© Copyright Stephanie Berger, courtesy of Park Avenue Armory.

GEORG FRIEDRICH HAAS / KLANGFORUM WIEN

11 000 strings
A microtonal universe for 50 pianos

With piano students from the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance (CNSMDP) and the Pôle Sup’93 Music Conservatory

27.11.202629.11.2026
Discipline
Duration

Approx. 1h10

By combining 50 pianos and the ensemble Klangforum Wien, composer Georg Friedrich Haas has authored a monumental work that immerses the audience into an extraordinarily vast soundscape.

A random occurrence gave birth to this piece composed in 2020: when Peter Paul Kainrath, artistic director of Klangforum Wien, visited Hailun Pianos, a Chinese piano manufacturer, he stumbled across a room that contained 100 pianos, all of which were being played at the same time by robots. The manufacturer explained that it was standard procedure to test each instrument for 24 hours straight before it leaves the workshop. Inspired by this surprise performance, Kainrath immediately thought of Georg Friedrich Haas. An Austrian composer both rooted in the European tradition and influenced by the innovations of American composers such as Charles Ives, Harry Partch, and John Cage, Haas is internationally renowned for his research into microtones. By perfectly synchronising 50 copies of the same instrument, each one tuned slightly differently from its neighbour (by an interval of 0.02), it became possible to experiment with microtones with great precision. Adding the 25 members of Klangforum Wien and working extensively on the spatialisation of the sound has yielded a truly unique and grandiose sensory experience beyond compare. From immense, powerful sound waves to more delicate, subtle constellations, the music – like a gathering storm – becomes matter in motion, carrying the audience towards a sense of transcendence.

Agenda
Fri. 27.11
7:00 PM
Sat. 28.11
3:00 PM 8:00 PM
Sun. 29.11
11:00 AM 5:00 PM
Prices
Full price 40€
Subscribers & adherents 28€
Under-28s
subject to availability
10€
Under-18s 10€
Under-12s 10€

More prices here →

Agenda
Fri. 27.11
7:00 PM
Sat. 28.11
3:00 PM 8:00 PM
Sun. 29.11
11:00 AM 5:00 PM
Prices
Full price 40€
Subscribers & adherents 28€
Under-28s
subject to availability
10€
Under-18s 10€
Under-12s 10€

More prices here →

Practical information

Access

Grande Halle

Metro

Line 5 - Porte de Pantin station

Tramway

Line 3b - Porte de Pantin station

Bus

Bus 75, 151 - Porte de Pantin stop

Bike GH

Vélib' docking points

Show on the map

Bike racks

Show on the map

Electric bikes

A battery container is located in front of the Grande Halle.

Parking

Q-Park

Philharmonie

Q-Park

Cité de la Musique - La Villette

Q-Park

Cité de la Musique - Conservatoire

Parking

Cité des Sciences

Accessibility
  • This performance is accessible to blind and visually impaired people.
  • Accessibility contact for people with reduced mobility: +33 (0)1 40 03 75 75
  • This space is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
  • This space is partially accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing people, depending on the programme.
  • This space is partially accessible to people using hearing aids, depending on the programme.
  • This space is accessible to people with psychological, cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
Useful information
  • Food and drinks in the hall before and after the performance, provided by the Soré grocery store.
  • Several food and drink options are available on site before and after the performance. Discover them HERE.

Access to the venue is subject to a security check.

  • The following are prohibited: all glass containers, sharp or blunt objects, weapons of any kind or replicas, animals except guide dogs, large bags and luggage, and batteries for electric bicycles and scooters.
  • Security staff have sole discretion over which items may or may not be brought into the venue.
  • Food may not be brought into the performance venue.

In collaboration with

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