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: 

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

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

A Great Russian Pianist, an "Awesome Masterpiece"

Prize-winning Russian Pianist, Evgeny Starodubtsev, Returns to Eelswamp

Friday 18th and Sunday 20th November

Encore concert on Monday 21st  at 6pm

with guest pianist, Alexandra Lotova

Evgeny Starodubtsev, piano
"An accomplished and probing artist" New York Times

Evgeny is a graduate of piano and composition from Moscow Conservatory. His long list of wins at international piano competitions (at least 15 first prizes) began in 2004 with first prize at the International Piano Competition "Compositores de Espa'a", in Madrid. Since then, the list of first prizes is too extensive to list (never mind second and third prizes!). Here are a few from the last two years:

First Prize, Pietro Argento Competition, Italy, July 2016

First Prize, 10th Sigismund Thalberg International Piano Competition, May 2016
First Prize, 24th Ennio Porrino International Piano Competition, Italy November 2015
First Prize, Palma d'Oro Competition, July 2015
First Prize, Nuova Coppa Pianisti Prize, 2015

And many other prizes in competitions in Spain, Mexico, Canada, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, France, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Serbia amongst other countries.

Evgeny has performed at top venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Konzerthaus in Berlin. In addition to being a champion prize fighter, according to Andrey Gugnin, Evgeny is a very fine composer and has composed many symphonic works.

This will be Evgeny's second visit to Eelswamp. He thrilled our audience last year with two fantastic programs and will likely do the same this year. 

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.

First program: Friday, November 18th, 6pm

Medtner: Forgotten Melodies op. 40. Continuing this year's tribute to Russian composer, Nikolai Medtner. This is a collection of six short dances.  Each of the dances has a title, including 'Sinfonica' which is the central piece, 'jubilosa' which is jubilant, 'ondulata', which undulates and 'ditirambica', which is an ode to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility. It is wonderful music, lyrical and easy to listen to.

Brahms: Four Piano Pieces op. 119 Four mature piano pieces from the great master of the late 19th century - three intermezzi and one rhapsody, described by Kelly Dean Hansen as follows:

The first intermezzo, characterized by Clara Schumann as a “grey pearl,” is as close to the “impressionistic” sound of Debussy as Brahms ever got.  

The second intermezzo, whose main sections are skittish and agitated, contains a central waltz that almost sounds as if it were lifted out of Op. 39.  The waltz tune, however, is a variation of the main agitated material.  

In the third piece, which relies on internal melody, the ternary form and contrast are more nebulous.  It has an almost comical character.  

The final rhapsody (“Rhapsodie”), which represents the end of Brahms’s work for solo piano, is not as extended as the two of Op. 79, but still displays a large arch-like form that makes it the biggest of the twenty late miniatures.  The piece is largely heroic and even joyous, so the ending in E-flat minor is surprisingly dark.

Beethoven: Two sonatas, one middle period, one late

Waxy impression of the maestro

1. Sonata 'quasi una fantasia', op.27 no.1 Written when Beethoven was around 30 years old, this sonata carries the same opus number as the Moonlight. The 'quasi una fantasia' probably refers to the fact that the first movement isn't in sonata form and all the movements run together without pause. Whatever the formal issues, it's a great work, perfectly balanced, full of contrasting moods and rhythms with a rousing, foot-stomping, final movement.

2. Sonata op. 109 One of the mighty late sonatas, written twenty years after the op.27 no. 1 sonata. This is a work of great beauty, poise and profundity. Who could imagine such an ethereal piece of music would come from such untidy scribbles as the manuscript demonstrates! 

The first page of the manuscript of  op.109

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.

Second program: Sunday, November 20th, 5pm

A selection of

Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues, op.87

"an awesome masterpiece" - earsense.org

"masterpiece for the piano" - allmusic.com

"an awe-inspiring opus" gramaphone.co.uk

In 1950, Shostakovich was invited to Leipzig to judge the Bach Piano Competition held in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Bach's death in 1750. The first prize went to young prodigy, Tatiana Nikolayeva. Legend has it that in the first round, Nikolayeva, instead of selecting her own piece, had the temerity to ask the judges which Bach Prelude and Fugue they would like to hear and whether they would like it transposed to another key. Shostakovich was so impressed with the competition, and the young lady, that upon returning to Moscow, he decided to write his own set of 24 preludes and fugues - an equal show of temerity, perhaps. But he managed to produce a set of preludes and fugues, which has been often been described as one of the great works of the twentieth century which stands equal to the Well Tempered Clavier of Bach.

Nikolayeva gave the premier performance of the work in 1952 at the Soviet Union of Composers. According to Nikolayeva, 

''You could say that a new work by Shostakovich hit these envious, petty-minded musicians like an atomic bomb,''

 Tatiana Nikolayeva, 

who premiered the first performance of op.87, which went off: "like an atom bomb"

The Preludes and Fugues, op.87, are superb works. Some are a clear tribute to Bach. Others are highly original. The website, earsense.com makes this apt comment: 

As a modern example of the art, it is refreshing, contemporary and testament to the enduring validity of this ancient tradition as vital musical expression...As a well-informed and utterly creative modern success within the long tradition of Western polyphony, Op. 87 is an awesome masterpiece.

The whole cycle of 24 is too long for one program. We will therefore hear thirteen of the 24. Evgeny and I each chose 6 (but I couldn't count properly, so we have a bonus). 

The selection:

1 C major: a tranquil pastoral and hymn-like fugue, saluting Bach's famous C major p and f.
2 A minor: pensive, animated prelude; Bach-like chorale fugue
3 G Major: rousing prelude; happy-go-lucky fugue
5 D major: gentle prelude with sweet theme followed agitated but jolly fugue
7 A major: short, bright prelude; the fugue is one of the most beautiful pieces in its genre
8 F sharp minor
11 B major : chirpy prelude; jolly fugue
12 G sharp minor: majestic prelude in passacaglia form, jivey fugue in four parts
15 D flat major: wild, zany, prelude; chaotic, helter-skelter, fugue. One of the most famous, this number is a showpiece and often used as an encore.
17 A flat major: pastoral prelude, jaunty fugue
19 E flat major: majestic and then brooding prelude, menacing and then placated fugue
21 B flat major: lightning fast moto perpetuo prelude; staccato, bouncy dance fugue
24 D minor: the grand finale: majestic, dirge-like prelude which merges into the fugue building to a mighty climax 

We have aimed to make the selection varied and engaging. I am confident that this will be another grand event, like the Paganini Caprices in June, which will leave you both satisfied and edified. Don't miss this opportunity to come to grips with one of the great masterpieces of twentieth century piano literature.

Encore Concert Monday 21st at 6pm

A mixture of works from the 18th and 20th and special guest performance by Alexandra Lotova, who will perform the Samual Barber Sonata, one of the great American works of the 20th Century, premiered by Horowitz

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

 A member of 

Official media partner