Zoffany Ensemble
St John's Smith Square, St John's Church Smith Square, SW1P 3HA , [Venue Details]Brahms’s Lost Nonet Revived: The Zoffany Ensemble Performs a Forgotten Chamber Music Masterpiece.
Musicologists have long known that Serenade No. 1 originally existed in a chamber version scored for nine instruments and was first performed in 1859.
Brahms later expanded the piece into the orchestral form we know today, reportedly encouraged by friends including Clara Schumann and Joseph Joachim.
Unfortunately, the original manuscript disappeared, leaving only traces embedded within the orchestral score. However, in 1987, Jorge Rotter undertook the task of reconstructing the lost version by studying Brahms’ orchestration closely and identifying passages that clearly retained their chamber music origins.
The result is not merely a reduction of the orchestral score, but an impressive and important piece of chamber music which in many respects corresponds to Beethoven’s septet and Schubert’s octet. It is a vivid reimagining of the original sound world: transparent, intimate, and conversational.
The Zoffany Ensemble first performed Brahms’ Op 11 at the Conway Hall, and more recently on Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’.
More Information
Admission: £6.00
Performer name: Zoffany Ensemble
Interval: No
Update /Errors ? If you find this listing needs updating, please, let us know: admin@halibuts.com
Halibuts is the only place to find ALL London's live music.
Free for all to use, we track ~1,000 London venues and list every type of live music.
To reach our home page, Click here
Or download the Halibuts APP:
iOS
Apple
ANDROID
AndroidFinally; if you like Halibuts, please help us by spreading the word !
Zoffany Ensemble
Thursday, 19 Nov 2026 @1.05pm
St John's Smith Square, St John's Church Smith Square, SW1P 3HAMore Information
Brahms’s Lost Nonet Revived: The Zoffany Ensemble Performs a Forgotten Chamber Music Masterpiece.
Musicologists have long known that Serenade No. 1 originally existed in a chamber version scored for nine instruments and was first performed in 1859.
Brahms later expanded the piece into the orchestral form we know today, reportedly encouraged by friends including Clara Schumann and Joseph Joachim.
Unfortunately, the original manuscript disappeared, leaving only traces embedded within the orchestral score. However, in 1987, Jorge Rotter undertook the task of reconstructing the lost version by studying Brahms’ orchestration closely and identifying passages that clearly retained their chamber music origins.
The result is not merely a reduction of the orchestral score, but an impressive and important piece of chamber music which in many respects corresponds to Beethoven’s septet and Schubert’s octet. It is a vivid reimagining of the original sound world: transparent, intimate, and conversational.
The Zoffany Ensemble first performed Brahms’ Op 11 at the Conway Hall, and more recently on Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’.
Admission: £6.00
Performer name: Zoffany Ensemble
Interval: No
Halibuts is the only place to find ALL London's live music.
Free for all to use, we track ~1,000 London venues and list every type of live music.
To reach our home page, Click here
Or download the Halibuts APP:
IOS
ANDROID