After months of music without spectators due to Covid, the Berlin Musical Orchestra reconnected with a pre-tested audience on Saturday night, concert time. 1000 tickets for sale were cut in three minutes.
At the end of the hour and a half of the concert, the emotion was evident, on stage as in the auditorium. The conductor of the Russian orchestra Kirill Petrenko and the prestigious Philharmonic Orchestra had long deserved a standing ovation, months after the withdrawal imposed by the epidemic.
They just performed “Romeo and Juliet” by Puter Tchaikovsky and “Second Symphony” by Sergey Rachmaninov in front of an audience delighted to find a real concert.
“Finally an evening we won’t spend in front of TV or Netflix,” said a spectator on Sunday at 19:30. Another added: “Times are really difficult without culture, and I am very happy to be here because it is a very positive sign.” And he concluded third: “More beautiful and above all touching because we really missed it.”
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As elsewhere in Germany, the health situation is worrying in the capital, where the infection rate rose to 94.1 on Sunday, far from the symbolic range of 100 that is likely to automatically lead to new restrictions.
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But to give “perspectives,” according to Artistic Director Andrea Zichmann, to audiences and musicians experiencing general depression from remote performance, the Berlin site embarked on this “pilot project” (see box below).
Just before the concert, the director took to the stage to express “her feelings and the feelings of the musicians” to connect with real concerts, which give “energy and inspiration” to the performers.
Strict conditions
To avoid any risk of contamination, the rules were particularly strict: purchasing a token ticket gave access to a free exam that was taken the same day at one of the five partner centers or even at the Philharmonie, two hours before the ceremony, by doctors in protective suits. No representation. If you test positive, the ticket will be refunded. However, according to Philharmonie, this scenario did not happen.
During the concert, wearing a surgical mask was mandatory and every seat was vacant. Without a breather, refreshment bar or toilet, crowd movement was kept to a minimum. The buildings were regularly disinfected and replenished by the air conditioning system. Each musician was separated by a meter, and it increased to 1.5 meters among those playing the wind instrument.
afp / boi
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