The making of Berlin
The making of Berlin is a portrait of a city. It is built around the extraordinary story of Friedrich Mohr, a Berliner who was the Berliner Philharmoniker’s stage manager during WWII. The making of Berlin – with live horn music – offers an unfiltered look at BERLIN’s work process. But above all, it tells the story of one of the ‘unbrave’ who failed to stand up when fellow Jewish musicians and friends were expelled from the orchestra. The making of Berlin is the final part of the Holocene cycle, during which BERLIN made several portraits of cities over the past twenty years.
BERLIN helps Mohr to realize an as yet unfulfilled dream. At the end of WWII, the conductor of the Philharmonic decided to perform Siegfried’s Funeral March from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung one last time. The performance would be broadcast live on German state radio. Rehearsing with the entire orchestra in one location soon proved too dangerous due to ongoing bombing. So the conductor divided the orchestra into seven segments and had them rehearse in separate bunkers. Faltering (recording) technology threw a spanner in the works. Mohr’s ultimate wish is to perform the technical tour de force as initially planned seventy-five years after the date. The Götterdämmerung will be played from seven bunkers simultaneously and can be heard in its entirety on the radio. A daring feat for which BERLIN called on, among others, radio station Klara, the orchestra of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and German actor Martin Wuttke (known from Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds).
Theatre- and film-maker Fien Leysen records the creation process for a behind-the-scenes documentary. Her footage eventually ends up in the performance as well. You gradually discover together with BERLIN that Mohr’s story is full of inaccuracies and that he seems to want to restore the irreparable. How far can you stretch the truth when you’re looking for atonement?
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Credits
Yves Degryse
3 people - Yves Degryse / Fien Leysen / Sam Loncke (alternating), Geert De Vleesschauwer / Marjolein Demey / Koen Goossens / Bregt Janssens (alternating), Rozanne Descheemaeker / Matea Majic / Diechje Minne / Jonathan van der Beek (alternating)
Friedrich Mohr, Martin Wuttke, Stefan Lennert, Werner Buchholz, Alisa Tomina, Krijn Thijs, Chantal Pattyn, Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Alejo Pérez, Yves Degryse, Caroline Große, Michael Becker, Claire Hoofwijk, Alejandro Urrutia, Marek Burák, Marvyn Pettina, Farnaz Emamverdi, team BERLIN: Jane Seynaeve, Eveline Martens, Jessica Ridderhof, Geert De Vleesschauwer, Sam Loncke, Manu Siebens, Kurt Lannoye, team Opera Ballet Vlaanderen: Jan Vandenhouwe, Lise Thomas, Eva Knapen, Christophe De Tremerie
Geert De Vleesschauwer, Fien Leysen, Yves Degryse
Maria Feenstra
Yorick Leusink, Solon Lutz
Fien Leysen
Manu Siebens
Manu Siebens, Ina Peeters, Rex Tee, Joris Festjens
Jessica Ridderhof, Klaartje Vermeulen, Ruth Lodder, Ina Peeters
Peter Van Laerhoven
Rozanne Descheemaeker / Matea Majic / Diechje Minne / Jonathan van der Beek (alternating)
Peter Van Laerhoven, Tim Coenen, Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen olv Alejo Pérez
Maarten Buyl
Arnold Bastiaanse
Bas De Caluwé, Maarten Moesen, Bart Vandebril
Dorien Beckers, Maria Feenstra, Annika Serong, Nadine Malfait, Isabelle Grynberg, Gegensatz Translation Collective, Fien Leysen
Manu Siebens, Geert De Vleesschauwer
Bregt Janssens, Jurgen Fonteijn
Jessica Ridderhof
Daniela Schwabe, Gordon Schirmer
Clem Robyns, Piet De Volder
Annika Serong
Koen Broos, Gordon Schirmer
Beeldstorm
Kurt Lannoye, Tine Verhaert (from 2022 on)
Marjolein Demey
Jane Seynaeve
Maya Van der Brempt
Eveline Martens
Sam Loncke
BERLIN
DE SINGEL (Antwerp, BE), le CENTQUATRE-PARIS (FR), Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (BE), VIERNULVIER (Ghent, BE), C-TAKT (Limburg, BE), Theaterfestival Boulevard (Den Bosch, NL), Berliner Festspiele (DE)
the Flemish Government, Sabam for Culture, Tax Shelter of the Belgian federal government via Flanders Tax Shelter
Linnen Berlin, Xaveriuscollege, Zaal Billy, corso, Klara, Oderberger Hotel, Het nieuwstedelijk, De Munt - La Monnaie, Cornelius Puschke, Lisa Homburger, Jill Barnes, Aino El Sohl, Natasha Padabed, Max-Philip Aschenbrenner, Carena Schlewitt, Myriam De Clopper, Barbara Raes, Dirk Rochtus, Anneleen Hermans, Mark Reybrouck, Karen Vermeiren, Guido Spruyt, Hannes D'Hoine, Niels Kloet, Roel Gelderland, Mark Dedecker, Eric Mostert/VMOO, Cees Vossen
110 min.