© Image: Stephan Polzer
Join the ACF DC for a captivating evening of music as the Gugg Piano Duo (NASOM 2025/2026) – newly named to BBC Radio 3’s prestigious New Generation Artists cohort for 2026–2028 – presents a richly colored program spanning Austrian and Czech masterworks to vibrant American modernism.
At the center of the evening stands Schubert’s monumental Grand Duo Sonata, a four-movement work whose symphonic breadth and luminous melodies push the piano beyond chamber music into orchestral territory. A contrasting turn follows with Dvořák’s second Slavonic Dance, compact yet emotionally charged, moving from introspective E minor to a radiant E major. Smetana’s The Moldau then unfolds in flowing lines and vivid imagery, tracing the famous river from its sources through the Czech landscape to Prague. The program concludes with John Corigliano’s Gazebo Dances, a spirited suite inspired by the lightness and elegance of outdoor band concerts. Together, these works showcase the piano’s extraordinary range of color, texture, intimacy, and grandeur.
Doors open at 6:15 PM. The event starts at 7:00 PM and is followed by an Austrian wine reception.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) | Sonata in C Major Grand Duo, D 812
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) | Slavonic Dances op.46, no. 2 in E Minor
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) | The Moldau
John Corigliano (1938*) | Gazebo Dances (selection)
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The Gugg Piano Duo (Tereza Gugg-Kalabova and Johannes Gugg) are winners of the International Chamber Music Competition Franz Schubert and Modern Music 2025 and rank among the most compelling piano duos of their generation. They have appeared in leading venues including the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Brahms Hall of the Vienna Musikverein, and the Athenaeum in Bucharest. Meeting at the age of 14 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, the Czech-Austrian duo quickly developed an almost intuitive musical rapport, grounded in a shared sense of sound and a deep personal connection.
ABOUT NASOM
The New Austrian Sound of Music – in short NASOM – is a biannual sponsorship program by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA) promoting emerging Austrian and Austria-based musicians performing abroad.
The aim of NASOM is to offer support for international performances of promising young talents with the help of a global network of embassies, cultural forums and consulates over a period of two years. A further objective of NASOM is to draw more attention to the fact that Austrian music – beyond the traditional – is as vibrant, modern and culturally diverse as ever.
Every two years, the young artists accepted for this program are selected in cooperation with the organization mica – music austria and an expert commission. Participants of the sponsorship program are chosen from the genres classical, jazz, global, contemporary and pop/electronic music.