For this year’s first Berlin Play-In, we were once again able to gather at my former school, which, with three grand pianos and many classrooms, offers the ideal conditions for making music in a wide variety of configurations. Once again, I first asked the Berlin cellists I knew which date they could attend and then selected March 14, 2026, to ensure we would have enough bass instruments. Seventeen musicians participated in this play-in, namely: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, horn, 4 violins, 2 violins/violas, viola, 5 cellos(!), and piano. Only those who know the full backstory will understand the exclamation mark behind the cellos: After the date was set, two cellists unfortunately canceled again… Having repeatedly and desperately sought additional cellists through every possible channel, two other cellists finally confirmed their participation – hurray! The fact that three high string players withdrew at the same time (“we’re helping to address the cello shortage in an unusual way this time: we’re withdrawing with some regret”) now led, conversely, to a certain bottleneck on the other side. But somehow it always works out in the end, doesn’t it?

In any case: It was wonderful once again at what is now the 20th Berlin Play-In since 2020. Thank you to everyone involved for their dedicated and enthusiastic participation! And thank you to the ACMP for this wonderful “Play-In” idea and for their financial support over the years.

The following pieces were on the music stand:

Opening: Haydn, Symphony No. 101 “The Clock,” featuring the Andante and Minuet.

In the first set, we played:

Johann Andreas Amon (1763-1825), Quintet for flute, horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass or second cello (ad lib)

Mozart and Schumann Piano Quartets

Various Quartets for flute, oboe, oboe doubling on English horn, and cello (Note: these were primarily standard wind quartets with cello playing the bassoon part. The English horn player transposed the clarinet part in Sibelius before the Play-In.)

Pleyel, Trios (2 violins, cello)

And in the second set, we played:

Bach, Aria No. 13 from the St. John Passion “Ich folge dir gleichfalls mit freudigen Schritten” in a minimal ensemble: soprano, flute, and cello

Beethoven, String Trios (violin, viola, cello)

… then both trios combined into a sextet: Wilm, String Sextet with flute on the first violin part (flute, violin, 2 violas, 2 celli)

Stamitz and Pfeiffer, Quartets (flute, violin, horn, cello)

Haydn et al., (London) Trios or similar (flute, oboe, cello)

In the end, there were only four of us at the Indian restaurant, but we came to the conclusion that everyone else had missed out on something… 😉