How do you bring musicians together from all over the world in the midst of a pandemic? And how do you fuse them into an ensemble, if the recordings are made at different times and places? Alondra de la Parra and Arts.21 show it can be done.

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, music performances have burgeoned on the internet: concerts from living rooms, concerts with ghost audiences, etc. Conductor Alondra de la Parra had another idea: the kind of music production that could only happen during a pandemic. “It has to look professional”, she said. Titled  "The Impossible Orchestra", it’s a virtual performance of a favorite piece from Mexico’s contemporary classical repertoire: "Danzón No. 2" by composer Arturo Márquez.

Alondra de la Parra brought a number of star musicians on board, including Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón, oboist Albrecht Mayer and a French horn player from the Berlin Philharmonic, Sarah Willis – a line-up that would never have come together otherwise. Normally, they would have been booked up years in advance. But, due to the pandemic, they all had the time – and the dedication and passion to participate in this extraordinary video production, directed by Christian Berger (DW). The result can now be enjoyed on DW.

Rather than wield the baton, Alondra de la Parra played piano while Mexican ballet dancer Elisa Carrillo Cabrera of the Berlin State Ballet performed a composition by English choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. The making-of episode reveals how the complexities of filming some thirty performers scattered all around the world were mastered and explains the aims behind the project. The donations it hopes to raise are to benefit two non-profit organizations that help women in Alondra de la Parra’s home country, Mexico. They’ve been especially hard hit by the pandemic, suffering increases in poverty and domestic violence. 

The project was an enormous challenge for everyone involved. But, as Alondra de la Parra pointed out, “When people fight – when they’re shaken out of their complacency, creativity results.” 

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