Amatis Piano Trio / Thomas Quasthoff
»Humanity in War« – Hamburg International Music Festival
Tickets €28
€28
Tickets €28
€28
Humanity in the midst of war
The horrors of the First World War have often been described in literature. Books such as Erich Maria Remarque’s »All Quiet on the Western Front« speak of the brutality of trench warfare and the deadening effect of being surrounded by death. However, there are also more optimistic accounts, such as the Christmas truce when enemies laid down their weapons and sang carols together. With his legendary baritone voice, Thomas Quasthoff reads from First World War letters and diaries. In alternation, the award-winning young Amatis Piano Trio performs excerpts from the Romantic and modern chamber music repertoire, reflecting the mood of the individual texts.
Young soldiers of various nationalities are represented, as are relatives writing to the front from back home. The texts bear witness to the barbarism of war, and to youthful blue-eyed enthusiasm turning into disillusionment and horror in the face of the bloody reality. But they also reveal humanity and mutual respect – even between enemies. The stories speak of individual fates and give a face to the bare figures. They are accompanied by slow movements from piano trios by composers such as Schubert and Shostakovich, who composed his Piano Trio No. 2 while mourning the death of a friend in the Second World War. Works such as Korngold’s »Dogberry and Verges – March of the Watch«, which caricature the initial enthusiasm of young soldiers for war, lighten the mood.
Performers
Amatis Piano Trio
Lea Hausmann violin
Samuel Shepherd violoncello
Mengjie Han piano
Thomas Quasthoff reading
Programme
»Die Menschlichkeit im Krieg« (Humanity in War)
with works by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Dmitri Shostakovich, Fritz Kreisler, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Anton Webern and Rebecca Clarke, and excerpts from letters and diaries from the time of the First World War
Auszug aus dem Tagebuch des Gefreiten Charles Blackmore vom 16. Januar 1917
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Dogberry and Verges (March of the Watch) / from: Suite from »Much Ado About Nothing«, Op. 11
Auszug aus dem Tagebuch des Gefreiten Charles Blackmore vom 19. Januar 1917
Auszug aus dem Tagebuch des Gefreiten Charles Blackmore vom 24. Januar 1917
Anton Webern
Sehr bewegt / from: Three Short Pieces for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 11
Äußerst ruhig / from: Three Short Pieces for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 11
Auszug aus dem Tagebuch des Gefreiten Charles Blackmore vom 29. Januar 1917
Franz Schubert
Andante con moto / from: Piano Trio in E-flat major, D 929
Hauptmann Reginald John Armes an seine Frau
Robert Schumann
Abendlied / from: Twelve Four-Handed Pieces for Clavier for Small and Big Children, Op. 85 (adaptation for piano trio)
Hauptmann Reginald John Armes setzte seinen Brief am Folgetag fort
Franz Schubert
Piano Trio in E-flat major, D 897 »Notturno«
– Interval –
Leutnant Wolfgang Panzer an seine Eltern und Geschwister am 18. Januar 1918
Dmitri Schostakowitsch
Allegro con brio / from: Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67
Frau S. an den befehlshabenden Offizier ihres Ehemannes
Fritz Kreisler
Liebesleid
Leutnant Wolfgang Panzer an seine Eltern und Geschwister am 22. November 1918
Robert Schumann
Humoreske / from: Fantasiestücke for Piano Trio, Op. 88
Lazare Silbermann an seine vier Kinder am 7. August 1914
Anton Webern
Langsam / from: Twelve Pieces for Violoncello and Piano
Brief von Emil Merkelbach an Sallie Maxwell Bennet
Rebecca Clarke
Andante molto semplice / from: Trio for Violin, Violoncello and Piano
Ein offener Brief der deutschen und österreichischen Suffragetten
Estimated end time
21:30
Promoter: HamburgMusik
