All about Ravel
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Sat 28 Mar 202620:15 - 22:00Interval 21:00Grote Zaal
Program
Claude Debussy Sonata for cello and piano
Maurice Ravel Sonata for violin and cello
Guillaume Connesson Les chants de l’Agartha
Olivier Messiaen Louange à l’éternité de Jésus
Maurice Ravel Piano Trio
Credits
Ivan Karizna cello
Liza Ferschtman violin
Aleksandar Madžar piano
‘The idea that I should be leaving at once made me get through five months’ work in five weeks! My Trio is finished.’ That’s what Maurice Ravel said when the war broke out in August 1914 and he could be called up for service. This exquisite Piano Trio is brought to life by three top musicians in a truly special performance. They also perform Ravel’s Sonata for violin and cello, which he dedicated to Debussy shortly after his death. The works of Ravel are part of an all-French programme that includes a delightful surprise: Guillaume Connesson’s Chants de l’Agartha for cello and piano.
Ivan Karizna has a deep connection to France, where he studied cello and lived for over a decade. In 2011, at the age of 19, he won the bronze medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition. At the Cello Biennale in 2024, Karizna delivered a stunning performance of Shostakovich’s First cello concerto. With violinist Liza Ferschtman, his musical soulmate, he has often shared the stage. Tonight, their friend Aleksandar Madžar, an accomplished Serbian pianist and laureate of many international competitions, will be at the piano.
This concert is part of the Kick-Off of the 11th Cello Biennale.
The 11th Cello Biennale Amsterdam is coming up, from 29 October to 7 November 2026. The kickoff for this edition is The Big 18+ Cello Orchestra, an adult version of a regular Biennale feature, the Hello Cello Orchestra for enthusiastic young cellists. In the evening, top cellist Ivan Karizna, a regular guest of the Cello Biennale, will present this French program. 
