Christophe Horák and the Karajan-Akademie

The musicians of the Karajan-Akademie present a programme that combines lightness with depth: Beethoven’s Septet captivates with its serenade-like character and the refined interplay between winds and strings. Christophe Horák, principal of the second violins with the Berliner Philharmoniker, will perform the part originally intended for Janine Jansen, who is unable to appear due to illness. In his Two Pieces for string octet, Shostakovich initially celebrates Bach’s Baroque sound world before surprising with wit and irony. Bartók’s Divertimento, composed in 1939, draws on the tradition of the Viennese Classical style while blending it with rhythms and melodies of Hungarian folk dances. At times, threatening harmonies also emerge, foreshadowing the looming world war.