Concert Programmes
2025/2026
Programmes for string trio
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Light & Shadow
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Schubert and Beethoven need little introduction: after several attempts, Schubert completed only one string trio, while Beethoven left no fewer than five. All of these works belong to the core repertoire for string trio. In this programme you will hear Beethoven's Opus 9 No. 3, the last of his five string trios, composed during his youth when he had just arrived in Vienna to study with Haydn. This trio, the only one he composed in a minor key, alternates between dark and light, dramatic intensity and beautiful, sunny melodies. While Beethoven experimented with the genre and composed his five trios within just a few years, Schubert struggled more and was relieved to have finally completed one; shortly after, he devoted himself full-time to composing. His trio is primarily characterised by its lightness, charm, and positivity.
Weinberg was a composer with a remarkable life story; he lost a large part of his family, was constantly fleeing war, threat, and persecution, became close friends with Shostakovich and left behind an extensive oeuvre. The Hague String Trio has recorded his string trio on their CD After the Darkness
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Franz Schubert String Trio in B flat major, D. 581
Mieczysław Weinberg String Trio
******
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) String Trio in C minor, op. 9 no. 3
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The Roaring Twenties
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In this programme we dive into the turbulent period of 1920s Berlin, Vienna and Paris, breeding grounds of experimental forms in art, music, theatre, etc. Eisler and Gershwin immersed themselves in jazz music, Kreisler travelled the world as the last violinist in the tradition of Paganini, performing his own compositions, and the Hungarian Frid wrote his string trio in the prime of his life, travelling and performing throughout Europe as a virtuoso pianist.
Röntgen, meanwhile, had built up a name for himself in The Netherlands: one of the founding fathers of the Amsterdam Conservatoire and the Concertgebouw, he left behind more than 600 compositions. Last but not least: Wegener; she was only active as a composer for ten years and left us a beautiful suite for string trio; with their world premiere recording on the CD Celebrating Women! The Hague String Trio hopes that her name will reach as many people as possible!
Julius Röntgen String Trio in A major, no. 13 (1925)
Hanns Eisler Scherzo (1920)
George Gershwin Three Preludes (1926) (arr. by Martin Stegner)
*****
Emmy Frensel Wegener Suite for violin, viola and cello (1925)
Fritz Kreisler Marche Miniature Viennoise (1925)
Géza Frid Trio à cordes op. 1 (1926)
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Visions of Goldberg
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Experience the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach in a new and unique way: in collaboration with digital artist Lisette Huizenga, a fascinating combination of image and music is created by means of a stop motion animation film projected as a moving backdrop on a screen during the concert. A performance, inspired by and in the service of Bach's music, with a nod to the work of Escher, a great admirer of Bach, will intrigue and captivate the audience. In a world where everything seems to move fast, and information has to be short and bitesize, this performance offers a welcome contrast. A time out where the audience can sit back and immerse themselves in the beauty of music and art.
Can also be booked purely as a concert, with only the music of Bach.
​
Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg Variations (1741)
(arranged by Dmitry Sitkovetsky for string trio)
c.85” without interval. Also possible with interval
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Crossover programme with vocalist
Lucy Woodward
Lost in the Stars
Music by Kurt Weill and his contemporaries
A new and exciting production with vocalist Lucy Woodward, bassist/arranger Marijn van Prooijen & drummer Vinsent Planjer centred around the music of Kurt Weill and his collaborations with songwriters including Bertolt Brecht, Langston Hughes and Ira Gershwin. The concert features classics such as Alabama Song, September Song, Lost in the Stars and Charlie Chaplin’s nostalgic Smile. Highlighting artists who have come from turbulent times, escaping persecution, crossing continents and genres, classical to jazz, from Europe to America, forced to emigrate in search of a better life while Lost in the Stars.
Concert programmes with pianist
Ksenia Kouzmenko
Leipzig Love Stories
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Leipzig, for centuries one of the greatest musical capitals of Europe, has always been a magnet for the most talented musicians. This programme focuses on four exceptional composers who lived, studied, composed, made music and found love in this beautiful city during the 19th century.
Amanda Maier, Swedish violinist and composer, fell in love with Julius, the son of her Dutch violin teacher. Julius, a successful composer and fine pianist, would later prove unmissable in the musical life of Amsterdam being essential in the creation of both the Concertgebouw and the Conservatorium of Amsterdam.
And then, perhaps the most famous love story in classical music: Robert Schumann married the young Clara Wieck, an outstanding pianist and composer, and daughter of Robert’s piano teacher.
You will hear one of Julius Röntgen’s charming string trios, music for piano solo by Clara Schumann and wonderful piano quartets by Amanda Röntgen-Maier and Robert Schumann.
