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.