Sonntagskonzert im Spiegelsaal

In the organizer's words:

GUY BRAUNSTEIN

"I always remain who I am. Only the music decides my meaning." (Guy Braunstein)

A unique blend of virtuosity, restraint and creativity - this is what violinist, conductor and composer Guy Braunstein stands for. Like few others, he not only knows how to convince audiences with his music, but also how to challenge them: Whether with demanding programs, sophisticated interpretations or his own works and arrangements - Guy Braunstein aims to surprise and reinvent. And although it is easy to place him in the "tradition of the great Jewish violinists such as Mischa Elman and Isaac Stern" (Telegraph), for him music lives not only from its own history, but through constant renewal, updating and unexpected twists and turns.

Whether as a celebrated soloist who masters the standard repertoire from Bach to Shostakovich with ease, or as a congenial chamber music partner in a wide variety of formations: Guy Braunstein is a guest at the world's most important music centers and festivals. He has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra London and the Berlin Philharmonic. His musical partners include András Schiff, Zubin Mehta, Maurizio Pollini, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Yefim Bronfman, Daniel Barenboim, Simon Rattle, Martha Argerich, Mitsuko Uchida, Christoph von Dohnányi, Lang Lang, Emmanuel Ax, Andris Nelsons and Semyon Bychkov. Guy Braunstein is also present on the international concert stage as a conductor: he was Conductor and Artist in Residence with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra and the Trondheim Symfoniorkester and works with orchestras such as the Helsinki, Rotterdam and Israel Philharmonic as well as the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

Highlights of the 2023/24 season include concerts with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Chamber Soloists and the Copenhagen Phil, in which Guy Braunstein will perform as a soloist and conductor. The programs include his own works such as "Die Nacht wird immer verklärter" and the Rusalka Rhapsody as well as the violin concertos by Elgar, Delius and Haydn.

Guy Braunstein's greatest and identity-forming passion is arranging and composing: In the romantic tradition of Paganini and Liszt, he brilliantly transcribes musical masterpieces for his own or other instruments and instrumentations and presents operas, chamber music or even songs in a completely new form. In addition to excerpts from Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" and "Swan Lake", he has also arranged Puccini arias and Dvořák's opera "Rusalka". In 2023, "Die Nacht wird immer verklärter", an arrangement of Schönberg's string sextet "Verklärte Nacht", celebrated its premiere with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. The violinist is particularly fond of the Beatles' songs: in addition to Six Variations on "Blackbird" and the arrangements of "A hard day's night" and "Something", Guy Braunstein also wrote his "Abbey Road Concerto", a highly virtuoso version of the Beatles' album "Abbey Road" for solo violin and orchestra.

In 2024, Guy Braunstein released his own as well as Delius' Violin Concerto and Vaughan-Williams' "The Lark Ascending" on Alpha Records in a recording with Alondra de la Parra and Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. His 2019 albums "Tchaikovsky Treasures" with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and his own arrangements, "Old Souls" with arrangements of chamber music works by Dvořák, Beethoven, Wolf and Kreisler and "Music of my Heart" (2012) with works by Bloch, Chausson, Brahms, Corelli and others, as well as his recording of Bruch's Violin Concerto and the "Scottish Fantasy", recorded with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Ion Marin.

Guy Braunstein grew up in Tel Aviv and began playing the violin at the age of seven. He was taught there by Chaim Taub and later in New York by Glenn Dicterow and Pinchas Zuckerman and his mentor Isaac Stern. His collaboration with Claudio Abbado in particular is one of Guy Braunstein's most important influences. In 2000, he became the youngest violinist in the orchestra's history to take over the position of 1st concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker and helped shape the orchestra's work for twelve years. He was Artistic Director of the Rolandseck Festival and the clasclas Festival in Galicia.

Guy Braunstein plays a violin by Francesco Ruggieri from 1679.

GILI SCHWARZMANN

is an outstanding flautist and composer who is celebrated for her artistry as a soloist on some of the world's most prestigious stages, including the Musikverein Vienna, the Berlin Philharmonie and the Auditorio Nacional Madrid. Known for her expressive and subtle musicianship, she regularly collaborates with some of the most prominent artists on the classical music scene, including Martha Argerich, Alisa Weilerstein and Steven Isserlis. She also goes on chamber music tours with members of the Berlin Philharmonic and other renowned musicians.

