Due to changes in their touring plans, the Ensemble Trouts has decided to present their eponymous opus: Schubert's Trout Quintet, for the season opening in Duisburg. The ensemble was founded in 2018 with the goal of contrasting Schubert's famous quintet with contemporary works. This resulted in a CD, numerous concert tours, and now a permanent soloist ensemble that embarks on several concert tours a year. In the first half of the program in Duisburg, the instruments and soloists will present themselves individually in Bach's Cello Suite No. 3 (divided between bass, cello, and viola), followed by Schubert's Rondo for piano and violin, before they come together musically for the first time in George Onslow's Piano Quintet.

Take Five

CityPalais

This anniversary year, the now traditional theme weekend at Ulrichshusen Castle is dedicated to the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival itself: the musicians who have shaped and continue to shape it, the adventures that the artists, team, and audience experience together, and, of course, the music itself. We look forward to two fantastic days with many award winners. They'll be saying "Happy Birthday" in chamber and orchestral music, in talk shows, and in late-night shows.

Great chamber music

Schloss und Gut Ulrichshusen

A concert with impressive string quartets – because our orchestra members love to regularly step out of the big orchestra apparatus and work intensively on works close to their hearts as chamber musicians. And the first one is a real piece of work, according to contemporaries even »as incomprehensible as Chinese«, to which the composer rumbled the words »Cattle! Donkeys!«: Beethoven’s magnificent fugue op. 133 – a highly unique late work from 1825 that goes to the limits of what was possible, with monumental architectural structures and, despite some friendly tunes, with enormous inner tensions. One of the pieces to be rediscovered in this programme comes from the beloved homeland of our concertmaster: Ilian Garnetz grew up in a creative environment – and was awarded the title of »Artist of the Moldavian People« as a music mediator and representative of his country. Now, together with his fellow musicians, he would like to introduce the Bamberg audience to the fourth string quartet by his former violin professor and composer Boris Dubosarschi. It was influenced by the work of Shostakovich – with which the concert ends on a stirring note: His string quartet No. 8 was composed in 1960, during which he reflected on the destruction of the city of Dresden during the war in 1945. It expresses his shock at this and was published »in memory of the victims« of that time. However, Shostakovich felt that this subjective work of confession with its own quotations from his pieces could also be dedicated to his own commemoration – and also mentioned that it was »of such a pseudo-tragic nature that I shed many tears while composing it.«

Chamber concert: String quartet

Bamberg Concert Hall

Chamber concerts are very popular with our orchestra musicians, allowing them to showcase new flavours and put individual instruments in the spotlight. Now, there is a wonderful rendezvous with the horn – about which the »Ideen zu einer Ästhetik der Tonkunst« (»Ideas on the Aesthetics of Music«) as early as 1784 stated that it was »humanly conceived as a sensitive soul for almost all societies«. Many composers were inspired by the instrument with its snail shape and distinctive sound to create music – including Mozart, whose horn pieces were all written for the virtuoso Joseph Leutgeb. He first played in the Salzburg court orchestra, but soon moved back to his hometown of Vienna. Due to his somewhat simple-minded character, however, he was often the target of Mozart’s witty remarks, who sometimes notated the pieces he wrote for him in different colours or added mocking remarks to the score. One result of this humorous friendship was the horn quintet from 1782, a work with lots of inventive humour and thematic imagination. The second composition was written by Brahms, who once disparaged the horn as a »brass viola« – yet he probably only meant this tongue-in-cheek, as it was his favourite instrument, especially in his youth. This may be why he wrote the poignant horn trio in 1865 as a mourning piece, shortly after his mother's death. It is characterised by a romantic sense of nature and hunting scenes, but also by mournful lamentations. His close friend Clara Schumann raved about the »extremely interesting work« with its opening movement, which is »very rich in engaging melodies«, its »beautiful« Adagio and its finale, which »is full of life«.

