Patricia Kopatchinskaja, in her debut project as Artistic Partner of SWR Symphony Orchestra, presents Im Namen des Friedens, an innovative staged concert that goes beyond traditional concert formats. Spanning from Baroque to modern works and adding her distinctive theatrical and interdisciplinary approach, Kopatchinskaja explores the profound emotional and existential suffering caused by war. The project reflects on the brutal realities of war, addressing the violent disruptions of daily life and the constant fear of losing loved ones, and is being performed in Stuttgart on 7 November, Freiburg on 8 November, and at Konzerthaus Berlin on 11 November.

In her remarks, Kopatchinskaja reflects on the power of music in times of crisis: 

“I wanted to understand what it’s like to imagine the concert hall as a bunker, where we seek shelter while the world outside collapses. What is it like when you don’t know what’s coming, when you don’t know how long death will wait, when you can’t protect yourself? Can music have meaning when you are fighting for your life?”

Following these performances, Kopatchinskaja collaborates with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Leaders in two concerts on 16 and 17 November. The project also includes a soundscape created by Kopatchinskaja, recorded in the SWR Experimental Studio in Freiburg, which conjures the atmosphere of a war zone. Another key feature of the Lucerne Festival Forward is Kopatchinskaja’s performance of Michael Hersch’s violin concerto. Known for its emotionally charged music, the concerto explores themes of pain, dissonance, and lament, with the violin serving as an expressive voice amid the chaos. Kopatchinskaja has described this work as embodying ​“pure pain, an open wound”, underscoring the concert’s focus on the psychological and emotional toll of wars.

Both projects aim to create a transformative musical experience that resonates with today’s global crises, using music as a way to address deep human emotions and survival amidst violence and conflict.