In 2026, the ACF London celebrates its 70th anniversary. Rather than celebrati ng the ACF itself, we want this to be an ACF – A Celebration of Friends, of anniversaries and birthdays of ar tists and scienti sts who make 28 Rutland Gate a vibrant hub for cultural and scienti fic exchange between Austria and the United Kingdom.
As part of our anniversary programme, we are delighted to announce a very special memorial concert series dedicated to Arnold and Alma Rosé. The renowned Austrian Korngold Ensemble, together with violinist Benjamin Schmid, will present a programme of works by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Ernest Chausson.
When Arnold Rosé and his daughter Alma fled from Nazi persecution to their London exile in 1939, Arnold Rosé was looking back on a distinguished career spanning 57 years as a first violinist of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and leader of the renowned Rosé-Quartet; Alma Rosé, a talented violinist in her own right, was later deported to Auschwitz in July 1943, where she conducted the notorious Women’s Orchestra before she died in April 1944.
This concert marks the 80th anniversary of Arnold Rosé’s death (August 25th, 1946) as well as the 120th anniversary of Alma Rosé’s birth (November 3rd, 1906)
The Korngold-Ensemble debuted in 2019 and are already firmly established in Austria’s classical music scene as one of its most innovative exponents, the Korngold Ensemble (Ludwig Müller and Tiffany Pei-Hsuan – violin; Cyntia Liao-Zottl – viola; Jonáš Krejčí– cello; Cătălina Butcaru – piano) have specialised, alongside great works of the standard repertoire, in compositions of the first half of the 20th century. The ensemble’s name is suggestive of the musicians’ programmatic aim of bringing to the fore composers who, for various reasons, were persecuted or displaced and therefore unable to perform their art.
This is also the case of the Rosé-Quartet, which, before being silenced by the Nazi regime, performed some of the most courageous premieres of avant-garde and modernist compositions and constantly championed works by their contemporaries Arnold Schönberg, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Anton Webern and many more.
Whether focusing on Mozart, Beethoven, and Paganini or Friedrich Gulda, Fritz Kreisler, and Mieczysław Weinberg, Benjamin Schmid counts among the most technically accomplished and musically versatile violinists of his generation. He has accordingly been honoured with numerous prestigious awards worldwide. Having made his debut as Sir Yehudi Menuhin’s solo partner in 1986, Benjamin Schmid has since added more than 3,000 live performances and more than 60 remarkable recordings to his repertoire.
On long-term loan from the Austrian National Bank, the 1718 Stradivarius on which Benjamin Schmid will be performing today, is the violin that Arnold Rosé himself played at the National Gallery and whose sale he managed to avoid during the war years, despite considerable financial hardship.
Programme:
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Piano quintet in e major, op. 15
Ernest Chausson, Concert for violin, piano, and string quartet, op. 21
Dates & timings:
Friday 9th October 2026, 6:30pm
Austrian Ambassador's Residence
Please register your interest if you would like to attend: office@acflondon.org
Please note that spaces are very limited.
Saturday 10th October 2026, 1pm
Myra Hess Lunchtime Concert
National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN
This is an unticketed event.
During the Second World War, Dame Myra Hess’ relentless performances of more than 1,500 Lunchtime Concerts filled the National Gallery, which had been emptied of its paintings as a protective measure against Nazi bombs, with the sound of hope. Among her guest performers were the exiled Austrian musicians Arnold and Alma Rosé, father and daughter.
