Lord of the Strings plays King of the Violin

A rare opportunity to hear a world-class violinist 

play one of the most challenging pieces in the repertoire

Saturday 24th June, 5pm 

One performance only! Book now.

Graf Mourja, violin

playing a Giovanni Grancino violin, Milan,1707

Gold Medal 'Violin Masters' Competition, Monte Carlo, 2010

Russian President's Award (Yeltsin)

Honoured Artist of Russia, 2004

Eugène Ysaÿe

Six Sonatas for Unaccompanied Violin, Op. 27 (1924)

Each sonata is dedicated to a famous contemporary violinist, indicated below in brackets:

Sonata No. 1 (Joseph Szigeti) a homage to Bach 

Sonata No. 2  ' The Obsession' (Jacques Thibaud) alluding to Bach and the Dies Irae theme

Sonata No. 3 'Ballade' (Georges Enescu) One movement and one of the most exciting pieces written for solo violin

Sonata No. 4 (Fritz Kreisler) Another tribute to Bach, with Allemande, Sarabande and Finale presto

Sonata No. 5 (Mathieu Crickboom) opens with the astoundingly beautiful Aurore (dawn) movement.

Sonata No. 6 (Manuel Quiroga) Another one movement showpiece in Habanera style.

Eugène Ysaÿe (1858 - 1933) was a Belgian violinist, composer and conductor. He was regarded in his time as "the King of the Violin". His Six Sonatas op. 27 form one of the three most challenging compositions for solo violin in the repertoire; the other two being the Bach Sonatas and Partitas and the Paganini Caprices. Graf thrilled the audience last year with his performance of the 24 Caprices of Paganini. But the jaw-dropping encore, one of the Ysaye sonatas, brought the audience to their feet. 

Saturday 24th June, 5pm 

One performance only! Book now.

Graf Mourja is one of the top violinists of his generation, having won the prestigious Gold Medal in the Violin Masters Competition, Monte Carlo. His career began in the early nineties with a string of prizes at major international competitions, such as the Paganini Competition in Genoa, the Vianna da Motta in Lisbon, the Jacques Thibaud in Paris and the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Most recently, in 2010, Graf won the Gold Medal at the Violin Masters Competition in Monte Carlo. Graf also received the President's Award from Boris Yeltsin and is an Honoured Artist of Russia. 

Graf has recorded on top CD labels such as Harmonia Mundi and Melodia as well as recording for  Alpha, Integral, Hanssler-Verlag, Naxos, Chant du Monde and Classical Records. He has collaborated with pianists such as Barry Douglas and Denis Matsuev, amongst many others.

Graf plays a 1707 violin by Giovanni Grancino.

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person.

Email asiachart@hotmail.com for reservations. For more information call 038 069681 during office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day.

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 now working. Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.

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Mostly French

Bach, Ravel, Debussy Chopin

Friday 2nd and Sunday 4th June

Hélène Tysman

Laureate of the 16th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw

First Prize in the European Darmstadt Chopin Piano Competition

"...powerful and compelling performances that are fueled by confidence and volatile energy...Tysman will appeal to an audience that likes pianists with virtuosic technique and a big heart, both of which this pianist has in abundance." AllMusic

 “dazzling” BBC News Magazine

“extraordinary interpretation” Le Figaro

Friday, 2nd June, 6pm

Bach and Ravel

Bach
Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue
Prelude and Fugue in E Major Book 1
Partita no. 1
Italian Concerto

Ravel

Gaspard de La Nuit (selections)

Pavane pour une infante défunte
Menuet Antique
Menuet sur Haydn
La Valse

Sunday, 4th June, 5pm

Debussy and Chopin

Debussy Preludes
 La Cathédrale engloutie
 Des Pas sur la Neige
 La Jeune fille aux cheveux de lin
 Ondine
 La Terrasse des audiences du clair de lune
 Feux d’artifice
Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest

Chopin Four Ballades
Nocturne op. 9 no. 3

Hélène Tysman: is a French pianist. She graduated from the Paris Conservatory, where she studied with one of the most respected contemporary French pianists, Pierre-Laurent Aimard. She has won prizes in numerous international competitions, most notably, the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. She has recorded two CDs of Chopin for Oems Classics. Hélène performs throughout Europe and the US, most recently at Steinway Hall in New York and the new Philharmonic Hall in Paris. I met Hélène in 2008 at the Hong Kong Piano Competition where she gave outstanding performances and won a prize. You can read more about her here.

