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The Philharmonic Octet is characterised by polyphonic dialogue between its individual voices; at the same time, the ensemble represents the distinctive sound of the Berliner Philharmoniker in micro format. The main work of this programme is Beethoven’s early Septet in E flat major – a work which would become one of the composer’s most popular during his lifetime. This music is rapturous and vivid, with moments of profound emotion. Beethoven wrote his First Symphony immediately afterwards, and his mature style is already evident. Also on the programme are Wolfgang Rihm’s Sextet for clarinet, horn and string quartet and arrangements of Schubert's Moments musicaux.
Artists
Philharmonic Octet Berlin:
Daishin Kashimoto violin
Romano Tommasini violin
Amihai Grosz viola
Christoph Igelbrink cello
Esko Laine double bass
Wenzel Fuchs clarinet
Stefan Schweigert bassoon
Stefan Dohr french horn
Programme
Franz Schubert
Moments musicaux (arr. for octet by Hans Abrahamsen)
Wolfgang Rihm
Sextett for clarinet, horn and string quartet
Ludwig van Beethoven
Septet in E flat major, op. 20
Chamber Music Hall
11 to 29 €
Introduction
19:30
Series Q: Philharmonic Chamber Music
Biographies
The Philharmonic Octet
The Philharmonic Octet is one of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s most traditional chamber music ensembles. Founded almost 100 years ago by orchestral soloists, its members have been preserving and renewing the Berliner Philharmoniker’s unmistakably polished sound in chamber music ever since. Over the decades, the ensemble has been formed again and again from the orchestra’s soloists, with outstanding musical personalities shaping its history, including concertmasters Tossy Spiwakowsky and Siegfried Borries, as well as principal cellists Gregor Piatigorsky and Nicolai Graudan.
Since its foundation, the Octet has won acclaim from audiences in the musical capitals of Europe. From the second half of the 20th century onwards, the ensemble toured to all continents, performing in countries such as the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand. Milestones included the first concert in Israel in 1978 and performances in the former Soviet Union. The Octet regularly performs at renowned festivals, including those of Salzburg, Lucerne, Edinburgh and Baden-Baden.
The ensemble’s programmes combine great works of chamber music with contemporary compositions. Schubert’s F major Octet and Beethoven’s Septet form the core repertoire. At the same time, the ensemble has inspired important composers such as Paul Hindemith, Hans Werner Henze, Boris Blacher and Karlheinz Stockhausen to write new works. Particularly outstanding: Hindemith’s Octet, which was premiered in Berlin in 1958, with the composer himself on viola. Hans Abrahamsen builds an exciting bridge between tradition and modernity with his octet arrangement of Schubert’s Moments musicaux, which was written especially for the Philharmonic Octet in 2021.
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