Sun-Mon, 18-19 May / 15:00-05:00 / Chemnitz, Museum of Industry, Zwickauer Str. 119
On 18 May, International Museum Day, the exhibition John Cage: Museumcircle ends and celebrates its conclusion with an extraordinary concert: the piece Vexations by the French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925), who is known for his experimental and minimalist works, will be performed in the depot of the Industrial Museum. The one-minute motif of the piece is repeated 840 times, creating a meditative atmosphere of sound. The concert will be performed by five international pianists and will last from Sunday afternoon, 3 pm, until Monday morning, 5 am. Visitors can come, go or linger for the entire duration.
For the exhibition John Cage. Museumcircle, over 100 objects from 52 museums and exhibition spaces in the region were selected and arranged at random. The concept of the Museumcircle comes from the artist John Cage (1902-1992). The show reflects the art and cultural history of the region through the objects on display. There will be an opportunity to take a guided tour of the exhibition on 18 May at 2 pm.
During the concert from 3 pm, visitors can move freely through the depot of the industrial museum. Amidst industrial artefacts such as a facing lathe, historic street lamps, illuminated advertisements and a paper press, an interplay of sound and technological history is created.
The piano composition Vexations became famous when it was premiered by John Cage in September 1963. It is still considered a predecessor of musical minimalism such as "machine music" and one of the longest pieces in music history.
The pianists involved have been invited by the Chemnitz musician and performance artist Andreas Winkler. Winkler initiated the Chemnitz "premiere" of "Vexations" in the early 1990s to mark the opening of the underground car park at the Markthalle. Pauline Mickelthwate, Torsten Reiz, Michiko Saiki, Mrika Sefa and Emi Suzuki from Japan, Portugal and Germany will be performing.
Admission to the concert is free. Admission is via the museum car park (not via the museum), gate opposite the "Industriemuseum" stop.
On 18 May, International Museum Day, admission to the entire Chemnitz Industrial Museum is also free (open 10 am - 5 pm).
concert dates on industriemuseum-chemnitz.de
We would be delighted if you are able to attend and would ask you to send a short message to presse(at)chemnitz2025.de
Press photos
→ Press photos for PURPLE PATH
Press contacts
Mareike Holfeld
Phone: 0371 33563110
Mobile: +49 151 51291178
mareike.holfeld@chemnitz2025.de
Federico Antonelli
Phone: 0371 33563117
Mobile: +49 151 2950 4373
