Seggauer Castle Matinees - Benjamin Schmid & Ariane Haering - Violinissimo

Works by Mozart, Paganini, Kreisler, and Breinschmid

For the Seggau Castle Matinee, Benjamin Schmid brings a diverse and very personal program – including works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose music has always been a defining focus of his repertoire. Schmid has received numerous awards for his interpretations of Mozart: he is the recipient of the prestigious Carl Flesch Mozart Prize in London (where he also received the Beethoven and Audience Prize), a multiple Echo Klassik Award winner, and an Opus Klassik Award winner. He has also been repeatedly honored for his Mozart performances in the Swiss Radio SFR's interpreter comparison.

In addition to Mozart, works by Niccolò Paganini, the legendary "Devil's Violinist," the stylistically influential violin virtuoso Fritz Kreisler, and Schmid's congenial stage partner, the bassist Georg Breinschmid, will be performed.

Benjamin Schmid

Since his debut at the Salzburg Festival in 1986 as a solo partner of Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Benjamin Schmid has become one of the most sought-after violinists of our time. His international concert activity is as intense as it is diverse – regularly taking him to the most significant stages around the world. He has performed with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Orchestra London, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, among others.

Benjamin Schmid combines virtuosity, musical depth, and stylistic versatility. His over 60 CD recordings have received numerous accolades – including the Opus Klassik Prize, the Echo Klassik, the German Record Prize (as the only violinist in the categories of Classical and Jazz), the Gramophone Editor’s Choice, and the Strad Selection. Particularly noteworthy is his recording of the Korngold Violin Concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa, which was selected by Fono Forum magazine as one of the "Ten Best Live CDs Ever Recorded."

Ariane Haering

Swiss pianist Ariane Haering studied in La Chaux-de-Fonds and at UNCSA (USA), where she graduated with the highest honors under Brigitte Meyer. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Alban Berg Ensemble Vienna, with her own series in the Brahms Hall of the Vienna Musikverein. Together with her duo partner Benjamin Schmid, she has enjoyed musical success for over 20 years – an artistic connection characterized by numerous concerts and projects.

Location: Styria Hall