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.

Two pianists play Beethoven, Liszt, Haydn, Mozart

Sunday, April 27th, 6pm

Ting Yuan

and

Tomislav Baynov

performed by Tomislav Baynov

Haydn: Sonata in B minor Hob. XVI/32

Haydn’s Piano Sonata in B minor, Hob. XVI:32, composed in 1776, is a fine example of his middle period, combining playfulness and emotional intensity that prefigures the Sturm und Drang movement with its dramatic contrasts and brooding character.

Mozart: Sonata in A minor K310

Mozart’s Piano Sonata in A minor, K. 310, composed in 1778 during his Paris sojourn, stands out as one of his most emotionally charged works, reflecting the personal turmoil of his mother’s death that year and his struggles in the city.

performed by Ting Yuan

Beethoven: Sonata no.31 op. 110

Late Beethoven at his most profound and triumphal. This sonata was composed in 1821 and is the penultimate of the set of 32. The finale is a complex blend of Adagio ma non troppo, Arioso dolente, and a double fugue. It is the soul of the sonata—starting with a mournful recitative and a lamenting Arioso in A-flat minor, it transitions into a radiant fugue in A-flat major, only to revisit the Arioso’s despair before a triumphant inversion of the fugue. 

Liszt: Spanish Rhapsody

Franz Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody (Rhapsodie espagnole), S. 254, composed in 1863, is a dazzling virtuoso showpiece that captures the fiery spirit of Spanish folk music. The work weaves together themes like the folía—a traditional Spanish dance pattern—and a lively jota aragonesa, blending them with dramatic flourishes, shimmering arpeggios, and thunderous octaves that push the piano’s technical limits.

Tomislav Baynov

Tomislav Baynov was born in 1958 in Sofia, Bulgaria, to a musical family. He began piano lessons at age four and won his first national competition in Prowadia at six. He studied at the Music Academy in Sofia under Konstantin Ganev and Julia Ganeva, also exploring composition, before moving to Germany in 1981. There, he completed his studies at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen, earning a Concert Diploma in 1991. He was a prizewinner at the 1990 S. Rachmaninov Competition in Italy. He founded the Baynov-Piano-Ensemble in 1989, focusing on multi-piano works, and has performed globally across five continents, recording 20 CDs. Since 1998, he has been a professor at Trossingen, where he also champions six- and eight-hand piano music through workshops, competitions, and his leadership of the Association for the Promotion of Multi-Handed Piano Playing.

Ting Yuan

Ting Yuan studied at the Central Conservatory of Music Beijing with Prof. Hua Chang. She continued her studies in Germany from 2008 at the Detmold University of Music with Prof. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and at the Stuttgart University of Music with Prof. Nicholas Hodges. At the Mozarteum University Salzburg, Ting Yuan completed her master's degree in 2018 with Prof. Peter Lang and then continued additional postgraduate studies in the same class. Ting Yuan has won prizes in international competitions in Germany, Bulgaria, Portugal, Belgium, China and Korea. She has performed as a soloist, chamber and piano ensemble musician in Germany, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria and Slovakia. She is a fine pianist as can be attested from her Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@tingyuan8084

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: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

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

Liszt's Harmonies Poetic and Religious

March 7th, 9th and 10th

Eunhee Baek

Prize winner in

International Dr.Dichler competition in Vienna (2005),

International Pietro-Argento competition in Gioia del Colle (2011),

International Artur-Schnabel competition in Berlin (2011),

Young Virtuoso International competition in Zagreb (2016),

Lyon International Competition (2018),

International Liszt Danubia Competition,

International Franz Liszt Center Competition (2022).

Recently released, July 2024

Liszt  Harmonies poétiques et religieuses 

Friday March 7th 
and 
Sunday March 9th

1. Invocation
2. Ave Maria
3. Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude (God's Blessing in Solitude)
4. Pensée des morts (Thoughts of the Dead) a major work
5. Pater Noster
6. Hymne de l’enfant à son réveil (Hymn of the Child on Wakening)
7. Funérailles
8. Miserere (d’après Palestrina) ;
9. Andante lagrimoso
10. Cantique d’amour.

This exquisite cycle of ten works is less known than Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, but it is equally as grand in conception and brilliant in execution. The Benediction and the Funerailles are quite well known, the other eight pieces are equally deserving. The cycle of ten creates an epic which is both beautiful and profound. I am so taken with this masterpiece that I have scheduled two performances; one on Friday and one on Sunday. Don't miss it!

Mostly Liszt

Monday, March 10th, 6pm

Rameau: Tendres Plaintes
Liszt: Au lac de Wallenstadt - First Year of Pilgrimage: Suisse
Liszt: Apparition I
Debussy: Ondine - ‘Prélude II’
Debussy: Reflets dans l’eau - ‘Image I
Grieg: Peace of the woods - ‘Lyrical pieces’ Op.
Liszt: Three pieces from the Third Year of Pilgrimage: 

Aux Cyprés de la Villa d’Este nos 1 and 2 and Les jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este

Eunhee Baek is a Korean pianist. She recorded the complete Liszt Harmonies last year. It is a superb recording. She is 'thrilled' to come and play it for us and I am thrilled to have her come.

