The small Ukrainian city of Beryslav on the Dnipro River has become the target of an unprecedented wave of Russian drone strikes that has left nearly 150 civilians injured or killed. Over the course of six months DW’s investigative unit, with support from the Mnemonic archive and the Centre for Information Resilience, monitored reports from Ukrainian authorities on drone strikes resulting in civilian casualties, analyzed hundreds of Telegram posts, and traveled across Ukraine to meet with officials, survivors, experts, and humanitarian workers. This documentary explores the question of who might be behind these attacks and documents a new phenomenon in warfare that is likely to become even more widespread in the coming years: the use of first-person view (FPV) drones, also for targeting civilians.The unmistakable sound of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is the product of intensive rehearsal work and a relatively small ensemble, where every single instrument and performer plays an important role. Paavo Järvi says: “It’s really ingrained in their DNA. They know how to play this music, they know how to play Baroque music, they know how to play classical music in a way that many great orchestras, famous orchestras have no idea about.” In 2023, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen won the Gramophone Award for Orchestra of the Year.

In parallel to the musical activity on the stage, “The Haydn Expedition” also shows what’s going on behind the scenes in the recording suite. The symphonies are recorded in sections to be spliced together afterwards – to present audiences with a flawless interpretation. Overseeing the process is Grammy Award-winning producer Philip Traugott – his keen ears trained on the sounds coming from the stage. In December 2023, the Symphony No. 93 is performed at the Konzerthaus in Vienna. The multi-camera recording shows high points of the concert – as well as things the audience doesn’t get to see: back-stage tension, the conductor meditating before the performance and the euphoria after the final applause.