War always raises the same questions: why? What for? Shostakovich, Hartmann and Haydn asked these questions too. Their music, filled with sorrow and solace, reminds us of the past and urges us to reflect. This concert is a moment of contemplation and connection - for now, for tomorrow, forever.

Shostakovich's Third String Quartet, arranged for string orchestra, is a heartfelt tribute to all victims of war. He poured their suffering in his music. At its premiere in Moscow, the composer was unable to hold back his tears. Karl Amadeus Hartmann took a different approach: in his Concerto funebre, written just before World War II, he channelled his fear into a powerful protest against tyranny. In soloist Maria Milstein's hands, the violin is a voice of resistance, bold and passionate. Haydn's Trauer Symphony ends the evening with a question: how do we move on? His music brings together grief and comfort, inviting us to pause and reflect on what truly matters.