Georg Friedrich Haas: in vain

In fall 2026, Alarm Will Sound will perform Georg Friedrich Haas’ in vain (2000) at Time:Spans Festival in New York City and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

Performed by 24 musicians, partly in darkness, in vain was written in response to the rise of the far right in Austria around the 1999 election. The work explores the recurring nature of authoritarianism and the fragility of democracy. Its musical structure moves between moments of stability and instability, reflecting what Haas described as “the return of a situation believed to be overcome.”

In the words of Alarm Will Sound Artistic Director Alan Pierson: “This is music that speaks so directly to the current moment, and reminds us that dangerous ideas aren’t ever permanently overcome, but must be continuously grappled with and pushed against. It’s also a profoundly moving experience, one that offers a transcendental journey to somewhere far removed from the everyday.”

This project is supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Further Information:
alarmwillsound.com

Dates

August 21, 2026
Time:Span Festival, New York

October 29, 2026
Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston