Truth or Dare - with Anouchka (cello) and Katharina Hack (piano)

Sisters, music, and a little spontaneity: Anouchka (cellist) and Katharina (pianist) Hack take on a game of Truth or Dare — uncovering their bond, their artistry, and what sisterhood really means. We met the musical duo at the Beethovenfest in Bonn.

At a glance:
(00:00) Introduction with upcoming highlights
(00:37) Question: Who's more likely to break into laughter mid performance?
(01:39) Challenge: Play your sister's favorite song
(02:31) Question: Who started which instrument and when?
(03:41) Question: How has music changed or strengthened your relationship?
(04:29) Challenge: instrument swap - play a song of your choice
(04:55) Anouchka & Katharina Hack perform "Cantique" by Nadia Boulanger
(06:11) Question: What do you like most about performing together?
(06:46) Question: Marina Baranova wrote the piece “All people become sisters” for you, based on Beethoven's “Ode to Joy” with the line “All people become brothers.” Why does that matter in a societal context today?
(08:01) Question: What's the worst interview question you have ever been asked?
(08:23) Anouchka & Katharina Hack perform "Alle Menschen werden Schwestern" by Marina Baranova

Anouchka and Katharina Hack grew up in a family of musicians. The sisters began performing together at the ages of six and eight. Their childhood spent together fostered a close musical bond, which is particularly evident in their interplay.

Katharina (piano), born in Cologne in 1994, and Anouchka (cello), born in Antwerp in 1996, received their musical training as junior students under Prof. Ilja Scheps and Prof. Hans-Christian Schweiker at the Cologne University of Music. From 2014 to 2018, they studied with Prof. Konstanze Eickhorst and Prof. Troels Svane at the Lübeck University of Music.

Katharina continued her studies with Prof. Bernd Glemser at the University of Music Würzburg and completed her concert exam in 2022. One year later, she was accepted by Gabriela Montero in her "Piano Lab" at the OAcademy Music Conservatory. Katharina has received numerous prizes, including the Steinway Förderpreis Frankfurt, and is a scholarship recipient of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, the Dumcke Foundation and the Ritter Foundation.

Anouchka studied with Prof. Frans Helmerson, first at the Barenboim–Said Academy in Berlin and then at the Kronberg Academy. In 2024, she completed her studies with a soloist diploma. Anouchka has also won many prizes, including the Prix Jean-Nicolas Firmenich for best young cellist at the Verbier Festival 2021. As a prizewinner of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben 2023, she plays a Bartolomeo Tassini cello, Venice 1769.

For their debut CD released in 2020 featuring works by Dmitri Shostakovich Anouchka and Katharina Hack were nominated for the German Record Prize in 2020 and for the Opus Klassik in 2021 in the categories “Best Chamber Music Recording” and “Best Ensemble.” Their current album, Alle Menschen werden Schwestern (All People Become Sisters), produced in collaboration with Deutschlandfunk on the Berlin Classics label, has been acclaimed by the music press and audiences alike.

Report: Chiara Bachels and Liz Bulnes
Camera: Natalie Wittmann, Moritz Vogt and Timon Heidorn
Post-Production: Timon Heidorn

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