Sunday, January 22, 2017

Romantic Bach and Beyond

Winner of the Bach Competition plays Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Ravel


Encore concert: Monday 23rd, 6pm. Details below





Daniël van der Hoeven
second visit to Eelswamp

First Prize and Gold Medal, YPF National Dutch Piano Competition in 2010
Winner, J.S Bach Competition, Würzburg, 2013
Bärenreiter Prize, International Bach Competition, Leipzig, 2014
Second Prize, Seattle International Piano Competition, 2015


Friday 20th January, 6pm - sold out
Romantic Bach: The Seven Toccatas BWV 910 to 916




'Flamboyant', 'virtuosic', 'romantic', would be just a few words to describe these seven early works by Bach. He wrote the Toccatas in his early twenties after his hike to Luebeck to hear the great organist, Buxtehude, who was a master of improvisation. Hence the toccatas.  
The toccata is a musical form of sweeping passages in improvisatory style with constantly changing moods. On the piano they lend themselves to a romantic interpretation. Each of Bach's toccatas contains an introduction in toccata style; sometimes flamboyant, sometimes contemplative. There follows a contrasting fugue, often an exuberant moto perpetuo - Bach at his best! 

These are highly enjoyable works, full of contrast, and it will be a great opportunity to hear them all. Plaudits to Daniel for undertaking to perform the whole cycle for us.

Toccata in F Sharp Minor, BWV 910 
Toccata in C Minor, BWV 911 
Toccata in D Major, BWV 912 
Toccata in D Minor, BWV 913 
Toccata in E Minor, BWV 914 
Toccata in G Minor, BWV 915 
Toccata in G Major, BWV 916

Sunday 22nd January, 5pm 
Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel

Mozart, Sonata no.14 in C Minor, K457

Mozart's cataloguer, Ludwig Koechel, described this sonata "Without question this is the most important of all Mozart’s pianoforte sonatas. Surpassing all the others by reason of the fire and passion which, to its last note, breathe through it, it foreshadows the pianoforte sonata, as it was destined to become in the hands of Beethoven." Indeed, it has been said that this sonata is the prototype or inspiration for Beethoven's Pathetique.

Beethoven, Sonata no. 8 in C Minor, op.13 "Pathetique"

This is one of Beethoven's most popular early sonatas, written when the composer was around 27. It was written 14 years after Mozart's C minor sonata and is often said to be modeled on K457, which we will hear before this sonata. 



Beethoven, Sonata no. 22 in F major, op. 54
This is one of Beethoven's best kept secrets. It is a short work in two movements composed in 1804, around the time of the 5th Symphony. It is perhaps overshadowed by its two titanic neighbours: no. 21 the Waldstein and no. 23 the Appassionata. Nonetheless, it is a remarkable and highly original work. Beethoven scholar, Donald Tovey, had a special liking for it:

"[I]ts material is childlike, or even dog-like, and those who best understand children and dogs have the best chance of enjoying an adequate reading of this music; laughing with, but not at its animal spirits; following in strenuous earnest its indefatigable pursuit of its game whether that be its own tail or something more remote and elusive."

Indeed, the final movement is a bubbly moto perpetuo, which could easily bring to mind a dog chasing its tail!

Ravel, Gaspard de la Nuit 
Scarbo, the goblin

Ravel's great three-movement, programatic, masterpiece is based on poems by Aloysius Bertrand. It is in three movements, Ondine, Le Gibet and Scarbo, the last of which is one of Ravel's most virtuosic creations, said to be a rival for Balakirev's Islamey. 


Ondine, the water nymph


Daniël van der Hoeven (1985) was born in Amerongen, the Netherlands. He studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Netherlands and at the Conservatoire Superieure in Paris. 

In 2013, he was the winner of the International J.S. Bach Competition in Würzburg, Germany. In October 2015 he won second place at the Seattle International Piano Competition, competing against 88 other pianists. Other prizes include the YPF National Dutch Piano Competition in 2010 (1st prize and Gold Medal), Lagny-sur-Marne International Piano Competition in 2015 (2nd prize), International Bach Competition Leipzig in 2014 (Bärenreiter prize), as well as finalist diploma at the international piano competitions of Gorizia (Italy) and Malta. 

He has performed in Carnegie Hall, New York, the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Romania and Poland. He has recorded two well-received CDs with works by Prokofiev/Bartók and J.S. Bach. Currently he teaches at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. This is Daniel's second visit to Eelswamp. 


