Friday, 21.11.2025, 19:30h ZWINGLIHAUS BASEL
Saturday, 22.11.2025, 19:30h KLOSTER DORNACH
ENTRANCE FREE – DONATIONS WELCOME
Margalith Eugster, Piano
Silvia Carlin, Piano
PROGRAM:
Mel Bonis (1858-1937), 6 Valses-Caprices op. 87
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), Ma Mère l’Oye
Jules Massenet (1842-1912), Première Suite op. 11
Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944) 6 Pièces romantiques op. 55
Marie Jaëll (1846-1925) 12 Waltzes und Finale op. 8
In the Parisian salons of the turn of the century, the art world came together: musicians, writers and painters exchanged ideas, discovered new paths — and turned music into a living conversation.
Four-hand piano playing was especially popular: it combined conviviality with artistry, brought orchestral colours into the living room, and inspired composers to create a rich repertoire.
Alongside the poetic miniatures of Bonis, Chaminade and Jaëll, the programme features works by Massenet, whose lyrical elegance shaped the French salon, and by Ravel, whose suite Ma Mère l’Oye evokes the world of fairy tales with delicate refinement.
It was precisely in these salons that composers such as Bonis, Chaminade and Jaëll found more resonance than in the great concert halls: their music, finely nuanced and deeply expressive, unites the elegance of the French sound world with an independent, feminine voice.
The Swiss pianist Margalith Eugster was born in 1999 in Bern. In 2023 she completed her Bachelor’s degree in the class of Aleksandar Madzar at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. She is currently studying at the Musik-Akademie Basel in the class of Filippo Gamba. Significant influences on her artistic development include the student festival Feminale, which she founded, as well as numerous meaningful collaborations with chamber music and Lied partners – among them her work with Trio à Deux. She enjoys performing regularly in various settings, including solo recitals, chamber music, and art song.
The Italian pianist Silvia Carlin studied at the Conservatory of Vicenza, at the Hochschule für Musik Basel with Filippo Gamba, and at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Aleksandar Madzar. She is a prizewinner of several international competitions and received a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship. A versatile musician, she devotes herself both to solo repertoire and chamber music. Together with cellist Valentina Dubrovina, she forms a longstanding duo and co-founded the REVISION Project. She teaches at the Musikschule Basel and is actively involved in children’s concerts and educational projects, bringing classical music closer to younger generations.