Julius Röntgen String Trio no. 4, ’Walzer Suite’
Amanda Röntgen-Maier Piano Quartet in E minor
*****
Clara Schumann-Wieck Romance op. 11 no. 2 for piano solo
Robert Schumann Piano Quartet in E flat major, op. 47
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Mozart & Fauré
In the first half of this programme you can hear the short gem Aubade by the Romanian composer Georges Enescu, student of Fauré, and Mozart’s charming second piano quartet.
Mozart was commissioned by Anton Hoffmeister to write three piano quartets. After submitting the first, the commission was cancelled citing that it was too difficult. Mozart, however, was so intrigued by the genre, he decided, thankfully, to compose this second masterpiece for his own pleasure!
Gabriel Fauré’s beautiful first piano quartet was composed during some of the most turbulent years of his life in which he was suffering from unrequited love. Despite being in a dark, minor key, the music is elegant and refined, and whilst also being passionate, never self-indulgent. After its successful premiere in1880, Fauré replaced the finale three years later and it is this revised version which has become one of the most loved French chamber music works of the late 19th century.
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Georges Enescu Aubade
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Quartet no. 2 in E flat major, KV 493
*****
Gabriel Fauré Piano Quartet no. 1 in C minor, op. 15
Concert programmes with oboist
Pauline Oostenrijk
Mozart and his contemporaries
​
Mozart’s famous Oboe Quartet is one of his most exceptional chamber music works. Mozart’s contemporaries, however, also composed beautiful music for the combination of oboe and string trio. Pauline Oostenrijk and The Hague String Trio would like to introduce you to this treasure trove of wonderful repertoire and Pauline will talk about the lives of the less well-known composers on the programme and their relationships to Mozart.
Johann Christian Bach Oboe quartet in B flat major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Allegro voor string trio in G major, K. Anh. 66 (K.562e)
František Vincenc KramáÅ™ Oboe quartet no. 1 in C major
*****
Christian Cannabich Oboe quartet in B flat major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Oboe Quartet in F major, KV 370
Phantasy and Glee!
​
Edward Elgar wrote his charming Andante and Allegro at a young age and yet the manuscript has only recently been published. It was most likely composed for the Worcester Glee Club, a small amateur music group founded by his father and uncle in which Edward both played and wrote music for. Glee meaning originally either a part-song for male voices or delight and joy! Beethoven’s string trio opus 9 no. 3 is the last of the five string trios he composed as a young man, recently arrived in Vienna to study with Haydn. Another youthful composition, Benjamin Britten wrote his colourful and brilliant Phantasy Quartet as a student of nineteen at the Royal College of Music. The concert is brought to a close with the famous oboe quartet of Mozart, one of the highlights and most frequently performed works of the chamber music repertoire for oboe.
Edward Elgar Andante and Allegro
Ludwig van Beethoven String Trio in C minor, op. 9 no. 3
*****
Benjamin Britten Phantasy Quartet op. 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Oboe Quartet in F major, KV 370
Concert Programmes
2024/2025
Programmes for string trio
​
Visions of Goldberg
Experience the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach in a new and unique way: in collaboration with digital artist Lisette Huizenga, a fascinating combination of image and music is created by means of a stop motion animation film projected as a moving backdrop on a screen during the concert. A performance, inspired by and in the service of Bach's music, with a nod to the work of Escher, a great admirer of Bach, will intrigue and captivate the audience. In a world where everything seems to move fast, and information has to be short and bitesize, this performance offers a welcome contrast. A time out where the audience can sit back and immerse themselves in the beauty of music and art.
Can also be booked purely as a concert, with only the music of Bach.
Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg Variations (1741)
(arranged by Dmitry Sitkovetsky for string trio)
c.85” without interval. Also possible with interval
​
Light & Shadow
Schubert and Beethoven need little introduction: after several attempts, Schubert completed only one string trio, while Beethoven left us no less than five. All of them works that belong to the core string trio repertoire. In this programme you will hear Beethoven's glorious opus 3, written only a few years after Mozart's Divertimento, with the same number of movements and in the same key. Beethoven was still at the beginning of his musical career and was experimenting with the genre, Schubert was relieved to have finally completed a string trio; soon after, he devoted himself to composing full-time. Both works are characterised by their lightness, charm and positivity.
Weinberg was a composer with a remarkable life story; he lost a large part of his family, was constantly on the run from war, threats and persecution, befriended Shostakovich and left behind an extensive oeuvre. The Hague String Trio has recorded his string trio on the CD After the Darkness.
​
Franz Schubert String Trio in B flat major, D. 581
Mieczysław Weinberg String Trio
******
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) String Trio in E flat major, op. 3
​
​
The Roaring Twenties
In this program we dive into the turbulent period of 1920s Berlin, Vienna and Paris; breeding grounds of experimental forms in art, music, theatre, etc. Eisler and Gershwin immersed themselves in jazz music, Kreisler travelled the world as the last violinist in the tradition of Paganini, performing his own compositions, and the Hungarians Frid and Hermann wrote their string trios in the prime of their lives, travelling and performing throughout Europe as pianist and cellist.
