The MAV Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Michael Zukernik opens today's concert evening with the Four Seasons of Antonio Vivaldi, which were published in 1725. Amira Abouzahra on the violin will guide you through the spring, summer, fall and winter. The three-movement violin concertos in their variety of associations invite different states of nature: winds, storms, thunderstorms and birdsong sound as onomatopoeia. Go on a search for sleeping shepherds and peasant drinking songs, footsteps and the singing of the cuckoo before the winter captures them with a violinist's pizzicato.

This is followed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky's string sextet Souvenir de Florence, originally conceived for six strings (two violins, two violas and two cellos). But today this chamber music line-up is gladly extended to a small orchestra - as well as tonight. Like Brahms' famous string sextet, Tchaikovsky's wonderful sextet also suffered the fate of being rarely performed despite its fame, as there are just too few sextet ensembles. Souvenir de Florence was founded in 1890, after the composer quickly took the city of Florence on various trips to heart. After his return to Russia, the string sextet was created under the impression of the beautiful memories of the Tuscan city. Direct programmatic musical echoes, folkloristic quotations or the like are sought in "Souvenir de Florence" but in vain. So the name "Souvenir de Florence" is a bit misleading. Since the sextet is not the so-called "program music", but rather absolute music based on the classic Western pattern. Enjoy a fast first movement, a highly romantic and slow second movement, a sparkling Scherzo and a lively finale.