On a lighter note

Saturday 30th June, 5pm

Piano Duo from Spain

Carles and Sofia

“Duo with a rare and spectacular synchronisation …Their technical qualities shine in the service of a truly great power to communicate and a capacity for expression …” Scherzo Magazine

“Their Schubert is elegant and refined...The waltzes by Brahms present some complexities of expression which Lama and Cabruja resolve with the greatest elegance...Their Brahms possesses a renowned symphonic sound, a majesty evident in the touch...” CD Compact

Carles Lama & Sofia Cabruja are a paragon of artistic talent in the world of classical music and one of the Europe´s most renowned piano duos. Hellostage.com

Songs and Dances of Schubert, Brahms and De Falla

Schubert Five Songs

(Transcription for 4 hands piano: Christoph Ewers)

An die Musik

Auf dem Wasser

Du bist die Ruh

Ständchen

Ungeduld

Brahms Six Songs

(Transcription for 4 hands piano: Christoph Ewers)

Hochgetürmte Rimaflut

Wie Melodien ziht es mir

Dein blaues Auge

Von ewiger Liebe

Wie bist du meine Königin

Meine Liebe ist grün

Manuel de Falla “El Sombrero de Tres Picos”

(Transcription for 4 hands piano: Abraham Espinosa)

Danza de los Vecinos

Danza del Molinero

Danza de la Molinera

Manuel de Falla “El Amor Brujo”

(Transcription for 4 hands piano: Abraham Espinosa and Daniel Basomba)

Danza del Terror

El círculo mágico

Canción del Fuego Fatuo

Pantomima

Danza Ritual del Fuego

Carles Lama and Sofia Cabruja have been performing together for more than thirty years. Their career has taken them around the world, with performances in the Americas, Asia and Europe in world capitals such as Paris, London, Madrid, Brussels, Rome, Barcelona, Milan, Prague, Belgrade, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Buenos Aires. Their repertoire ranges from Bach to 21st century and includes all major works for piano four hands together with the most brilliant and demanding orchestral transcriptions.

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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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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Official media partner

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.

A member of 

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

Exotic Journey

Sunday, 8th April, 5pm

Kanae Furomoto, piano

Exotic Journey

A program of music inspired by wanderlust

Godowsky: Gamelan and Chattering Monkeys at the Sacred Lake of Wendit from the Java Suite 

Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy
Barber: Excursions Op.20 .
Albeniz: Asturias and Castilla, from Suite Española No.1 Op.47
Debussy: "La soiree dans Grenade"
Symanowski: L'île des Sirènes, Calypso and Nausicaa from Metopes Op.29
Balakirev: Oriental Fantasy "Islamey"　

Kanae Furomoto is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied with Lois Phillips and Hamish Milne. Her debut recital in Tokyo in 1995 was highly acclaimed and was subsequently broadcast on the radio station NHK-FM. In 1999 she played at the Purcell Room in London as a chosen soloist for the Park Lane Group Young Artist Concert Series. She has been regularly performing not only in the U.K. and Japan but also in Norway, the U.S.A, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Belgium, Austria, and China. She is a frequent visitor to Thailand and is brought to us by Mongkol of D and M Studio.

Kanae visited Eelswamp in 2016 with a program of works inspired by Shakespeare which she performed with great panache. Her visit this April is both thematically interesting and well constructed, with a blend of exotic and well-known works. I look forward to welcoming her back.

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

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

Friday, 6th April, 7pm

Kristine Balanas, violin 

"Kristine Balanas produced 'eye-popping virtuosity'" - The Times

"Of the violinists, I felt that Kristine Balanas was outstanding and seemed the obvious winner of the entire competition" - The Guardian

and 

Ilan Rechtman, piano

Beethoven: Violin Sonata no. 8 Op. 30 no. 3 
Wieniawsky: Polonaise brilliant, Op. 21
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (violin and piano version)

Latvian violinist, Kristīne Balanas is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied under György Pauk. She has appeared as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and The Moscow Soloists under Yuri Bashmet, among others. Kristīne performs on a 1787 Antonio Gragnani violin.

Ilan Rechtman is an Israeli pianist and composer. He has performed in more than fifty countries at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Chicago Symphony Hall , the Barbican Center and Wigmore Hall (London) and the Pleyel Hall and the Louvre Museum in Paris. He has appeared with Yo Yo Ma and Gary Hoffman, amongst others and is director of the Tel Aviv Museum chamber music program. This will be Ilan's second visit to Eelswamp.

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

Andrey Gugnin: Winner of the Syndey International Competition

Friday March 9th and Sunday 11th

Andrey Gugnin, piano

Winner of 2015 Gina Bachauer Competition

Winner of 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition

"Gugnin's nervy, energised and involved playing... made him the clear winner." - Peter McCallum, Sydney Morning Herald 24 July 2016

"A thoroughly compelling performance." Dominic Lowe, Bachtrack, commenting on Gugnin's appearance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, January 2018 

"What really impressed was Gugnin’s assurance – his absorbed, crystalline playing – so by the cadenza ... you were beguiled by a flawless technique." David Truslove, Classicalsource.com, commenting on the LPO perofrmance, January 2018

Friday 9th March, 6pm

Gugnin Solo performance

Shostakovich Piano Sonata no. 1
Shostakovich 24 Preludes, op 34
Stravinsky Three Movements from Petrushka
Chopin Sonata no. 3 in B minor op. 58

Sunday 11th March, 5pm

'B, B, B and B' Gugnin with Tasana Nagavajara, violin

Violin and piano
Brahms Violin Sonata in D ​minor
Brahms Scherzo from Sonata FAE

Piano Solo
Beethoven Sonata no. 28 op. 101
Bach-Busoni Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532.

Andrey Gugnin is the first overseas musican that I invited to Eelswamp. I saw him perform at the Beethoven Competion in Vienna 2013, where he won second prize. Recognizing a great talent, I tracked him down and invited him to perform for us. In the past four years his rise has been meteoric, winning two major international competitions: the Gina Bachauer in 2015 and the Sydney International Competition, 2016. His concert calendar has increased exponentially, with performances in Carnegie Hall, The Royal Festival Hall in London with the London Philharmonic, in St Petersburg with Russia's top conductor, Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra and at the Sydney Opera House.

Despite his rapid rise, Andrey has not forgotten us at Eelswamp, and returns to one of his favourite venues, to perform two brilliant programs. This will be Gugnin's fifth orbit through planet Eelswamp. Don't miss it!

Tasana Nagavajra, violin, director of the Pro Musica Orchestra, is one of the leading musical figures in Thailand as well as one of the finest violinists in the Kindgom. He has co-sponsored four of Andrey Gugnin's visits, inspired by the joy of working with such a fine chamber musician. Andrey and Tasana have played together in Brahms's Piano Quintet, Beethoven's Kreuzter Sonata, Franck's Violin Sonata and Rachmaninov's Trio Elegy no 2. 

Reservations: 1,200 baht for one concert. 2,000 baht for two in the same series. 

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