Berlin’s summer concert season offers many beautiful stages, but few sound quite as extraordinary as this one. At the end of August 2026, the sculpture garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie will once again be transformed. As in previous years, the series Sound in the Garden continues a tradition that dates back to the 1970s and 1980s. International acts meet a one-of-a-kind setting. The opening night (12.08.) is dedicated to more subtle sounds. Italian ambient pioneer Gigi Masin demonstrates why his music has influenced generations of producers for decades. Somewhere between minimalist jazz and expansive synthesiser landscapes, he creates pieces that seem weightless. The evening’s other act is equally innovative, though somewhat more angular. Drummer and sound artist Valentina Magaletti has joined forces with electronic producer upsammy. Together, they’ll create immersive sound fields that are far more rhythm-driven, yet at times equally meditative. The following evening (13.08.) takes a decidedly more futuristic direction. Legendary Detroit duo Dopplereffekt are developing a new live set for the garden, blending electro, techno and Afrofuturism into a cool, hypnotic science-fiction soundscape. Opening the night are Space Afrika, whose sonic worlds combine ambient, dub and fragile melodies, gradually filling the space before Dopplereffekt takes over. The third evening (14.08.) brings together three exciting positions at the intersection of film composition and experimental music. The evening opens with Peruvian harpist Eva Matin, who draws entirely unfamiliar sounds from her instrument through loving yet unconventional touches.
Oscar- and Grammy-winning cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir is a star of film music. At the Neue Nationalgalerie, however, she presents a work with sound designer Sam Slater, and entirely unfamiliar tones will be created using self-built instruments. The evening is complemented by Slauson Malone 1, the performance project of Jasper Marsalis, whose fragmented collages of soul, lo-fi, jazz and spoken word resist any easy genre classification — and are all the more captivating for it. The grand finale (15.08.) is taken over by krautrock icon Michael Rother, whose work with NEU! played a defining role in shaping the krautrock genre and the so-called Kosmische Musik movement. His unmistakable motorik beat, shimmering guitars and analogue synthesizers have long become the foundation for countless bands and producers. For the final Sunday, the focus shifts to Fujiko Nakaya’s fog sculpture itself, which takes centre stage all day long. In dialogue with the installation, specially developed sound works by minimalist mastermind Alva Noto and Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley emerge, complemented by compositions by Noto’s icon and longtime collaborator Ryuichi Sakamoto, who created these pieces for earlier fog sculptures by Nakaya. An immersive interplay of architecture, fog and sound — and probably the most atmospheric way to drift through the sculpture garden this summer.
Text: Inga Krumme / Photos: Alonso Mujica, Dopplereffekt, Silvia Gin
Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Str.50, 10785 Berlin–Tiergarten; map
Sound in the Garden 12.–16.08.2026. Find the full program & tickets here.
@neuenationalgalerie
