KlangFarben

No other creature has captured the human imagination quite like the unicorn. Present in numerous cultures for centuries, its fascination endures to this day. As a multifaceted symbol, the mythical animal unfolds an associative power: it stands for innocence, healing, and the eternal struggle between good and evil. Traces of the unicorn can be found in Christian and non-European art, in science and medicine, and in a rich symbolic language. 

The echo of the unicorn can also be heard in music. In Giacinto Scelsi’s solo pieces for trumpet, it appears mysterious and otherworldly. Benjamin Britten’s Pan from Six Metamorphoses after Ovid for oboe tells the story of the nymph Syrinx, who escapes the lustful god – another form of purity and resistance. 

A special highlight of the concert is the organetto – a small hand-held bellows organ. In duet with siren-like love songs, as well as sacred sounds, the unicorn is musically conjured. Finally, the battle between good and evil is encountered in a musical duel between string and wind instruments: trio sonata movements by Jan Dismas Zelenka and Georg Philipp Telemann bring this conflict to life. 

The KlangFarben concert series thrives on spontaneity. Musicians from the Kammerakademie Potsdam engage in a direct dialogue with the artworks on view. Clemens Goldberg, music journalist and presenter for rbb, and Ortrud Westheider, director of the Museum Barberini, bring together art and music as they explore the stories behind the compositions—a true experiment in interdisciplinary performance. 

In cooperation with the Kammerakademie Potsdam 

KlangFarben
Metamorphosen
November 21, 2025, Museum Barberini
Tickets: €29

Featuring:

Pia Davila, soprano
Laura Rajanen, violin
Birgit Zemlicka, oboe
Christoph Knitt, bassoon
Nathan Plante, trumpet
Daniel Trumbull, harpsichord and organetto
Clemens Goldberg, rbbkultur music journalist and critic
Ortrud Westheider, Director, Museum Barberini, Potsdam