Monday, October 6, 2025

Two Great Piano Trios - Schubert and Tchaikovsky

Friday 24th and Saturday 25th October

Two Great Piano Trios

Dimitri Papadopoulos, piano

Alexandre Vay,  cello

Tasana Nagavajara, violin



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Friday October 24th, 6pm

Beethoven cello sonata no. 3 op. 69

Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69, composed in 1808, marks a turning point in the cello repertoire and in Beethoven’s own chamber style. Unlike his earlier sonatas, this work gives the cello and piano equal prominence, opening with a lyrical solo cello line that sets a tone of warmth and nobility. The sonata blends Classical elegance with emerging Romantic expressiveness, especially in the expansive first movement and the buoyant Scherzo.

Schubert Trio no 2 in E flat, op.100

Schubert’s Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 100 (D. 929), is a towering masterpiece of the chamber music repertoire, composed in 1827, a year before he died. The Trio is famous for its second movement, Andante con moto, which features a somber Swedish folk-like theme that was used extensively in Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. It is one of Schubert's greatest works and one of the finest piano trios in the repertoire.

and 

Saturday, October 25th, 6pm

Shostakovich Cello Sonata, D minor, op.40

Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40, composed in 1934, is a youthful and richly expressive work. The sonata opens with a classically structured first movement, followed by a scherzo that crackles with rhythmic energy and sardonic character. Its slow movement evokes haunting, introspective melodies, while the finale bursts with lively folk-inspired themes and playful contrasts. 

and 

The Tchaikovsky Trio in A Minor, op.50


Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50, composed in 1881–82, is a monumental work written in memory of his friend Nikolai Rubinstein. It is written in two large, deceptive movements; the trio sounds like four movements. The first movement is a sweeping elegy, while the second is a set of variations culminating in a funeral march, returning majestically to the opening theme. It is one of the greatest works in the chamber repertoire.

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Dimitri and Alexandre are two fabulous French musicians. They met at Lyon Conservatory and have been playing together for more than a decade. They first visited us in May 2014, playing all of the Beethoven Cello Sonatas, and have come every pandemic-free year. Their visits are always a high point of the year. Don't miss them!

Reservations:  1,000 baht each concert. Email asiachart@hotmail.com or call 038 069681 office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day.

Tickets: No tickets will be issued for concerts. Admission to the music room on the day of the concert will be in accordance with the sequence of receipt of payment (ie, who pays first goes in first and can select their desired seat).

Cancellation: credit will be offered in the event of cancellation due to sickness. If you are feeling sick on the day of the concert, please don't come. No credit will be offered if you have a change of plans. 

Etiquette: Please turn phones to silent mode and put them away during the performance. 

No photos allowed during the main performance. But photos may be taken during encore. 

Directions to Eelswamp: search for 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Sunday, October 12th, 6pm

Robin Zebaida, piano

Second visit to Eelswamp



Sousa (arranged by Horowitz): The Star-Spangled Banner 

Rachmaninov: Three Preludes

Three English Idylls:

     The Almond Trees by John Ireland

     The Lake in the Mountains by Ralph Vaughan Williams

     Windmills by Ernest Moeran

Tchaikovsky (arr. Pabst/Hough) Sleeping Beauty Paraphrase                                   

Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata op 27 no 2   

Liszt: God Save the Queen 

Sousa (arranged by Horowitz): Stars and Stripes Forever


Robin Zebaida: is a London born pianist. He studied at Oxford and the Royal College of Music. Robin has performed in over 100 countries across all continents. Highlights of past seasons include concerts in USA, Canada (collaborating with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin), Central America, Europe, the Far East and Australia, where his Sydney recital was reported as achieving 'a warmth and empathy with the audience rarely seen'. Robin is recommended to us by Leo Phillips.

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email asiachart@hotmail.com. All proceeds to the musician.


Tickets: No tickets will be issued for concerts. Admission to the music room on the day of the concert will be in accordance with the sequence of receipt of payment (ie, who pays first goes in first and can select their desired seat).

Etiquette: Photos may be taken during the encore only. During the main performance please put your phone in silent mode and put it away.

Children: Children aged eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of illness. Please don't come if you're feeling sick or recovering but still coughing. 

Directions to Eelswamp: search for 'Eelswamp' on google maps. Directions can be found at the bottom of this page: http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-music-room-at-eelswamp.html

Bolt Taxi service to Eelswamp: Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Friday, October 3rd, 6pm

Beethoven Symphonies nos 7 and 8

Transcribed for String Quintet

Book now by email!

