Legendary Friendships

The lives of Johannes Brahms, Joseph Joachim, and Robert Schumann were intertwined in countless ways. The Hungarian-born Joachim, one of the most respected violin virtuosos of the 19th century, introduced the young Brahms to Schumann in 1853. From this meeting emerged a lifelong mentor-student relationship and artistic friendship.

Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture is a brilliant work in which the famous student song Gaudeamus igitur also appears. A true rarity on the program is Joachim’s seldom-performed Second Violin Concerto, revealing the influence of Hungarian and Romani musical traditions, performed here by Barnabás Kelemen.

The evening concludes with Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, composed during a period of psychological crisis, yet radiating a sense of inner triumph. The concert will be conducted by Zsolt Hamar, recipient of the Franz Liszt Prize.

Photo: Barnabás Kelemen © Szilvia Csibi