Chamber concert: Strings Horn Piano

»Dance is the art that moves the human soul the most«. This is already what Plato was convinced of – and our chamber concert offers captivating sounds to support this. First, our musicians will feel the pulse from our Bohemian roots with a popular work: Dvořák was regarded as a musician who liked to play for the dance – he was also seen as an artist about which no-one could argue. His quintet op. 81, first performed in Prague in 1888, is a wonderful testament to this. It was composed during a happy period in his life and, according to an anecdote, by coincidence: Dvořák was digging for his first piano quintet op. 5, but couldn't find it and instead of searching much longer, he simply composed a new one – a supremely folkloric work for just five instruments as a burst of symphonic dimension. Then it‘s off right into the musical heart of Argentina and with it the diversity and depth of a genre about which it was once said: »The tango – that is two serious faces and four feet enjoying themselves.« It was Astor Piazzolla who turned the initially infamous dance of his homeland into »perfumed chamber music« for the concert hall, saying: »My music is for reflection and happiness.« Other Argentine composers have also dedicated themselves to this typical spirit in their works – for the tango stands for a rollercoaster of emotions: it is not only a celebration of colours and rhythms, but often full of sadness and melancholy. The effect of sensual expression and passionate energy was accentuated by the famous tango teacher Ricardo Vidort in just as philosophical words as Plato: »The tango is a therapy that liberates the soul!«

Chamber Concert: Argentine Tango

»Dance is the art that moves the human soul the most«. This is already what Plato was convinced of – and our chamber concert offers captivating sounds to support this. We'll dive right into the musical heart of Argentina and with it the diversity and depth of a genre about which it was once said: »The tango – that is two serious faces and four feet enjoying themselves.« It was Astor Piazzolla who turned the initially infamous dance of his homeland into »perfumed chamber music« for the concert hall, saying: »My music is for reflection and happiness.« Other Argentine composers have also dedicated themselves to this typical spirit in their works – for the tango stands for a rollercoaster of emotions: it is not only a celebration of colours and rhythms, but often full of sadness and melancholy. The effect of sensual expression and passionate energy was accentuated by the famous tango teacher Ricardo Vidort in just as philosophical words as Plato: »The tango is a therapy that liberates the soul!«

Tango Late Night

This will be a great joy for everyone involved: In keeping with the fifth season (Carnival), under the direction of Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, we will slip into different roles, individually or in groups, for the musical stories of this concert, just like at Carnival or a masquerade – and can thus demonstrate our playing skills on the respective instruments. For Berlioz's soul-searching work set in Italy, our solo violist Wen Xiao Zheng will take on the part of the melancholic dreamer Harold.

Wen Xiao Zheng

Events

Upcoming events

7 - 8 Feb, 2026

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Wen Xiao Zheng · Bamberger Symphoniker

Past events

Sep 21, 2025

Take Five · Duisburger Philharmoniker

Jul 26, 2025

Great chamber music · Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Future and recently performed repertoire

Viola in String Quartet No. 8 by Shostakovich

Bamberger Symphoniker

Viola in Piano Quintet No. 2 by Dvořák

Bamberger Symphoniker

Viola in Trout Quintet by Schubert

Duisburger Philharmoniker

Viola in Horn Trio by Brahms

Bamberger Symphoniker

Viola in Horn Quintet by Mozart

Bamberger Symphoniker

Viola in Take Five by Brubeck

Duisburger Philharmoniker

Viola in String Sextet No. 1 by Brahms

Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Viola in Intermezzo for String Trio by Kodály

Bamberger Symphoniker

Viola in String Quartet No. 4 by Dubossarschi

Bamberger Symphoniker

Viola in Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major by Schumann

Bamberger Symphoniker

Viola in Piano Quintet by Onslow

Duisburger Philharmoniker

Viola in Symphony for Viola and Orchestra by Berlioz

Bamberger Symphoniker

About

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