Throughout the festival in the lobby of the concert hall at the Berlin University of the Arts.

rom an early age, I always took the opposite stance. I’m not the type to agree right away. I can only do that once I’ve also considered the opposing view. I actually enjoy being challenged—I need someone to question my thoughts. If I don’t have a partner, I’ll have a heated discussion with myself if necessary. (Nikolaus Harnoncourt)

On Spichernstraße in Berlin-Charlottenburg, not far from our university, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1929–2016) spent the first two years of his life before his family moved to Graz due to the economic crisis. As a pioneer in the field of historical performance practice and early music, he revolutionized the music world, for what today seems self-evident in a historically informed performance was not so at the time. Harnoncourt challenged the prevailing practices of his day with his musical ideas and brought about progress through what was perceived as “regression” or “looking back.”

The exhibition, provided by the Nikolaus Harnoncourt Center at the Anton Bruckner Private University Linz, offers insights into the archives of Nikolaus and Alice Harnoncourt, their collection, and their life’s work. Thematic focal points invite reflection: Visitors can explore the beginnings of the Concentus Musicus and the radical nature of the original sound, as well as Alice Harnoncourt’s multifaceted role, Nikolaus’s working methods, and various interpretations of the St. Matthew Passion over the decades. The documentary film A Journey Into the Self and the reading corner round out the visit.