Young European String Quartet &
Young European Wind Quintet
Chamber Concert
Under the patronage of the European Parliament
Mittwoch, 09. September, 20 Uhr, Schwetzingen
Donnerstag, 10. September, 20 Uhr, Mannheim
Program
Young European String Quartet
Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga
Streichquartett Nr. 1
*****
Dimitri Schostakowitsch
Streichquartett Nr. 8, op. 110
*****
Interval
Young European Wind Quintet
Jacques Ibert
3 Pièces Brèves
******
Jean Francaix
Bläserquintett Nr. 1
Works
Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga
Streichquartett Nr. 1
Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga (1806–1826) died at the age of barely twenty – leaving behind works of astonishing maturity. The Basque composer, often referred to as the ‘Spanish Mozart’, wrote his three string quartets at the age of seventeen in Paris, where he was studying at the Conservatoire. The first quartet in D minor captivates with its emotional depth, elegant voice leading and a melodic inventiveness that belies the composer’s age. Arriaga combines classical formal rigour with a distinctive personal tone – a work that gives pause for thought: what might this composer have gone on to achieve?
Dimitri Schostakowitsch
Streichquartett Nr. 8, op. 110
Composed in just three days, Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet is his most personal and deeply moving chamber music work. Written in 1960 in Dresden – amidst the ruins of the bombed-out city – it bears the dedication “to the memory of the victims of fascism and war”. In it, Shostakovich incorporates his own musical signature (D–E flat–C–B), quotes his earlier works as well as folk songs and revolutionary songs. The quartet is a self-portrait in five movements: a swan song, a cry of anguish, a document of inner turmoil – and one of the most moving works of the 20th century.
Jacques Ibert
3 Pièces Brèves
The three short pieces by the French composer Jacques Ibert (1890–1962) form part of the standard repertoire for wind quintets – and for good reason. Witty, incisive and full of irresistible charm, they reflect the spirit of Parisian musical life in the interwar period. Ibert, known for his elegant, colourful style, does not write grand gestures here, but rather chamber music miniatures full of wit: the first piece skips along light-footedly, the second dreams lyrically, the third sweeps away with lively energy. Perfect entertainment – with a high standard of craftsmanship.
Jean Francaix
Bläserquintett Nr. 1
Jean Françaix (1912–1997) was a master of a light touch and dry humour – a composer who never sounded heavier than necessary. His first wind quintet, composed in 1948, is a tribute to elegance: four movements brimming with melodic ideas, rhythmic subtleties and instrumental brilliance. Françaix writes idiomatically for each of the five instruments, allowing them to engage in dialogue, tease one another and flourish together. The work stands in the finest tradition of French neoclassicism – cheerful, transparent, masterful – and brings joy to musicians and audiences alike.
Artists
Anne Erdmann-Schiegnitz
Artistic Director of the Young European String Quartet
Anne Erdmann-Schiegnitz studied violin with Nicolas Chumachenko (Freiburg), Yair Kless (Tel Aviv), and Rudolf Koelmann (Winterthur), where she completed her studies with a concert diploma. She was a scholarship holder of the Otto-Meister Foundation and received support from the Würth Foundation.
Her musical career has taken her, among others, to the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen and the Staatskapelle Weimar. In addition to intensive studies in historical performance practice and masterclasses with Urs Stiehler, Stanley Ritchie, and Midori Seiler, she focuses particularly on chamber music.
In 1996, she founded the Aglaia Trio, with which she performs nationally and internationally. She is also a member of renowned period-instrument ensembles such as Les Amis de Philippe, Merseburger Hofkapelle, L’Arpa Festante, and the Frankfurt Main Baroque Orchestra. Concert appearances have taken her to festivals across Europe; as a concertmaster, she participated, among others, at the Theater Erfurt in Purcell’s King Arthur.
Since 2013, Anne Erdmann-Schiegnitz has been teaching at the Mannheim Music School
Bernd Ballreich
Artistic Director of the Young European Wind Quintet
Bernd Ballreich studied clarinet and saxophone with Professor Hans Pfeifer at the State University of Music in Mannheim. In 1993, he won the university competition and performed Wolfgang Hofmann’s Saxophone Concerto with the Kurpfälzisches Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the Wolf Kaiser Big Band, he performed across Europe at major dance events, including the German Open Championships, the World Dance Championship in Zurich, and the ARD Master Gala.
In addition to his full-time position as a clarinet and saxophone instructor at the Mannheim Municipal Music School, Bernd Ballreich is a welcomed guest in many of Germany’s cultural orchestras, including the National Theatre Orchestra Mannheim, the SWR Symphony Orchestra, and the Bamberg Symphony.
Ensembles
This year, the two chamber music ensembles – the String Quartet and the Wind Quintet – bring together a special selection of musicians. All nine participants are former members of the EYOA and are returning as alumni in a new role.
What unites them is not only their shared past in the orchestra, but also their subsequent musical journeys: young talents have become committed young adults who have consistently pursued their artistic development. Through chamber music collaboration, they now engage in an even more direct dialogue – taking personal responsibility, finely attuned and with a heightened awareness of sound and expression.
Thus, our chamber concert stands not only for musical diversity, but also for continuity and solidarity within our EYOA community.
Young European String Quartet
Violine I & II
Huerta Iago, Spain
Zgółka Antonia, Poland
Viola
Almeida Beatriz, Portugal
Cello
Pop Câtâlin-Mihail, Romania
Young European Wind Quintet
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Romero Vigule Amaia, Spain
Bassoon
Hakon Meyer, Danmark
Horn
Fumagalli Ester, Italy
Dates & tickets
Chamber Concert
String Quartet & Wind Quintet
Mittwoch 09. September 2026
20 Uhr
Mozart Hall, Castle
Schwetzingen
Price per item: €29
School pupils & students: €12
Chamber Concert
String Quartet & Wind Quintet
Donnerstag 10. September 2026
20 Uhr
Art Gallery
Mannheim
Price per item: €29
School pupils & students: €12
Supporters & Sponsors
