Indian sitar star comes to Eelswamp

One of the most acclaimed exponents of the sitar

Purbayan Chatterjee

Friday, 12th December at Eelswamp, 6 pm

"absolute poise and artistic control ...

"possibly the most outstanding sitar player of the younger generation"

Rajendra Teredesai

Winner of the 'President of India Award'

Performed in Royal Festival Hall, London

Sydney Opera House

Salle Gaveau, Paris

Konzerthaus, Berlin

Esplanade, Singapore

Purbayan Chatterjee is one of the most celebrated sitarists in India. He quickly rose to prominence by winning, at the age of 15, one of the highest awards in his country, the 'President of India' Award. Purbayan was described by Rajendra Teredesai, one of India's most respected musicians, as "possibly the most outstanding sitar player of the younger generation." His music, "is high on aesthetics, lyricism and understated technical brilliance."

Purbayan Chatterjee is a world-class performer. He has performed in many of the most important music venues in the world, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the main venue at the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Sydney Opera House and the Konzerthaus in Berlin. 

Purbayan has recorded nine CDs one of which won the Palm IRAA Award for the Best World Music Album of the Year. 

Sandip Ghosh, tabla, will accompany Purbayan in the program.

Indian classical music is one of the oldest and most developed forms of music in the world. It has been played in its current form for many centuries. Some ragas can be traced back to the middle ages. While the music is not written down, as is western classical music, it is nonetheless highly sophisticated with a grand conception, structure, movements and complex rhythms.

Indian classical performers face a greater challenge than western classical musicians: they must be both performer and composer at the same time. A good performance requires a constant flow of inspiration. Despite its vast population, only a few highly accomplished performers appear at any generation. We are fortunate to have one such performer coming to visit us. 

Program: Full evening ragas, such as Puria Danashree and Yaman . A full raga contains at least four movements and starts with a slow, unaccompanied pulse (alaap) proceeding to a rousing duet.

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Limited to 40 people.

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 here before I strongly urge you to find the venue before the day of the concert.

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Veniamin Zhukov plays Beethoven and Liszt

Two different programs on November 22nd and 24th, encore program on 25th

Veniamin Zhukov

Moscow Conservatory

"Veniamin possesses a very strong, captivating vision of music, delivering it with huge, raw power which casts a spell over the audience and keeps them speechless long after the performance." Andrey Gugnin

Saturday 22nd November, 5pm

Beethoven: Hammerklavier Sonata op. 106

Liszt: Sonata in B minor
only a few seats remaining

Monday 24th November, 6pm

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations

Liszt: Fantasy and Fugue on the theme B-A-C-H

Liszt: Reminiscenses de Norma de Bellini
only a few seats available

Encore performance on Tuesday 25th, 6pm
Selection of works from previous two concerts

The Beethoven: Veniamin will play Beethoven's two monumental works for the piano, The Hammerklavier Sonata and the Diabelli Variations. They are both late works. The Hammerklavier has been described as,"Beethoven's technically most challenging piano composition and one of the most challenging solo works in the classical piano repertoire." Musicologist Donald Tovey called the Diabelli Variations "the greatest set of variations ever written". That's a slight exaggeration. Bach's Goldberg Variations are equally great. But without doubt, the Goldbergs and the Diabelli are the paragon of the variation form. It is a mark of Veniamin's ambitious musicianship that he will present these two works on the same tour. 

The Liszt: Liszt only wrote one 'sonata', in 1853, when he was in his forties. The music was well ahead of its time. It was received with scorn and derision at its first performance (Eduard Hanslick: "...anyone who finds it beautiful is beyond help."). However, over the decades, the Liszt Sonata gradually gained acceptance. It is now regarded as one of the greatest piano works of the nineteenth century. It is also one of the most profound works in nineteenth century piano literature.

The Fantasy and Fugue on the Theme B-A-C-H was originally written for organ and transcribed for piano. The title refers to the motif based on the four notes B-flat, A, C and B. It is a tour de force of dazzling virtuoisty.

The Norma Reminiscences, subtitled, 'Grand Fantasie for Piano' were written in 1844 while Liszt was still in his superstar-touring mode. It is based on Bellini's opera, Norma, set in Roman Gaul. The opera tells the story of a tragic love affair between a druid priestess, Norma and her Roman lover, Pollione. All of the six themes in the paraphrase depict the heroine, Norma. This is a work of 'extended and brilliant treatment' in the words of Eric Bromberger.

Veniamin Zhukov is a final year student at Moscow Conservatory. He is a close friend of Andrey Gugnin and they have performed together.

Veniamin, left and Andrey Gugnin, right, performing in the Moscow Conservatory

Veniamin is a pianist of unrivaled technique and musicianship. I need only persuade you with this dazzling performance:

Reservations: 1,200 baht for one concert. 2,000 baht for both. 
Special price for the Encore Performance for those who have attended either 22nd and/or 24th performances: 500 baht

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 here before I strongly urge you to find the venue before the day of the concert.

