Feb. 12, 2026 - 7:30pm

(doors open 6:45pm)

Benjamin Günst (violin)
Robert Neumann (piano)

The art of the moment

Prizewinners of the "Deutscher Musikwettbewerb" (German Music Competition)

Improvisation is a natural element of jazz, yet in classical chamber music it has become a rare - and all the more fascinating - art. In this special concert, Benjamin Günst and Robert Neumann place the creative moment itself at the centre of the evening.

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Starting from freely emerging music, the two musicians explore the expressive potential of the duo in ever-changing constellations: together and solo, inspired by stylistic worlds ranging from the 18th century to the late 20th. Audible connections between poetry and music arise spontaneously, as do musical reflections on selected works of visual art - each created in the moment and unique to this evening.

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The audience is also invited to contribute impulses, suggesting ideas of form, genre, key, or compositional style. In this way, the concert becomes an open dialogue between stage and hall - unrepeatable, shaped entirely by the present moment.

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That this experiment takes place in the Nicolaihaus is no coincidence. Even in the age of the Enlightenment, this house was a place of exchange, spontaneity, and lively reflection on art. In this spirit, the first part of the evening offers a firm point of reference with the Second Violin Sonata by Johannes Brahms - a conscious anchor from which the music opens into the free space of improvisation.