Eunhee obtained her Konzertexamen at the Berlin University of the Arts in the class of Mi-Joo Lee. She continued her studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg  with Jacques Rouvier, and with Boris Petrushansky at the International Piano Academy Imola. She has won prizes in at least seven international competitions, including two devoted to Liszt. See the list at the top of this page.

Book now with Helen by emailing asiachart@hotmail.com

Reservations: 1,200 baht per person. 2,000 for two concerts 

Email asiachart@hotmail.com. 

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: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

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

 

February 14th and 16th

Evgeny Starobdubtsev

After an absence of five years, one of the stars of Eelswamp returns with two programs. Evgeny has won more than 30 first and second prizes in international competitions in the last decade. He played at Eelswamp annually pre-covid to enthusiastic audiences. I'm very happy to welcome him back. 

1. Friday 14th 

Messiaen: Vingt Regards Sur L'enfant Jesus  

This epic work is frequently compared to Bach's Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's late piano sonatas for its combination of intellectual depth and spiritual resonance. It is a suite of 20 separate works in range of styles, from church to jazz, starting with a soothing Barcarolle reminiscent of Satie (remarkable considering that it was written in Paris during the liberation summer of 1944). The work proceeds through a range of moods: vivacious rhythmic sections suggesting Stravinsky, adoring hymn themes and finally, the grand triumphant finale reminiscent of Mussorgsky's Great Gates of Kiev in Pictures at an Exhibition.

The work was composed in Nazi occupied Paris in 1944, starting in March and concluding in September, after the liberation; in other words, during the period of the movie Is Paris Burning? 

The historical events in this movie classic were the backdrop to Vingt Regards

"... a landmark in the piano repertoire" Alex Ross

"a cosmic exploration of love, eternity, and the divine." Paul Griffiths

This program is not suitable for children

2. Sunday 16th

Beethoven 4 hands and works by Liszt, Martinu and Feinberg

Two Beethoven works for four hands

Evgeny joined by his wife, Alexandra, for four two four hands works of Beethoven:

Beethoven Symphony no. 9 II Scherzo 

Beethoven 8 Variations on a Theme by Count Waldstein, WoO 67

and Evgeny will play four solo works by Liszt from Années de pèlerinage Book 3, 

Four works by Liszt written in his later years

and two short 20th century masterpieces, the Martinu Sonata, and Samuil Feinberg's Sonata no. 11 (which you won't know but I'm sure you'll love it!) 

Book now with Helen by emailing asiachart@hotmail.com

Reservations: 1,200 baht per person. 2,000 for two concerts 

Email asiachart@hotmail.com. 

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: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

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

Harmony Oboe Quartet

Saturday, December 21st at 6pm

Harmony Oboe Quartet

Cooper Wright, Oboe

Visanee Vongvirulh, Violin

Zhenzhen Dai, Viola

Adam Satinsky, Cello

JC Bach: Quartet for oboe, violin, viola, and cello W. B 60 Johann Christian Bach

Haydn: String Quartet Op. 60 no. 5 Hob. III/48 “Dream” arranged for oboe quartet by Franz Joseph Rosinack

Benjamin Britten: Phantasy Quartet, Op. 2 

Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F major K. 370/368b

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: Find 'Eelswamp' on google maps.

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

Eelswamp Calendar 2025

Eelswamp Calendar 2025

Subject to minor changes

All concerts are at 6pm

January

Andrey Gugnin returns

Triumphant again!

"I told you I'd win it" ... and he did.

Winner of 12th International German Piano Award in 2023, the BBC Music Magazine Awards  Instrumental Award and the €100,000 2024 Classic Piano International Competition in Dubai, as well as the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2016 and the Gina Bachauer in 2015.

1. Friday 17th: 

Gugnin Solo 1: Liszt Twelve Transcendental Etudes 

Andrey's performance of the Liszt Etudes won the praise of Gramaphone Magazine:

"Gugnin’s cultivated pianissimo presto leggiero, imperturbable rhythmicality, his preference for the heroic over the melodramatic, and not least his wealth of poetic imagination, easily place him in elite company." Gramaphone Magazine. 

