BERLIN

‘The making of Berlin’ is a portrait of a city, built around the extraordinary story of Friedrich Mohr, who worked as an orchestra director with the Berliner Philharmoniker during WWII. It is the final piece of BERLIN’s Holocene Cycle – the banner under which the theatre company has been creating portraits of cities for the past 20 years.
 
BERLIN helps Mohr to realise an unfulfilled dream after all. Near the end of WWII, the conductor of the Philharmonic decided to perform ‘Siegfried’s Funeral March’ from Wagner’s opera ‘Götterdämmerung’ one more time. The performance was set to be broadcast live on German state radio. But rehearsing with the whole orchestra in one location soon proved too dangerous due to the ongoing bombing. And so the conductor divided the orchestra into seven segments, all performing in separate bunkers. Then there was another setback to contend with: faulty recording equipment. 

Mohr’s ultimate wish is to carry out the technological feat today – 75 years later – just as it was initially planned. And so the ‘Götterdämmerung’ is set to be played simultaneously from seven bunkers and broadcast on the radio in its entirety. A daring feat, for which BERLIN would enlist the help of Belgian radio station Klara, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen’s orchestra and German actor Martin Wuttke, known for playing Adolf Hitler in Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’, among other roles.

Theatre- and filmmaker Fien Leysen follows the creation process to make a documentary that offers a behind-the-scenes look. Some of her footage ultimately ends up in the show as well. In this way, the viewer gradually discovers, along with BERLIN, that Mohr’s story is full of holes. Just how flexible is the truth? Brace yourself for intrigue!