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: we recommend Grabtaxi

Monday 23rd January, 6pm 
Encore concert 
Selections from the previous two concerts. Only 500 baht for those who have attended either the 20th or 22nd, otherwise, 1,200 baht. All proceeds will go directly to Daniel.


 A member of 




Official media partner

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Eelswamp Calendar 2016


Calendar 2016

January

Sunday, 17th January, 5pm


Piano and Violin Looping

Christopher Janwong McKiggan, piano
Robert Landes, violin

Deails http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2015/12/and-now-for-something-completely.html



February 

Andrey Gugnin's Third Orbit




Friday 5th: Gugnin solo piano: Highlights: Chopin etudes op 25 and Medtner Sonata Romantica




Saturday 6th: Gugnin and Tasana: Violin sonatas: 


Beethoven: Kreutzer Sonata 

and 

Cesar Franck Violin Sonata

Details: http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2015/12/gugnins-third-orbit.html




Sunday 7th: Mrs Gugnin and Kazutaka Shimitzu  

Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp in trio form with Gugnin accompanying. 

French works for flute and harp.







Details: http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2015/12/gugnins-third-orbit.html



Monday, 29th February  



Laura Alonso Padin, 

Spanish Songs and Opera Ariashttp://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/02/spanish-soprano-sings.html






March

Sunday 6th

Julie Bees, piano




Beethoven: Waldstein Sonata
Chopin: 24 Preludes op. 28

http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/02/bees-plays-chopin-and-beethoven.html









Sunday 20th 

Korean pianist, Junghwa Lee, piano





plays Mozart, Schumann, Debussy and Chopin.



    
http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/01/junghwha-lee-plays-mozart-debussy.html




Sunday 27th


Anupama Bhagwat, sitar, plays the magnificent Malkauns and other ragas
with Sandip Ghosh, tabla





http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/01/another-sitar-genius.html



April


Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th 


Michael Tsalka - Big Bach: Two of Bach's greatest: Goldbergs and Art of Fugue, on piano and harpsichord.



Details: http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/01/big-bach.html 



May


Tasana Nagavajara, violin
Pornphan Banternghansa, piano


Sunday, 8th May, 5pm



Mozart: The Four Viennese Sonatas of 1781

http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/03/mozart-free-and-infatuated.html June



June

Thursday, 2nd June, 6pm
Michele Benuzzi, harpsichord
Handel, Friends and Forefathers
A program of 17th and 18th century music 


"a level of tonal beauty that is unsurpassed"

"...suitably exuberant, willful virtuosity."

http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/05/handel-friends-and-forefathers.html




Sunday 12th, 5pm                                        cancelled
Marina Horak, piano
"professes her art with striking conviction" ... Nadia Boulanger

'Slavic Dreams and Dances' music by Tchaikovsky, Szymanowski, two lesser know Slavic composers and a healthy dose of Chopin Mazurkas.
http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/04/slavic-dreams-and-dances.html




Friday, 24th June, 6pm

Graf Mourja, violin

Paganini: 24 Caprices

















http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/05/paganinis-24-caprices.html


July

Sunday, 3rd July

Eva Yulin Shen, piano

All Russian program




"...one of the best pianists of her generation" 

Yuli Turovsky, Borodin Trio (1976 – 1993) 

http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/05/sunday-3rd-july-5pm-eva-shen-piano-all.html





September

September 9th and 11th

Sobolev returns with partner: Beethoven-Liszt symphony no.3, 'Eroica' and works by Medtner, Shostakovich, Bizet and Brahms, including works for four hands.



Blog post here http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/08/sobolev-returns.html
September 30th and 2nd October - cancelled regrettably, due to a hand injury




Aleksandar Djermanovic: plays Medtner, Prokofiev, Scriabin and Liszt's, Années de Pèlerinage, Italie, complete.


October 

Trios and Cello Sonatas 28th and 30th



Dimitri and Alexandre return to play with Tasana
Two Schubert Trios and Russian Cello Sonatas.

http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-schubert-trios.html


November


Friday 18th and Sunday 20th



Evgeny Starodubtsev returns with two programs:
1. Medtner Forgotten Melodies op. 40, Brahms Four Piano Pieces op. 119 and Beethoven Sonata no 13. op. 27/1 and Sonata no 31, op. 109
and
2. Twelve Preludes and Fugues from the 24 op.87 by Shostakovich.

