Behind each concert in the Modernists subscription lies a visual identity conceived as an extension of the musical experience. Colours, textures, and compositions: every image has been designed to reflect the world of the works — their modernity, their contrasts, and their expressive power. This page invites you to explore the artistic choices and inspirations behind the visuals of the four concerts — a glimpse into the dialogue between sound and image.

The visual coherence across the series is built on a shared colour palette. Within this framework, a bright, vivid yellow highlights a key element for each composer, acting as a unifying thread throughout the images.

Schoenberg: structure

Structure as a way to bring clarity to a chaotic world.

A young woman seen from behind, her hair styled into two long braids tied with yellow ribbons, reflects the musical thinking of Arnold Schoenberg. The braids gather loose strands into a controlled form, much like his approach to organising musical complexity into coherent systems. Their symmetry suggests balance, while the ribbons hold everything together. The image expresses Schoenberg’s idea that structure is not restrictive, but a way to create clarity and meaning.

Fri. 11.12.2026 | 20:00 | Bozar
The Way to Expressionism
From Wagner to Schoenberg
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Stravinsky: order in motion

A language of contrasts between tradition and reinvention.

The visual for Igor Stravinsky shows a group of people walking together, one carrying a yellow bag featuring Mickey Mouse. This unexpected detail reflects his gift for bringing together contrasting worlds: high art and popular culture. Stravinsky constantly reinvented his style by combining diverse influences. The reference also echoes the moment when his music from The Rite of Spring appeared in Fantasia, a striking meeting point between modernist music and mass culture.

Fri. 5.02.2027 | 20:00 | Bozar
This is Stravinsky
Le Sacre du Printemps
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Berg: fractured passion

Music shaped by longing, fragility and emotional tension.

For Alban Berg, the image of a bouquet of yellow flowers discarded in a bin captures a quiet yet powerful emotional charge. Berg’s music blends deep romantic feeling with formal rigour, often exploring desire, loss and inner conflict. The abandoned flowers suggest a failed gesture or an interrupted moment. This everyday scene mirrors the emotional intensity of his work, where beauty and pain are closely intertwined.

Fri. 30.04.2027 | 20:00 | Bozar
Schumann 2
Berg's Memory of an Angel
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Ravel: hypnotic motion

Turning movement into sound.

For Maurice Ravel, the image of a person surrounded by a swirl of birds evokes a sense of fluid, mesmerising energy. Ravel was fascinated by movement and by how a simple idea can expand into something vast and compelling. The birds suggest a controlled turbulence, reminiscent of the gradual build of the Boléro. The yellow coat anchors the scene with a human presence, much like Ravel’s precision shapes his richly textured sound world.

Anecdote:
While editing The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock temporarily used music by Ravel — including the Boléro and Daphnis et Chloé — to shape the film’s pacing and atmosphere. Although these works do not appear in the final version, they influenced the eerie, swirling energy of the bird sequences.

Fri. 11.06.2027 | 20:00 | Bozar
Ott × Ravel
Boléro
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Discover what lies behind the visuals of the Modernists!