Brahms' Double Concerto by Liza Ferschtman and Ivan Karizna

Brahms' Double Concerto

Johannes Brahms composed his Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra as a gesture of reconciliation for his best friend Joseph Joachim, the world-famous violinist with whom Brahms had been at odds for some time. Perhaps Brahms saw himself as the cello; for Joachim, of course, was the violin solo. The Double Concerto is all interplay between those two instruments, chamber music with orchestra.

Liza Ferschtman and Ivan Karizna

That interplay is just fine with Liza Ferschtman and Ivan Karizna: they are a duo both on and off the stage. Liza is one of the most talked-about violinists in the Netherlands. The Concertgebouw is her home away from home, both in the Great and Small Halls. Cello great Heinrich Schiff called Ivan Karizna "one of the best cellists of his generation" and Gidon Kremer once said, "Ivan has something special to tell through his music. When this power couple joins forces for Brahms' Double Concerto, it cannot but produce brilliant fireworks.