Schubert 2028 – Franz Schubert and Viennese Music
- 15 hours ago
- 4 min read
Back to Vienna’s musical roots with arpeggione, Schrammelharmonika and contraguitarr
In 2028, marking the 200th anniversary of Franz Schubert’s death, the ensemble ARPEGGIONE.200 brings Schubert's music back to the diverse instrumental world of nineteenth-century Vienna.
At the heart of the programme is the rare arpeggione – the “Guitarre-Violoncell” developed in Vienna in 1823, for which Schubert composed his celebrated Arpeggione Sonata D 821. Together with Schrammelharmonika and contraguitar, it creates an exceptional sound world combining classical chamber music, Schubert songs and traditional Viennese music.
ARPEGGIONE.200 live:
Franz Schubert: Back to Vienna’s Musical Roots
The arpeggione was created in 1823 in the workshop of the distinguished Viennese instrument maker Johann Georg Stauffer. The six-stringed instrument was designed to combine the advantages of the guitar – sharing its tuning and fretted fingerboard – with the playing technique and lyrical expressiveness of the cello.
Only one year later, Franz Schubert composed his Sonata in A minor D 821 for the new “Guitarre-Violoncell”. The arpeggione largely disappeared from musical life after only a few years, but Schubert’s sonata has kept its name alive to this day.
ARPEGGIONE.200 places the instrument in a new Viennese context. Both the arpeggione and the contraguitar are closely connected with Vienna’s nineteenth-century tradition of guitar making, while the later development of the Schrammelharmonika adds one of the characteristic sounds of Viennese music.
Rather than reconstructing a historical original ensemble, ARPEGGIONE.200 offers an independent new interpretation. By bringing Schubert’s music together with the Viennese traditions of song, dance and instrumental music-making, the ensemble reveals the lyrical, dance-like and spirited character of the Arpeggione Sonata – and of Schubert’s music more broadly – in a distinctive and remarkably authentic way.
The concert programme
Sei mir gegrüßt (Franz Schubert, Arr. Fuchsberger/Hudler/Teufel)
Ländler D6 D2 B2 (Franz Schubert/Arr. Daniel Fuchsberger)
Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano (Franz Schubert, Arr. Hudler/Fuchsberger/Teufel)
Zwillingssteirer (trad./ Arr. Fuchsberger)
Wiener Damen-Ländler-Melange, D 734 (Arr. Fuchsberger/Teufel)
Trockene Blumen (Franz Schubert, Arr. Fuchsberger/Hudler/Teufel)
Ländler D 6 – D 2 – B♭ 2, D 370 & 374 (Franz Schubert/Daniel Fuchsberger)
Im Frühling (Franz Schubert, Arr. Fuchsberger/Hudler/Teufel)
Homecoming Song (Abdullah Ibrahim)
Du bist die Ruh (Franz Schubert, Arr. Fuchsberger/Hudler/Teufel)
Duration: approximately 90 minutes plus interval; shorter versions are available
Line-Up:
Peter Hudler – arpeggione
Andreas Teufel – Schrammel accordion
Daniel Fuchsberger – contraguitar and bowed zither
Presentation: with spoken introductions by the Ensemble
Three Remarkable Viennese Instruments
Arpeggione
Six strings, guitar tuning and frets – played with a bow like a cello. Developed in Vienna in 1823, the arpeggione brings together two instrumental worlds and owes its present-day recognition above all to Schubert’s Sonata D 821.
Schrammelharmonika
The chromatic Schrammelharmonika became one of the characteristic instruments of Viennese music during the nineteenth century. In Schubert’s sonata, it assumes the role of the piano while adding an entirely new palette of colours to the score.
Contraguitar
The Viennese contraguitar combines a guitar with additional freely vibrating bass strings. It provides the ensemble with a deep, resonant foundation and joins the Schrammelharmonika to form the traditional Viennese instrumental pairing known as the “Wiener Packl”.
The Ensemble ARPEGGIONE.200
Peter Hudler – Arpeggione
The Viennese cellist Peter Hudler performs as a soloist and chamber musician at venues and festivals including the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Musikverein Vienna, the Mozarteum Salzburg and the Leipzig Bach Festival. He is the founder and artistic director of the concert series Cello Expansion and, alongside the classical cello, is dedicated to the rediscovery of the arpeggione.
Andreas Teufel – Schrammelharmonika
Andreas Teufel studied piano performance at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, graduating with distinction. As a pianist and Schrammelharmonika player, he combines classical musicianship with the Viennese musical tradition. His scholarly work has also explored the history and performance practice of the Schrammelharmonika in depth.
Daniel Fuchsberger – Contraguitar and Streichzither
Daniel Fuchsberger studied jazz percussion, jazz composition and arranging, as well as marimba, at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. A contraguitar player, composer and versatile multi-instrumentalist, he performs with numerous ensembles representing both traditional and contemporary Viennese music.
A Special Programme for Schubert 2028
On 19 November 2028, the world will mark the 200th anniversary of Franz Schubert’s death. ARPEGGIONE.200 approaches this international commemorative occasion from a distinctive Viennese perspective and with an exceptional combination of instruments.
Alongside the familiar song recitals and chamber music programmes of the anniversary year, the ensemble offers a different path to Schubert: through the arpeggione, Vienna’s instrumental tradition and the connection between art music and folk-music roots.
Performances and References
ARPEGGIONE.200 has appeared at venues and festivals including:
* styriarte Meerschein Concerts, Minoritensaal Graz
* Gustav Mahler Music Weeks, Toblach/Dobbiaco
* Badia Musica Festival, South Tyrol
* Theater am Spittelberg, Vienna
* Ö1 RadioCafé, Vienna
* Schrammel.Klang.Festival, Litschau – 2024 and 2026
ARPEGGIONE.200 Album
The programme was released in 2026 as an album on the Austrian classical label Gramola.
'The arpeggione sounds as though it had been written for this ensemble from the very beginning – entirely natural and outstandingly musical.”
Pizzicato
“With ARPEGGIONE.200, Peter Hudler approaches Franz Schubert in his own highly personal and distinctly Viennese way.”
Radio Klassik Stephansdom
“…and in the deeply moving song ‘Du bist die Ruh’, one found confirmation of what the styriarte website had written about the concert: ‘Schubert would have liked this.’ Most certainly!”
Kleine Zeitung
Listen to the album on all major streaming platforms: ARPEGGIONE.200 – all Streaming -platforms
Booking and Availability 2028
“Schubert 2028 – Franz Schubert and Viennese Music” is available for festivals, concert series, cultural centres, museums and other distinctive venues.
The programme, concert duration and spoken presentation can be adapted to suit the individual event. I would be pleased to provide further information about fees, available dates and technical requirements.
Download presenterkit:
Download full package (press fotos, presenterkit, reviews, CD-booklet)
Booking: Peter Hudler
Email: p.hudler@gmail.com
Phone: +43 650 7702072