Reservations: 1,200 baht for one concert. 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. Book now!

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 now working. Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.

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Pro Musica Quartet

Sunday 14th May, 5pm

Pro Musica Quartet

Leo Phillips, violin

Tasana Nagavajara, viola

Rueychai Saengow, violin 

Iris Regev, cello

Sunday 14th May, 5pm

Haydn String Quartet no. 62 in C major op. 76 no. 3, "The Emperor".

The six quartets of opus 76 form the last works for quartet by Papa Haydn, the father of the string quartet and the sonata form, as we know it. All six are mature and substantial works. 
Number 3 is called the 'Emperor' after the second movement, the theme of which is the melody of the German national anthem. 

Tchaikovsky, String Quartet no. 3 in E flat minor, op. 30

This work was written in 1876, when the composer was 36 years old, around the same time as the First Piano Concerto. It was written as a tribute to Tchaikovsky's friend, the Czech violinist, Ferdinand Laub, whom Tchaikovsky called, 'the best violinist of our time' and who had died in 1875. Both the opening and the slow movements are elegies to the great violinist. The final movement is bright and lively. Tchaikovsky is rumoured to have said, "At first I didn't like the final movement. But now I think it's quite good."

Both works were selected by Tasana as part of Pro Musica's tribute to his Majesty, King Bhumipol.


Reservations: 1,000 baht per person.

Email asiachart@hotmail.com for reservations. For more information call 038 069681 during office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day.

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

If you haven't been to Eelswamp before I strongly urge you to find the venue before the day of the concert.

Taxi service to Eelswamp: we recommend Grabtaxi

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Before the Van Cliburn

Friday May 5th and Sunday May 7th

Yury Favorin

Competitor, 15th Van Cliburn Competition, 2017

First Prize, Gyorgy Cziffra Foundation Competition, Vienna

Queen Elizabeth Competition, Belgium, prizewinner

First Prize, N. Rubinstein Competition, Moscow

Friday May 5th, 6pm 
Two Masterpieces in B flat (major and minor)

Beethoven, Sonata no. 29 in B flat major, op. 106, Hammerklavier

This monumental work was completed in 1818, when Beethoven was stone deaf and required visitors to communicate with him by written comments in his notebook. According to biographers, Kinderman and Cooper,  Beethoven's "...inward powers of imagination now gained new strength, as the great sonata abundantly reveals". Quoting wikipedia, The Hammerklavier "... is often considered to be Beethoven's most technically challenging piano composition and one of the most demanding solo works in the classical piano repertoire". This a challenging work which, if well performed, would take a competitor to the final round of a competition. No doubt, Yury will give such a performance.

Rachmaninov, Sonata no. 2 in B flat minor (original version). 

This famous work was revised twice: once by Rachmaninov and once by Horowitz. There is much debate as to which is the best edition. Some say that too much was cut out of the revised editions. Others claim that the original edition is much more challenging, technically. We heard Eva Shen give a great performance of the revised edition, last July. Come and here Yury performing the original edition and make up your own mind. 

Sunday May 7th, 5pm 
Russian music throughout the 20th Century

Music in the 20th Century was dominated by the Russians (of course with some great exceptions). We will hear a survey of great works for piano by Russian masters, both known and unknown but brilliant.

Prokofiev 4 etudes, op. 2 (1909)

Enfant terrible casts a menacing grin

We begin in 1909 with a short work written by the 18-year old Prokofiev, who had already established himself as a formidable pianist not to mention a source of irritation for his professors and fellow students at St Petersburg Conservatory.

Shostakovich. Sonata no. 1, op.12 

Blood on the keyboard

This early work was written in 1926, when Shostakovich was a teenage student at the Leningrad Conservatory. (Also driving his professors crazy.)  According to musicologist, James Leonard, "the sonata is one of the most brutal and modernist works Shostakovich ever composed." One of his friends reported seeing blood on the keyboard after the first performance! No doubt, the reference was metaphoric, but you get the idea.

