Things will be hotting up in Kronberg from 20 September to 3 October: the third Kronberg Festival to be held in the Casals Forum since its opening in 2022 will again play host to many world-renowned soloists, orchestras and ensembles from across the globe. Cello masterclasses and the violin making fair “VioViva” round off the program.
The second opening concert on 20 September promises to provide special musical highlights with cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, Hamburg-based Ensemble Resonanz and Ludwig van Beethoven’s third symphony, the “Eroica”. Infectious, folk-inspired excitement will be generated by the Slovakian “Janoska-Ensemble: On Fire!” on 21 September, as the group presents original compositions alongside arrangements of works by Bach and Brahms. And for those wishing to experience more innovative concert formats, the “Notfallkonzert” (Emergency Concert) on 22 September with the string quartet of the Orchester im Treppenhaus, or that on 1 October with Stegreif, The Improvising Symphony Orchestra, will be just what they are looking for.
Fans of early music can enjoy the baroque programme performed by cellist Anastasia Kobekina together with orchestra La Stagione Frankfurt on 22 September. The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra directed by István Várdai will be in concert on 24 September bringing Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No 1 and Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances to life. And on the 25th, we journey to Vienna with the wind players of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under the baton of composer Heinz Holliger: in a refreshingly inventive programme combination, the ensemble will contrast Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet with Alban Berg’s Chamber Concerto for piano, violin and 13 wind instruments.
Pianist Martin Helmchen and cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker will unleash “romantic ardor” on September 27: together with other players, they will indulge in the sonority of Johannes Brahms' F minor Piano Quintet and present Dmitri Shostakovich's “Seven Romances after Poems by Aleksandr Blok” with soprano Caroline Melzer. The sparks will only fly on September 29 in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe's “Funkenflug IV”: the musicians ignite dark passions with Mendelssohn's “Scottish” Symphony, in which the vastness and roughness of the Scottish landscape become audible. Violinist Maria Wloszczowska will stand in for Sir András Schiff, who is unfortunately ill, and will shine as the soloist in Johann Sebastian Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major.
Finally, the closing concert on 3 October entitled “Ins Licht II” (Into the Light) will provide a rousing Festival finale. Led by young conductor Anna Handler, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, will perform Bedřich Smetana’s famous tone poem “The Moldau” and, together with soloist Jaemin Han (cello), Peter Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme.
Kronberg Academy has captioned its 2024 Festival with the headline “Passing on the Fire”. Taking its lead from the famous quote “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire”, the Academy wants this Festival to provide a platform for fire and flame to be passed on: between the musicians on stage, from old to young in the masterclass tuition sessions and, of course, from the performing artists to audience members.
All the above-mentioned concerts will take place in either the Grand Hall or the Carl Bechstein Hall of the Casals Forum. In addition, an attractive supporting programme consisting of events such as pre-concert talks and presentations on violin making will be offered throughout the duration of the Festival. A more relaxed concert format is likewise being introduced with the new “Fringe” series, where concerts take place outdoors amid a backdrop of green. In addition, the Cello Masterclasses, in which some 140 talented youngsters from across the world will be taught by five acclaimed cellists, offer a glimpse into the world of musical workshops. The Masterclasses are open to the public and can be visited by all interested listeners. Those participants awarded prizes at the Masterclasses will perform in the Prize Winners′ Concert on 30 September, as well as in the concert entitled “Entdeckungen” (Discoveries) on 29 September.
The second edition of the VioViva Kronberg international violin making exhibition will also take place during the 2024 Kronberg Festival, transforming the town in the Taunus hills into a summit for instrument and bow makers from all over the world, who will present their craft to experts and amateurs alike in Kronberg’s Stadthalle (Municipal Hall).
The full line-up of all concerts and events can be found at www.kronbergacademy.de. Tickets are already on sale, and can be purchased via the Kronberg Academy website, by calling +49 (0) 6173 783377 or by emailing karten@kronbergacademy.de, as well as from the ticket office at Beethovenplatz 1, 61476 Kronberg im Taunus.
The press release is available here for download.