• Thu. 26.05.
  • 8.00 p.m.
  • Hamburg
    ·Elbphilharmonie

Works by Ludwig van Beethoven

Musikfest Hamburg

Programme

    • Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
    • Piano concerto No. 4 in G major op. 58
    • Ludwig van Beethoven
    • Symphony No. 7 in A major op. 92

Director and concertmaster

Sarah Christian

Sarah Christian’s wish is to convey the honest emotion and energy of classical music to her listeners. In her artistic life, she enjoys combining all influences, not having to compromise anything in her many roles as soloist, chamber musician, the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen’s concert master or as Artistic Director of a chamber music series in her home town of Augsburg. Here she makes the highest demands on herself. Her focus, when studying scores, is always on the music itself, which she approaches with the greatest respect. Her most important teacher is Antje Weithaas, with whom she studied at the Hanns Eisler Music College in Berlin and whose assistant she later became. As professor, Sarah Christian supervises her own class at the Stuttgart College of Music and Performing Arts.

One of her greatest competition success is the ARD Music Competition 2017, at which she won 2nd Prize (no 1st prize was awarded). She also won the audience prize and the Munich Chamber Orchestra’s special prize. Sarah Christian has performed in many European countries, as well as in China, Japan, South America and The United States. As soloist, she has played with orchestras such as the Camerata Salzburg, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia. She gave her debut at Carnegie Hall with the Bavarian State Orchestra in March 2018. Her Debut CD (GENUIN, 2017), featuring Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 80 and Schubert’s C Major Fantasy has been greatly praised by the press »Sarah Christian’s solo debut is simply fantastic! This violinist has proven to be an extremely sensitive interpreter and she is technically quite simply unimpeachable.« (klassik.com).

Piano

Elisabeth Leonskaja

For decades, Elisabeth Leonskaya has been one of the most celebrated pianists of our time. While still a student, she won a number of international piano competitions including the Enescu, the Marguerite Long and the Queen Elizabeth. Her musical development was unmistakably shaped by her collaboration and friendship with Sviatoslav Richter.

Elisabeth Leonskaya left the Soviet Union in 1978 and made her home in Vienna. Since then, she has performed as soloist with almost all of the first-class orchestras in the world. She makes regular appearances at festivals in Vienna, Schleswig Holstein, Schwarzenberg and Hohenems. With her solo recitals she also features in the piano series at the great musical centres – from Paris and Vienna to Tokyo. Despite all her solo activities, chamber music still retains an important place in her work.

In her adopted home of Austria, this pianist is an honorary member of the Vienna Konzerthaus. In 2006, Elisabeth Leonskaya was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour, First Class, for Science and Arts. In 2016 in Georgia, she was appointed Priestess of Art, the country’s highest artistic award. In 2020 she was awarded the International Classical Music Award for her life’s achievement. Her numerous recordings are also testament to her outstanding artistic success. Her highly acclaimed album of Mozart sonatas was released in February 2022.

Director and concertmaster

Sarah Christian

Sarah Christian’s wish is to convey the honest emotion and energy of classical music to her listeners. In her artistic life, she enjoys combining all influences, not having to compromise anything in her many roles as soloist, chamber musician, the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen’s concert master or as Artistic Director of a chamber music series in her home town of Augsburg. Here she makes the highest demands on herself. Her focus, when studying scores, is always on the music itself, which she approaches with the greatest respect. Her most important teacher is Antje Weithaas, with whom she studied at the Hanns Eisler Music College in Berlin and whose assistant she later became. As professor, Sarah Christian supervises her own class at the Stuttgart College of Music and Performing Arts.

One of her greatest competition success is the ARD Music Competition 2017, at which she won 2nd Prize (no 1st prize was awarded). She also won the audience prize and the Munich Chamber Orchestra’s special prize. Sarah Christian has performed in many European countries, as well as in China, Japan, South America and The United States. As soloist, she has played with orchestras such as the Camerata Salzburg, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia. She gave her debut at Carnegie Hall with the Bavarian State Orchestra in March 2018. Her Debut CD (GENUIN, 2017), featuring Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 80 and Schubert’s C Major Fantasy has been greatly praised by the press »Sarah Christian’s solo debut is simply fantastic! This violinist has proven to be an extremely sensitive interpreter and she is technically quite simply unimpeachable.« (klassik.com).