Feinberg Sonata no. 6 op. 13 (1923) 

"The Lost Atlantis of Russian Music"

Samuil Feinberg was famous in his day as a concert pianist and transcriber of Bach. However, he wrote 12 sonatas, many of which are works of genius. According to 'Hexameron' a reviewer on Amazon, "Feinberg's oeuvre is the Lost Atlantis of Russian music." I concur. I have spent months listening to the sonatas of Feinberg and have been trying to persuade every visiting musician to learn some. It is with great pleasure that Yury will perform the most popular of the collection, Sonata no. 6. It was written in 1923 and performed by the composer at the 1925 Festival of Contemporary Music in Venice. Igor Stravinsky was said to have attended the performance. 

Gennady Banshchikov (b. 1943), Sonatas nos 3 and 4

"Amazing musical masterpieces"

Yes, there are great composers who are still alive. We heard Andrey Gugnin play a brilliant work of Leonid Desyatnikov in February. Now we will be treated to two works by another highly respected Russian composer. According to Russian musicologist, Maria Kholodova, 

"Gennady I. Banshchikov is one of the greatest composers of our time. His works captivated the audience long ago and now his works are attracting more attention of researchers, opening the world of amazing musical masterpieces of this composer from St. Petersburg."

I second that opinion. Banshchikov wrote five sonatas. They are all excellent. Yury offered a choice of two. It was a difficult choice, but I have chosen Sonata no. 3, which is the most substantial, and Sonata no. 4, which opens with a soothing Barcarolle and ends with a raucus Bartok-like folk dance. 

Captivating stuff! Do join me for this special recital. 

Yury Favorin 

Yury Favorin is another outstanding young Russian pianist from Moscow Conservatory. He has been selected to participate in the 15th Van Cliburn Piano Competition, in Texas, a few weeks after he visits us. The Van Cliburn is one of the most important competitions in the world. Of 290 applicants only 30 were selected for the competition.

Yury graduated from Moscow Conservatory. His teacher was the great pedagogue, Mikhail Voskresensky (who was also the teacher of Eelswamp favourite, Sergey Sobolev). Yury has a string of prizes in his resume and has played in major venues around the world. 

Don't miss this opportunity to hear Yury. If he wins the Van Cliburn (good chance!), it will probably be our only chance!

Reservations: 1,200 baht for one concert. 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.

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 now working. Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.

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Bach Trio Sonatas and Mozart's, Beethoven's and Schubert's last

Bach's Trio Sonatas
and the last sonatas of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert

Two programs

Friday March 31st and Sunday 2nd April

Michael Tsalka, piano 

Second Prize, Nikolai Rubenstein Comeptition, Paris 

"...exemplary interpretations, flexible and with subtle nuances" Musicalpointers

"Tsalka showed almost incredible virtuosity throughout...” (Berkshire Review, Boston and New York)

Friday, March 31st, 6pm 

J.S. Bach, The Six Trio Sonatas, BWV 525- 530, transcribed for piano. 

These delightful, chirpy, works were originally written for organ but their popularity has inpsired many musicians to transcribe them for other instruments and groups of instruments, for example, for wind ensemble and for guitar and harpsichord. Bach's biographer, JN Forkel, said of the trio sonatas:

"One cannot say enough of their beauty. They were composed when the author was in his most mature period and may be considered as his chief work of that description."

Sunday, April 2nd, 5pm

The last sonatas of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert

Mozart, Sonata no. 14 in C minor, K457
Beethoven, Sonata no. 32 in C minor, op. 111
Schubert, Sonata no 21 in B flat major, D. 960

Each of these works is the final statement of each composer in the piano sonata form. They are all mature and iconic works.

Michael Tsalka is an Israeli pianist and early keyboard performer. He graduated from Tel Aviv University, Scuola Superiore del Trio di Trieste, Italy and Temple University, Philadelphia. Tsalka has won numerous prizes, awards and fellowships in Rome, Bayreuth, Bonn, Paris, Genoa, Calabria, Sardinia, Tel-Aviv, Chicago, Red Wing in Minnesota, Berlin, Mexico City, Kuopio and Philadelphia.

He performs throughout Europe, the USA, Canada, Asia, Russia, and Latin America. Previous engagements include performances for the Boston Early Music Festival, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, Bellas Artes Theater in Mexico City, the Hermitage Festival in St. Petersburg, Konserhuset in Stockholm, St. Denis Festival in Paris, the Filharmonika Orchestra in Manila, the Trinity series in New York, and interviews and performances for radio stations in Hong Kong, Chicago, Buenos Aires, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Munich, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Jerusalem.

Michael has recorded 15 CDs on Naxos, Grand Piano, Ljud & Bild (Stockholm), Brilliant Classics (Amsterdam) Paladino (Vienna), and IMI (Israel), including a recording of the Goldberg Variations.

Reservations: 1,200 baht for one concert. 2,000 baht for two. Email asiachart@hotmail.com or call 038 069681 office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day.

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: we recommend Grabtaxi

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1685

Sunday, 12th March, 5pm

Michele Benuzzi, harpsichord

"a level of tonal beauty that is unsurpassed...quite simply, phenomenal." Tomkins Forum

plays

1685: The Three Baroque Greats

Sunday, 12th March, 5pm

Three great Baroque composers, Handel, Bach and Scarlatti, were born in the same year, 1685. Renown harpsichord player, Michele Benuzzi, will return to Eelswamp with a program of great works by these three composers. He will play the Sassman spinet, which has a wonderful, lusturous tone and fills the music room at Eelswamp.

Bach: Partita No.1 in B flat, Bwv 825

Handel: Suite in D minor, Hwv 837 (theme used in Barry Lyndon)

Bach: Partita No. 3 in A minor

D. Scarlatti: Sonata in A, K208 and Sonata in A, K209

Bach: Lute Suite in E minor, Bwv 996

Michele Benuzzi is an Italian harpsichord player. He studied at the University of Pavia and Royal College of Music in London and is a prize winner in the Yamanashi International Harpsichord Competition in Japan. Michele gives concerts throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand and the UK. Among his recordings, a collection of works of JW Haessler was described by Christopher Brodersen, of Fanfare, as deserving "... the absolute highest recommendation".

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person.

Email asiachart@hotmail.com for reservations. For more information call 038 069681 during office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day.

Directions to Eelswamp: can be found at the bottom of this page:http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-music-room-at-eelswamp.html. If you haven't been to Eelswamp before I strongly urge you to find the venue before the day of the concert.

Taxi service to Eelswamp: we recommend Grabtaxi

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Official media partner

"A Formidable Achievement"

Maria Lettberg

plays Scriabin - Beethoven - Chopin - Liszt

One of the top Scriabin specialists in the world

"... a formidable achievement finely recorded." Bryce Morrison, Gramophone

"...total identification with Scriabin’s idiom deserve(s) nothing less than our highest rating." Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

Maria Lettberg is a Swedish pianist who lives in Berlin. She eschewed the traditional gladiatorial road to fame by competition and instead devoted herself to producing unique recordings. She is one of two people to have recorded the complete solo works of Alexander Scriabin. 

Her 8-CD boxed set was described by Gramaphone as 'a formidable achievement'. It is rated 4.5/5 on Amazon. Some of the review comments:

"...as close to a gold standard for this music that you're going to get."

"Her range and color is extraordinary!"

"Lettberg's interpretations are without peer"

 "...this wonderful pianist has come to release his (Scriabin's) full genius! All the voices are finally clear."

Friday March 3rd, 6pm

Pan Scriabin: A Tour of Scriabin from early to late

Sonata No.1 Op.6 f-Moll
Vers la flamme“ Op. 72

Etüde C sharp minor Op.2 Nr.1,

Sonata-Fantasie G sharp minor (Op. Posth.),

Waltz in D flat major (Op. Posth.)

Mazurka E minor Op.25 Nr.3

Rêverie Op.49 no. 3

Prélude Op. 51 no.2

Sonata No.9 Op.68

Etude Op.8 no.11 B minor

Etude Op.8 no.12 D sharp minor

Sunday, March 5th, 5pm

Beethoven-Liszt-Chopin

Beethoven, Sonata No.17, Op.31 No.2 in D minor, The Tempest

Chopin, Ballade No. 1 g-Moll Op. 23

Franz Liszt

Sonetto 104 del Petrarca

Sonetto 123 del Petrarca

La Lugubre Gondola No. 2

Vallée d'Obermann

Reservations: 1,200 baht for one concert. 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.

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 now working. Just enter "Eelswamp" in the destination box.

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Official media partner