In later years, Ludwig van Beethoven was a little embarrassed by the enormous success of his great Septet op. 20. Had he allowed himself to be seduced too much by contemporary tastes back then, in 1799, when he was still a young composer in Vienna? Be that as it may, the “Septet on 4 strings and 3 wind instruments“, which was “most kindly offered to Her Majesty the Empress“, was performed by the cream of Vienna's resident soloists in the Altes Burgtheater – and with good reason in this highly enjoyable but technically demanding work. Accordingly, HERBSTGOLD also features a brilliant international cast, with Julian Rachlin at the helm. This also benefits Krzysztof Penderecki's Sextet, premiered in 2000, which is part of the great chamber music tradition: “I am a Slavic composer,“ Penderecki remarked at the time, “who is concerned with conveying his own feeling, his own expression; the clarity of the construction is very important, but I am not afraid of the personal touch".