Projects

• 19.09.26 – 20.09.26

  Anima Eterna Brugge (46 Musiker) - Alexander Melnikov (Klavier & Leitung)

  Central European Landscapes - At the Heart of European Music

  Details

  Program:

  Antonín Dvořák (arr. Josef Suk) - Auszüge aus Les Cyprès B.152 (Cypřiše)
  Leoš Janáček - Concertino (1925)
  Vítězslava Kaprálová - Partita für Streicher & Klavier solo (1939)

  ***
  Béla Bartók - Musik für Saiteninstrumente, Schlagzeug und Celesta (1936)

   

  At the Heart of European Music

  Alexander Melnikov and Anima Eterna explore, on period instruments, three masterpieces that shape the musical landscape of Mitteleuropa at the time.It is first to 19th-century Czech music that Alexander Melnikov and Anima Eterna pay tribute at the outset of this journey. For Dvořák is undoubtedly the first to infuse a deeply Czech inspiration into the European musical spirit. Janáček’s Concertino is an ode to nature where horns become hedgehogs and clarinets squirrels, while owls sing at nightfall. The now-famous Partita Op. 20 by Kaprálová is the culmination of her work in Paris with Martinů, revealing the extraordinary talent of a composer whose life was tragically cut short. Finally, the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta stands as one of Bartók’s masterpieces. From its austere and somber opening fugue to its brilliant, folk-tinged finale, passing through its magical and evocative nocturne, it is an exceptional distillation of the composer’s artistry.

  Contact:

  • Tobias Weigold-Wimmer tobias@weigold-boehm.de +49 81 93 23 61 200
• 13.10.26 – 18.10.26

  Anima Eterna Brugge (46 Musiker) - Alexander Melnikov (Klavier & Leitung)

  Central European Landscapes - At the Heart of European Music

  Details

  Program:

  Antonín Dvořák (arr. Josef Suk) - Auszüge aus Les Cyprès B.152 (Cypřiše)
  Leoš Janáček - Concertino (1925)
  Vítězslava Kaprálová - Partita für Streicher & Klavier solo (1939)

  ***
  Béla Bartók - Musik für Saiteninstrumente, Schlagzeug und Celesta (1936)

   

  At the Heart of European Music

  Alexander Melnikov and Anima Eterna explore, on period instruments, three masterpieces that shape the musical landscape of Mitteleuropa at the time. It is first to 19th-century Czech music that Alexander Melnikov and Anima Eterna pay tribute at the outset of this journey. For Dvořák is undoubtedly the first to infuse a deeply Czech inspiration into the European musical spirit. Janáček’s Concertino is an ode to nature where horns become hedgehogs and clarinets squirrels, while owls sing at nightfall. The now-famous Partita Op. 20 by Kaprálová is the culmination of her work in Paris with Martinů, revealing the extraordinary talent of a composer whose life was tragically cut short. Finally, the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta stands as one of Bartók’s masterpieces. From its austere and somber opening fugue to its brilliant, folk-tinged finale, passing through its magical and evocative nocturne, it is an exceptional distillation of the composer’s artistry.

  Contact:

  • Tobias Weigold-Wimmer tobias@weigold-boehm.de +49 81 93 23 61 200
• 28.04.27 – 09.05.27

  Anima Eterna Brugge (45 Musiker) & Midori Seiler (Violine & Leitung)

  Celebrating Beethoven

  Details

  Program:

  Maria Antonia Walpurgis; Ouverture zu Talestri, Regina delle Amazzoni (c. 1760): I. Allegro
  Maddalena Sirmen (1745-1818): Duetto op 5 nr 1 in E Flat major
  Regina Strinasacchi (1761-1839): Violin concerto B flat Major
  Paul Wranitzky (1756-1808): Sinfonie C Major op.19 „the Emperors“, only Andante con moto and Finale: Presto
  Pause
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ouverture „La Clemenza di Tito“
  Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Symphony no 5 c minor

  The other Vienna

  This program features a well-known, an exceptionally famous piece from Vienna of the year 1808, when Beethoven was already on the peak of his fame. The four notes of the entry theme of his Symphony no 5 is maybe the most well-known classical melody of the world. Beethoven was a star in his chosen hometown Vienna, and many more musicians passed through this cultural centre of the Western world.

  One of them was the young female violinist Regina Strinasacchi. As female visibility has been a great issue in the arts of the past centuries, her legacy was preserved mainly by a coincidence: Leopold Mozart in 1785 heard her concert in Salzburg and wrote a letter to his son Wolfgang. In this letter he describes Regina as a very skilful 23 year old violinist who plays with outstanding sentiment, beauty and sense, as to prove that women are capable of playing with stronger expression than men. Strinasacchi commissioned Wolfgang to write a sonata for her, the famous sonata KV 454, which the two of them performed together in Vienna (again, we have knowledge of this concert only by a letter from Wolfgang to Leopold). Regina was also a star at her time, despite of the moral standards at that time, when women were not supposed to be on a stage. (The only exception of this standard were singers, whose fame was paid for with a dubious reputation.) She composed several works, one remaining in the British Library is the manuscript of her violin concerto in B major, which Midori Seiler has copied and put in a modern writing.

