The three musicians of the Astor Trio have achieved the rare feat of establishing a completely new and unusual chamber music line-up in classical music, delighting audiences and critics alike. The Astor Trio brings together violin, guitar and double bass. Alexander Prushinskiy, violinist and first concertmaster of the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra, has come together with guitarist Tobias Kassung and the principal bassist of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Stanislav Anischenko to form this rare combination.
With these extraordinary programmes and their breathtaking virtuosity, the three musicians of the Astor Trio playfully combine the styles of classical, tango, jazz and Spanish music, thus opening up new horizons for classical music.
The current programme spans a wide range from Johann Sebastian Bach to rousing tango compositions by Astor Piazzolla, famous Broadway melodies from George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess" and finally virtuoso Spanish sounds by Manuel de Falla. The world premiere of the second Buenos Aires Fantasy by Tobias Kassung will also be a special highlight.
This concert is part of our new series Kölner Klassik © NRW 2024, where works of recent and new music that are outstanding in their quality and have a connection to NRW will be performed side by side with more familiar chamber music. One of these works is the world premiere of Buenos Aires Fantasie II - nuits d'été dans une métropole, op. 19 for violin, guitar and double bass. Tobias Kassung's piece was created in 2021 as part of the NRW Covid Aid Scholarship Programme. With a multi-layered structure and overlapping melodic and harmonic lines, it combines classical, avant-garde and tango music in a virtuoso and playful way.
Programme: Georg Friedrich Händel: Sonate D-Dur HWV 371; George Gershwin: The Porgy & Bess Suite; Tobias Kassung: Buenos Aires Fantasie II – nuit d'été dans une métropol, op. 19 (UA); Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992): Invierno Porteño (winter in Buenos Aires), Verano Porteño (summer in Buenos Aires); Pablo de Sarasate: Gipsy Airs op. 20
