Handel meets Jimi Hendrix, shopping carts become musical instruments, and audiences are invited to dance as they did in the days of Louis XIV. The Herne Early Music Days in Germany are celebrating their 50th edition. For her first edition at the helm of the festival, new director Katrin Paulsen is taking a fresh approach. Her aim: to break down the barriers between musicians and audiences without sacrificing artistic excellence. 
By Pedro Obiera
9 minutes
Fifty editions, half a century of history, and a new artistic director: the Tage Alter Musik in Herne, one of Germany’s most prestigious and long-established early music festivals, is preparing to open a new chapter from November 12 to 15. Katrin Paulsen succeeds Richard Lorber, who shaped the festival’s programming over the past twenty years. For her first edition, the new director—a music journalist at WDR—has chosen a theme that feels like an invitation: “Celebration.” The program features seventeen events bringing together major international ensembles, instrumental discoveries, and participatory experiences. Yet beneath the festive atmosphere lies a more ambitious vision: to rethink how early music is presented, connect it with the world we live in today, and reach audiences who might never have considered attending a Baroque concert. A change of direction? Not quite. Rather, a bold new expression of the pioneering spirit that has defined Herne since its founding in 1976.
Fifty Editions, and Still New Things to Discover
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