KlangFarben

Alexander Zemlinsky and Max Liebermann never met, yet they had much in common, for example their Jewish heritage, which led to Liebermann’s work being defamed by the Nazis and Zemlinsky fleeing into exile in America. Both also shared a subtle, psychological view of the world, seeking quiet inner vibrations rather than dramatic gestures.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold presents himself quite differently: tense, shimmering. His Intermezzo invites comparison with Liebermann’s Concerto in the Opera. Love fantasies and introspection also characterize Erwin Schulhoff’s Duo for Cello and Violin and Dohnányi’s Romance for String Trio.

The KlangFarben concert series thrives on spontaneity. Musicians from the Kammerakademie Potsdam engage in a direct dialogue with the artworks on view. Clemens Goldberg, music journalist and presenter for rbb, and Ortrud Westheider, director of the Museum Barberini, bring together art and music as they explore the stories behind the compositions – a true experiment in interdisciplinary performance. 

In cooperation with the Kammerakademie Potsdam 

KlangFarben
The quiet Modern
March 5, 2026, Museum Barberini
Tickets: €29
​(includes admission to the exhibition on that day from 5:30 p.m.)

Program:
– Erwin Schulhoff: Duo for Violin and Violoncello, III: Andantino 
– Ernst von Dohnányi: Serenade, Op. 10, II: Romanza 
– Erich Wolfgang Korngold: String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 16, III: Intermezzo 
– Alexander von Zemlinsky:
String Quartet no. 1 in A major, Op. 4, II: Allegretto & IV: Vivace con fuoco  
String Quartet no. 3, Op. 19, III: Romanze

Participants:
– Peter Rainer, Susanne Zapf, violin
– Christoph Starke, viola
– Ulrike Hofmann, cello
– Clemens Goldberg, Music Journalist and Critic
– Ortrud Westheider, Director, Museum Barberini, Potsdam