Sym­pho­niker im Foyer

Between string quartet and chamber orchestra, the nonet is a fascinating variant of chamber music in which nine instruments play and communicate with each other on an equal footing. The Nonet No. 9 in F major op. 31 by violin virtuoso Louis Spohr, premiered in 1813, is regarded as the showpiece of this comparatively rarely performed discipline, and its harmonies and tonal colours became style-defining for Romantic composers. 46 years after Spohr, Johannes Brahms also opted for a nonet instrumentation in his lively Serenade No. 1 in D major, which he only later reworked into a chamber orchestral instrumentation.

The performance of the two nonets is complemented by Brahms' intimate Two Songs op. 91 for mezzo-soprano, viola and piano, which Brahms composed in 1863 for the violin (and viola) virtuoso Joseph Joachim and his wife Amalie.