Violinist

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

Off to the next round: this is the starting signal for our extremely popular organ series – and our »Queen of Instruments« shines in all its glory with its almost 6,000 pipes after a recent general refurbishment. The first concert of the season will feature two young prizewinners of prestigious competitions: firstly, we have a programme rich in connections by organist Julian Becker. He performs together with our concertmaster Ilian Garnetz: with the violin sonata in C minor composed around 1720, the two show how Bach’s complex world of sound and musical ideas can be performed.

Organ Concert: Julian Becker and Aleksanteri Wallius

»Music with soul« – this is how the Estonian Arvo Pärt describes the time of Gregorian chants, which he often reflects in his contemplative »Tintinnabuli style«. His »Silouan‘s Song« from 1991 transposes this monk‘s prayer into the fluency of a string-only ensemble – the meditative music speaks from the poetically powerful words it carries: »My soul longs for the Lord, and in tears I seek him.« Then a new work by Erkki-Sven Tüür, who was born in 1959 on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa, will be heard – a fascinating artist who likes to tackle current social issues in his gripping pieces. So we can look forward with anticipation to the world premiere of his cello concerto, which we will perform together with Nicolas Altstaedt. On 10 March, our First Concertmaster Ilian Garnetz will perform the passionate violin concerto by Alexander Glazunov. Born in 1865, the composer was a wunderkind and was later titled the »Russian Brahms«: His indulgent works are characterised by an impeccable awareness of form, a sense of enchanting melody and a perfect art of richly coloured instrumentation. Although Tchaikovsky certainly saw a rival in Glazunov at the time, he admired his incredible talent – and wrote warmly to him: »Don't be angry with me, but I love you so much.« Both concert evenings conclude with Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony from 1888, which is permeated with a great sense of inner conflict – after all, he said that there was »not a single bar« that would not be »the reverberation of my innermost soul life«. And so the restless symphony is characterised by a fate motif: according to a diary entry, it represents »doubts, complaints, reproaches« – but at the end, the melancholic tone is transformed into optimistic confidence.

Guest in Erlangen with Thomas Dausgaard

Heinrich-Lades-Halle

An exciting concert for us, offering plenty of creative freedom for individual orchestra members and fresh musical perspectives. We welcome Jörg Widmann, a versatile artist, to the conductor's podium, as he is both a soloist and composer of some of the pieces. He once gave such a wonderful answer to the question of how important live music is that "especially in the age of technical reproducibility and the accessibility of music anytime, anywhere in the world, the human being singing and playing on stage in the moment, without a safety net, is able to captivate and fascinate us more than ever." We look forward to playing with him and begin this cleverly conceived program with an orchestral journey to Scotland, where we capture the legendary landscape of a Hebridean island with the atmosphere of "salt air, cod liver oil, and seagulls" that Mendelssohn envisioned. 

Visiting Fürth

City Theatre Fürth

An exciting concert for us, offering plenty of creative freedom for individual orchestra members and fresh musical perspectives. We welcome Jörg Widmann, a versatile artist, to the conductor's podium, as he is both a soloist and composer of some of the pieces. He once gave such a wonderful answer to the question of how important live music is that "especially in the age of technical reproducibility and the accessibility of music anytime, anywhere in the world, the human being singing and playing on stage in the moment, without a safety net, is able to captivate and fascinate us more than ever.

Jörg Widmann, Ilian Garnetz, Sarah Maria Sun, Barbara Bode

Bamberger Symphoniker

This evening, our concertmaster Ilian Garnetz will have the opportunity to showcase his talent on stage. His talent was nurtured from an early age: raised in an artistic family, he made his solo debut at the age of ten and later studied with, among others, Igor Oistrakh. Today, he is a prizewinner of major competitions and a sought-after chamber musician. For this chamber concert, he has compiled a richly evocative and captivating program, which he will present with great pleasure together with Stanislav Jar at the piano – a musical reflection of a vibrant era full of contrasts. The concert opens with a dazzling work by George Enescu, often called the "Romanian Mozart," who, as a violinist and composer, masterfully wove folkloric elements into his music. 

Violinist

Ilian Garnetz

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 13, 2026

Visiting Fürth · Bamberger Symphoniker

Feb 14, 2026

Jörg Widmann, Ilian Garnetz, Sarah Maria Sun, Barbara Bode · Bamberger Symphoniker

May 9, 2026

Chamber concert: Violin Piano · Bamberger Symphoniker

Past events

Apr 9, 2025

Chamber concert: String quartet · Bamberger Symphoniker

Oct 20, 2024

Organ Concert: Julian Becker and Aleksanteri Wallius · Bamberger Symphoniker

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violin in String Quartet No. 8 by Shostakovich

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Violin Sonata in C minor by Bach

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Symphony No. 5 by Tchaikovsky

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Violin Sonata no. 2 in G major by Ravel

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor by Brahms

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Symphony No. 1 in C minor by Bartholdy

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in String Quartet No. 4 by Dubossarschi

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Silouan’s Song by Pärt

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Paraphrase on Mendelssohn's Wedding March by Widmann

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Essay on the Fugue by Widmann

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Andante from the Clarinet Sonata in E-flat major by Bartholdy

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Violin Sonata in G minor, H. 542 No. 5 by Bach

Bamberger Symphoniker

Violin in Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in F minor by Enescu

Bamberger Symphoniker

About

Ilian Garnetz hasn't added a bio