ROBIN PAILLET

Robin Paillet won the 2025 ARD Music Competition in the trumpet category and also received the special prize for the best interpretation of a commissioned composition. Nearly 120 years earlier, compositions were commissioned for the final exam competition at the Paris Conservatory – among them, George Enescu wrote his »Légende« for trumpet and piano as a test piece for the school. His fellow student Maurice Ravel, on the other hand, failed multiple times in this competition and ultimately had to leave the Conservatory. Despite this, his creativity persisted. A selection of his extensive works will be performed by the three musicians at the historic Kelter Bietigheim, including Ravel’s »Le Tombeau de Couperin«. Originally composed as a tribute to the French Baroque composer François Couperin, the piece gained additional meaning because it was written during World War I: each movement was dedicated to a fallen soldier from Ravel’s circle of friends. Without any competition, and instead in shared harmony, the trio will conclude the evening with Claude Debussy’s slow waltz »La plus que lente«.