Shared artistic visions and the impressions of the social upheavals in Berlin inspired Jürgen Bruns to found the Kammersymphonie Berlin in 1991.
Experience this outstanding Berlin ensemble with a very special program — ranging from music once banned to the world premiere of a commissioned work for piano, string orchestra, and timpani by our Composer in Residence, Xiaoyong Chen.
Chen’s compositional style is deeply rooted in East Asian philosophy, in which the intrinsic value of things and of sound itself is given far greater attention than in Western thought. What matters is not the scope of the musical material, but its sensitive unfolding through new and unexpected means, allowing the listener to experience sound in its deepest essence. As Chen’s former teacher, György Ligeti, once said:
“Music can be experienced sensually, even if one does not understand its structure.”
Another highlight of the evening is the Concerto for Piano, String Orchestra, and Timpani by Galina Ustvolskaya.
Ustvolskaya, alongside Sofia Gubaidulina, is regarded as one of Russia’s most significant composers. She wrote only 36 works, of which she acknowledged just 25 — Ustvolskaya struggled for every single note. She once said:
“The non-chamber aspect of my music is what’s new — it is the fruit of my agonizing life in creative work! And it is not about the number of performers, but the very core of the music itself. I devote all my strength, praying to God, to my art!”
The soloist of the evening is Alexandra Sostmann, a pianist renowned both for her interpretations of J. S. Bach and for her profound engagement with modern and contemporary music.
Program
Szymon Laks (1901–1983) – Sinfonietta
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) – Meditation
Tadeusz Kassern (1904–1957) – Concerto for String Orchestra
Xiaoyong Chen (*1952) – World Premiere for Piano, String Orchestra, and Timpani
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) – Meditation
Galina Ustvolskaya (1919–2006) – Concerto for Piano, String Orchestra, and Timpani