‘There’s a certain madness to it’ … fans await new chord in John Cage gig with 616 years left to run

Admirers of the avant-garde composer's work hope the concert in the German church will stay the course - all the way to 2640

When Halberstadt's St Burchardi church opens its doors for a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience on Monday, some of the spectators streaming into the 11th-century building will have booked their tickets years in advance and crossed continents to get there. But don't expect them to demand an encore.

Because if one thing is certain about this concert, it's that it won't be over for a long, long time yet.