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email asiachart@hotmail.com



Graeme Norris – Violin
Tasana Nagavajara – Violin
Omporn Kowintha – Viola
Miti Wisuthumporn – Viola
Leslie Tan – Cello

Beethoven – Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 (1811–1812)
1. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
2. Allegretto
3. Presto (with Trio: Assai meno presto)
4. Allegro con brio

Dubbed the “apotheosis of the dance”—especially for that second movement, which audiences demanded be encored at its premiere.

Beethoven – Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 (1812)
1. Allegro vivace e con brio
2. Allegretto scherzando
3. Tempo di Menuetto
4. Allegro vivace
Shorter and more playful than the Seventh, Beethoven affectionately referred to it as his “little Symphony in F”—though he insisted it was better than the Seventh when asked why it was less popular.



Book now by email!

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email: asiachart@hotmail.com
All proceeds to the musicians. 

Any questions? Contact me on WhatsApp

Chat on WhatsApp

Tickets: No tickets will be issued for concerts. Admission to the music room on the day of the concert will be in accordance with the sequence of receipt of payment (ie, who pays first goes in first and can select their desired seat).

Etiquette: No photos during the performance. Photos may be taken during the encore only. During the main performance please put your phone in silent mode and put it away.

Children: Children aged eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of illness. Please don't come if you're feeling sick or recovering but still coughing. 

Directions to Eelswamp: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

Bolt Taxi service to Eelswamp: Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.

Monday, August 4, 2025

Virtuosi Thailand plays Two Mozart Quintets

Friday, August 22nd, 6pm

No. 3 in the Three Summer Concerts Series

Two Mozart String Quintets

Virtuosi Thailand led by Toto, violin

Book now by email!

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email asiachart@hotmail.com



Mozart wrote six string quintets in two distinct periods. The two that we will hear were written in the late period and are among Mozart's most profound and sublime compositions. The quintets take the string quartet form and add a viola, creating a richer, darker sonority and allowing for more intricate inner voice textures, often giving the viola a prominent and often melodic role. 

The G minor Quintet is one of Mozart's most emotionally raw works, opening with a restless, syncopated figure that eludes resolution, taking the listener on an agitated journey of tonal ambiguity and breathless tension, and finally resolving with delicate determination. The slow movement is one of Mozart's most soulful creations, opening with a plaintive theme of which Tchaikovsky famously remarked, “No one has ever known as well how to interpret so exquisitely in music the sense of resigned and inconsolable sorrow.” That's one interpretation. Exquisite, yes, but it's more than 'sorrow'. The movement represents a calm, sustained, introspection, with a honeyed resolution that defies melancholy. There follows a micro-adagio which puts the listener on a false scent: "what more gloom?" but builds up to a 'wait-for-it' moment, bursting into a rondo that exudes joy, anticipating Beethoven's famous preface, "O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! Sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen". This quintet is as close to perfection as Mozart came. 

And, as everyone knows, the jolly, Haydnesque, E-flat major quintet, Mozart's last major chamber work, isn't bad either.


This is Mozart at his best. Don't miss it! Book now. 

String Quintet in G minor, KV 516 (1787)
- Allegro
- Menuetto: Allegretto
- Adagio ma non troppo
- Adagio - Allegro

String Quintet in E-flat major, KV 614 (1791)
- Allegro di molto
- Andante
- Menuetto: Allegretto
- Allegro

Virtuosi Thailand: This 'all Mozart concert' is the third of three summer concerts played by Virtuosi Thailand, a group of Bangkok based musicians led by Toto Jirajet Jesadachet. The previous two concerts were all Bach, and all Beethoven. Both were brilliant. I expect this 'all Mozart' concert will be too. Book now!



Book now by email!

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email: asiachart@hotmail.com
All proceeds to the musicians. 

Any questions? Contact me on WhatsApp

Chat on WhatsApp

Tickets: No tickets will be issued for concerts. Admission to the music room on the day of the concert will be in accordance with the sequence of receipt of payment (ie, who pays first goes in first and can select their desired seat).

Etiquette: No photos during the performance. Photos may be taken during the encore only. During the main performance please put your phone in silent mode and put it away.

Children: Children aged eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of illness. Please don't come if you're feeling sick or recovering but still coughing. 

Directions to Eelswamp: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

Bolt Taxi service to Eelswamp: Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Three Summer Concerts: The Beethoven piano quartets


Friday, June 27th, 

The early Beethoven Piano Quartets

Virtuosi Thailand led by Toto, violin

Book now by email!

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email asiachart@hotmail.com



All proceeds to the musicians.



