'As Slow As Possible': World's Longest Running Concert At St. Burchard Church Turns 10

The Associated Press

HALBERSTADT, Germany — A decade and 11 chord changes in, what's billed as the world's longest concert is just getting going.

The 639-year performance based on American composer John Cage's "As slow as possible" started in September 2001 – with more than a year of silence.

Visitors hoping to experience the next chord change of the organ at the former St. Burchard church in the German town of Halberstadt will have to wait until July 2012.

The board chairman of the town's John Cage Organ Foundation, Rainer Neugebauer, says the performance fascinates people in today's hectic society.

He says that "here you can feel something that we urgently need today – serenity."

Neugebauer adds: "Everything does not need to happen so fast. If something needs a bit longer then it can give us an inner calm that is rare in normal life."

Watch a visitor approach the organ at St. Burchard Church:

Comments

[DanSc]

07:04 PM on 11/22/2011

I have a feeling the performance will end before 2640

[Gronkie]

03:13 PM on 11/22/2011

Not much of a beat, and you can't dance to it. Maybe it will get better when we get to the chorus in about 150 years.

[empress trudy]

02:28 PM on 11/22/2011

I wrote about this on my imaginary blog which won't be published until 2337.

[HWTrendell]

03:56 PM on 11/22/2011

Blogs won't exist in 2337.

[Debra Noble]

05:04 PM on 11/21/2011

"JAM OUT FOREVER IN 'A' MANNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!"

[belldn3]

04:30 PM on 11/21/2011

I thought this would have something to do with KISS.

[trp981]

04:24 PM on 11/21/2011

One can either listen to the skin of music or its skeleton.

[HWTrendell]

02:05 PM on 11/21/2011

You'd better hurry because the scalpers have bought up all the tickets through Ticketmaster through August of the year 2637!!!!!!!!

[friedbanana]

02:02 PM on 11/21/2011

Brilliant!! Bravo Mr. Cage for being so bold as to compose such an astounding work of art.

[Mr Positive]

12:49 PM on 11/21/2011

When listening to John Cage you have to clear your mind of any idea of musical gratification you think you might receive from listening to his music, because you simply won't get any. This is why I like John Cage. His music is more for discussion than actual listening. It gets people thinking about things that they might not normally think about. For instance, we know that this piece is over 600 years long, imagine all the pivotal moments in humanities future that this piece will be accompanying! Will the performance be interrupted somehow and have to change location? If so, what kind of circumstances where surrounding this event? Remember, the circumstances surrounding Cage's music is more important than the gratification of Cage's music. If you are trying to listen to John Cage for pleasure, you are taking him out of context.

[darubo27usa]

12:25 PM on 11/21/2011

Once again, I decided to check what it looked like an interesting story; and once again, I was wrong.

[mneff07]

12:19 PM on 11/21/2011

I want to go to the cord change, perhaps they would like me to play a long D

[adamyaz]

12:15 PM on 11/21/2011

So... in 10 years they have played 11 chords and are on a year and a half 'rest' in the music - because to drag a concert out over 600 years you need to hold each note for a year plus. Does anyone else find this to be a horribly annoying waste of time which accomplishes nothing?

[mneff07]

12:20 PM on 11/21/2011

The tourist revnue will be astounding

[David Amaya]

01:49 PM on 11/21/2011

If music is a waste of a decade, explain social media?

[Mr Positive]

12:12 PM on 11/21/2011

I hope I can make it over to Halberstabt in July for the next chord change. Should be pretty exciting!

[gobucksjoe]

12:11 PM on 11/21/2011

I had to study John Cage's "music" in college over 30 years ago. It was the most unlistenable noise I ever heard.

It is the musical version of someone flinging poop at a wall and calling it "performance art." In my humbe opinion. If any of you like it, enjoy.

[mneff07]

12:15 PM on 11/21/2011

I agreee eeeech Imaginr trying to play that on the violin?

[Leon Engelun]

12:10 PM on 11/21/2011

that would drive me nuts