Program Note

Two hundred orchestral musicians are performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, *Freude schöner Götterfunken*. Just a few bars before the last movement, a power cut strikes. Problems like this are the least of the worries facing the only symphony orchestra in the Congo. In its 15 years of existence, the musicians have survived two coups, various crises, and a war. Yet, their dedication to the music and their hopes for a better future keep them going.

*Kinshasa Symphony* is a portrait of people in one of the world’s most chaotic cities, doing their best to maintain one of the most complex systems of joint human endeavor: a symphony orchestra. The film is a powerful testament to the Congo, the people of Kinshasa, and the transformative power of music.

Directors

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  • Klaus Wegen
  • Klaus Wegen studied piano and saxophone at the University of Frankfurt and law at Goethe University. Since 1999, he has directed over 35 documentaries.

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  • Martin Baer
  • Born in 1963 in Saarbrücken, Germany, Martin Baer graduated from the School of Optical and Photographic Technologies in Berlin. Since 1989, he has worked as a cameraman, technical crew member, and writer, primarily for the German national broadcaster ZDF and the Franco-German ARTE network, contributing to numerous documentary productions.