The Philharmonie Project (Nielsen: Symphony No. 5)
Lynne Marsh
architecture by June14 Meyer-Grohbrügge & Chermayeff

October 27 – December 17, 2011






Comprised of two movements, rather than the traditional three, Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 5 is a touchstone of contrast, variance and opposition in the 20th century symphonic canon. Composed in 1921, the piece, its performance and subsequent filming serve as organizing frameworks for Lynne Marsh’s Philharmonie Project (Nielsen: Symphony No. 5). In January of 2011, Marsh filmed the video production team at the Hans Scharoun designed Berlin Philharmonie as they film a live performance of the Nielsen symphony. For each of the Berlin Philharmonic’s concert, the team coordinates the movement of each camera, choreographing it to the musical score. Presented at PROGRAM are two videos, one showing the team as they conduct the cameras’ movements back stage, the other of the empty stage, recorded as a dry-run before the concert, as determined by the shots designed for Nielsen’s symphony. In close collaboration with Marsh, architects Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge and Sam Chermayeff of June14 have designed a structure that serves as seating while dramatically separating the space in two contrasting parts. Ultimately, the Philharmonie Project is a study on the staging of power systems, the cultural expression of mass consumption and the support structures that enable it to happen.


Lynne Marsh studied at Concordia University in Montréal and Goldsmiths, University of London. She now divides her time between Berlin and London, where she teaches. She has exhibited internationally including recent solo shows at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles and Danielle Arnaud contemporary art, London and group exhibitions including the 10th International Istanbul Biennial Nightcomers Program and Centro Cultural Montehermoso, Spain. Works from the The Philharmonie Project are being exhibited concurrently at Donald Browne Gallery, Montreal and as part of the Québec Triennial at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal until January 3, 2012.

June14 is the collaborative practice of Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge from Germany and Sam Chermayeff from New York. The two met at SANAA in Tokyo where they worked together for a combined ten years, 2005 through 2010. Their new venture, June14, begins with a desire to make things, places and atmospheres for all kinds of people. In an old fashioned sense, it may be a humanistic approach, and in another sense it may simply be a generosity toward different ways of living and working. It stems from a belief that architecture can make things happen and that things can happen to architecture. As an office its aim is to exchange with its users. It is open to new ideas.On a practical level the principals have experience with a wide range of projects from small gardens and bespoke furniture to office towers. The intention is to expand that range while maintaining a dynamic understanding of the human scale. The office is based in Berlin and New York.
Project team: Alexander Menke, Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge and Sam Chermayeff
Structural engineering advice: Klaas de Rycke / Bollinger + Grohmann


video credits
The Philharmonie Project (Nielsen: Symphony No. 5)
by Lynne Marsh

Director of Photography and Camera: Daniel Sippel
Camera: Lynne Marsh
Sound Capture and Mix: Johannes Krämer
Gaffer: Tommy Mann
Editors: Mathieu-Bouchard-Malo and Lynne Marsh
Colour Correction: Christoph Manz

Appearing:
Tilo Krause, Director
Matthias Wahle, Camera Operator
Jörg Mohr, Musical Assistant to Video Director
Friederike Webel, Assistant to Video Director

Support from:
Christoph Franke, Creative Producer
Katharina Bruner, Head of Video Production
Ralf Bauer-Diefenbach, Video Supervisor

Concert Recording of:
Carl Nielsen Symphony Nr. 5 op. 50
Performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker
Conducted by David Zinman
January 15, 2011

Special thank you to the Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall Team for their gracious participation, and to the Berliner Philharmoniker for permission to include the recording.


Kindly supported by the Québec Government Office, The Bambi Foundation, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and The University of Hertfordshire. In cooperation with the Embassy of Canada.