Alban Gerhardt, Violoncello & Alliage Quintett
10/27/2024
at 8:00 PM
/ Hildesheim
Daniel Gauthier, Soprano Saxophone
Miguel Valles Mateu, Alto Saxophone
Simon Hanrath, Tenor Saxophone
Sebastian Pottmeier, Baritone Saxophone
Jang Eun Bae, Piano
“Phantasy in Blue”
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in A Minor RV 418
Dmitri Shostakovich: Five Pieces WoO
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations
Manuel de Falla: 7 Spanish Popular Songs
George Gershwin: “Phantasy in Blue”
The Alliage Quintet takes on the role of the orchestra and accompanies the grand cellist Alban Gerhardt on a sound journey through several centuries: In this program, Tchaikovsky's "Rococo Variations" meet de Falla's "Siete Canciones populares españolas," Vivaldi's A minor cello concerto and – particularly enticing – a wild ride through a "Phantasy in Blue" by George Gershwin.
At the age of eight, Alban Gerhardt discovered his passion for his instrument and has not let go since. He debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic at the age of 21. International engagements in Tokyo, London, and New York followed. Now, he can be heard at Kulturring, together with the Alliage Quintet, the perhaps most charming alloy of four saxophones and piano!
Unique in its composition, the ensemble, which has received two ECHO Klassik awards, makes the illusion of a large orchestra a reality. The melodic and simultaneously expressive-sounding saxophones meet here with the orchestral fullness of a piano, thus creating a new listening experience of the highest quality.
The founder is the Canadian Daniel Gauthier, first chair at the soprano saxophone. He received the first professorship for classical saxophone in Germany in 1997 and has been teaching as a professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne since 2003. Playing with him are some of the currently best soloists of classical saxophone: Miguel Valles, alto saxophone, Simon Hanrath, tenor saxophone, and Sebastian Pottmeier, baritone saxophone. The Korean pianist Jang Eun Bae completes the quintet ensemble.