Ludwig van Beethoven

These are three gems written in 1785, when Beethoven was 14, still living in Bonn and before he had met Haydn. They are remarkable in that, even though there are hints of the influence of Mozart and Haydn, they clearly show the emergence of the original Beethoven style. For example, no.3 in C major contains melodies which were adapted to the piano sonatas op 2. no.1 in F minor and no. 3 in C major, ten years later. But these works are not merely early sketches. They reveal Beethoven’s youthful brilliance, offering both a glimpse into his developing style and a collection of beautifully crafted, engaging works that stand on their own as delightful and expressive music. This is a program which I selected based on listening to the set many times. I'm excited to have it brought into performance. Don't miss it!

gb


Piano Quartet No.1 in E-flat major, WoO 36 No.1

Adagio assai / Allegro con spirito / Thema con variazione


Piano Quartet No.2 in D major, WoO 36 No.2

Allegro moderato / Andante con moto / Rondo. Allegro


Piano Quartet No.3 in C major, WoO 36 No.3

Allegro vivace / Adagio con espressione / Rondo. Allegro



Book now by email!

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email: asiachart@hotmail.comAll proceeds to the musicians. 

Chat on WhatsApp

Tarin Supprakorn, piano


Eastman School of Music

Jirajet Jesadachet, (Toto) violin




Royal Academy of Music in London









Yu-Ju Lai, viola




Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar
member of Taipei Symphony Orchestra








Wang Tzu-Wen, cello

The Tianjin Juilliard School, faculty

International Music Competition Bonn “Grand Prize Virtuoso”






Book Now!

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. All proceeds to the musicians. Book by Email: asiachart@hotmail.com


Chat on WhatsApp

Tickets: No tickets will be issued for concerts. Admission to the music room on the day of the concert will be in accordance with the sequence of receipt of payment (ie, who pays first goes in first and can select their desired seat).

Etiquette: No photos during the performance. Photos may be taken during the encore only. During the main performance please put your phone in silent mode and put it away.

Children: Children aged eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of illness. Please don't come if you're feeling sick or recovering but still coughing. 

Directions to Eelswamp: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

Bolt Taxi service to Eelswamp: Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.



Past concerts in this series:



Friday June 6th, 6pm

All Bach


Four famous concerti from JS Bach
Friday June 6th, 6pm

Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041
Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042
Concerto for 2 violins in D minor, BWV 1043
Concerto for Oboe & Violin in C minor, BWV 1060

Five string musicians and three soloists




Toto Jirajet Jesadachet, violin

studied at Royal Academy, London



                                    Pang Visanee Vongvirulh, violin

                                    studied at Mozarteum University, Salzburg,









Mook Nuttha Kuankajorn, oboe

Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe

Principal oboe, Thai Philharmonic




Next in this series:

   Friday, June 27th: The three Beethoven Piano Quartets WoO36

   Monday, August 25th: Two Mozart String Quintets in G minor and E flat



Friday, May 16, 2025

Shostakovich's Farewell

Friday, May 30th, 6pm

Shostakovich Violin and Viola Sonatas


Tasana Nagavajara, viola



Anna Takeda, violin 



Akkra Yeunyonghattaporn, piano


Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 134 (1968)

Written for Oistrakh on his 60th birthday, the sonata has three movements, the finale of which is a massive passacaglia with bold cadenzas for both piano and violin, culminating in a grand statement taking only a few bars, before dwindling away to a slow march, with a chilling conclusion.

and

Viola Sonata in C major, Op. 147 (1975)

A farewell work, the last work he wrote, completed just weeks before Shostakovich succumbed to lung cancer and heart failure in July 1975. The viola’s dark timbre lends itself to the sonata’s somber and elegiac character.

Here's a nice quote about the second movement:

"The second movement of Shostakovich’s Viola Sonata, Op. 147 is a sarcastic scherzo, marked Allegretto. It’s built on biting rhythmic figures and bitonality, where the viola and piano play in two separate keys simultaneously. This unsettling effect gives the movement a sense of disjointed irony, almost like a distorted folk dance.

Interestingly, much of the material comes from Shostakovich’s unfinished 1942 opera, The Gamblers. The movement carries a mocking, grotesque quality, with the viola’s angular phrasing clashing against the piano’s stumbling accompaniment. There’s a sense of forced joviality, as if the music is laughing through gritted teeth."

The final movement - Shostakovich's final movement - is a delicate lullaby building to an intense lament with a brilliant cadenza before fading away with the initial delicate lullaby, Shostakovich's farewell to the world.

These are two masterpieces from the greatest composer of the 20th century. If you appreciate Shostakovich, don't miss this performance. 


Tasana Nagavajara is well known to us, having played more concerts at Eelswamp than I can count. He studied at the International Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland and the Vorarlberg Conservatory in Austria, specializing in chamber music. He has performed extensively across Europe, North America, and South America, collaborating with renowned ensembles like Camerata Lysy Gstaad. Tasana served as Concertmaster of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra for ten seasons and has performed major violin concerti with Thailand’s leading orchestras. He is a founding member of the Faculty of Music at Silpakorn University and has directed the Silpakorn Summer Music School (SSMS) since 2005. His work focuses on introducing chamber music repertoire to Thai audiences, expanding the country’s classical music scene.

