The composition "Himmelwärts" by Pascal Kaufmann, the initiator and director of the Augustusburg Music Summer, is the first piece of classical music to be performed on the PURPLE PATH art and sculpture trail. The 1:19-minute work will be played every 20 minutes in the two carriages of the historic Augustusburg cable car when they meet halfway during the eight-minute journey.
During the Augustusburg Summer of Music, concerts take place in historically atmospheric venues such as St Peter's Church or the castle church. Every year, the cantor of St Peter's Church, Pascal Kaufmann, invites musicians from the Ore Mountains, Germany and Europe to perform as the "Augustusburg Young Philharmonic Orchestra". 54 of them performed "Himmelwärts", which Kaufmann composed especially for the Augustusburg cable car.
Pascal Kaufmann says of his piece "Himmelwärts": "The short composition depicts upward striving. After the climax, the music ebbs elegiacally and fades away pastorally. The aim is for the sound not to impose itself on the passengers, to blend in well with the experience of nature when looking out of the windows, and yet also to have a brief signalling effect when the two carriages meet."
The sound installation will also be heard after the end of the Augustusburg Music Summer, initially until the end of 2026, on all journeys in the two carriages of the cable car and is therefore an integral part of the works at the PURPLE PATH. The art and sculpture trail curated by Alexander Ochs is one of the main projects of Chemnitz 2025. Conceived as a unique exhibition of contemporary art in public spaces, the works of regional, national and international artists will create a lasting connection between Chemnitz and the municipalities of the Capital of Culture region. Just as the sound installation "Himmelwärts" is inspired by its performance location and makes it tangible in terms of sound, the artworks at the PURPLE PATH are each directly related to the places where they were installed.
Augustusburg cable car
As the operator of the funicular railway, Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen is supporting the Augustusburg Summer of Music during the Capital of Culture year with additional late rides for concert guests on Saturdays. Because the funicular railway was built in 1911, it is also known as the "Old Lady". Two carriages, which are connected by a steel cable, travel up and down the 1.2 km long route simultaneously, covering a height difference of 168 metres in 8 minutes. It is used by around 80,000 passengers every year.
