As Slow as Possible

As Slow as Possible– a tribute to slowness  

‘As Slow as Possible’ lasts 639 years in Germany – but during Aarhus Festival you can experience it in six hours

Imagine a piece of music composed to last as long as possible. A work that celebrates and explores slowness. A sense of slowness that perhaps we could all benefit from embracing a little more in our everyday lives.

In Halberstadt Cathedral in Germany, John Cage’s musical work ‘As Slow as Possible’ is being performed. At the beginning of Aarhus Festival, the piece will have been playing for almost 25 years, but it is expected to last a total of 639 years – continuing all the way until the year 2640! The tempo is so slow that several years can pass between notes, and the next change of tone in Halberstadt will not take place for more than two years.

However, you won’t have to wait more than two years for the next change of tone in the Abbey Church of Our Lady, where ‘As Slow as Possible’ will be performed during Aarhus Festival. Over seven days, an organ machine will play the church organ for six hours each day. How long there will be between each change of tone, however, remains a secret. You will have to come and experience it for yourself – and let patience prevail in this condensed version of the world’s longest musical work.

An exploration of slowness

‘As Slow as Possible’ was composed for organ in 1987, but also exists in an earlier version for piano. The work has been interpreted several times as part of an ongoing exploration of the longest possible performance duration – within both human and non-human capabilities.

Now Aarhus Festival and the Abbey Church of Our Lady join this exploration with a six-hour musical performance played by an organ machine. When the piece begins on 28 August at 10:00, it will conclude the same day at 16:00.

You can experience the work on 28, 29 and 31 August as well as 1, 2, 3 and 4 September. Each day, the performance begins at 10:00 and ends at 16:00.

‘As Slow as Possible’ is part of the Aarhus Festival series Spaces that Proclaim, which invites audiences to explore music and sound within the city’s churches and sacred spaces.

‘As Slow as Possible’ is made possible in collaboration with Vor Frue Kirke (the Church of Our Lady).