Schubert: The Darkening Landscape

Friday, 22nd June, 6pm

Tra Nguyen, piano

"a performance of surpassing keyboard artistry and passion." 

Stephen Haller, American Record Guide  

"[S]tylish aplomb. Altogether an engaging and attractive discovery." 

Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone

"...she has technique to burn"

Martin Anderson, International Piano 

"The night undoubtedly belonged to Nguyen, who showed herself to be a virtuoso capable of coupling power with poetry and intelligence with a commanding technique. ... Tra Nguyen’s is a name to look out for." Mark Thomas - RAFF.ORG

"Rich with poetry and lyricism, Tra's touch is profound, subtle, and at the same time deeply intellectual."  Minh Chau - Music Magazine

Schubert: The Darkening Landscape 1823 - 1825

Three sonatas from the beginning of the late period of Schubert's life, starting in 1823, when the composer became seriously ill, realizing that the end was near, yet still managed to compose 'magical music'.

Sonata no. 14 in A minor, D.784,(1823)
A masterpiece in every respect: sparse, succinct, dark and resolute, with contrasting moments of tenderness and fury. This is the work of a man staring into the abyss. The virtuosic, whirlwind finale will take your breath away.

Sonata no. 15 in C major, D.840 (1825) - unfinished
Schubert only completed two movements of this sonata. They are nonetheless so original and appealing that they were published posthumously.

Sonata no. 16 in A minor, D.845 (1825)
This is the most substantial of the set, with four movements. It is less severe than its A minor companion, no. 14, with more of the sonorous charm for which Schubert is famous.  The song-like theme and variation movement and the virtuosic finale are reminiscent of Beethoven's middle period in levity but infused with Schubert's inimitable charm.

These are three works of genius which are overshadowed by the last three sonatas (C minor, A major and B flat). When I proposed them to Tra she responded, "Oh! That's a great set." Come and discover this great set, performed by a first-class pianist.

Tra Nguyen is a British-Vietnamese pianist. She studied at Moscow Conservatory with the legendary pedagogue, Lev Naumov, nicknamed,  "The Godfather of the Russian piano school". Naumov taught many famous pianists, such as Andrei Gavrilov, Vladimir Viardo and Alexei Sultanov. In 1997 Tra went to London. She studied with professor Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music where she received the Academy's highest award for her final recital.

Tra has performed the complete Schubert piano sonatas in London, described by Musicweb as a,

“... top-class performance ..., her technical prowess augmented once again by an intuitive sense of expression and phrasing that brings this magical music to life.” MusicWeb International

She has performed in Wigmore Hall, one of the most prestigious solo venues in London, as well as the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall and Kennedy Center, among others. She has recorded for Sterling Records and Naxos.


Reservations: 1,000 baht. 

Email asiachart@hotmail.com or call 038 069681 office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day of the concert.

Tickets: No tickets will be issued for concerts. Admission to the music room will be according to the sequence of receipt of payment (ie, who pays first goes in first and can select their desired seat). Pay early and get the best seats.

Etiquette: No photos allowed during the main performance. But photos may be taken during encore. Please do not upload videos to Youtube.

Children: Children aged six years and older may attend the concert. Smaller children may be left with the nanny on the premises. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of cancellation provided that the concert for which the original booking was made breaks even.

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

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

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Mozart and Dvorak for String Sextet

Friday, 11th May, 6pm

Pro Musica Sextet

Leo Phillips and Tasana Nagavajara, violins

Born Lau and Omporn Kowintha, violas

Leslie Tan and Panyaphat Wongwechwiwat, cellos

Mozart: Grand Sextet Concertante 
A transcription of the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in E flat K 364

Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante is one of his finest orchestral works. It was written in 1779, when the composer was 23 year-old. Although strictly speaking a hybrid symphony and concerto, it is effectively a concerto for two soloists. It is a remarkable work with lyrical intertwining of the solo passages reminiscent of an operatic duet. There is something magical about this music, as musicologist Richard Wigmore observed,

"The initial entry of the soloists, suspended high above the orchestra’s cadential phrases, is one of the most magical moments in any Mozart concerto."

The original orchestral version was transcribed for string sextet in 1808. According to Edward Rothstein, "the work was transformed from a drama involving duo soloists playing against orchestral textures to a fabric of interacting melodic lines." This is the version we will hear.

This should be a fantastic performance with the largest group of musicians yet to perform at Eelswamp. Don't miss it!

Dvořák: String Sextet in A major op. 48

Composed in 1878, this work was Dvorak's first international success, being performed by celebrity violinist Joseph Joachim and friends in Berlin in London. It's a lively work in four jolly movements, similar in spirit to the composer's earlier hit, the Slavonic Dances op. 46 with plenty of folk melodies and dances. 

Reservations: 1,000 baht. 

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).

Etiquette: No photos allowed during the main performance. But photos may be taken during encore. Please do not upload videos to Youtube.

Children: Children aged six years and older may attend the concert. Smaller children may be left with the nanny on the premises. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of cancellation provided that the concert for which the original booking was made breaks even.

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

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

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Official media partner

From The Passionate to The Inferno

Sunday May 6th, 5pm

HyoungWuk Kim, piano

Beethoven, Sonata no.23 in F minor, op.57, Appassionata. One of the greatest and technically challenging piano sonatas, this work needs no introduction.

Ligeti, Musica Ricercata. Written in 1953 by Hungarian composer Gyorgi Ligeti.

This work has eleven movements, each of which becomes progressively more complex, adding a tone to each successive movement. The first movement starts with two notes albeit in different octaves, the second movement three notes and so on... until the 11th movement, which uses all 12 notes of the scale. The work is one of the great masterpieces of the 20th century. It appealed to Stanley Kubrick, who used one of the movements for his movie, 'Eyes Wide Shut'. 

Scriabin, Preludes op.11 nos 1, 6 , 10, 14 and 16
Scriabin wrote no fewer than 15 sets of preludes, as well as many other single works entitled, 'prelude'. The selection we will hear is from the earliest set, op. 11, written in 1896, concluding with the Horowitz showpiece, no. 16.

Liszt, Dante Sonata: This is the final piece in Liszt's Second Year of Pilgrimage, 'Italy'. The full title of the work is, 'Après une Lecture de Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata'. It represents the descent into the Inferno and, as described by Allmusic.com, is

...a work that demands vast reserves of both intricate dexterity and raw muscular endurance from any pianist who hopes to emerge--as Dante himself does at the end of Inferno--unscathed

HyoungWuk Kim has an interesting history, having been a trumpeter in the South Korean military before deciding to focus on his piano studies. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music, one of the top music acadamies in the United States, having completed his doctorate under Nelita True, described by Clavier Companion as “One of the world’s most sought-after and beloved pianist-teachers.”.  HyoungWuk is brought to us by Mongkol, of D and M Studios.

Reservations: 1,000 baht. 

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).

Etiquette: No photos allowed during the main performance. But photos may be taken during encore. Please do not upload videos to Youtube.

Children: Children aged six years and older may attend the concert. Smaller children may be left with the nanny on the premises. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of cancellation provided that the concert for which the original booking was made breaks even.

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

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

A member of 

Official media partner