How do you get an entire city that would rather watch football than listen to classical music excited about the arrival of one of the best conductors in the world? With the first living clock movement in the world: the Countdown Orchestra. Twelve tireless musicians played 21,600 bars and 86,400 individual notes from a custom-composed score on a stage in front of the concert hall in the heart of Dortmund for 24 hours in a row. Second by second. Note by note. This unique musical experiment marked the beginning of the three-year residency of star conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Konzerthaus. A live stream enabled music lovers from around the globe to experience the event along with the residents of Dortmund.

We created the first living clockwork in the world: the Countdown Orchestra. Twelve tireless musicians played 21,600 bars and 86,400 individual notes from a custom-composed score on a stage in front of the concert hall in the heart of Dortmund for 24 hours in a row. Second by second. Note by note. This unique musical experiment marked the beginning of the three-year residency of star conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Dortmund Concert Hall. A live stream enabled music lovers from around the globe to experience the event along with the residents of Dortmund.

The performance was a great success! Music lovers from Dortmund and around the world watched and discussed it at length – online, on the streets and in the newspapers.