From Darkness to Light – Kammersymphonie Berlin under Jürgen Bruns, Alexandra Sostmann, piano

Schloss Agathenburg -Pferdestall
25. April 2026
19:30 pm

Duration of event: 100 min

Entrance 42 Euro / reduced 21 Euro plus advance booking fee

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

 

Alexandra Sostmann

Kammersymphonie Berlin

WhatsApp
Facebook
LinkedIn
X
Print

Further program points

Schloss Agathenburg, Pferdestall
23. April 2026
19:30 pm

Opening concert of the Agathenburg Bach Days 2026 – Minguet Quartet – Searching for traces

Stade Elementary School
23. April 2026
08:00 am

Workshop Program with Students in Cooperation with the Lübeck University of Music

Schloss Agathenburg, Pferdestall
24. April 2026
19:30 pm

Piano recital – Bach: Masterpieces for piano

Schloss Agathenburg, Eiskeller
24. April 2026
10:00 am

All-day sound installation – Rouzbeh Rafie – Sound Installation LBDB – From the Big Bang to the Death of the Sun

Schloss Agathenburg, Pferdestall
24. April 2026
10:00 am

Concert for students in cooperation with the Lübeck University of Music, hosted by Juri Tetzlaff

Schloss Agathenburg -Pferdestall
25. April 2026
19:30 pm

From Darkness to Light – Kammersymphonie Berlin under Jürgen Bruns, Alexandra Sostmann, piano

Steinkirchen, St. Martini et St. Nicolai
25. April 2026
16:30 pm

Organ tour – Arp Schnitger organ

Schloss Agathenburg, Hans-Christoph Gewölbe
25. April 2026
16:00 pm

History you can touch — for kids, teens, and young-at-heart adults, with costume designer Angela Gottschalk

Schloss Agathenburg, Barocksaal
25. April 2026
15:30 pm

Panel Discussion on Meinolf Brüser’s Book “Es ist alles Windhauch – Did Bach Plan His Farewell?”

Schloss Agathenburg, Barocksaal
25. April 2026
14:00 pm

Lecture by musicologist and lawyer Dr. Meinolf Brüser

Hollern, St.Mauritius zu Hollern
25. April 2026
15:00 pm

Organ tour – Arp Schnitger Orgel

Schloss Agathenburg, Schlosskeller
25. April 2026
11:00 am

Organ-Building Workshop for Youth and Adults with Annegret Schönbeck

Schloss Agathenburg, Eiskeller
25. April 2026
10:00 am

All-day sound installation – Rouzbeh Rafie – Sound Installation LBDB – From the Big Bang to the Death of the Sun

Schloss Agathenburg, Pferdestall
26. April 2026
19:00 pm

Closing Concert of the Agathenburg Bach Days 2026 – Duo Villarceaux – Adorations

Hollern, St. Mauritius zu Hollern
26. April 2026
14:30 pm

The Gesualdo Six – Lux Aeterna Vocal Concert

Schloss Agathenburg, Barocksaal
26. April 2026
11:00 am

Lecture Recital HPSCHD: Introduction to the Harpsichord with harpsichordist Elena Khurgina

Schloss Agathenburg, Eiskeller
26. April 2026
10:00 am

All-day Sound Installation by Rouzbeh Rafie – Sound Installation LBDB – From the Big Bang to the Death of the Sun

Schloss Agathenburg, Barocksaal
26. April 2026
16:30 pm

“How Wonderful Are Your Works” – Reading with Prof. Michael Maul