One January morning in 2013, an orchestra was recording at 2:30 a.m. They had been working at Petropavlovskaya ulitsa 25A, the P. I. Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre in Perm, Russia, since midnight. The piece was “Per pietà, ben mi, perdona,” Fiordiligi’s aria with horn obligato from Mozart’s opera “Così fan tutte.” It still wasn’t right. After a long discussion, the orchestra tried a new formation with the horn player sitting up front next to the soprano, the conductor, and the concertmaster. “And then, in the transition to the final Allegro moderato, there was this incredible tension, and tears began running down my face,” the hornist, Christian Binde, said. “I almost couldn’t play anymore because I was so moved.”  

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... earned degrees in development studies, Asian studies, and cultural anthropology from universities in Berlin, Seoul, Edinburgh, and London. He is a founder of VAN, where he serves as publisher and editor-in-chief.