»Exhibited Music« proposed a change of perspective. A concert performance of Brian Ferneyhough’s String Quartet No. 2 would be spectacular enough on its own. This innovative piece of chamber music – an immensely dense and multi-layered composition – presents a real challenge for musicians. But the KNM went one step further. In June 2025, Exhibited Music brought to life details and nuances of the performance that are usually inaccessible to concertgoers. 100 hours of life for 10 minutes of music.
Mirroring the external form of a string quartet, four monitors and loudspeakers installed in the concert hall conveyed the deeper layers of this production before and after the performance: Interviews with the musicians, rehearsals and even individual practice sessions were presented in scenic sequences. The various stages of concert preparation thus became elements of the concert event itself.
»EXHIBITED MUSIC exhibited« addresses the question of how this kind of concert project can be documented today alongside the usual video and audio recordings. We answer this question with a documentary, site-specific installation centred around the KNM Quartet’s recording of Brian Ferneyhough’s 2nd String Quartet.
The exhibition will be complemented by a daily live podcast that will take place in the installation. The artistic director of Ensemble KNM Berlin, Thomas Bruns, will be present during the installation and will be happy to answer any questions or comments visitors may have.
The Ensemble KNM Berlin represents Berlin’s vibrant, contemporary music scene. Since its foundation in 1988, the ensemble has presented compositions, concert installations and concert projects across the world in close cooperation with the artists. The programs reflect a curiosity to explore the unknown and the willingness to confront the most pressing themes of our time.
KNM Berlin has become internationally known not only through its repeated guest appearances at major music festivals such as Ars Musica Brussels or the Donaueschinger Musiktage, but also through its own productions such as HouseMusik and concert tours, for example to Carnegie Hall (NYC). Since 2016, KNM Berlin has been increasingly committed to musical, multi-perspective networking with intercultural collaborations worldwide.
