Cellist

Tchaikovsky cannot be accused of excessive self-confidence. He is said to have been a shy contemporary, constantly plagued by self-doubt, melancholy and at times extremely shy of people. He could only be cheerful and full of life, creative, free, open and confident when he felt accepted and at home. This was the case at his country estate at Frolovskoye, where he remembered Florence in the summer of 1890. He had spent two spring months in Tuscany working on his opera The Queen of Spades. His String Sextet in D minor op. 70, inscribed 'Souvenir de Florence', is the productive result of a carefree time. But why is it so agitated and dramatic? In this concert of the 2 x hören series, the Simply Quartet and two members of the Kronberg Academy, together with artistic director Markus Fein, will focus on this magnificent work.

EPSG:4326

Listen twice: Tchaikovsky

Alte Oper

For Vladimir Balshin, cellist of the renowned Borodin Quartet, the Simply Quartet is "one of the most remarkable quartets of its generation." The ensemble established itself during their joint studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Their pursuit of the greatest possible fidelity to the original works—coupled with passionate dedication and exceptional musicality—has earned the quartet no fewer than four first prizes at prestigious chamber music competitions. As former ECHO Rising Stars, the four musicians now perform in Europe's most important concert halls, from London to Brussels to Amsterdam, and have also given guest performances overseas. They return to Salzburg with a top-notch classical chamber music program.

Pure classical music: Simply Quartet

Mozarteum Foundation

Franz Schubert set the scene of the "cheerful," "capricious trout" from Christian Schubart's poem to music in one of his most famous and popular songs. So popular that, a few years after this popular success, he used the themes of the "Trout" song as the basis for a sequel: the equally cheerful "Trout Quintet." Within Schubert's oeuvre, the posthumously published piano quintet is the only one of its kind. Before the Simply Quartet crowns its Ordenssaal concert with this captivating and characterful piece, it will perform excerpts from the first string quartet by jazz musician and composer Wynton Marsalis and the late-discovered and published "Poem" by the late Romantic composer Rebecca Clarke.

Trout Quintet

Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Finding coherence in the complex – that is the Simply Quartet's recipe for success. After winning several international competitions, including the Carl Nielsen Competition in Copenhagen and the Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna, the young ensemble is one of the rising stars of the quartet scene. For their debut in our quartet series, the four musicians will perform classics of the genre such as Mozart's “Hunting Quartet” and Grieg's Opus 27, as well as Wynton Marsalis’ jazzy Creole Contradanzas and American composer Rebecca Clarke’s thought-provoking Poem.

The Simply Quartet plays Mozart, Grieg, Clarke and Marsalis

Berliner Philharmonie

Internationality is key: Founded in China, trained in Madrid and other places, based in Vienna – it's no wonder that the Simply Quartet always has big goals. As former "ECHO Rising Stars," the ensemble is now returning to Cologne.

Cellist

Ivan Valentin Hollup Roald

Events

Past events

Apr 20, 2026

Listen twice: Tchaikovsky · Alte Oper Frankfurt

Oct 28, 2025

Pure classical music: Simply Quartet · Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Future and recently performed repertoire

Cello in Trout Quintet by Schubert

Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele

Cello in String Quartet No. 2 by Brahms

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Cello in String Quartet No. 17 (The Hunt) by Mozart

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Cello in Italian Serenade by Wolf

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Cello in String Quartet No. 1 by Grieg

Kölner Philharmonie

Cello in Poem for String Quartet by Clarke

Kölner Philharmonie

Cello in String Quartet No. 1 by Marsalis

Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele

Cello in String sextet in D minor by Tchaikovsky

Alte Oper Frankfurt

About

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