Masterpieces Unboxed: Schubert's 'Death and The Maiden'

Paul Lewis / Schubert’s Sonatas / Piano masterpieces

Franz Schubert held the torch at Ludwig van Beethoven's funeral. It was a symbolic moment – the younger composer was taking over the Promethean flame from a genius. Despite the pathos, it is an accurate association when comparing their symphonies or quartets. However, Schubert did not take over the flame for long – he died less than two years later. In the last months of his life, he created a series of masterpieces, among them three piano sonatas. After their publication, they were heavily criticised for departing from Beethovenian patterns. However, inspiration does not mean imitation after all! Schubert's style is gentle and less definite. Every play is lined with melancholy; contemplation borders on the sublime and ecstasy. Very few people can portray the entire universe of these three sisters' works as aptly as Paul Lewis. It has to be experienced. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 140 minutes

Arditti Quartet / The quartet and modern masterpieces / cancelled

The Arditti Quartet is a chamber music legend. Half a century ago, the violinist Irvine Arditti invited three friends of his, students at London’s Royal Academy of Music, to perform Krzysztof Penderecki’s String quartet No. 2 together. Since then, the ensemble has premiered hundreds of contemporary pieces, released over 200 albums and traveled all the world with new music. The Arditti Quartet will perform a 20th-century masterpiece by Witold Lutosławski, music by Lucia Dlugoszewski, an American composer with Polish roots who is still little known here, and a piece by James Dillon, the quartet’s collaborator since the 80s. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 100 minutes

Schubert's Octet

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Thomas Hampson and Ksenija Sidorova: Schubert's Winterreise

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Masterpieces Unboxed: Beethoven's Pathétique

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Guest performance Masterpieces of Popular Classical and Romantic Music

Ensemble Tamuz: Schubert's String Quintet

The Sunday Morning Concert brings you wonderful and much-loved compositions, performed by top musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. Enjoy the most beautiful music in the morning! You can make your Sunday complete by enjoying a delicious post-concert lunch in restaurant LIER.The Royal Concertgebouw is one of the best concert halls in the world, famous for its exceptional acoustics and varied programme. Attend a concert and have an experience you will never forget. Come and enjoy inspiring music in the beautiful surroundings of the Main Hall or the intimate Recital Hall.

Death and the Maiden

Mozart's G major Quartet KV 387 and Schubert's Death and the Maiden are two favourites in the string quartet genre. Mozart had met Haydn and was inspired to compose a set of six quartets. In the dedication to Haydn, Mozart wrote that the quartets were "the fruit of a long and laborious work", and added, "you renowned man and my dearest friend".In his penultimate string quartet, Schubert employs the melody from one of his most famous songs, Death and the Maiden. The quartet contains both intensely fervent and dreamy passages. It is in the second movement that Schubert utilizes the poignant Death and the Maiden melody, which then serves as the basis for five variations. Here, Schubert's portrayal of death is by no means solely dark.In between, we hear a newly written quartet by the acclaimed British composer Bushra El-Turk. The BBC named her one of the world's 100 most inspiring women. Her music sometimes reflects her Lebanese roots. During the creation of Three Tributes, she collaborated with the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam, whom we hear here.This quartet, based in Amsterdam, is making their debut at Konserthuset Stockholm and has been praised for their empathetic playing in a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary compositions.

Danish String Quartet: Schubert's last string quartet

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Danish String Quartet: Schubert's last string quartet

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!