2. Sunday 19th  Gugnin Piano Quartets

Andrey Gugnin piano

Elizabeth Layton violin

Tasana Nagavajara viola

Edith Salzmann violoncello 

Schumann Piano Quartet in E flat op.47

Mozart Piano Quartet no. 1 in G minor K. 478

3. Monday 20th Gugnin Solo 2: 

Liszt Sonata in B minor 

and 

Chopin Etudes op. 10

Book now with Helen:

1,200 for one, 2,000 for two, 3,000 baht for all three concerts

Friday 31st 

Toto and friends

Schubert String Trio in B flat D471

Mozart's Divertimento in E flat, K563

Book now with Helen: 1,000 baht per person

February

Evgeny Starobdubtsev

After five years, one of the stars of Eelswamp returns with two programs. Evgeny has won more than thirty first and second prizes in international competitions in the last decade. He played at Eelswamp annually pre-covid to enthusiastic audiences. I'm very happy to welcome him back. 

1. Friday 14th 

Messiaen Vingt Regards Sur L'enfant Jesus  

The work is frequently compared to Bach's Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's late piano sonatas for its combination of intellectual depth and spiritual resonance. 

"... a landmark in the piano repertoire" Alex Ross

"a cosmic exploration of love, eternity, and the divine." Paul Griffiths

2. Sunday 16th

Evgeny joined by his wife, Alexandra

Beethoven Grosse Fugue for four hands, transcribed by Beethoven himself as op. 134

and Evgeny will play solo works by Liszt from Années de pèlerinage Book 3, The Martinu Sonata, Medtner and Feinberg 

Book now with Helen:

1,200 for one, 2,000 for two concerts

March

Eunhee Baek

Korean Liszt specialist, Eunhee Baek, was a prize winner in many competitions including the International Pietro-Argento competition, International Artur-Schnabel competition (2011/Berlin), International Liszt Danubia Competition, and International Franz Liszt Center Competition (2022).

She will give two performances of Liszt's monumental cycle,  Ten Harmonies poétiques et religieuses

I have listened to dozens of recordings of the Liszt Harmonies and Eunhee's July 2024 recording is one of the best. We are very fortunate to have her come to play it for us. I'm so thrilled to have her come here that I have scheduled two performances of the work. 

1. Friday March 7th Liszt  Harmonies poétiques et religieuses

and the same program repeated on

2. Sunday March 9th,  Harmonies poétiques et religieuses

3. Monday March 10th, Eunhee will play a solo recital

Works by Rameau, Liszt, Debussy and Grieg. Details available on request.

Book now with Helen:

1,200 for one, 2,000 for two, 3,000 baht for all three concerts

April

Sunday 27th, 6pm

Tomislav Baynov and Ting Yuan

Haydn Sonata b minor, Hob. XVI/32
Mozart Sonata a minor KV 310
Beethoven: Sonata no. 31 op.110
Liszt Spanish Rhapsody
and a few shorter works

May

Friday May 9th, 6pm

Ming Xie, piano

Gawon Award, South Korea;

Gold Medal, 2016 Panama International Piano Competition

and prizes in 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition, Valsesia Musica International Piano Competition and Maria Canals International Piano Competition

Chopin 24 Preludes op. 28

Scriabin 24 Preludes op.11

1,000 baht per person.




Sunday May 18th, 6pm


Indian sarod and tablas

Arnab Bhattacharya, sarod and Nilimesh Chakraborty, tablas

1,000 baht


Friday May 30th, 6pm


Shostakovich Violin and Viola Sonatas


Anna Takeda, violin






Tasana Nagavajara, viola






Akkra Yeunyonghattaporn, piano



1,000 baht


June


Friday, June 6th


Virtuosi Thailand play Bach

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 1060R

1,000 baht

10th Anniversary Orbit

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Dimitri Papadopoulos, piano and 

Alexandre Vay,  cello

with Tasana Nagavajara, violin

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Thursday October 31st duets 

Beethoven cello sonata no. 1 and lots of other goodies

and 

Friday November 1st at 6pm trios

Beethoven Archduke Trio and Haydn

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Thursday October 31st at 6pm

Dimitri and Alexandre

Cello and piano duo

Beethoven Cello Sonata no. 1 in F major, op.5 no. 1
A youthful masterpiece written when Beethoven was 26. 

Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33

An ebulliant, passionate and succinct gem 

Mendelssohn Variations Concertante op. 17
A jolly little work of the early-blossoming 19 year old Mendelssohn

Schumann Adagio and Allegro op. 70
One of Schumann's most popular short chamber works, transcribed for every instrument imaginable

Beethoven 12 Variations on ''Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen'', op 66
From a theme from Mozart's Magic Flute

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Friday November 1st, 6pm

Haydn: Piano trio in A-flat major, Hob.XV:14 

One of Haydn's most substantial trios with a sublime slow movement

Beethoven: Piano Trio in E-flat major Op. 97 ‘Archduke’

The most famous of the twelve piano trios by Beethoven

Dimitri and Alexandre need no introduction. They first visited us in May 2014 and have come every pandemic-free year since. Their visits are always a high point of the year. Don't miss them!

Reservations:  One concert for 1,200 baht or 2,000 baht for both. 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.