Transatlantic Masterpieces: Four Joint Concerts of the Hochschule of Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin and The Juilliard School New York
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- (© Germany.info)
There is a silence left after the last tones of the violin duo have hovered above the audience’s heads in the German Consulate General’s Auditorium. Then, while the musicians slowly droop their gleaming instruments, applaus breaks out that will lasts until the last guest have had his comeback in the here and now…
One stirring hour of classical masterpieces filled the German House that Friday’s night. On April 11 nearby 160 guest joined the first of four concerts of this year’s serial of “Concerts of Friendship” by the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler” (Berlin) and New York’s Juilliard School. Five students or recent graduates of the Berlin music academy were invited to travel to and perform in New York by The Juilliard School this year. Supported by the German Consulate General this transatlantic musical exchange has enabled many German and American musicians to practice and perform together since it has been initiated in 2004. The very first concert took place when the city of Berlin gave a segment of the Berlin Wall to the city of New York as a gift, and three more such exchanges have taken place either in Berlin or in New York since.
On Sunday, two students from Berlin and one from New York jointly staged a second concert in the Sterling Glen Assisted Living Home in Queens. Thus, as part of Juilliard’s outreach program, the Brahms French Horn Trio was brought to senior citizens who are not able to go into a concert hall.
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- The joint ensemble with Dr. Heimsoeth and Luis Kaplan of The Juilliard School
- (© Germany.info)
Your extraordinary performances show that there are two different cultures of interpreting and playing music”, Consul General Dr. Hans-Juergen Heimsoeth underlined the characteristic of this exchange program of which the third performance took place in a more private setting on Monday: in his residence, German and American musicians once more completely captivating their audience. After a thrilling presentation of Gershwin pieces from Porgy and Bess, arranged for clarinet and piano by Igor Begelmann, Sofia Jaffé, violin, and Daniel Seroussi, piano, played a sonata by Isaye and Brahms’ Hungarian Dances.
The 2008 serial closed on Tuesday. At the Juilliard School four three instrumental ensembles performed works of Brahms, Mozart and Bartók, all played jointly by students from Berlin and New York, an extraordinary achievement given the very limited time they had to practice together. With this last concert they showed their outstanding talent once more.
“We were deeply touched by these young artists’ mastery”, Maren Bechmann, marketing assistant at Lufthansa German Airlines, who generously sponsored the transatlantic flights for the students from Germany, remarked at the opening concert last Friday.
Article by Sandra Landsfried
More information on The Juilliard School: http://www.juilliard.edu
More information on the Academy of Music Hanns-Eisler Berlin:http://www.hfm-berlin.de/en/homepage.html
