When the Berlin Philharmonic Performed John Cage’s Iconic Piece 4′33″, Capturing the Solitude of the Pandemic (2020)

In late October 2020, amidst another surge of the COVID-19 virus, the German government asked the Berlin Philharmonic to close down for a month. On the eve of their closure, the Philharmonic performed John Cage’s modernist composition, 4′33″, which asks performers not to play their instruments throughout the entire duration of the piece, allowing the audience to experience the sometimes awkward, sometimes unexpected sounds of silence. In this particular moment, the Berlin Philharmonic offered a poignant commentary on the silence and isolation experienced during the pandemic.

The website, Classical Voice North America, breaks down the performance as follows: The conductor Kirill Petrenko “defined each of the three movements in 4’33” with a particular affect. In the first movement, he seemed to be conducting a conventional piece that wasn’t there. In the second movement, his hands were positioned near his face, as if asking for quiet or like a priest pronouncing a benediction. In the third movement, his hands stretched toward the orchestra, fingers splayed in one hand, with a searching facial expression. He was near tears with sorrow and grief. ‘What is this? What is happening?’ he seemed to ask. ‘I don’t understand!’ ” We all felt that way at some point.

Watch the performance above.

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