Van Baerle Trio & Isabelle van Keulen

Hannes Minnaar, piano
Maria Milstein, violin
Gideon den Herder, cello
Isabelle van Keulen, viola

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart
Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, KV 493
Robert Schumann/Theodor Kirchner
6 Studies in Canonic Form, op. 56
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Robert Schumann
Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 47

The opening concert juxtaposes two central works of the piano quartet repertoire - a genre often underestimated in chamber music, yet one that bridges intimate chamber music and orchestral richness. Embedded within is a work Schumann originally composed for the pedal piano: an instrument he and Clara used primarily for study, to create sound spaces akin to an organ. Since the pedal piano is scarcely practical for concert performance, Theodor Kirchner's adaptation for piano trio is heard here - entirely in Schumann's spirit.

The Van Baerle Trio is a regular guest in Schwetzingen; Maria Milstein has already performed there with her sister Natalie during the Mozart Festival. This year they have invited Isabelle van Keulen, who ranks among the few musicians who perform at world-class level on both violin and viola. Van Keulen is professor of violin, viola, and chamber music at Lucerne University of Teacher Education and conductor of, among others, the German Chamber Academy Neuss.