Franziska & Florian Hölscher

Beethoven was not only revolutionary in the symphony, the string quartet or the piano sonata: he also played a key role in advancing the duo sonata for piano and violin. Siblings Franziska and Florian Hölscher see his work as a challenge: »It is astonishing that, over the last 100 years – a period characterised by a willingness to experiment – hardly any major attempts have been made to seek out new, contemporary approaches for the violin-piano duo with a similar spirit of discovery. We, however, believe in this combination and have approached two extraordinary figures of our time: Isabel Mundry and Vito Žuraj. Both are embracing this adventure and – with Beethoven in their rear-view mirror – are writing new duo works for us.«

The point of reference is Beethoven’s final violin sonata, which concludes the concert – a ravishingly sunny and gentle work. As brief interludes, two composition students of Mundry and Žuraj contribute their own responses to Beethoven.
 

Vito Žuraj & Isabel Mundry: Composition commissions by Franziska and Florian Hölscher, funded by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation