Fantasie Ensemble met Schuberts Octet

Fantasy Ensemble

Sometimes a musical adventure begins as a whisper. A wish that continues to resonate softly for years, until it finally takes shape in sound. For violinist Diet Tilanus and clarinetist Olivier Patey – principal clarinetist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra – Schubert’s Octet was such a dream. This work unites the intimacy of chamber music with a symphonic breath; it calls for trust, for friendship, for the ability to listen and breathe together. The Fantasie Ensemble arose from the dream of performing this Schubert. Friends and musicians from the Dutch and international music scene come together for it: a circle of kindred spirits, bound by shared imagination, to be heard tonight in the Kleine Zaal.

Schubert's Octet

Schubert composed his Octet in 1824 at the request of Count Ferdinand Troyer, an enthusiastic amateur clarinetist who enjoyed playing along himself at the first performances. It is a chamber music work of almost symphonic grandeur – one wonders whether the Count could really keep up with it all. Behind the sunny exterior, harmonic shadows drift by, revealing how acutely aware Schubert was of his own vulnerability during those years. His idealization of unattainable love also resonates here. The Octet is warm, almost courtly music, with an undertone of longing – and it is precisely this mix that makes the piece so moving.