A virtuosic horn concerto by the young Strauss, framed by a lighthearted Schubert symphony and Mendelssohn's overture about the beautiful mermaid who leaves her mermaid realm to live happily with her knight. What could be better – for the horn as well as for this "Quick & Classy" concert? Audiences can also look forward to the principal horn player of the hr-Sinfonieorchester, Kristian Katzenberger, and an early work by the Viennese Romantic composer. While modest in its means and brevity, and reminiscent of Mozart, its rich harmonies and ethereal melodies make it a true Schubert.

Horn in luck

Hessischer Rundfunk

To mark the significant anniversary of the Reformation in Hesse, which the Protestant Church will celebrate in 2026, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) will perform a celebratory concert in Homberg (Efze) under the direction of Austrian conductor Katharina Wincor. The program at St. Mary's Church will feature a virtuosic horn concerto by the young Richard Strauss, performed by hr-Sinfonieorchester's solo horn player Kristian Katzenberger, as well as two captivating orchestral overtures by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The orchestra will also present the Fifth Symphony by Franz Schubert as the main symphonic work of the concert.

500 Years of the Homberg Synod

Stadtkirche St. Marien

Artists in Residence Lucas & Arthur Jussen will be performing chamber music, presenting captivating works for two pianos or pianists. The program ranges from the vibrant and moving Schubert movements to the rhythmic fire of Béla Bartók and the Romanticism of Robert Schumann. Bartók impressively showcased the secret affinity between the sound of two pianos and percussion in his famous sonata. For piano four-hands, however, the early Romantic Schubert left behind more than any other great composer: among other things, the most monumental sonata movement for piano four-hands we know: a stormily beginning, almost grim Allegro, which later inspired the publisher to title it "Life's Storms." Yet here, too, the heavens open – with one of those harmonic turns with which the late Schubert repeatedly transports his listeners to another world. The same is true of his single Adagio Trio movement, in which time seems to stand still.

Life's storms

Chamber music by a Hungarian composer who remains underappreciated to this day. Unlike Bartók and Kodály, Dohnányi remained committed to Romanticism throughout his life. His sonorous Piano Quintet and Sextet captivate with their inventiveness. They are a discovery, as is the uniquely scored Trio by the German Romantic composer Reinecke. Dohnányi was a pianist, conductor, and composer, and in his youth, as a celebrated soloist, he was compared to Franz Liszt. He therefore had a particularly fortunate touch when it came to piano chamber music, as can be experienced in this concert. As a composer, Dohnányi saw himself firmly in the tradition of Brahms. His late Sextet, however, transcends the world of Brahms and simultaneously revels in the broad stylistic panorama of the 1930s.

Piano Romanticism

Kammermusik eines bis heute verkannten Ungarn. Anders als Bartók und Kodály blieb Dohnányi zeitlebens der Romantik verbunden. Sein klangvolles Klavierquintett und sein Sextett bestechen durch ihre Erfindungskraft. Sie sind eine Entdeckung, so wie das apart besetzte Trio des deutschen Romantikers Reinecke. Dohnanyi war Pianist, Dirigent und Komponist und wurde in jungen Jahren als gefeierter Solist mit Franz Liszt verglichen. Für Klavierkammermusik hatte er daher eine besonders glückliche Hand, wie man in diesem Konzert erleben kann. Als Komponist sah sich Dohnanyi ganz in der Brahms-Nachfolge. Sein spätes Sextett indes weist über die Brahms-Welt hinaus und erfreut sich zugleich an dem weiten Stilpanorama der 1930er Jahre

Kristian Katzenberger

Events

Past events

Mar 12, 2026

Horn in luck · Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Mar 11, 2026

500 Years of the Homberg Synod · Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Horn in Horn Concerto No. 1 by Strauss

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Horn in Andante and Variations by Schumann

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Horn in Sextet by Dohnányi

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Horn in Trio for Piano, Clarinet, and Horn by Reinecke

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

About

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