The composition competition of the Vienna Tonkünstlerverein in 1896 under honorary president Johannes Brahms intended to promote chamber music “which uses at least one wind instrument” and resulted in 18 submissions, twelve of which were selected for five concerts. The first- and third-placed works of this competition, namely the Clarinet Quartet in E flat major, op.1, by Walter Rabl and the Clarinet Trio in D minor, op.3, by Alexander Zemlinsky are now recorded for this CD by Christoph Zimper, clarinet, Kristina Suklar, violin, Florian Eggner, cello and Peter Ovtcharov, piano. The proximity to the music of Johannes Brahms is not least influenced by his own chamber music works for clarinet, but can also be seen in numerous stylistic and aesthetic aspects with both Rabl and Zemlinsky.

Since 2017 Christoph Zimper is professor for clarinet at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna – MDW. From 2012 to 2018 he had the position of the principal clarinet in the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, and additionally played with renowned orchestras. He won several prizes at international competitions and performs as soloist and as chamber musician in Austria and abroad.

Born in Serbia in 1983, Kristina Suklar received her first violin lessons at the age of 4 at the music school of Novi Sad/Serbia. At the age of 14 she continued her studies at the conservatory of Vienna and the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. She performs as chamber musician and as concertmaster of several international orchestras. Since 2011 she has the position of second concertmaster at the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna.o-Symphonieorchesters Wien.

Florian Eggner is a soloist and chamber musician and works as tutor for cello and chamber music. His numerous competition successes, including first prize in the Brahms Competition and first prize in the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, attest to his international career already in his young years. In 1997, he founded the Eggner Trio together with his brothers. Since then, Florian Eggner has played concert tours worldwide.

Peter Ovtcharov was born into an artistic family in Russia. After being admitted to the St Petersburg Academy for Gifted Children, he finished his studies at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. Ovtcharov has performed as a soloist, and as a soloist with orchestra, in the most prestigious concert halls of Europe and Asia and is professor at the Yonsei University in Korea.