Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Two Croatian Musicians

 



Ivan Novinc, violin 
and
Srđan Čaldarović, piano

 "...consummate artistry in coupling an introspective approach with refined sensitivity for phrasing.." - Washington Post

 

Sunday, 23rd February, 5pm


Two Croatian musicians will perform a recital of solo piano music, featuring the Heroic Polonaise of Chopin and, in the second half, a violin and piano duo, featuring the Brahms Violin Sonata no. 3 in D minor, one of the most exciting works in the chamber music repertoire.

They will also be playing some short works by three Croatian composers. I am only familiar with Boris Papandopulo whom I know to be a very fine composer.

Program


Solo piano
Franz Liszt: Invocation
Johannes Brahms: Klavierstücke op. 118 Nos 1, 2 and 3
Bruno Bjelinski: Toccata
Boris Papandopulo: Scherzo fantastico
Frederic Chopin: Polonaise in A flat major, op. 53
 

Violin and Piano
Ivo Josipović: Mournful song for violin and piano
Johannes Brahms: Sonata for piano and violin op. 108, in d minor
Bela Bartok: Romanian Dances


Ivan Novinc, violin, graduated from the Music Academy in Zagreb in 2000. He has played as a soloist and as the first violin of the Porin string quartet. He has also performed in chamber ensembles all over Europe, Turkey, Sweden, Russia, Mexico, Japan, Canada and Argentina, performing with distinguished musicians such as Stephen Kovacevich.

Srdjan Caldarovic, piano, studied at the Music Academy, University of Zagreb graduating in 1995. He did post graduate studies at Indiana University in Bloomington with Prof. Leonard Hokanson (1996), and later at the Trinity College of Music with Prof. Philip Fowke (2000). He obtained a masters degree in piano performance at the University of Miami School of Music. For several of his performances, Caldarovic has won outstanding awards (Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1, Liszt: Sonata in B minor). For his Washington debut music critic Cecilia Porter wrote, “Caldarovic's playing reveals consummate artistry in coupling an introspective approach with refined sensitivity for phrasing...”


Tickets: 1,000 baht baht per person. Children six years and above will be admitted provided they can sit still.

Reservation: Email asiachart@hotmail.com or call 038 069681 office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day.

Location: http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-music-room-at-eelswamp.html




Sunday, January 19, 2014

One of Russia's Finest Young Pianists

 

 Andrey Gugnin

Only in Pattaya


“Gugnin exemplified pianism at its highest level, with his staggering technical prowess and musical sensitivity” – San Francisco Classical Voice

“Underlying his brilliant interpretive quality was a technical precision that was breathtaking”– Bermuda Royal Gazette

“...when the performance was delivered with such conviction and astounding virtuosity it was nothing short of sensational” – Bangkok Post


Two Contrasting Programs at Eelswamp

1. Sunday 2nd March at 5pm and, by popular demand, Tuesday 4th March, 6pm
Beethoven: Four Famous Sonatas: Moonlight, Pathetique, Appassionata and Waldstein 

2. Wednesday 5th March at 6pm
Russian Program: Rachmaninov Preludes op. 32; Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition and Prokofiev Toccata from the Seventh Sonata.

Andrey Gugnin is a graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He won second prize in the Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna in June last year. He is one of the finest young pianists in Russia. He performs piano duets regularly with Vadym Kholodenko, winner of 2013 Van Cliburn Competition. He has performed in fifteen countries around the world, including as a soloist with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.

We are very fortunate to have this talented pianist visit us in Pattaya.
Don't miss this opportunity to hear one of Russia's finest young pianists in two separate programs at Eelswamp.


Tickets: 1,200 baht for one recital, 2,000 baht for both. Tickets limited to 30 per event. Don't delay: All previous events at Eelswamp have sold out within a few days of announcement.

Reservation: Email asiachart@hotmail.com or call 038 069681 office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day. If you are unable to attend we will make our best effort to sell your place but cannot offer a refund. Location: http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-music-room-at-eelswamp.html 

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

Youtube playlist comprising the performance at Siam Bayshore, both performances at Eelswamp and two interviews.










Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Krechkovsky-Loucks Duo at Eelswamp

Violin and Piano Recital

Saturday 18th January, 2014, 5pm

 

  - Sold out -

Kevin Loucks, piano

 graduate of the Juilliard School

 

Iryna Krechkovsky, violin

winner of the 2012 Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank Competition, at which she was awarded the privilege of borrowing the Baumgartner Stradivarius (1689) for three years


Bach: Sonata for Violin and Keyboard in F minor, BWV 1018

Debussy: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor

Gershwin/Heifetz: Selections from Porgy and Bess for Violin and Piano

Saint-Saens: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75


Kevin Loucks, piano, is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music. He has performed at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, at the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. He was a top prize winner at the Schlern International Competition in Italy, the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in Boston, and the 2012 American Prize in Piano Performance, and was featured as guest artist at the Laguna Beach Chamber Music Festival in California, the Daejeon Chamber Music Festival in South Korea, the Moulin d’Andé in France, and the Montreal Chamber Music Festival in Canada.

Iryna Krechkovsky, violin, was born in the Ukraine and graduated from the Cleveland School of Music. She was a top prize winner at the Sorantin International Competition, the Canadian Music Competition, the Kocian International Violin Competition in Czech Republic, and most recently, winner of the 2012 Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank Competition, at which she was awarded the privilege of borrowing the Baumgartner Stradivarius (1689) for three years.


Tickets: 1,200 baht, limited to 25 places only.  If you are interested don't delay. All previous events have sold out within a few days of announcement.

Reservation: Email asiachart@hotmail.com or call 038 069681 office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day.

Location: http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-music-room-at-eelswamp.html

Monday, December 9, 2013

Accommodation at Eelswamp

Eelswamp can offer visiting musicians two choices of accommodation.

The New Room
Completed in November 2014, this room is adjacent to the piano room. It allows pianists 24-hour convenient access to the piano room without fear of disturbing anyone.
The room has a splendid view of the pond. It is stylishly decorated and is shielded from the rest of the house compound by a clump of bamboo and a waterfall.
View of the pond, ducks and geese

Very comfy bed
Very private location





The Original Guest House





Those requiring a little more space  may stay in the guest house. The room is air conditioned, 36 square meters, has marble floors and a king-size Balinese teak bed.

The guest house is part of a duplex building. It has a private entrance. It is 70 meters from the main house, looking out on a large lawn and a hill of frangipanis.




 
The guest house has a large covered porch with lotus pond.







The room contains a king size double bed and marble floors. 
It is bright by day and cool and dark by night
The porch looks out on a large lawn and a hill of frangipanis.

Views of Eelswamp and Lulu and Daisy Goat Farm

Eelswamp is situated on a 4 hectare / 10 acre property comprising gardens and goat farm. There are more than 300 palm trees and 50 goats, not to mention geese, ducks, guinea fowl and other exotic creatures.

The house at Eelswamp is surrounded by a moat

 Cassia fistula in bloom
The garden has hundreds of palms

 Frangipani hill
Eelswamp is a 4 hectare property with lots of creatures, such as Bunny the buffalo...

... Fang, "the Beast" ...

And one or two goats.

Come and see us at Eelswamp!


Monday, November 25, 2013

Japanese Piano Trio plays Mozart, Mendelssohn and Dvorak



ピアノトリオの愉しみ

Waiting list only

Saturday, 28th December 2013, 5pm 

Naoko Kato, piano 
Mamiko Funutsu, violin
Yukihisa Nakagawa, cello


Mozart, Piano Trio in G major K. 564
Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor op. 49
Dvorak Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor op. 65

The program begins with the sixth and last of Mozart's piano trios. This is a perfectly crafted work, deemed 'late Mozart' although written when the composer was only 32. The Mendelssohn Trio needs little introduction. It is one of the most popular works for piano trio.

