin. This year, the festival highlights works of Classics & Screen composers Lisa Streich, Pascal Dusapin, and Younghi Pagh-Paan, ranging from intimate vocal and ensemble works to large-scale orchestral settings.

Lisa Streich with Ensemble Modern & EnsembleKollektiv Berlin

Swedish composer Lisa Streich is presented in a striking double focus. On 3 September, Ensemble Modern and the IEMA Ensemble 24/25 under Yannick Mayaud perform her works HIMMEL and VOGUE. The newspaper der Freitag describes HIMMEL as a piece that “transports us back to Händel’s era, reviving a sense of religious embeddedness—living in the best of all worlds.” On 7 September, EnsembleKollektiv Berlin, conducted by Enno Poppe, presents her compositions OFELIA for large ensemble, motorized piano, and four loudspeakers, alongside ORCHESTRA OF BLACK BUTTERFLIES for two pianos and two percussionists, both in the Philharmonie’s Chamber Music Hall.

"Art has the capacity to evoke certain responses in people. On the one hand, there are works of art that leave you feeling transformed. On the other hand, music in particular has a way of bringing people together. Music can reveal truths in which you can see yourself and feel that you are not alone. That's what it's all about, that's why I write music. How can I give people something similar to what I experience in art, here and now – and perhaps also in the future?"

Pascal Dusapin with Berliner Philharmoniker

Pascal Dusapin’s orchestral work Exeo is performed on 17, 18, and 19 September by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under chief conductor Kirill Petrenko. The concert is streamed live by Deutschlandfunk Kultur on 19 September.

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Younghi Pagh-Paan: Birthday concert with Busan Philharmonic Orchestra 

Commemorating her 80th birthday, Younghi Pagh-Paan is celebrated in a special concert on 23 September 2025. The Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Seokwon Hong, performs her orchestral works SORI and "Frau, warum weinst du? Wen suchst du?". The concert stream is available from 29 September until 29 October 2025 on Deutschlandfunk Kultur. The Busan Philharmonic Orchestra will present its program again at BR musica viva on 25 September, this time also including a performance of Der Glanz des Lichtes. 

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