Anna Takeda has played for us at Eelswamp on several occasions, both as a soloist and as part of the Pro Musica Quartet. She was educated in Japan and then at the Manhattan School of Music. She has played the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at the Merkin Concert Hall, as well as the Tchaikovsky Concerto recently in Pattaya. She also played an all Bach program with Akkra and Kasina, last year at Eelswamp.

Akkra Yeunyonghattaporn studied at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (National University of Singapore), where he won the Piano Concerto Competition and received the Best Accompanist Award for two consecutive years. He later earned his Master’s degree in Piano Performance and a Graduate Performance Diploma in Chamber Music from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, followed by a Doctor of Music degree from McGill University. Akkra has performed across Asia, Europe, and North America, collaborating with internationally acclaimed artists such as Leon Fleisher, Richard Goode, Pascal Rogé, and Dina Yoffe. 

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email asiachart@hotmail.com. All proceeds to the musician.
Tickets: No tickets will be issued for concerts. Admission to the music room on the day of the concert will be in accordance with the sequence of receipt of payment (ie, who pays first goes in first and can select their desired seat).

Etiquette: No photos during the performance. Photos may be taken during the encore only. During the main performance please put your phone in silent mode and put it away.

Children: Children aged eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of illness. Please don't come if you're feeling sick or recovering but still coughing. 

Directions to Eelswamp: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

Bolt Taxi service to Eelswamp: Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.

Monday, April 21, 2025

48 Diaries

Preludes of Chopin and Scriabin

Friday, May 9th, 6pm

Ming Xie 

Plays Chopin and Scriabin Preludes

Described as 'phenomenal' by the legendary Martha Argerich

Chopin 24 Preludes op. 28

Frédéric Chopin’s Preludes, Op. 28, composed between 1835 and 1839, is a set of 24 miniatures, one in each major and minor key, directly inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, a work which Chopin deeply admired and studied. Written primarily during his stay in Mallorca with George Sand, the preludes reflect Chopin’s introspective state amid poor health and isolation. Ranging from the hauntingly lyrical (No. 4 in E minor) to the fiercely dramatic (No. 16 in B-flat minor and no. 22 in G minor), the collection mirrors Bach’s systematic key progression while infusing Romantic lyricism and technical innovation. Chopin’s Preludes later influenced composers like Debussy, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff. Op. 28 is a landmark in piano literature.

Scriabin 24 Preludes op. 11

Alexander Scriabin’s 24 Preludes, Op. 11, was composed between 1888 and 1896. It is a set of short piano pieces written when he was 16 to 24 years old and is inspired by Chopin’s Preludes, Op. 28. Like Chopin's template, Scriabin's op.11 spans all major and minor keys, demonstrating Scriabin’s lyrical sensitivity and technical finesse. Like Chopin's Preludes, Scriabin's set ranges from the tender and introspective (No. 4 in E minor) to the lively and bombastic (No. 14 in E-flat minor). Along with his early sonatas, Op. 11 established Scriabin as a talented composer of his generation.



Ming Xie


Ming Xie is a graduate of The Juilliard School. He studied under Sergei Babayan, Emanuel Ax and Matti Raekallio. Since then he has played with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in Russia, Wigmore Hall in London, Alice Tulley Hall and Lincoln Center and many other venues around the world.

Ming has won prizes in the following competitions:  Gawon Award in South Korea; the Gold Medal Panama International Piano Competition, the Sydney International Piano Competition; Valsesia Musica International Piano Competition in Italy; Maria Canals International Piano Competition of Barcelona in Spain, Lee International Piano Competition in U.S.A, TOYAMA International Youth Piano Competition in Hong Kong and Gulangyu National Piano Competition in China. 

I first saw Ming play at the Sydney International Piano Competition and immediately invited him to come to Eelswamp. Martha Agerich is reputed to have described Ming as 'phenomenal' and I would agree. Eight years later we finally managed to organise a concert. Don't miss it!

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email asiachart@hotmail.com. All proceeds to the musician.

Tickets: No tickets will be issued for concerts. Admission to the music room on the day of the concert will be in accordance with the sequence of receipt of payment (ie, who pays first goes in first and can select their desired seat).

Etiquette: No photos during the performance. Photos may be taken during the encore only. During the main performance please put your phone in silent mode and put it away.

Children: Children aged eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of illness. Please don't come if you're feeling sick or recovering but still coughing. 

Directions to Eelswamp: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

Bolt Taxi service to Eelswamp: Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.