During the Wrocław Chamber Music Forum – a cultural initiative whose aim is to integrate and develop the musical community of the capital of Lower Silesia – one of the featured ensembles will be Alisios Camerata, who have been performing in Europe, Asia and North America for a decade now. The inspiration to perform the programme with a clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano was Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, one of the masterpieces of 20th century music.

The concert will begin with Gustav Mahler’s one-movement Piano Quartet in A minor. It is the only surviving work of the Austrian composer from the period of his studies at the Vienna Conservatory and the only surviving chamber composition by him. Although Mahler was only sixteen when he wrote this piece, the quartet surprises with the depth and intensity of the emotions it contains. It may be familiar to cinema lovers, as the characters in Martin Scorsese’s thriller Sutter Island listen to it and discuss it in one of the scenes. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Duet No. 1 in C major is an early work remaining on the sidelines of the composer’s work. Originally it was intended for clarinet and bassoon. During the concert, bassoon will be replaced by cello. The duet was written between 1790 and 1792 and was first published in 1810. It consists of three movements – the extreme ones, maintained at a fast tempo, are bright and joyful, the contrast is provided by the melancholic slow middle movement.

The Piano Trio is a joint work of cellist Jelena Očić and violinist Paula Rahbari. Its performance will certainly be a surprise and attraction for the audience. The evening will end with the Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano by the German composer Paul Hindemith, considered one of the classics of the 20th century. Hindemith completed it in 1938. It consists of three movements with a traditional arrangement: two fast movements surround the slow movement. The quartet was created at a time when Hindemith was increasingly and willingly turning to his musical past. He was no longer an avant-garde enfant terrible, and his work became increasingly euphonious. This piece is one of such works – the listener will find emotions and well-chosen proportions, seasoned with a pinch of musical humour.