The great works of classical music are celebrated in concert halls around the world. This makes it all the easier to forget that many of them were highly controversial in their time. The season focus Kontrovers! (Controversial!) explores the strikingly different concepts various composers brought to the table. Our series, performed by ensembles of the Berliner Philharmoniker, offers a chamber music perspective on these artistic rivalries.
Ever since the film Amadeus, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri have been regarded as the most famous adversaries in music history. The film’s master stroke is its portrayal of Salieri as a composer tormented by Mozart’s genius, while simultaneously enjoying greater public success. A programme dedicated to this rivalry features Mozart’s Horn Quintet, a rarely heard gem.
It is a curious case: Brahms and Bruckner were both devoted to the late-Romantic symphony – yet they stood in stark opposition to each other. Here, they meet in works for string quintet. Falling into obscurity was a real risk for those who refused to take sides in the bitterly divided musical landscape of the time, as illustrated by the fate of Joachim Raff, almost forgotten today. His Sinfonietta for Winds, with its exquisite melodies, is a fascinating discovery.
Another work by Brahms sheds light on the Parisian music scene, where French composers at the turn of the 20th century struggled to assert themselves against the dominance of German repertoire. It was only with the rise of young talents like Maurice Ravel that a powerful counter-movement emerged.
Conflicts also shaped the modern music scene. Dmitri Shostakovich, a master of unfiltered expressivity, dismissed Arnold Schoenberg’s twelve-tone technique as “narrow-minded dogmatism.” Two concerts in the series highlight not only the stark differences in their musical languages, but also a surprising similarity: both composers wrote personal, biographically influenced music. Schoenberg’s String Trio, inspired by a near-death experience, and Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet, reflecting on war and Stalinism, offer striking examples of this shared introspective approach.
Chamber Music Hall
Cornelia Gartemann violin
Allan Nilles viola
Ludwig Quandt cello
Hendrik Heilmann piano
Simon Rössler drums
Franz Schindlbeck drums
Jan Schlichte drums
Works by
Arnold Schoenberg and Dmitri Shostakovich
Arnold Schoenberg
String Trio, op. 45
Dmitri Shostakovich
Suite for variety orchestra (arr. for piano trio and percussion by Oriol Cruixent)
Interval
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 15 in A major, op. 141 (arr. for piano trio and percussion by Victor Derevianko and Mark Petarsk)
Chamber Music Hall
Brahms Ensemble Berlin:
Rachel Schmidt violin
Raimar Orlovsky violin
Diyang Mei viola
Julia Gartemann viola
Uladzimir Sinkevich cello
Works by
Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner and Johannes Brahms
Felix Mendelssohn
String Quintet in B flat major, op. 87
Interval
Anton Bruckner
Intermezzo in D minor
Johannes Brahms
String Quintet No. 2 in G major, op. 111
Chamber Music Hall
Pangaea Trio Berlin:
Marlene Ito violin
Uladzimir Sinkevich cello
Yannick Rafalimanana piano
Angelo de Leo violin
Amihai Grosz viola
Works by
Dmitri Shostakovich, Maurice Ravel and Johannes Brahms
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, op. 8
Maurice Ravel
Piano Trio in A minor
Interval
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quintet in F minor, op. 34
Angelo de Leo violin, Amihai Grosz viola
Chamber Music Hall
Johanna Pichlmair violin
Eva Rabchevska violin
Tobias Reifland viola
Kyoungmin Park viola
Moritz Karl Huemer cello
László Gál french horn
Works by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546
Antonio Salieri
Four Scherzi strumentali di stile fugato for string quartet
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Horn Quintet in E flat major, K. 407
Antonio Salieri
Fugue for String Quartet
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quintet No. 3 in C major, K. 515
Chamber Music Hall
Varian Fry Quartett:
Philipp Bohnen violin
Christoph von der Nahmer violin
Martin von der Nahmer viola
Knut Weber cello
Anna Prohaska soprano
Works by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Dmitri Shostakovich and Arnold Schoenberg
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Fugues for four voices from Bach’s Well-tempered clavier, Part 2, K. 405
Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, op. 110
Interval
Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet No. 2 in F sharp minor with solo soprano, op. 10
Anna Prohaska soprano
Chamber Music Hall
Ensemble Wien-Berlin:
Karl-Heinz Schütz flute
Jonathan Kelly oboe
Gerald Pachinger clarinet
Richard Galler bassoon
Stefan Dohr french horn
Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Jelka Weber flute
Christoph Hartmann oboe
Andraž Golob clarinet
Václav Vonášek bassoon
Paula Ernesaks french horn
Works by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Luciano Berio, Vinko Globokar and Joachim Raff
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Serenade in C minor, K. 388 “Nacht Musique”
Luciano Berio
Opus Number Zoo (Version for Wind Quintet)
Interval
Vinko Globokar
Avgustin, dober je vin
Joachim Raff
Sinfonietta, op. 188
| Price category | Block/row | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A
D
E
|
156 € |
| 2 |
B
C
F
Wheelchair positions 1 |
90 € |