music for the ages

CNN: only 636 years left on longest concert:

In an abandoned church in the German town of Halberstadt, the world's longest concert was coming two notes closer to its end Monday: Three years down, 636 to go.

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The concert began Sept. 5, 2001 -- the day Cage would have turned 89. The composition, originally written to last 20 minutes, starts with a silence, and the only sound for a first 1 1/2 years was air. The first notes were played in February 2003.

After debates in Germany about what exactly "as slow as possible" could mean -- anywhere from a day to stretching on infinitely -- the group of German music experts and organ builder behind the project chose the concert's 639-year running time to commemorate to the creation of the city's historic Blockwerk organ in 1361.

Another plus: the composer won't have to deal with art critics once it ends. :)