Benjamin Herzl Ingmar Lazar

“The absolute moments of happiness come when you can forget yourself a little on stage. That doesn't always work, but sometimes these almost magical moments happen when you play a special violin. And then there's the music, which is particularly moving. You really enjoy that.” When Benjamin Herzl picks up the strings, enjoyment is guaranteed. And not just because the 1732 Guarneri del Gesù lent to him by the Austrian National Bank has already been played by David Oistrakh, Henryk Szeryng and, most recently, the American Joshua Bell.
Our chamber concert with the violinist, who was born in Salzburg in 1994, and his congenial partner of many years, the French pianist Ingmar Lazar, will offer music at its finest: From the inventor of the “Tintinnabuli” back to the classical period of Ludwig van Beethoven and, with Brahms, Grieg and Kreisler, running through all the stages of Romanticism to the turbulent times of one hundred years ago. The final destination of our musical journey lies in Andalusia, the home of the Spanish Gitanos, whose music was given an impressionistic twist in Maurice Ravel's virtuoso “Tzigane”. The fact that the Basque composer's concert rhapsody is one of Herzl's favorite pieces is all the more pleasing, as its performance will ignite many a spark of enthusiasm.