Joseph Haydn‘s Creation is a hymn of praise to the creation of the earth. His oratorio tells the biblical story of Genesis in joyful, jubilant tonal language. 222 years and several summer heat waves later, this music makes one rather contemplative. In a joint concert with the Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Recherche places earthly beauty in the direct context of its threat. This is the subject of Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus by Liza Lim, who artistically deals with ecological issues concerning the so-called Anthropocene – i.e., the current geological age, which is significantly shaped by human influence on the earth. The ensemble piece is a 40-minute reflection on man‘s difficult relationship with the earth. Lim sets plastic islands in the sea to music, puts the call of the extinct Hawaiian bird Kauai O‘o in the score, and draws inspiration from the evening symphony of sea creatures on the Great Barrier Reef – which due to climate change and pollution contrasts as starkly in their sound today as Liza Lim does with Joseph Haydn. Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus is wondrous, part angry, part surreal. In a scenic concert, conducted by Freiburg‘s new General Music Director André de Ridder, it is possible to ponder what ecological heritage we would like to leave to future generations.

With works by 
Liza Lim, Joseph Haydn

André de Ridder, musical conduction

Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra

In cooperation with the Freiburg Theatre