VietNamNet Bridge – Classical music lovers are in for a treat this weekend as German musicians Abegg Trio perform a free concert tomorrow to cheer their country’s National Day.

Music for everyone: German Abegg Trio performed in HCM City on Sunday.

The Abegg Trio, consisting of violinist Ulrich Beetz, cellist Birgit Erichson and pianist Gerrit Zitterbart, have been performing together since 1976. The performance is organised by the Goethe Institute.

The Abegg Trio come to Ha Noi fresh from a concert in HCM City on Sunday, where they played at the city’s music conservatory. The show was a rare chance to see the musicians in the flesh, one German member of the audience said. “I’ve never been able to watch them play before because tickets in Germany are so expensive. I could only listen to the CD. But their performances here are free.”

The programme included classic favourites by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn and Czech Antonin Dvorak.

In their acclaimed careers, the trio have amassed a number of prestigious prizes at international contests in Colmar and Geneva (1977); in Bonn (1979); Bordeaux (1981); the Bernhard Sprengel Prize (Hanover 1986) and the Robert Schumann Prize (Zwickau 1992).

The trio has toured about 45 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa and have been guest performers at numerous festivals in the world. Since 1982 the musicians have gone to great lengths to boost their audio presentations and now have over 25 recordings.

As well as being famous concert performers, Beetz and Zitterbart are professors at conservatories in Weimar and Hanover, respectively. Erichson teaches chamber music at the Franz Liszt Conservatory in Weimar.

Their performances in Viet Nam are a part of their Southeast Asia tour, which includes Australia and New Zealand. Tomorrow’s show will begin at 8pm at the Ha Noi Opera House.

(Source: Viet Nam News)