Concerts

05/29/2026, 7.30 pm
Bittersweet
Bürgerzentrum Alte Synagoge e.V.
59872 Meschede

Are you an event organizer and would like to book duo.klax? Please contact us via info@duo-klax.de or write to us using the contact form.

The two artists seem [...] as if they have been on the concert stage together for half their lives and spur each other on to top performances. Quietly and then dramatically trumpeting again, they prove [...] to be true masters of their instruments.

Augsburger Allgemeine

About

When you think of the saxophone, you usually think of jazz. In classical music, on the other hand, it is still not so much expected. Yet the instrument was originally invented precisely for this purpose: as a tonal bridge between woodwind and brass instruments in the classical orchestra.

In chamber music interplay with the piano, the saxophone reveals its full diversity: it sings, whispers, shines and blends. In duo.klax , two instruments with a strong character meet – sometimes in unison, sometimes in contrast, always in dialog and at eye level.

Since 2018, saxophonist Regina Reiter and pianist Danlin Felix Sheng have been exploring an incredibly diverse repertoire together, ranging from original works of the 20th century to arrangements and contemporary music – always in search of new sonic perspectives and musical narratives. The two perform their concerts with great clarity, passion and a fine sense of dramaturgy – sometimes quiet and lyrical, sometimes virtuosic and powerful. The ensemble’s well thought-out programs make the familiar audible in a new way and bring the unheard to light.

duo.klax – surprising. classical.

Programs

Bittersweet

"Bittersweet" offers a fascinating insight into the music of the 20th century and at the same time sheds light on the complex relationship between jazz, the avant-garde and the Nazi dictatorship. It presents works by composers who were ostracized during the National Socialist era and thus provides a counterpoint to the established masterpieces of the time. Erwin Schulhoff's Hot Sonata combines pulsating jazz with classical virtuosity, while Paul Hindemith's sonatas in their profound variations and tonal layering captivate. Paul Ben-Haim's Three Songs without Words enchant with a mixture of lyrical expression and oriental melancholy. Darius Milhaud's world-famous work Scaramouche - a firework of French elegance and Brazilian temperament - provides the lively finale. This program was released in 2024 on the Kaleidos label on CD and now invites you to experience these deeply moving and multi-layered compositions live.

Poésie et Passion

This program combines works by three composers who develop lyrical depth and expressive power in their sonatas. The French composer Fernande Decruck was a pioneer of her time - she was one of the first important female composers to write for the saxophone and left behind a key work in the repertoire with her mysterious and colorful sonata. She is followed by the warm melodicism of Johannes Brahms, whose Clarinet Sonata in E flat major is heard here in a sonorous arrangement for saxophone. The concert concludes with César Franck's famous violin sonata, whose timeless beauty takes on a new, fascinating nuance in the version for saxophone. A concert full of sound poetry, elegance and passion.

In tune with the times

Dynamic, virtuosic and full of surprises - this program presents original works for saxophone and piano by three contemporary composers who play with tradition and modernity in very different ways. Takashi Yoshimatsu's Fuzzy Bird Sonata unfolds a lively sound with rhythmic energy and floating melodies. Jean-Denis Michat builds a bridge to Baroque music with Back to Bach, while Fazıl Say's six-movement Suite op. 55 combines spirited rhythms, lyrical passages and ironic refractions. A concert that celebrates the versatility of the saxophone - expressive, playful and always in tune with the times.

Debut Album

The ensemble’s debut album „Bittersweet“ was released by KALEIDOS Musikeditionen in April 2024. Simply order the CD by email to info@duo-klax.de or via the contact form (€17.90 per CD plus shipping).

Of course, you can also listen to the album online on various streaming and download platforms. Simply click on the following button and select the desired provider:

After initially joining forces as a duo to take part in the international "Verfemte Musik" competition in Schwerin, we decided to take up this theme again for our first joint album and record and release five works by so-called ostracized composers: the Hot Sonata by Erwin Schulhoff, two sonatas by Paul Hindemith, Three Songs without Words by Paul Ben-Haim and Scaramouche by Darius Milhaud. The word ‘verfemt’ is a synonym for ‘ostracized’, ‘degenerate’ or ‘despised’. In a musical context, it refers to composers and works that were blacklisted by the Nazi regime during the Third Reich and were henceforth considered ‘degenerate’ and no longer allowed to be played. The saxophone in particular was symbolic of such music (primarily because of its popularity in jazz) and was banned accordingly. With this CD production, we want to show what wonderful and meaningful music the world was almost deprived of or lost and that it is important to keep reminding people of the terrible background to these works so that such dark history is not repeated. This is where the album title Bittersweet comes from, which we use to describe the ambivalence that we associate with these works: on the one hand, it is beautiful, exciting and varied music, but on the other hand, it must also be seen and heard in the context of the time in which it was created.

duo.klax

Regina Reiter

… is a versatile saxophonist with extensive experience as a soloist as well as a chamber and orchestral musician. She has honed her playing through many years of engagements in symphonic wind orchestras – including the Landespolizeiorchester Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz – and through regular guest appearances with renowned symphony orchestras such as the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Staatsorchester Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Mainz and Hanover, Opern- und Museumsorchester Frankfurt, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and the Vienna, Düsseldorf and Bamberg Symphony Orchestras. Numerous concert tours have taken her throughout Europe as well as to the USA and China.

Her great passion is chamber music, which she performs with dedication in a wide variety of formations – from duo to quintet.

Regina Reiter completed her studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt with Simon Hanrath and at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg with Prof. Lutz Koppetsch. She also studied chamber music with Prof. Angelika Merkle at the HfMDK Frankfurt. She received important musical impulses in master classes with internationally renowned saxophonists such as Arno Bornkamp, Claude Delangle and Vincent David as well as with chamber music greats such as Heime Müller, the Quarteto Casals and the Kuss Quartet.

She has won prizes in numerous competitions and has received scholarships from Live Music Now Frankfurt e.V., the Da Ponte Foundation Darmstadt, Jeunesses Musicales International and the Deutschlandstipendium.

www.reginareiter.de

Danlin Felix Sheng

… born in Berlin in 1989 to Chinese parents, is known for his musical versatility, which he demonstrates with expressiveness and technical precision in various projects as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician.

In addition to his career as a soloist, he is passionate about chamber music and ensemble playing. His repertoire includes almost all formations from duo to sextet, both with winds and strings. Particular highlights are his regular guest appearances as an orchestral pianist with renowned orchestras such as the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.

Numerous prizes and awards attest to the high esteem in which his playing is held. He has won prizes at several competitions such as Jugend musiziert, the Wiesbaden International Piano Competition and the Carl Bechstein University Competition.

In 2017, Danlin Felix Sheng completed his postgraduate studies in the “Soloist Diploma” (concert exam) with distinction at the Musikhochschule Freiburg. His teachers include Claudia Henninger, Joachim Volkmann, Michael Leuschner and Eric Le Sage. He received further artistic impulses through his participation in numerous master classes led by world-renowned pianists and teachers such as Alfred Brendel, Klaus Hellwig, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Bernd Glemser (among others).

He currently works as a piano teacher at the Freiburg Music School and as a lecturer in accompaniment for wind classes at the Musikhochschule Freiburg.

Media

Contact

Would you like to book duo.klax or do you have any other questions for the ensemble? Please use the contact form or send an email to info@duo-klax.de – we look forward to hearing from you!