Friends of the Wolf Tone: The Berlin Meeting – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
Friends of the Wolf Tone: The Berlin Meeting
In Western music, the “wolf tone” is an acoustic parasite resulting from overlapping frequencies emitted by certain string instruments. The name itself refers to the “wolf fifth”, an interval whose mathematical ratio has been shortened in order to complete the “circle of fifths”, a representation of the Pythagorean tuning, on which all Western music is based.
Considered dissonant and unpleasant to listen to, the “wolf fifth” has been systematically avoided or even banned in musical practice to this day. The designation of this presumably unfitting interval within the harmonic system also recalls the way in which the figure of the wolf has been used to incarnate noise, conceal otherness and manipulate fear.
The Friends of the Wolf tone are musicians, artists, and researchers dedicated to exploring this phenomenon in music and beyond. Departing from the need to challenge the standards of Western music, they engage in various, somewhat howling activities, thereby exploring the figure of the wolf as a recurrent symbol of fear, deviation, or resistance. Centres of interest range from the myth of Lycaon via Disney vilains up to the recent return of the wolves - both in wildlife sanctuaries and amidst political fear-mongering.
For the Berlin Meeting, the friends give insights into their wolf related practices and share their recent work in a (at times buzzing) environment that combines installations, a lecture performance, a series of “toasts to howling” and a concert featuring extended piano, violin, theremin, cello, electronics and voices.
The information on accessibility is still in progress and will be updated as soon as possible. If any questions remain unanswered until then, please feel free to contact the communication department at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 35. Please note that details may change by the day of the event. Therefore, if you find out after you have purchased your ticket that the performance is no longer accessible to you, you can contact us for a ticket return at ticketing@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 45 until 5 business days after the event (Monday through Friday between 10am and 6pm).
Early boarding
If, for artistic reasons, the door to the auditorium does not open until very shortly before the performance begins, there is the option of early boarding.
Tickets
- Reservations can be made via the ticket telephone at 030 283 52 66, Monday to Friday from 4pm-6pm
- Via the online ticket shop
- At the box office
You can also find more information about accessibility at the house here.
Performance: Augustin Maurs, Andrea Neumann, Zaher Alkaei, Annika Larsson (extended piano, violin, theremin, cello, electronics and voices)
Special guests: Bone Bonkers and the Human, Neo Hülcker, Satch Hoyt a.o.
A project by Friends of the Wolf Tone in collaboration with Sophiensæle. With the kind support of inm – initiative neue musik berlin e.V. Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.
The collective Friends of the Wolf Tone was created in 2023 as part of Augustin Maurs’ project WOLFTONES. The Friends are a pool of about 40 artists, musicians and researchers based in different places around the world and operating in various constellations and contexts, through informal meetings, workshops, concerts or bigger productions. They have presented their works at the Sound Biennale in Wallis 2023, at the Geneva Grand Théâtre or at the Steirischer Herbst Festival in Graz in 2025, among others.