Chamber Music Concert

The world-renowned violist Miguel da Silva shares the stage with his pupils from the chamber music section of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. For Mozart’s String Quintet, he is joined by the acclaimed Quartetto Goldberg, whose close musical bond creates a warm, spontaneous, and friendly interplay – just as chamber music should be. For Schönberg’s Verklärte Nacht, Miguel is joined by five Artists in residence at the Music Chapel, specially brought together for this remarkable sextet.

Mozart – String Quintet No. 4, K. 516

Mozart’s String Quintet, for two violins, two violas, and cello, ranks among his most melancholic works, written in a key where darker sonorities come to the fore. It opens with a dramatic allegro, followed by a minuet in which heavy accents and chromaticism transcend any dance-like character. The adagio paints an almost desolate mood, which Tchaikovsky once described as “unparalleled in its expression of irreconcilable sorrow.” The finale combines a slow introduction with a lively allegro, creating a striking contrast with the preceding movements.

Schönberg – Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4

Verklärte Nacht, a symphonic poem for string sextet by Arnold Schönberg, is based on a poem by Richard Dehmel. The music tells a story of guilt, forgiveness, and human emotions: a woman is pregnant by another man, and together with her beloved, their feelings are elevated to a higher experience. The composition follows the ABACA structure of the poem, moving from a bare, melancholic forest to a bright, hopeful night. With daring harmonies and imaginative sound combinations, this masterpiece marks the transition from Brahmsian chamber music to Wagnerian programmatic drama.

Flagey, Music Chapel