Long player New chord in John Cage gig with just 616 years left

When Halberstadt's St Burchardi church opened its doors for a oncein-a-lifetime musical experience last Monday, some of the spectators streaming into the 11thcentury building had booked their tickets years in advance and crossed continents to get there. But none of them were demanding an encore.

- Philip Oltermann

Because if one thing was certain about this concert, it's that it won't be over for a long, long time yet.

Playing nonstop since September 2001, the performance of John Cage's composition Organ²/ASLSP As Slow As Possible in a town at the feet of the Harz mountains is one of the longest-running concerts in the world. Scheduled to last for 639 years, it isn't due to finish until 2640. (The only musical performance that is forecast to last longer, Jem Finer's Longplayer piece for singing bowls inside the lighthouse at Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, is scheduled to wind up in 2999.)

At 3pm last Monday, the concert reached its latest milestone. One of the volunteers who keep the project going plugged an additional pipe into the organ, adding a D to the chord. It was the first chord change in two years, the 16th since its start more than two decades ago.

About 150 guests from across Germany, the US, Russia, China and the Philippines paid €200 ($215) for a frontrow seat. As is customary, the change in sound was followed by a five-minute silence and a round of applause.