SCHUMANN | PROKOFIEW | DEBUSSY

Long weeks of forced limitation of contact with relatives and friends – these are our unwanted experiences of recent months! All the more so, we had to plan a program that would remind us of the cordial atmosphere of home meetings and carefree time with friends.

Dearest Friend! For several days I have been visiting the Deichmann family in Mehlem. I will not find enough heartfelt words to convey all my encouragement to stay in this heavenly place – you will enjoy it in no time. From the very beginning, all household members will be lovely and dear to you. Mr and Mrs D. are the most wonderful of people, and their children are beyond description. I'm sure you will have a great time here and wish yourself that you can stay as long as possible!

It is an excerpt from a letter from Johannes Brahms, in which he describes the atmosphere in one of his favourite places on earth! The Deichmann House in the suburbs of Bonn was a meeting place for many musicians who shared one thing – a love of Robert Schumann's music. Brahms met here Franz Wuellner, the master of his orchestral works; Carl Reinecke, later conductor of concerts at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig; Wilhelm von Wasielewski, author of the first biography of Schumann; and Christian Reimers, a cellist from Hamburg, for whom Schumann wrote his Cello Concerto, Op. 129.

Now you know what kind of atmosphere Schumann himself had in mind when he sent the scores to Breitkopf & Härtel with the note: "It's quite a joyful piece"! This evening, we would like to wish you wonderful moments with the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and a ray of joy during cordial meetings with friends, which became an inspiration for Schumann's music.

Camilla Thomas will be the soloist of the evening. She is a Franco-Belgian star who signed an international contract with Deutsche Grammophon in 2017, as the first cellist in the history of the label. Camilla Thomas is taking the world stage at a dizzying pace. She has already worked with conductors such as Paavo Järvi, Mikko Franck, Marc Soustrot, Darrell Ang, Kent Nagano, Stéphane Denève and with orchestras such as Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Academia Santa Cecilia, Sinfonia Varsovia, Staatsorchester Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Lucerne Festival Strings in Munich and the Orchester National in Bordeaux.

Camille Thomas plays the famous 1730 Stradivarius 'Feuermann' instrument on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.