Petr Matěják from the 1st violins comes from the Czech Republic and grew up with the music of Bedřich Smetana: „The international music festival 'Prague Spring' opens every year with the cycle 'Má Vlast'. In addition to these symphonic poems, of which the 'Moldau' is world-famous, and well-known operas, Smetana also composed very beautiful chamber music, which I particularly appreciate. His first string quartet from 1876, which we are playing in this concert, musically tells episodes of his life story and then very impressively reflects the catastrophe that befell him: suddenly the fourth movement breaks off and the violin plays an extremely high e - Smetana was composing the beginning of his hearing disorder. He soon became completely deaf, unfortunately, but he still continued composing until almost his death.“

 A former violinist who had taught himself to play the clarinet to perfection autodidactically so delighted Johannes Brahms with his singing tone in 1891 that he ended his self-declared retirement. He wrote him not only a very beautiful trio, but also a quintet, which our Principal Clarinettist Julius Ockert is particularly looking forward to: „It is one of the three most beautiful, if not the most beautiful piece of chamber music for clarinet. We don't have many works for string quartet and clarinet: there is Mozart's famous clarinet quintet, and the second great one is Brahms'. With him, incredibly beautiful timbres come out, because the instruments mix quite wonderfully. The way Brahms wrote the piece leaves nothing to be desired: There are cantilena passages, folk melodies and dreamlike harmonies. You can really dive in, it's so easy with this music!“