For more details: http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/10/a-great-russian-pianist-awesome.html 

December

Sunday 4th December, 5pm

Kanae Furomoto, piano, plays music inspired by Shakespeare



http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/11/inspired-by-bard.html

Friday, 16th, 6pm
Andrew Simon, clarinet
Warren Lee, piano

Brahms, both sonatas for clarinet and piano, op.120 
and works by Debussy and Saint Saens.

http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2016/11/an-evening-of-clarinet-delight.html


Tentative Calendar 2017


January: Daniel van der Hoeven, Bach Toccatas (Complete)
February: Gugnin and Tasana: Prokofiev violin sonatas 1 and 2
March: Maria Lettberg, piano: Scriabin
April: Michael Tsalka, piano and harpsichord, Bach and early French music
May: Ilya Kondratiev, piano and Erzhan Kulibaev, violin
June: Hélène Tysman: Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, Bach
September: Ani and Nia Sulkhanishvili, piano duet
October: Andrew Tyson, piano
November: 

Friday, December 16, 2016

An Evening of Clarinet Delight

Andrew Simon and Warren Lee,
play both Brahms Clarinet Sonatas 
and works by Debussy and Saint Saens




"...[Andrew] is one of the finest players I’ve heard ...competitive with the best of the best.” - Jerry Dubins, Fanfare Magazine

"Flawless technique..." 
American Record Guide


“superb pianism… a wonderful sense of colour and impeccably controlled articulation” Straits Times

Friday, 16th December, 6pm

Debussy, Rhapsody no.1 for Clarinet and Piano

Brahms, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in F minor, op. 120 no.1

Saint Saens, Clarinet Sonata in E Flat, op. 167

Brahms Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat, op. 120 no. 2


The Two Brahms Clarinet Sonatas were written in 1894. They are the last chamber works of Brahms and both masterpieces. Their richness is aptly summarized by a reviewer on Amazon: 
"the utmost attention to form and structure, thrilling polyphony, and, above all, beautiful melodies"


Andrew Simon is a graduate of the Juilliard School and has been principal clarinetist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic since 1988. New York Times music columnist Allan Kozinn compared him to the late clarinet legend, Benny Goodman, in reviewing his Carnegie Hall debut. 

Warren Lee: is a graduate of the Royal Academy and a Steinway Artist. He won first prize and Grand Prix Ivo Pogorelich in the 1995 Stravinsky Awards International Piano Competition. He lives and teaches in Hong Kong

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



A member of 




Official media partner




Sunday, December 4, 2016

Inspired by the Bard

Piano works inspired by Shakespeare




Kanae Furomoto 

Sunday 4th December, 5pm


Verdi: Prelude from ‘Macbeth’. A short, dramatic introduction to Verdi's opera. Not sure who transcribed it, but the Prelude might be taken from the complete opera transcription.



Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor Op.31 no.2, ‘The Tempest’ 
One of Beethoven's most loved sonatas, but dubiously attributed as a theatrical inspiration. Donald Tovey commented,

"With all the tragic power of its first movement the D minor Sonata is, like Prospero, almost as far beyond tragedy as it is beyond mere foul weather. It will do you no harm to think of Miranda at bars 31–38 of the slow movement... but people who want to identify Ariel and Caliban and the castaways, good and villainous, may as well confine their attention to the exploits of Scarlet Pimpernel when the Eroica or the C minor Symphony is being played."



Korngold: Three pieces from the suite ' Viel Lärm um Nichts' Op. 11 (Much Ado About Nothing) 
1. Maiden in the Bridal Chamber; 
2. Dogberry and Verges (March of the watch) and
3. Masquerade (Hornpipe)


Erich Korngold (1897 to 1957) was an Austrian composer who settled in the US and was
credited as one of the founders of 'film music' in addition to writing numerous symphonies, concertos and solo instrumental works. 





Prokofiev: Three Pieces from Romeo and Juliet‘ Op.75 Prokofiev transcribed ten pieces from his ballet for piano. We will hear three of them.




1. The Young Juliet, 
2. Montagues and Capulets and 
3. Romeo bids farewell to Juliet’ 








Mel Bonis: Two pieces: Desdémona (Othello) and Ophélie (Hamlet)
Mélanie Hélène Bonis (1858 to 1937), known as Mel Bonis, was a French composer and contemporary of Debussy and Ravel.





Debussy: La danse de Puck (Midsummer Night's Dream) from Preludes, Book 1


Liszt: A Midsummer Night's Dream - Wedding March and Dance of the Fairies S.410 R.219
Inspired by Mendelssohn's famous march.



Kanae Furomoto is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied with Lois Phillips and Hamish Milne (one of the few pianists who has recorded all of the solo works of Medtner.)

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.



Reservations: 1,000 baht per person may be made by sending an email to: asiachart@hotmail.com. 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



A member of 




Official media partner