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An Evening of Indian Music and Fine Indian Dining

Saturday, 13th December, 6.30pm

'Indian by Nature', Eelswamp's Indian classical music partner,

presents

Purbayan Chatterjee, sitar   

  

and

Sandip Ghosh, tabla

Saturday 13th December, Indian by Nature, Thapraya Road

Sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee and tabla master Sandip Ghosh will give a dinner performance at Pattaya's premier Indian restaurant, 'Indian by Nature'.

These two eminent musicians are the top of their league, having performed all over the world in such prestigious venues as the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Konzerthaus in Berlin and the Sydney Opera House. Purbayan has recorded twelve CDs many of which have hit the top of the charts.

Purbayan is one of the most versatile musicians in India. He is a master of several genres, ranging from pure classics to jazz/blues fusion. The musical duo will give a performance of light classical works featuring popular Indian melodies and captivating rhythms.  The performance is sure to entertain, whatever your musical taste may be.

The program will be preceded by a buffet dinner of delicious Indian food:

click on the menu to see an enlargement

Join us for a night of musical enchantment and gourmet Indian cuisine at Indian by Nature on Saturday, 13th December. 

Performance schedule

1. 6.30 doors open for meet and greet/welcome drink

2. 7pm buffet dinner commences

3. 8.15pm performance begins

4. 9.15 intermission and dessert buffet

5. 9.45 - second session.

Reservations: 2,500 baht per person. 

Payment: directly at Indian By Nature from 4.pm.

Bank transfer:  Siam Commercial Bank

Ardas Co. Ltd: 5352754169 fax proof of payment to 038 252197.

Indian by Nature

Address: 306/64-68 Thapraya Road, Chateau Dale Complex, Pattaya, Chon Buri 20150

Phone: 038 364 656

Fantasy and Mystery

Two piano programs by

Sergey Sobolev

11th, 13th and 14th October

only at Eelswamp

Graduate of Moscow Conservatory 
and 
Royal College of Music, London

1^st Prize Nikolai Rubinstein Competition, Moscow

2^nd Prize International Liszt Competition, Weimar
3rd Prize International Scriabin Competition, Moscow

4^th Prize Tchaikovsky Competition, Moscow

Laureate, International Santander Competition
Laureate, Queen Elisabeth Competition, Brussels

Two separate programs

Fantasy and Rhapsody

A program of musical fantasies and rhapsodies from the 18th to 20th centuries

Saturday, October 11th, 5pm sold out. 

Repeat Program: Tuesday, 14th October, 6pm:  places still available

Schubert, Fantasie in C major, Op. 15 (D. 760), The Wanderer Fantasy

Chopin, Polonaise-fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61

Mozart, Fantasia in C minor, K396

Brahms, Rhapsody no. 1 in B minor, Op.79, no.1

Scriabin, Fantasie in B minor, Op. 28

Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody no 9 in E flat major, 'Carnival in Pest'

Watch and listen to this remarkable performance by Sergey at the Liszt Competition, Weimar. 

Mystery

Mysterious music of late Liszt and Alexander Scriabin

Monday October 13th, 6pm

Scriabin

Poeme Satanique, Op. 36

Trois Morceaux, Op. 52: Poeme, Enigme, Poeme Languide

Deux Danses, Op. 73: Flammes Sombres and Guirlandes

Sonata no. 9, "The Black Mass", Op. 68

Two Poemes, Op. 32

Sonata No.5, Op. 53

Liszt

Aux cypres de la Villa d'Este. Threnodie (1) from Années de Pèlerinage III

Mosonyis Grabgeleit, S.194 

Mephisto Polka, S. 217

'Danza sacra e duetto finale' from Verdi's Aida S. 436

La Lugubre Gondola no.2, S. 134 "The Lugubrious Gondolier"

Bagatelle Sans Tonalité, S 216a

Sursum Corda from Années de Pèlerinage III

Over the last two decades of his life, Franz Liszt's style underwent a remarkable change: from the flamboyant and grandiose to the contemplative and profound. His late period style influenced nearly all the composers that followed him, from the impressionists, such as Debussy and Ravel, to Stravinsky and Scriabin.

Alexander Scriabin was a Russian pianist and composer who lived from 1872 to 1915. He is also one of the great transformationalists in classical music. In his early years his compositional style was influenced by Chopin. But Scriabin developed a unique style that mirrored his eccentric personality. Scriabin was a master of the miniature, many of which are only a minute or two in length. We will hear seven of these miniatures from his middle and late periods. Scriabin's ten piano sonatas are among the greatest compositions of his period and demonstrate the transition from the romantic to the mysterious. We will hear two sonatas: his pivotal fifth sonata and his mysterious, ninth, sonata.

