In early October, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) will perform two guest concerts in Vietnam as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic relations between Germany and Vietnam. As the official contribution of the State of Hesse to the anniversary festivities, the orchestra will present two large-scale chamber concerts featuring works by German composers, one in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, and the other in Ho Chi Minh City. The program includes a double quartet by the operatic dramatist Louis Spohr, who worked for many years in Hesse, as well as Ludwig van Beethoven's Sextet for two horns and string quartet and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Octet for four violins, two viols, and two cellos. Hesse and Vietnam have enjoyed a privileged partnership since 2012. The Southeast Asian country is a significant partner in education, research, and technology.

Anniversary concerts Vietnam

Ho Guom Opera

Paul Hindemith | The Serenades – Cantata for Soprano, Oboe, Viola and Cello op. 35 / Sonata for Viola Alone op. 25 No. 1 / Dream – from: Songs with Piano op. 18 / Sonata for Oboe and Piano / Sonata for Piano No. 2 / Sonata for Violoncello and Piano op. 11 No. 3

EPSG:4326

chamber music festival

Bertramstraße 8

This anniversary program invites you to a Hindemith-style celebration of his milestone birthday: with music that is unusual and rich, playful yet provocative, from his mature and youthful, rebellious days – all by Hindemith. This pioneer of modernism from Hanau opposed the cult of genius and the confessional nature of Romanticism throughout his life, in favor of a "new objectivity" that embraced parodic elements, quotations, and a playful engagement with popular genres. From Hindemith's extensive oeuvre, you will experience four sonatas for viola, oboe, and cello – with, without, or even solo piano – as well as an unconventional serenade. Chamber music at its finest!

Chamber Music Festival

Hessischer Rundfunk

Thierry Escaich is a guest in the chamber music series, presenting highlights such as Mozart's "Kegelstatt" Trio and Schumann's "Märchenerzählungen" (Fairy Tales), as well as his own virtuosic "Trio américain," both as a chamber music partner and as a gifted improviser. Mozart's Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano once marked the birth of a new instrumental formation, to which Schumann offered his first musical response 70 years later. After hearing the "Kegelstatt" Trio with his wife Clara at the piano, he made his decision and composed his four wonderfully poetic pieces in a very short time, during a final creative frenzy before his ultimate collapse. Schumann is also the subject of a piano improvisation by Thierry Escaich in this program, who in turn evokes reminiscences from much earlier eras in his own Trio – "one thing works and lives within the other," thus creating a truly exceptional concert.

Trio summit with Escaich

Thierry Escaich is a guest in the chamber music series with highlights such as Mozart's "Kegelstatt" trio and Schumann's "Märchenerzählungen", a virtuoso "Trio américain" of his own, as a chamber music partner and as a gifted improviser. Mozart's trio for clarinet, viola and piano once marked the birth of a new instrumental formation, to which Schumann only gave a first musical response 70 years later. He made his decision after hearing the "Kegelstatt" trio with his wife Clara at the piano and he wrote his four wonderful poetic images in a very short time, during a last creative frenzy before his final breakdown. Schumann is also the subject of a piano improvisation by Thierry Escaich in this program, who in turn allows reminiscences from much more distant eras to appear in his own trio - "one works and lives in the other" in this concert of a very special class.

With a captivating program, the hr-Symphony Orchestra's chamber concert enriches this season's Lauterbach Hohhaus Concerts. Franz Schubert's "Arpeggione" Sonata is among the Viennese Romantic composer's most famous chamber works. Its sonorous soundscape makes it a truly virtuosic piece, which can be experienced alongside two brilliantly compelling chamber music works from the early years of the great operatic dramatist Richard Strauss. The 19-year-old Strauss's Piano Quartet in C minor is considered the pinnacle of his engagement with Brahms. His only violin sonata, composed at the age of 23, was also a stroke of genius.

Arpeggione

Hohhaus Museum Lauterbach e.V.

This season, members of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) will present two masterpieces of chamber music at the Theater Altes Hallenbad in Friedberg. Who doesn't know and love Schubert's only piano quintet, with its famous variation movement on the "capricious trout"? The song's cheerful tone imbues the entire quintet with an aura of unbridled musical joy, to which its bright, luminous sound also contributes. In stark contrast, the program begins with Brahms's long-matured, final piano quartet, which reflects profound biographical conflicts. It is among the most impressive chamber music of the Romantic era.

Trout Quintet

Theater Altes Hallenbad

A finale with two masterpieces. Who doesn't know and love Schubert's only piano quintet with its famous variation movement on the "capricious trout"? The song's cheerful tone imbues the entire quintet with an aura of carefree musical joy, to which its bright, luminous sound also contributes. In stark contrast, this is preceded by Brahms's long-matured, final piano quartet, which reflects deep biographical conflicts. It is among the most impressive chamber music of the Romantic era. When he sent the final version to his publisher, Brahms once jokingly suggested that the edition of the score should include a picture of the composer "in a Werther costume"—an allusion to Goethe's despairing suicide victim, as well as a reflection on the lingering effects of his more than 20-year-long turmoil in his love triangle with Clara and Robert Schumann.

Liisa Randalu

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 24 - Feb 15, 2026

Arpeggione · Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Mar 14, 2026

Trout Quintet · Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Jun 7, 2026

Trout Quintet · Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Oct 2, 2025

Anniversary concerts Vietnam · Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Jun 29, 2025

chamber music festival · hr-Sinfonieorchester

Future and recently performed repertoire

Viola in Trout Quintet by Schubert

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Viola in Kegelstatt Trio by Mozart

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Viola in Piano Quartet No. 3 by Brahms

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Viola in Viola Sonata by Hindemith

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Viola in Octet by Mendelssohn

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Viola in Trio américain by Escaich

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Viola in Piano Quartet by Strauss

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Viola in Double String Quartet No. 4 by Spohr

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

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