As a passionate music teacher, Schwarzman passes on her knowledge and love of music in master classes all over the world. She is also a regular guest at renowned festivals, including the Salzburg Festival, the Lucerne Festival and the Rolandseck Festival. Her performances are regularly broadcast on major European radio and television stations.

In 2022, Schwarzman presented her debut CD on Sony Classical with a release concert at Carnegie Hall in New York. Her discography also includes a chamber music album on Pentatone with unique arrangements of masterpieces for flute and strings, recorded with some of her closest musical partners: violinist Guy Braunstein, violist Amihai Grosz and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

In addition to her career as a flautist, Gili Schwarzman has also made a name for herself as a composer. Her works have been performed by some of the world's leading musicians and have earned her a permanent place in the contemporary classical music scene. Her orchestral piece Portrait was premiered by the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and later turned into a ballet by renowned choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, performed by dancers from the Royal Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet. The ballet premiered at the PAAX GNP Festival in Mexico under the direction of Maestra Alondra de la Parra.

Her first major commission, Prelude for solo cello, was inspired by her family history and Alisa Weilerstein's artistic expressiveness. The work was part of Weilerstein's Fragments project, with performances in Toronto, Santa Barbara, San Diego and New York, and will soon be heard in major European concert halls, including London and Berlin.

From 2006 to 2012, Schwarzman toured with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Daniel Barenboim, which had a decisive influence on her artistic and musical development.

JULIEN QUENTIN

The French pianist Julien Quentin has made a name for himself as an accomplished and sensitive musician and is known for his great musical maturity. His remarkable depth and musicality, his pronounced tonal clarity and astonishing technique make him a sought-after soloist and chamber music concert partner.

He has made successful debuts with recitals at the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Geneva Conservatory and Bargemusic in New York. As a soloist, he has performed with the Philharmonic Orchestras of Wroclaw, Qatar and Córdoba and under conductors such as Tommaso Placidi, Paul Biss and Han-Na Chang. He has been invited to numerous international festivals, including Verbier, Lucerne, Gstaad, Montreux, Zermatt, Dresden, Braunschweig, Schwetzingen, Ludwigsburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Beethovenfest Bonn, Radio France Montpellier and Saint Denis. He performs regularly in North America and has played at the Ravinia, La Jolla, Ventura and Mostly Mozart festivals. Many of his concerts in Canada, the United States, Japan and Europe have been recorded.

Julien Quentin is a passionate chamber musician who has shared the stage with artists such as Nicolas Altstaedt, Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili, Joshua Bell, Gautier Capuçon, Martin Fröst, Sol Gabetta, David Garrett, Nelson Goerner, Ilya Gringolts, Gary Hoffman, Angelika Kirchschlager, Lawrence Power, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Sayaka Shoji, Kirill Troussov and István Várdai.

On his international concert tours through America, Australia, Japan, the Middle East and throughout Europe, he has performed in well-known venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Wigmore Hall in London, the Louvre in Paris, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Konzerthaus Vienna, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Avery Fisher, Alice Tully and Carnegie Hall in New York. He has recorded for EMI, Channel Classics, Sony RCA, Hungaroton, Decca and Deutsche Grammophon.

Julien Quentin has also gained concert experience as a harpsichordist and has performed with Sarah Chang, the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and with Thomas Quasthoff under the direction of Leonidas Kavakos.

Julien Quentin was born in Paris and received his first lessons from Alexis Golovine at the Conservatory in Geneva. In 2002, he obtained his artistic diploma at Indiana University, where he studied with Emile Naoumoff and took up a one-year teaching position as an assistant, sponsored by the Presser Award. In 2003 he graduated from the Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with György Sándor. He also attended master classes with Paul Badura-Skoda, Nikita Magaloff, György Sebök and Earl Wild.

Julien Quentin lives and works in Berlin. With the 'Musica Litoralis' in the Piano Salon Christophori, he has created an increasingly successful concert series reminiscent of the salons of the Golden Twenties. Together with visual artists, he explores new artistic visions and thus combines different art forms. He is constantly exploring new genres and musical styles in collaboration with other musicians, working on projects with pianists Kelvin Sholar, Kaan Bulak & Francesco Tristano, and producers Adrien de Maublanc and Cesar Merveille, producing electronic music, particularly as part of their new projects Midiminuit & Les Coeurs Brisés.