The gentle current of the Danube River will find new life not in water but in sound, as four world-class musicians bring a transcendent chamber music performance to the University of Miami’s Knight Center for Music Innovation on Saturday, May 24. The Soul of the Danube is more than a concert—it is an invitation to travel through Europe’s cultural heartland, guided by music that has long flowed along the riverbanks of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia.
The program features a distinguished ensemble: Yulia Ziskel (violin) and Dov Scheindlin (viola) from the New York Philharmonic, Dmitry Kouzov (cello), and Marina Radiushina (piano), who also serves as artistic director of the festival. Together, they will explore the rich musical identities shaped by the Danube’s meandering course—from the elegance of Mozart’s Vienna to the vibrant rhythms of Hungary and the lush romanticism of Bohemia.
Anchoring the performance is Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, a beloved cornerstone of Czech chamber music that fuses national color with emotional depth. It is a work that captures Dvořák’s gift for melody and texture while evoking the Bohemian countryside that so deeply inspired him. The piece closes a program that blends refinement and folkloric flair.
Also on the program: a Viennese trio by Mozart, demonstrating the composer’s characteristic balance of clarity and lyricism; Ernő Dohnányi’s Serenade, a spirited Hungarian homage to the classical form; and two works by Johannes Brahms, who was famously drawn to Hungarian dance rhythms and integrated them into the fabric of his music.
These selections were chosen not only for their historical and cultural resonance, but also for how they speak to one another—across borders, across generations. The Danube has long connected cities and empires, peoples and traditions. So too does this music, echoing the river’s journey and the emotional landscapes it has inspired.
The Soul of the Danube is presented as part of the 2025 Mainly Mozart Festival, which continues its tradition of curating intellectually rich and emotionally stirring programs for South Florida audiences. Saturday’s concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Knight Center for Music Innovation (5513 San Amaro Dr., Coral Gables). Tickets and additional information are available through the Mainly Mozart Festival’s website.
Whether you are drawn to the precise craftsmanship of Mozart or the passionate expressiveness of Dvořák, this evening promises a rare opportunity to hear chamber music at its finest, performed by some of today’s most accomplished artists.
