“Super flumina Babylonis” (Psalm 137)
for eight-part choir a cappella
RundfunkchorLounge 26/27 »Clean Water and Dirty Business«
The Battle for Blue Gold
Everyone needs water. Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental human right – yet more than 800 million people around the world do still not have access to it. And because water is such a vital resource, it has also become a highly profitable one, often entangled in murky and controversial business practices. The first RundfunkchorLounge of the 2026/27 season sets out to explore the role of water in today’s economic and political landscape.
Water, Words and Choir at Heimathafen Neukölln
Stepping beyond the concert hall and into the heart of society, the Rundfunkchor Berlin welcomes you to Heimathafen Neukölln – because music and politics are inseparable. Curated by Chief Conductor Gijs Leenaars, the musical programme revolves around the theme of water, complemented by discussions with invited experts. Among the guests is Dr Laura von Vittorelli, Senior Researcher for Environmental Law and Governance at the Oeko-Institut, whose expertise includes national and European water law and policy. The repertoire includes works such as Brahms’s setting of »Es rinnen die Wasser Tag und Nacht«. After the main programme, you are warmly invited to stay on, unwind at the Heimathafen bar, and round off the evening with relaxed lounge music.
Programme details
Cast
Programme
Philippe de Monte
for eight-part choir a cappella
Claude Debussy
“La mer est plus belle”
for mezzo-soprano and piano
Nadia Boulanger
“La mer est plus belle”
arranged for cello and piano
Karin Rehnqvist
“The Dream”
for mezzo-soprano and cello
Lasse Enersen
“Agua nocturna”
for eight-part choir and cello
Intermission
Intermission
20 minutes
Aoi Hasegawa
“Petrichor”
for eight- to fourteen-part choir a cappella
Gwyneth Walker
“Ice!” from “Songs from the High Sierra”
for tenor and piano
Henry Purcell
“What Power art thou” from the semi opera “King Arthur”
für Bass und Cembalo
Heinrich von Herzogenberg
“O, ihr Wolken, gebet Wasser” from “Deutsches Liederspiel” op. 14 (no. 7)
for soprano solo, women’s choir and piano
Johannes Brahms
“Sehnsucht” (Es rinnen die Wasser) op. 112 no. 1
for choir and piano
Paul Simon
“Bridge over Troubled Water”
arranged for choir and piano by Kirby Shaw
Eriks Ešenvalds
»Stars«
for choir, three to four Tibetan singing bowls and six glasses
Bio Vivian Perkovic, Presenter
Vivian Perkovic is a journalist whose work spans culture, society and geopolitics. Her interests range from music, literature, theatre, dance and pop culture to migration, digital change and the intersections of technology and popular culture – including, in recent years, artificial intelligence.
She works as an editor and presenter at Deutschlandradio, contributing to the programmes »Tonart am Nachmittag« and »Fazit«. Since 2017, she has also presented the daily 3sat magazine »Kulturzeit«. In 2022, she and the programme’s editorial team received the German Television Award in the »Best Information« category.
Bio Dr Laura von Vittorelli, Guest Speaker
Dr Laura von Vittorelli is a Senior Researcher in Environmental Law and Governance at the Öko-Institut in Berlin. Her work focuses on water law, nature conservation and environmental law, and on how legal frameworks can support the transition towards a climate- and nature-positive society.
Her work combines fundamental legal research with practical policy and legal advice. Recent projects include »Zukunft Umweltrecht 2.0« (The future of Environmental Law 2.0), which explores approaches to making environmental law more resilient in the face of overlapping crises; initiatives on industrial water circularity to safeguard water resources sustainably; an evaluation of fast-track legislation for renewable energy; and work on strengthening soil protection law.
Before joining the Öko-Institut, Dr von Vittorelli worked as an environmental lawyer with ClientEarth Germany and led water policy at BUND, the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation. She completed her doctoral research at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), focusing on European water law.
Radio Broadcast
The concert will be recorded by Deutschlandfunk Kultur and broadcast on 3 December at 8 pm.
Heimathafen Neukölln
Heimathafen Neukölln has been an established venue for cultural events in Berlin since 2009. From theatre performances and concerts to political debates, this venue in the heart of Neukölln offers its audience a diverse programme. Originally founded by a collective of ten women, Heimathafen sees itself as a ‘laboratory’ for a wide variety of formats. This makes it the ideal venue for our RundfunkchorLounges, which not only delight audiences with surprising musical elements, but also provide a space for stimulating conversation.
Heimathafen Neukölln
Karl-Marx-Straße 141
12043 Berlin
Deutschland
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© Benjamin Jenak
© Heimathafen Neukölln
