Beethoven’s intoxicating septet, which fills the Mozart-period serenade with a spirit of compositional innovation, is a major success with audiences and inspires many colleagues. Franz Berwald‘s treatment of the original and experiencing what colouring he derives from the same instrumentation make for an exciting comparison. The Swede whose ancestors had originally come from the "Neumark" lived in Berlin for ten years, not from his music, however, but as an orthopaedic because he never gained the recognition as a musician, which he so richly deserves during his life. His vital stubbornness also impressed the Dane Carl Nielsen who wrote his "serenade in vain" as a witty accompaniment to Beethoven’s piece in a concert. Played like this by the ensemble OXALYS from Brussels, audiences will definitely not turn a deaf ear.