Continuing its close collaboration with the Pierre Boulez Saal, the Belcea Quartet returns to Berlin for two concerts. Following a performance of string quartets by Arnold Schoenberg and Ludwig van Beethoven, the four musicians will be joined by students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie two days later for the rousing String Octet by 16-year-old Felix Mendelssohn.
Its perfect fusion of precision with spontaneity has made the Quatuor Ébène one of the world's leading string quartets. Together with solo violist of the Berliner Philharmoniker Amihai Grosz and cellist Nicolas Altstaedt – the ensemble presents Peter Tchaikovsky's string sextet “Souvenir de Florence”. Despite the chamber music instrumentation, the composer created a work of almost symphonic dimensions that ingeniously combines Russian drama with Italian grace. The programme opens with a string quartet by Joseph Haydn and highly virtuosic divertimenti by Benjamin Britten.
One of the greatest poets of all time, William Shakespeare is at the center of the season’s first Lied und Lyrik program. Roderick Williams and Julius Drake trace the Bard’s musical heritage in English, German, and French settings from three centuries, with Toby Jones returning to read Shakespeare’s original texts.
A very British evening: Stephanie Childress, a young conductor from London, performs works by three of her fellow countrymen. For a five-movement work commissioned by the Rural School Music Association in 1950, Ralph Vaughan Williams took on a baroque concerto grosso in his very own musical language. This allowed him to divide the musicians taking part in the concerto - mostly beginners, some advanced players and only a few who had mastered their string instrument to a high standard - into the groups “concertino”, “ripiendo” and “ad lib”. The latter group only played on empty strings, which, according to the composer, could be omitted if necessary. The soloist in Britten's highly demanding Violin Concerto from 1939 is 23-year-old Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut, who our audience already celebrated in the Great Hall in 2016 and 2019. Edward Elgar's famous “Enigma Variations”, premiered in 1899, characterize thirteen people from his circle and ultimately himself. But their identity is not the original “Enigma”. According to the composer, the structure conceals a kind of musical riddle, about which various theories have been put forward to date.
A very British evening: Stephanie Childress, a young conductor from London, performs works by three of her fellow countrymen. For a five-movement work commissioned by the Rural School Music Association in 1950, Ralph Vaughan Williams took on a baroque concerto grosso in his very own musical language. This allowed him to divide the musicians taking part in the concerto - mostly beginners, some advanced players and only a few who had mastered their string instrument to a high standard - into the groups “concertino”, “ripiendo” and “ad lib”. The latter group only played on empty strings, which, according to the composer, could be omitted if necessary. The soloist in Britten's highly demanding Violin Concerto from 1939 is 23-year-old Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut, who our audience already celebrated in the Great Hall in 2016 and 2019. Edward Elgar's famous “Enigma Variations”, premiered in 1899, characterize thirteen people from his circle and ultimately himself. But their identity is not the original “Enigma”. According to the composer, the structure conceals a kind of musical riddle, about which various theories have been put forward to date.
A very British evening: Stephanie Childress, a young conductor from London, performs works by three of her fellow countrymen. For a five-movement work commissioned by the Rural School Music Association in 1950, Ralph Vaughan Williams took on a baroque concerto grosso in his very own musical language. This allowed him to divide the musicians taking part in the concerto - mostly beginners, some advanced players and only a few who had mastered their string instrument to a high standard - into the groups “concertino”, “ripiendo” and “ad lib”. The latter group only played on empty strings, which, according to the composer, could be omitted if necessary. The soloist in Britten's highly demanding Violin Concerto from 1939 is 23-year-old Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut, who our audience already celebrated in the Great Hall in 2016 and 2019. Edward Elgar's famous “Enigma Variations”, premiered in 1899, characterize thirteen people from his circle and ultimately himself. But their identity is not the original “Enigma”. According to the composer, the structure conceals a kind of musical riddle, about which various theories have been put forward to date.
Quartets by Beethoven, Britten, and Lei Liang
Originating from South Africa, Germany and France, the members of the Franz Trio came together at the Konzerthaus in 2017 and have been performing with us regularly ever since. The program of their first concert together included a trio by their namesake Franz Schubert. This season, they have been joined by additional orchestra members: principal piccolo player Daniel Werner, principal oboist Szilvia Pápai and principal harpist Ronith Mues. Violist Ernst-Martin Schmidt on the program: “Three composers in three countries come up with enchantingly beautiful chamber music in the war year 1916: Max Reger writes his 2nd String Trio, Claude Debussy and Arnold Bax are inspired by the delicate combination of flute, viola and harp. Benjamin Britten's Phantasy Quartet for oboe and strings from 1932 and Jean Françaix's String Trio from 1933 bear witness to the witty, original chamber music created in England and France a generation later. This colourful program opens with a Fantasia by the forefather of English music, Henry Purcell. Max Reger struggles with him to the best of his ability to achieve mastery in the art of polyphonic composition.”
EXPERIENCING THE FUTURE THROUGH MUSIC The RSB and the Futurium will bring the House of Futures to life in a very special way at a concert. Musical contributions set a new scene for the exhibition and bring the exhibits to life in sound at a late hour.At night in the museum… Music can be heard at various locations in the exhibition and the Lab. As soloists or in small groups, the musicians perform pieces by various composers. There is no standard programme. Our visitors can let the music carry them through the museum.The Futurium is about the future, even about “futures”, as the spectacular new building in the centre of Berlin understands itself. The exhibition with living scenarios, a lab for trying things out and a forum for community dialogue offer space to present and discuss foreseeable, conceivable and desirable futures.
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