2 days to go: The arc of the evening
All week we have introduced the works one by one. Today we put the pieces together.
On Sunday, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and Martin Helmchen play for about 70 minutes without an interval, and the programme is built like an arc: from a smile, through the dark, back into the light. Here are the four stations, each with a hint of what to listen for.
The arc of the evening
1 · Beethoven · The Smile
About 10 minutes
Seven Variations on the duet "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen" from Mozart's "The Magic Flute". First the theme, quite simply, as if sung. Listen to how cello and piano toss it back and forth and dress it anew in every variation. Wait for the sixth variation, the Adagio: for a moment the music stands still, before the finale hurries cheerfully away.
2 · Weinberg · The Dark
About 20 minutes
With Weinberg's Second Sonata the light changes. In the first movement the cello sings a long, lamenting line over bell-like sounds in the piano; in the Andante it plays muted, as if from far away. Then the finale storms off, relentless, with rough, folk-like turns. This is the darkest point of the evening.
3 · Schumann · Tenderness
About 11 minutes
After the storm, three songs without words, Schumann's Christmas present to Clara. Suddenly the music comes very close. Listen for the middle Romance, "Einfach, innig" (simply, intimately): the heart of the set, and perhaps the quietest moment of the concert.
4 · Mendelssohn · The Light
About 25 minutes
At the end the sun comes up. Mendelssohn's Sonata in D major opens like a bright summer morning. Wait for the Adagio: the piano plays a chorale on its own, and the cello answers like a singer in recitative. Then the finale brings the light back in full force, and the arc is complete.
Good to know: there is no printed programme booklet. In the church you will find QR codes: point your phone camera at one, and the full programme with all movements is on your phone.
Tomorrow: a thought before the concert.
Warmly,
Andreas Haefliger & Marina Piccinini
Sunday 18 October 2026, 5.30 pm, Pfarrkirche St. Peter und Paul, Bürglen UR · Pay as you like (cash or TWINT) · about 70 minutes, no interval
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