The Dvorak Trio is less well known. But this superb trio is one of Dvorak's most brilliant chamber works. According to 20th century musicologist,  Hans-Hubert Schönzeler, “There is hardly another work in Dvořák’s output so sorrowful, somber and poignant. It must rank among the greatest of his chamber music compositions.” I would add that the Trio is far more than "sorrowful and somber". The strident march in the first movement is heroic, as is the scherzo in the second movement. The rondo is lively, sweet and rhapsodic. Indeed this is one of the finest piano trios in the piano trio repertoire. The chance to hear this great work would, alone, be reason to drop everything and come to this recital.

The musicians

We are fortunate to have three fine, Japanese, musicians to perform on the 28th: 

Naoko Kato, piano is a graduate of Musashino Academia Musicae in Japan and Chicago Musical College, one of the oldest conservatories in the US. She lives in Bangkok where she teaches music and performs for the Bangkok Opera and has appeared as a guest pianist for the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. Ms Kato performs frequently as an accompanist both for chamber music and song recitals.

Mamiko Funatsu, violin, studied with Leon Speiler, a former concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic under Karajan. She has performed extensively in Japan, both as a concerto soloist, an orchestra member of seven Japanese orchestras and string ensembles, and as a member of a string quartet.

Yukihisa Nakagawa, cello, is a member of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and the Nova Siam String Quartet. He has performed with numerous orchestras throughout Asia, such as the Hiroshima and Osaka Symphony Orchestras and the Malaysian National Symphony Orchestra. He has toured with the Bangkok Pro Musica in London, The Hague, Brussels and Berlin.


Tickets: 1,200 baht, limited to 20 places only.  If you are interested don't delay. All previous events have sold out within a few days of announcement.

Reservation: Email asiachart@hotmail.com or call 038 069681 (during office hours or 0818 205 202). Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day.



ピアノトリオの愉しみ

来る2013年12月28日(土)午後5時よりバンコク在住の日本人音楽家3人によるクラシックコンサート「ピアノトリオの愉しみ」を開催いたします。
このコンサートは去る10月13日にバンコクにおいて開催され絶賛を博したコンサートのパタヤ公演です。
演奏は船津真美子(バイオリン)、中川幸尚(チェロ)、加藤尚子(ピアノ)の現在はバンコクを中心に活動する三人です。
プログラムはモーツアルトのピアノ三重奏曲第7番ト長調、メンデルスゾーンの名曲、ピアノ三重奏曲第1番ニ短調そしてドボルザークの大曲、ピアノ三重奏曲第3番ヘ短調です。
皆様のお越しを心よりお待ちいたしております。


船津 真美子(バイオリン)
相愛子供の音楽教室を経て、相愛高校音楽科、相愛大学音楽学部器楽学科卒業、研究生修了。
6回日本クラシック音楽コンクール大阪大会奨励賞(第3位)、全国大会入選。アゼリア推薦新人演奏会、宝塚ベガ新人奏会出演。大阪・箕面市民オーケストラ、吹田市交響楽団他とコンチェルトを共演。
静岡・沼津市芸術祭出演。これまでに、ヴァイオリンをグレゴール・ブーロ、里屋智佳子、小谷公子、木野雅之の各氏に、室内楽を林俊昭、林由香子の両氏に師事。ベルリンにてベルリンフィル・元コンサートマスターのレオン・シュピーラー氏に、旭川ウィーン国際弦楽セミナーにてM.フリッシェンシュラガー氏にレッスンを受ける。 地元の大阪・箕面市民オーケストラでは、約10年間コンサートミストレスを務めた。ソロや室内楽、日本各地の主要オーケストラで演奏。日本演奏連盟会員。
中川 幸尚 (チェロ)