  Vienna was frequently visited by artists from England and Italy, but hardly any French composer came to visit, even if French music was played. So we can only speculate why Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, who travelled extensively through his life, never paid a visit to the metropole, if for traditional reasons or because of his origin, being the son of a former slave from Guadeloupe in 18th century society. There is strong evidence that Saint George had personal contact with Haydn and even commissioned Haydn’s Paris Symphonies (Nr 82-87), when Saint Georges was the conductor of „Loge Olympique“ in Paris. Both Mozart, when travelling to Paris in 1778 and Saint George were long term guests at the very same apartment of Baron Melchior Grimm and Louise d’Epinay- so there is a possibility, that although Saint George never travelled to Vienna, he met two of the most influential Viennese composers of his time.

  Contact:

  • Tobias Weigold-Wimmer tobias@weigold-boehm.de +49 81 93 23 61 200
  • Julie Davidsen julie@weigold-boehm.de +49 81 93 23 61 208
• 01.06.27 – 31.07.30

  Further dates upon request

  Anima Eterna Brugge (15 Musiker)

  Twilight Serenades - Spohr and Dvorak. Romantic Glow to Bohemian Dusk

  Details

  Program:

  Louis Spohr (1784 – 1859)
  Nonet in F major, Op. 31 (1813)

  Antonín Dvořák (1841 – 1904)
  Serenade for Winds in D minor, Op. 44 (1878)

  The richness of a symphony orchestra captured in the intimate setting of chamber music.An orchestra in pocket size. The refined Louis Spohr and the spirited Antonín Dvořák both composed music rooted in the tradition of the serenade, intended for relaxation, entertainment, and social connection.

  We hear music from two distinct worlds and eras. On one side stands the aristocratic elegance of Louis Spohr. As a composer on the threshold of Romanticism, his Nonet strikes a perfect balance between the familiar classical forms of the past and the romantic colors and harmonic richness of the new age. It is sophisticated music that once filled the chic salons of Vienna.

  In contrast, we find the earthy, vital power of Antonín Dvořák, born half a century later. Where Spohr sought the salon, Dvořák’s Serenade for Winds brings the atmosphere of the Bohemian countryside into the concert hall. Inspired by folk music and the tradition of street artists, he wrote a work brimming with rhythmic energy and nostalgic melodies.
  Although both composers opt for a relatively small ensemble, they blur the boundaries of chamber music. The result is a unique interplay featuring the transparency of soloists combined with the deep colors and overwhelming possibilities of a full orchestra.

  Whether it is the silky lines of Spohr or the robust winds of Dvořák, both works prove that music for entertainment can simultaneously be serious art of the highest caliber. The contrast in character makes the encounter complete: where Spohr’s Nonet is a constant, subtle dialogue between nine equal partners, Dvořák’s Serenade is one grand, compelling march and dance.

  Contact:

  • Julie Davidsen julie@weigold-boehm.de +49 81 93 23 61 208
  • Tobias Weigold-Wimmer tobias@weigold-boehm.de +49 81 93 23 61 200
• 01.08.27 – 31.08.29

  Further dates upon request

  Anima Eterna & Johanna Soller (Leitung)

  Labo Line - Beethoven, reclaimed, reimagined, and fiercely alive

  Details

  Program:

  Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 -1827)
  Symphony nr 1, op 21
  Symphony nr 2, op 36
  Symphony nr 3, ‘Erioca’ op 55
  Symphony nr 4, op 60

  Historically Informed Performance (HIP) was once revolutionary - now it risks becoming a museum.
  With our Labo Line, we break those new dogmas wide open. This program doesn’t aim to play it ‘right,’
  but to play it dangerously. We strip away HIP’s comfort zones and rediscover Beethoven through raw
  experiment, risk, and unpredictability.

  ‘Artistic risk is not a side effect, but a conscious choice’

  The outcomes of the Labs flow seamlessly into our large-scale orchestral productions. For presenters, this provides a clear and accessible framework: a format that transforms artistic risk into structured experimentation, while offering an early view of the innovations that will shape our future major projects.

  Each Lab production unfolds across several phases throughout the season. In preparatory research blocks, musicians dive into sources, sound, and interpretive questions. This is followed by intensive work in a small ensemble, where ideas are tested, refined, and challenged. These sessions lead to our Lab presentations - intimate, process oriented events that open the ensemble’s workshop to the public. These are not finished concerts, but shared moments that illuminate the artistic search itself.

  The trajectory culminates in separate concert presentations with the full orchestra, where the insights developed in the Lab are transformed into a fully realized musical performance. In this way, the Labs function as a living engine for artistic renewal: agile, inquisitive, and continuously feeding into Anima Eterna’s larger projects.

  Contact:

  • Julie Davidsen julie@weigold-boehm.de +49 81 93 23 61 208
  • Tobias Weigold-Wimmer tobias@weigold-boehm.de +49 81 93 23 61 200