Haydn Trio Eisenstadt pays tribute to Joseph Haydn

This celebrated trio comprises Harald Kosik (piano), Verena Stourzh (violin) and Hannes Gradwohl (cello). Joining them in this commemorative festival will be South African, but Canadian-based, composer and conductor, Bongani Ndodana-Breen.

The festival is being held as dedication to Joseph Haydn - the much loved Austrian composer who has been deceased for exactly 200 years this year. 100 years ago a similar initiative was launched by a French music journal which commissioned six leading French composers of the day to each write a work for the piano trio inspired by Haydn, 'Hommage à Joseph Haydn'.

This year being the 200th year D2H, the ‘Dedicated to Haydn' project from Austria has commissioned six Austrian composers, six composers from across the rest of Europe and six composers from other continents, including South Africa's own Bongani Ndodana-Breen, to contribute brand new pieces for the piano trio. On their tour to South Africa the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt will be performing this Haydn inspired work by Bongani, the "Two Nguni Dances", as well as "Piano Trio Eb major, Hob.XV/29" and "Piano Trio C major, Hob.XV/27" by Joseph Haydn and "Piano Trio Eb major, Op 100" by Franz Schubert.

Joseph Haydn valued the genre of the piano trio, composing 39 piano trios in his lifetime. The D2H project aims at continuing Haydn's legacy but it is above all a creative and interesting example of international co-operation assisting and inspiring composers all over the world.

The D2H project is funded by The Embassy of Austria, Citroen Wiesenthal, Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, bm:uk, Deutschlandradio kultur, Kultur Burgenland and Phoenix Edition.

Tickets are available at Computicket (Cape Town and Bloemfontein), and one hour before the event at the venue (UNISA Conference Centre).