Pfingstkonzert

The Whitsun Concert brings together two outstanding artistic personalities: the extraordinary cellist Christoph Croisé and the internationally acclaimed pianist Oxana Shevchenko. Together, they stand for an artistic partnership that impressively combines technical brilliance, stylistic diversity and deeply felt musicality.

Honored by the Tagesspiegel as a "cellist with a fine-nerved habitus and warm, intimate timbre", Christoph Croisé is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation. As an interpreter and composer, he carries the tradition of the composing virtuoso into the present and combines influences from Baroque, Classical, Jazz and electronic music to create an unmistakable signature. At the age of 17, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York. Since then, he has performed regularly in renowned halls such as the Tonhalle Zurich, the Konzerthaus Vienna, the Wigmore Hall, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Philharmonie Berlin. As a soloist, he has worked with renowned conductors and orchestras; Radio broadcasts by BBC, BR and SRF, among others, accompanied his international career. He has won several prizes at international competitions and is also active as a conductor.

Oxana Shevchenko has performed worldwide with leading orchestras such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra dell'Arena di Verona. Numerous competition successes – including the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition – underline her artistic charisma. Her education took her from the Moscow Conservatory to the Royal College of Music in London and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Her debut album was named an "Editor's Choice" by Gramophone Magazine. She has a long-standing artistic partnership with Christoph Croisé; In 2016 they won the Salieri-Zinetti Chamber Music Competition together.

The programme of the Whitsun concert spans a wide musical arc: Johannes Brahms' Sonata in F major (32'), the lyrical romance by Richard Strauss (10'), Frédéric Chopin's brilliant Polonaise brillante (9') and Pablo de Sarasate's virtuoso "Zigeunerwiesen" (8') can be heard. Together, these works unfold a colourful concert full of expression, brilliance and emotional depth.