James Ehnes / Alexandra Preucil / Antoine Tamestit / Sào Soulez Larivière / Christian Poltéra

Brahms: String Quintets Nos. 1 & 2 / Benjamin: Viola, Viola

Tickets from €13 13 | 24 | 37 | 53
Antoine Tamestit
Antoine Tamestit © lenaka.net
Christian Poltéra
Christian Poltéra © Neda Navaee
Sào Soulez Larivière
Sào Soulez Larivière © Clara Evens
Laeiszhalle Hamburg
Laeiszhalle Hamburg © Aussenborder TV
  • Doors open 18:30

  • Pre-concert talk 19:00

  • Start 20:00

  • Interval

Undercover Symphonies

According to The Times, violinist James Ehnes plays »in a league of his own«, while violist Antoine Tamestit, praised by The New York Times as an »enchanting soloist«, is a familiar presence on the world’s leading stages. Yet for all their brilliance as soloists, both artists are equally at home as passionate chamber musicians. In the Laeiszhalle Recital Hall, they now lead a distinguished ensemble of five musicians in two of Johannes Brahms’s »undercover symphonies«.

Light music was never Brahms’s métier. His works captivate through their concentration and density: qualities that often allow even his chamber music to assume symphonic dimensions. His two string quintets in particular demonstrate a masterful balance between intimate cohesion and orchestral breadth, and they demand a cast of exceptional calibre to bring them fully to life.

How a wealth of ideas and colours can emerge from even more economical means is demonstrated by George Benjamin’s work for »just« two violas, performed in the middle of the programme. »My wish was to conjure, at times, an almost orchestral richness and diversity of sound,« the composer has said – a thought that resonates beautifully with Brahms’s own dense and multi-layered musical universe.

Performers

James Ehnes violin

Alexandra Preucil violin

Antoine Tamestit viola

Sào Soulez Larivière viola

Christian Poltéra violoncello

Programme

Johannes Brahms
Streichquintett Nr. 1 F-Dur op. 88

George Benjamin
Viola, Viola

– Interval –

Johannes Brahms
String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111

Pre-Concert Talk

(in German)

19:00 / Laeiszhalle, Kleiner Saal

Subscription

Chamber Music at the Laeiszhalle

Promoter: HamburgMusik

Supported by Stiftung Elbphilharmonie

During your visit

Food and Drink

Before the concert and during intermissions

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