Schumann, Brahms and Mendelssohn's Octet open the Olympus Musicus festival in the Theresian Hall of Břevnov Monastery in Prague.
The opening night of the 13th Olympus Musicus International Music Festival belongs to the masterpieces of Romantic chamber music. Schumann's First Violin Sonata and Brahms's "Regen" Sonata are followed, after the intermission, by Brahms's Trio in E-flat major for violin, viola and piano. The evening closes with Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat major – written when the composer was only sixteen and one of the crowning achievements of the Romantic chamber repertoire.
The Octet also brings the whole international line-up of the festival onto one stage, among them the violist Lyda Chen-Argerich, daughter of the legendary pianist Martha Argerich.
The Theresian Hall is the grandest room of Břevnov Monastery, the oldest men's monastery in Bohemia, founded in 993 and rebuilt in Baroque style by the architects Kryštof and Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer. Its ceiling fresco was painted by Cosmas Damian Asam in 1727 and the hall was given its name in 1743, after the coronation of Maria Theresa as Queen of Bohemia. The monastery lies in Prague 6, about 20 minutes by tram from the city centre (stop Břevnovský klášter).
The 13th Olympus Musicus International Music Festival takes place in Prague from 10 to 14 August 2026. Every year it brings music students, teachers and concert artists from around the world to the Czech capital for masterclasses and public concerts in which young talent performs alongside established names. This year's guests include Lyda Chen-Argerich and Denis Severin from Switzerland and Jinhee Joung and Youngsun Jin from South Korea, together with the laureates of the festival's partner competition in Italy, the Concorso Musicale Città di Filadelfia "Paolo Serrao" – violinist Seowoo Jin (2025) and oboist Alina Lamziuk (2026).
Program
R. Schumann – Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105
Evgenia Epshtein (violin), Donaldas Račys (piano)
J. Brahms – Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in G major, Op. 78 "Regen"
Markéta Fraňková (violin), Julija Sadaunykaitė (piano)
Intermission
J. Brahms – Trio in E-flat major, Op. 40 (version for violin, viola and piano)
Roman Fedchuk (violin), Iakov Zats (viola), Vsevolod Dvorkin (piano)
F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy – Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20
Roman Fedchuk, Evgenia Epshtein, Jinhee Joung, Markéta Fraňková (violins), Iakov Zats, Lyda Chen-Argerich (violas), Denis Severin, Ramutė Kalnėnaitė (cellos)
Performed by
Evgenia Epshtein - violin (Israel)
Markéta Fraňková - violin (Czech Republic)
Roman Fedchuk - violin (Czech Republic)
Jinhee Joung - violin (South Korea)
Iakov Zats - viola (Italy)
Lyda Chen-Argerich - viola (Switzerland)
Denis Severin - cello (Switzerland)
Ramutė Kalnėnaitė - cello (Lithuania)
Donaldas Račys - piano (Lithuania)
Julija Sadaunykaitė - piano (Lithuania)
Vsevolod Dvorkin - piano (Italy)
Important Information
Duration: 90 minutes including one intermission
Dress code: casual
Discounts: seniors, students and children up to 15 at a reduced rate
Seats are not numbered - open seating
The venue is not wheelchair accessible