Aulakonzerte

Aula Concerts of the Göttingen Chamber Music Society

Since 1968, the Göttingen Chamber Music Society has presented its Aula Concerts in the University’s neoclassical Assembly Hall, whose distinctive atmosphere and acoustics have earned it a reputation as an outstanding venue for chamber music. Through annually changing themes, the Aula Concerts invite audiences to engage intellectually and discover new perspectives, while never losing sight of their central aim: that the works performed should move, inspire, and delight their listeners. This is achieved through the careful selection of distinguished artists. For each programme of musically exceptional works, ensembles and soloists are chosen to ensure the highest standards of performance. While remaining affordably priced, the Göttingen Aula Concerts rank among the most prestigious chamber music series in Southern Lower Saxony.

The Göttingen Chamber Music Society gratefully acknowledges the support of the Lower Saxony Foundation (Stiftung Niedersachsen), the Lower Saxony Savings Banks Foundation (Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung), and the Southern Lower Saxony Regional Association (Landschaftsverband Südniedersachsen).

The motto of the new season, “With Clear Song”, is taken from Homer’s Odyssey in the translation by Johann Heinrich Voß, who lived in Göttingen from 1772 to 1778 and was a member of the Göttinger Hain literary circle. In Book XII, line 44, we read: “But with clear song the Sirens bewitch him” (Greek: ἀλλά τε Σειρῆνες λιγυρῇ θέλγουσιν ἀοιδῇ). Odysseus has himself tied to the ship’s mast so that he may listen to this wondrous singing without being so captivated by it that he steers his ship to destruction.

Before each concert, we offer an introductory lecture from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the council chamber in front of the gallery.
The box office opens at 6:00 p.m.; concerts begin at 7:00 p.m.

SEASON 2026/27: WITH CLEAR SONG

CONCERT 1: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026, 7:00 P.M.

PIANO DUO YAARA TAL and ANDREAS GROETHUYSEN

“Quasi una Fantasia...”

Ludwig van Beethoven: Three Marches, Op. 45 (1802)
Franz Schubert: Variations on a French Song in E Minor, D 624 (1818)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Great Fugue in B-flat Major, Op. 134
(composer’s arrangement for piano four hands) (1826)

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Franz Schubert: Trois Marches Héroiques, D 602 (1815–1818)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Six Variations (“Ich denke Dein”) in D Major, WoO 74 (1804)
Franz Schubert: Fantasy in F Minor, D 940 (1828)



The Israeli pianist Yaara Tal and her German partner Andreas Groethuysen form one of the world’s leading piano duos today. In their programme “Quasi una Fantasia...”, conceived especially for the Göttingen Aula Concerts, they transport audiences into the world of early Romanticism, demonstrating the spirit of experimentation and the remarkable compositional freedom with which Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert explored the open forms of the fantasy and variation cycle.

CONCERT 2: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2026, 7:00 P.M.

DUO RECITAL
MARIE-ELISABETH HECKER, cello
and MARTIN HELMCHEN, piano

Ludwig van Beethoven: Twelve Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen”, WoO 46 (1801)
Alfred Schnittke: Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 (1978)
Robert Schumann: Romances, Op. 94 (1849)
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Cello Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58 (1843)



The artist couple Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and Martin Helmchen place Alfred Schnittke’s First Sonata for Cello and Piano at the centre of their highly contrasting programme. In this work, classical formal rigor combines with intense expressiveness and the dissolution of traditional tonality. The sonata transcends stylistic boundaries between eras and integrates harmoniously into the tradition of the surrounding Classical and Leipzig Romantic works.

FAMILY CONCERT: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2026, 11:00 A.M.

THE MAGIC OF THE OBOE

Prof. Kai Frömbgen and students of the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media



The distinguished oboist Prof. Kai Frömbgen, together with harpsichordist Masahiro Masumi and thirteen students from the oboe and bassoon classes of the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, comes to the University Aula in Göttingen to present the richness of Baroque and early Classical chamber music and the diverse musical possibilities of these instruments in the relaxed setting of a lecture-concert.

Born in Koblenz in 1977, Kai Frömbgen completed his oboe studies with Christian Wetzel at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre with distinction. Following positions with the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), the Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, he served as principal oboist of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra from 2005 to 2007 and has been a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe since 2012. From 2014 to 2018 he was Professor at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf, and since the winter semester of 2018/19 he has held a professorship at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Since 2015 he has also been a member of the Linos Ensemble.

The concert is suitable for listeners of all ages.

In cooperation with the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media

Admission for children and young people: €1
Admission for adults: €10

CONCERT 3: SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2027, 7:00 P.M.

TRIO BRONTË

Germaine Tailleferre: Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello (1917/1978)
Wolfgang Rihm: Fremde Szene III (“Foreign Scene III”) (1983)
Gabriel Fauré: Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 120 (1923)

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Franz Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, D 929 (1827)



In 2023, the young Trio Brontë won the competition “Franz Schubert and Music of the Modern Era” in Graz. For the Göttingen audience, the musicians have designed a programme that places three rarely performed piano trios of the twentieth century before Schubert’s late Piano Trio: Germaine Tailleferre’s work composed in two creative phases, Wolfgang Rihm’s final Fremde Szene, and Gabriel Fauré’s late Piano Trio, a work of classical modernism by one of the pioneers of Impressionism.

CONCERT 4: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2027, 7:00 P.M.

LEONKORO QUARTET

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76 No. 5, Hob. III:79 (1797)
Benjamin Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 36 (1945)

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Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80, MWV R 37 (1847)



The award-winning Leonkoro Quartet takes up the season’s central theme by placing Benjamin Britten’s rarely performed Second String Quartet from 1945 at the heart of its programme. Although firmly rooted in twentieth-century tonality and musical language, the work engages with the music of Henry Purcell and Béla Bartók, creating connections across eras from the Baroque period to classical modernism.

CONCERT 5: SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2027, 7:00 P.M.

ARD COMPETITION WINNERS’ CONCERT FOR STRING QUARTET



A surprise programme will be presented in the winners’ concert of the 2026 ARD International Music Competition for String Quartet. The prizewinners, selected in September 2026, will perform in Göttingen as part of their concert tour, presenting an exciting programme centred around the competition’s commissioned contemporary work by Camille Pépin.

APRIL 11, 2027: CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH CONCERT

PERCUSSION UNIT HANNOVER
Directed by Prof. Henrik Magnus Schmidt

In cooperation with the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media



In this concert, students from Prof. Henrik M. Schmidt’s percussion class at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, together with their ensemble Percussion UNIT Hannover, invite children and young people to discover the rich world of percussion instruments, from marimba to timpani, and demonstrate impressively how stories can be told through music using percussion.

CONCERT 6: SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2027, 7:00 P.M.

LUDWIG CHAMBER PLAYERS

Franz Schubert: Overture in the Italian Style, arranged by Andreas Tarkmann (1817/2003)
Johannes Maria Staud: Yattsu Octet (2020)
Carl Nielsen: Serenata in vano (1914)

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Franz Schubert: Octet in F Major, D 803 (1824)



The musicians of the Ludwig Chamber Players come from Japan, Latvia, France, Switzerland, and Germany. For many years they have performed together in large mixed ensembles and delight in creating unique listening experiences through contrasting programmes.