15歳でチェロをはじめる。チェロを林俊昭氏(当時大阪フィルハーモニー交響楽団首席チェロ奏者)に師事。また室内楽をDUO HAYASHIに師事する。1996年、アジア・ユース・オーケストラのオーディションに合格、アジアの主要都市でのコンサートに参加。また同オーケストラの選抜メンバーによるアジア・ユース・チェンバーオーケストラのメンバーに選ばれバンコク、大阪でのコンサートに出演。これまで、客演首席チェリストとしてバンコク交響楽団、ガラヤニ・ワタナ・インスティチュート管弦楽団(タイ)、グアム・シンフォニー・ソサエティー(アメリカ)、ヌサンタラ交響楽団(インドネシア)、アンサンブル神戸に招待される他、広島交響楽団、大阪シンフォニカー(現大阪交響楽団)、宝塚歌劇場管弦楽団、東京シティー・フィルハーモニック管弦楽団、セントラル愛知交響楽団、アジア室内管弦楽団、マレーシア国立交響楽団、マカオ管弦楽団等のオーケストラに客演。2012年にはバンコク・プロ・ムジカのメンバーとしてロンドン、ハーグ、ブリュッセル、ベルリンでコンサートを行う。これまでにチェロを林俊昭氏の他、クリストフ・ヘンケル、トビアス・キューネ、クラウス・シュトルクに師事、室内楽においてクラウス・シュトルク、澤和樹、岡山潔、森田玲子諸氏の指導を受ける。これまで、大阪芸術大学非常勤助手、大阪音楽大学オーケストラ要因、マヒドン大学(タイ)およびシラパコーン大学(タイ)音楽学部講師を歴任。現在はタイ国立ブラパ大学芸術学部講師。また現在バンコク交響楽団首席メンバー、ノヴァ・サイアム弦楽四重奏団、アーティスト・アンサンブル・バンコクのメンバーとして活動。チャリティーコンサート「がんばれ日本」主催
加藤 尚子(ピアノ)
三重県桑名市出身。4歳の頃より、母の手ほどきを受けピアノを始める。10歳で第1回ジュニアオーケストラコンクールにて最優秀賞を受けオーケストラと共演。その後、持田智子氏に師事。
武蔵野高等学校音楽科、武蔵野音楽大学ピアノ科卒業。同年5月 練馬区新人演奏会、9月 三重県新人演奏会に出演。在学中、杵淵茂登子氏に師事。1994年、アメリカのシカゴ音楽大学大学院へ留学。シャロン・ロジャース、パウウェル・ヘチンスキー・ルードミル・ラザールの各氏に師事。在籍中、シカゴ音楽大学、バッハ財団、モントローズ・クリスチャン教会基金、古典音楽「アルス・ノバ」、その他より奨学金を多数受賞。この頃より、伴奏家・室内楽奏者として活動を初め、バリトン歌手アンドリュー・シューツ氏の専属ピアニストとなる。1996年、シカゴにてデビューリサイタルを成功に収め、同年よりシカゴ混声合唱団の伴奏者、シカゴ・シビックオーケストラの鍵盤楽器奏者(1996-1998年)となる。1997年、マーティン・キャッツ氏を始め、多くのマスタークラスを受講。
1999年、渡タイ。翌年2000年には、バンコク・オペラ、バンコク・コミュニティー・シアター、バンコク・ユナイテッドアーティストの専属ピアニスト、そして、バンコク混声合唱団、バンコク・シンフォニー・オーケストラ、チュラロンコーン大学のゲストピアニストとなるかたわら、多くのアーティストと共演。2001年には「老嬢と泥棒」で指揮者兼ピアニストとなる。また、バンコクオペラによる第1回声楽コンクールの専属ピアニストに抜擢される。ミュージカルの分野でも専属ピアニストを務め、主な作品として「Guys & Dolls」「HONK!」「ウェストサイドストーリー」「シカゴ」「アニー」などが挙げられる。さらに、タイ王室のためのコンサートを始め、Maria Radicheva(ジュリアード音楽院)、 渡邊篤子氏(パリ音楽院)、Geertje Podevyn(Limburgs Symfonie Orkest) と共演。2006年、三重フィルハーモニック交響楽団とコンチェルトを共演。2007年には、日タイ修好120周年記念コンサートにてピアニストを務め、両国間の友好に貢献。2011年の東日本大震災直後からタイで行われているチャリティーコンサート「がんばれ日本」にも出演。
現在、Peterson Music Schoolで後進の指導に力を入れるかたわら、ソリスト・伴奏家・室内楽奏者として演奏活動にも力を入れ、タイ、日本を中心に活躍中。