»I love conducting so much that I absolutely have to do it.« Ruth Reinhardt realised this when she was 16 and her career today proves her right. Born in Saarbrücken, she completed her studies in Zurich, Leipzig and New York – and is now one of the up-and-coming female conductors who regularly perform with orchestras around the world. The young artist is especially praised for her versatility, her dynamic performances, her musical intelligence and her unorthodox choice of works. Her Bamberg debut is also a proof of this, as she leads us through some exciting repertoire: two pieces by Paul Hindemith – a modern composer who is particularly favoured by our guest conductor – set the scene. His provocative Ragtime from 1921 combines a Bach fugue with jazz elements, while the symphony »Mathis der Maler« portrays the inner and outer struggles of an eminent Renaissance artist in a colourful way. In between, the musical journey goes back 150 years to the Viennese classical period: to the time of Haydn, who liked to combine the highest standards with humour and popular elements in his symphonies. At the request of our solo cellist Marius Urba, a concerto for cello and wind orchestra composed in 1980 will also be performed, a wild ride through various genres: it was written by Friedrich Gulda, who was regarded as an enfant terrible in the classical music business. The audience is in for a colourful concert with a wide variety of ingredients and flavours. But as Ruth Reinhardt once said about her musical experiments, which might just come from a hot and sizzling witch’s kitchen – and have become her trademark: »I always like concert programmes that have contrasts!«

Guest in Erlangen

Heinrich-Lades-Halle

Ruth Reinhardt, Marius Urba

Bamberg Concert Hall

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.«

Marius Urba

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 24, 2024

Ruth Reinhardt, Marius Urba · Bamberger Symphoniker

Apr 9, 2025

Chamber concert: String quartet · Bamberger Symphoniker

Past events

Dec 15, 2024

Guest in Erlangen · Bamberger Symphoniker

Future and recently performed repertoire

Cello in String Quartet No. 8 by Shostakovich

Bamberger Symphoniker

Cello in Konzert für Violoncello und Blasorchester by Gulda

Bamberger Symphoniker

Cello in String Quartet No. 4 by Dubossarschi

Bamberger Symphoniker

About

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