Playful Island – a chamber music project

Islands are places of retreat – and places of encounter. Spielende Insel is both: a space for introspection and dialogue, where music, art and people come together at inspiring venues in Berlin.

Lineages is dedicated to musical connections and lines of tradition across time and geographical space. This season focuses on Johannes Brahms' piano quartets, which will be presented in three concerts throughout the year and placed in dialogue with other works.

The series opens with Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 26 – a work of transcendental beauty and monumental tranquillity, whose architectural breadth and inner balance rank among the great achievements of chamber music. It is framed by two very different perspectives: George Enescu's Piano Trio in A minor, which combines Brahms' formal thinking with French sound culture and Romanian folklore, and Jean Françaix's String Trio in C major, which deliberately contrasts with the Romantic tradition with its transparency, lightness and playful elegance.

The ensemble welcomes award-winning American violinist William Hagen as a special guest, who will perform alongside Andrei Ioniță, Sindy Mohamed and Catalin Serban this evening.

Programme

Jean Françaix
String Trio in C major

George Enescu
Piano Trio in A minor

Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 26


Performers

William Hagen (violin), Sindy Mohamed (viola), Andrei Ioniță (cello), Catalin Serban (piano)