Röntgen, meanwhile, had built up a name for himself in The Netherlands: one of the founding fathers of the Amsterdam Conservatoire and the Concertgebouw, he left behind more than 600 compositions. Last but not least: Wegener; she was active as a composer for only ten years and left us a beautiful suite for string trio; with their world premiere recording on the CD Celebrating Women! The Hague String Trio hopes that her name will reach as many people as possible!
​
Emmy Frensel Wegener Suite for violin, viola and cello (1925)
Pál Hermann String Trio (1921)
Julius Röntgen String Trio in A major, no. 13 (1925)
*****
Géza Frid Trio à cordes op. 1 (1926)
Hanns Eisler Scherzo (1920)
Fritz Kreisler Marche Miniature Viennoise (1925)
George Gershwin Three Preludes (1926) (arr. by Martin Stegner)
​
Concert programmes with pianist
Ksenia Kouzmenko
Leipzig Love Stories
Leipzig, for centuries one of the greatest musical capitals of Europe, has always been a magnet for the most talented musicians. This programme focuses on four exceptional composers who lived, studied, composed, made music and found love in this beautiful city during the 19th century.
Amanda Maier, Swedish violinist and composer, fell in love with Julius, the son of her Dutch violin teacher. Julius, a successful composer and fine pianist, would later prove unmissable in the musical life of Amsterdam being essential in the creation of both the Concertgebouw and the Conservatorium of Amsterdam.
And then, perhaps the most famous love story in classical music: Robert Schumann married the young Clara Wieck, an outstanding pianist and composer, and daughter of Robert’s piano teacher.
You will hear one of Julius Röntgen’s charming string trios, music for piano solo by Clara Schumann and wonderful piano quartets by Amanda Röntgen-Maier and Robert Schumann.
Julius Röntgen String Trio no. 4, ’Walzer Suite’
Amanda Röntgen-Maier Piano Quartet in E minor
*****
Clara Schumann-Wieck Romance op. 11 no. 2 for piano solo
Robert Schumann Piano Quartet in E flat major, op. 47
​
​
Mozart & Fauré
The year 2024 will be 100 years since the death of Gabriel Fauré. This is commemorated with his stunning first piano quartet, composed during some of the most turbulent years of his life. In the first half of the programme you can hear the short gem Aubade by the Romanian composer Georges Enescu, student of Fauré, and Mozart’s charming second piano quartet.
Mozart was commissioned by Anton Hoffmeister to write three piano quartets. After submitting the first, the commission was cancelled citing that it was too difficult. Mozart, however, was so intrigued by the genre, he decided, thankfully, to compose this second masterpiece for his own pleasure!
Georges Enescu Aubade
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Quartet no. 2 in E flat major, KV 493
*****
Gabriel Fauré Piano Quartet no. 1 in C minor, op. 15
Concert programmes with oboist
Pauline Oostenrijk
Mozart and his contemporaries
​
Mozart’s famous Oboe Quartet is one of his most exceptional chamber music works. Mozart’s contemporaries, however, also composed beautiful music for the combination of oboe and string trio. Pauline Oostenrijk and The Hague String Trio would like to introduce you to this treasure trove of wonderful repertoire and Pauline will talk about the lives of the less well-known composers on the programme and their relationships to Mozart.
Johann Christian Bach Oboe quartet in B flat major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Allegro voor string trio in G major, K. Anh. 66 (K.562e)
František Vincenc KramáÅ™ Oboe quartet no. 1 in C major
*****
Christian Cannabich Oboe quartet in B flat major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Oboe Quartet in F major, KV 370
​
Phantasy and Glee!
​
Edward Elgar wrote his charming Andante and Allegro at a young age and yet the manuscript has only recently been published. It was most likely composed for the Worcester Glee Club, a small amateur music group founded by his father and uncle in which Edward both played and wrote music for. Glee meaning originally either a part-song for male voices or delight and joy! Beethoven’s string trio opus 9 no. 3 is the last of the five string trios he composed as a young man, recently arrived in Vienna to study with Haydn. Another youthful composition, Benjamin Britten wrote his colourful and brilliant Phantasy Quartet as a student of nineteen at the Royal College of Music. The concert is brought to a close with the famous oboe quartet of Mozart, one of the highlights and most frequently performed works of the chamber music repertoire for oboe.
Edward Elgar Andante and Allegro
Ludwig van Beethoven String Trio in C minor, op. 9 no. 3
*****
Benjamin Britten Phantasy Quartet op. 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Oboe Quartet in F major, KV 370