Festival Brandenburgische Sommerkonzerte

This time, Carl Bechstein scholarship holders Dorothea Hanebuth and Wilhelmine Freytag performed alongside Philip Benkenstein (accordion) and Alina Li (violin), the two current Brandenburg winners of the national “Jugend musiziert” (Youth Makes Music) competition. The concert was entertainingly hosted by the young singer Eva Lederer.

Alina Li was accompanied by Nikolai Medvedev, who, together with our restorer Georg Ott and the chairman of the Carl Bechstein Foundation, Gregor Willmes, gave two guided tours of the Carl Bechstein Foundation’s collection of historical keyboard instruments before the concert. The C. Bechstein D 282 concert grand piano was used for the concert itself.

Dorothea Hanebuth and Wilhelmine Freytag delighted the audience with works by Bach, Chopin, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. Alina Li demonstrated her talent as a young virtuoso with pieces by Locatelli and Sarasate, and performed Lili Boulanger’s “Nocturne” with sensitivity, accompanied by Nikolai Medvedev. Philip Benkenstein, on the other hand, took the audience on a varied musical journey from Bach to Piazzolla, demonstrating that the accordion has great dynamic range and a variety of timbres. It was precisely this versatility that made the programme so compelling!