Matinee of the Friends of the Berliner Philharmoniker e. V. Das ist ja unerhört!

Berliner Philharmoniker

With a French perspective

Bochumer Symphoniker

Get ready to string together some serious musical discoveries at Recital 2 with the Atlantic String Quartet.

This bold, boundary-pushing program kicks off with String Quartet No. 2 by Charlotte Sohy—lush, lyrical, and long-overdue for the spotlight. From there, things take a rhythmic twist with Franghiz Ali-Zadeh’s
Rǝqs (Dance), a spellbinding fusion of Azerbaijani folk vibes and avant-garde flair that’ll have your ears dancing. The night closes with Ethel Smyth’s passionate String Quartet in E minor—stormy, soulful, and brimming with dramatic flair.

Recital 2

Memorial University School of Music

EPSG:4326

Turina, Bonis, Sohy, Schubert

Benaroya Hall

In 1866, the composer Hermann Zenta published one of his first works, a charming French "Mélodie". Never heard of him? No wonder! Behind the male pseudonym is Augusta Holmès, born in Paris in 1847. With this little trick, she tried to counter the prejudices of her contemporaries, who simply denied women any creativity. Nevertheless, she took private lessons from César Franck, one of the central figures in the French music world at the time. And she was not alone in this fate: Mélanie Bonis, a good ten years older than her, was also a student of Franck, but was pressured by her parents to marry her. And she also used a pseudonym as a composer: Mélanie became the gender-neutral Mel. And Charlotte Sohy, also born in Paris in 1887, was forced to resort to a similar maneuver and initially signed her works with the name of her grandfather, Charles Sohy. The 2nd Philharmonic Concert is also intended as a contribution to the rediscovery of these unique and strong artistic personalities. And with Debora Waldman, a conductor is at the podium who is very familiar with what was once a male domain. The Brazilian-Israeli conductor, who began her career as Kurt Masur's assistant, is making her debut with the Duisburg Philharmonic.

Strong Women

Philharmonie Mercatorhalle

Cellists owe a considerable debt to French composers and the flood of sonatas and exquisite salon pieces they produced between the 1870s and the beginning of the First World War. Laura van der Heijden, recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year Award in 2025, and rising-star pianist Jâms Coleman preface cellist Jules Delsart’s arrangement of Franck’s Violin Sonata with works by three women who penetrated the patriarchal bastions of Belle Époque music making.

Laura van der Heijden cello; Jâms Coleman piano

Wigmore Hall

Charlotte Sohy

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 29, 2026

Laura van der Heijden cello; Jâms Coleman piano · Wigmore Hall

Past events

Jun 14, 2026

Matinee of the Friends of the Berliner Philharmoniker e. V. Das ist ja unerhört! · Berliner Philharmoniker

Mar 15, 2026

With a French perspective · Bochumer Symphoniker

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