Austrian-born violinist Johanna Pichlmair, 18, plays Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata for violin and piano in A Major, op. 47., with accompaniment by Babette Hierholzer, artistic advisor to the German Forum.
A night of Beethovenian proportions
By Jefferson Siegel
A group of highly attuned young artists from the German-speaking world had the opportunity to display their talents to New York’s German cultural community, as the German Forum celebrated its 30th anniversary on Tuesday with a concert of classical-music favorites at St. Paul’s Church on W. 22nd St. in Chelsea.
Founded three decades ago by a group of bankers, lawyers and businessmen, the German Forum opened a school in New York and through the years has held numerous concerts and other cultural gatherings throughout the city.
The evening program featured three up-and-coming young German musicians—a violinist, a soprano and a baritone playing selections from Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Strauss and several others.
The event included performances by violinist Johanna Pichlmair, 18, who was born in Austria and recently won a special competition organized by the European String Teachers Association.
Clemens Gnad, 27, a baritone who studied voice at Bremen University of the Arts, also performed Franz Schubert’s Der Musensohn.