A graduate of both the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory and the Royal College of Music in London, 32 year-old Sergey Sobolev is a veteran of the competition circuit with six major trophies on his mantlepiece. But more than a mere musical gladiator, he is a highly polished musician with a discerning taste and a remarkable technique. Sergey and I spent many (enjoyable) email exchanges devising and refining the two programs that we will hear in October in order that they be both thematic and accessible to the audience. I urge you to mark your calendar and attend both of these events.

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. If you are unable to attend we will make our best effort to sell your place after 30 places have been sold.

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

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Trinity Trio play Brahms and Mendelssohn

Friday, 29th August, 6pm

Trinity Trio

Winner of the 8th Pettman/ROSL Arts International Scholarship, London, 2013

Tina Kim, piano

Stella Kim, violin

Sally Kim, cello

Brahms, Trio no.1 in B major, op.8

Originally composed when Brahms was twenty, the composer made a substantial revision to the work in his fifties.  Brahms claimed that the revisions “did not provide it with a wig, but just combed and arranged its hair a little.” That is an understatement. The later version contains substantial thematic revision and in the words of Bromberger, "his youthful impetuosity is wed to an enormously refined technique".

Mendelssohn, Trio no. 2 in C minor, op.66. 

This work was composed and published in 1845, two years before Mendelssohn's untimely death at the age of 38. The C minor trio is less popular than the enigmatic Trio no. 1 in D minor, but is just as ebullient, virtuosic and rich in texture. Having heard the D minor so frequently, it will be a refreshing change to hear the C minor.

The members of the Trinity Trio are students at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. They formed the trio in order to compete at the prestigious Pettman/ROSL competition last year in London. They won first prize and, as a result of their success, performed throughout the UK at such venues as St Martin-in-the-Fields, St. James’s Piccadilly, and the Edinburgh Festival. The trio is sponsored by Pro Musica, the Bangkok based orchestra led by Tasana Nagavajara. Tasana met the trio on his recent visit to New Zealand. We can be sure that the trio will give a first class performance.

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. 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 after 30 places have been sold.

Children: This program might be suitable for children aged 8 years and above.

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

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Another favourite from the Beethoven Competition

Marijan Đuzel, piano

2008: 1st prize Croatian Young Virtuoso and Zlatko Grgošević Competitions 

2009: 2nd prize European Piano Teachers Competition
2010: Winner, INA Cultural Scholarship (INA is Croatia’s largest oil company)

2012: Debut with Zagreb Philharmonic performing Beethoven’s Fifth Concerto, The Emperor

2013: Performed twice in Musikverein in Vienna(Brahms and Gläserner Saal).

Marijan was a semi-finalist in the International Beethoven Competition held last year in Vienna. Of all the competitors I watched during the competition, Marijan and Andrey Gugnin were the two most inspiring contestants. We were very fortunate to have Andrey perform for us in March this year and are equally fortunate to have Marijan come to Thailand, exclusively to play for us at Eelswamp 

Two programs: 

1st Program: Sunday July 6th, 5pm

Albeniz: Evocacion - a short fandango from Book 1 of Iberia

Schubert: Sonata c minor D 958 – the first of the last three sonatas

Beethoven: Bagatelles op. 126 – last published piano work of Beethoven - sublime music

Sulek: Sonata – a great work by 20th century Croatian composer

2nd Program: July 8th, 6pm –  Barton’s Birthday Celebration

Haydn: Sonata no. 20 in C-minor - the only one of Haydn's 62 sonatas written in this key

Bartok: Im Freien – interesting collection of short pieces by the Hungarian composer

Josipovic: Jubilis – a short piece by Croatian composer and President

Beethoven: op. 111 – the great, last, sonata of Beethoven

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. If you are unable to attend we will make our best effort to sell your place but cannot offer a refund. 

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

Zuniega at Eelswamp

Sunday, June 15th, 5pm

Greg Zuniega, piano

After playing with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 16, Greg gained a scholarship to the Tchaikowsky Moscow State Conservatory, then after being noticed by Dame Fanny Waterman, finished his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the Royal College Music of London, where he was presented with the prestigious Tagore Gold Medal for excellence by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and was awarded first class honours in piano concerto, German Lieder interpretation and chamber music.

Greg has performed in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, China, Guam, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy and has been featured soloist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and the Manila Symphony Orchestra. He holds the degrees of B.S. Economics (London School of Economics) and Masters in Public Management (University of the Philippines).

Program

Haydn Sonata in F major Hob. XVI: 23
Mozart Sonata in B flat major K. 333
Chopin Ballade No. 4 in F minor Op. 52
               Waltz in A flat Op. 34. No. 1 

Liszt Rigoletto Paraphrase 

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. Email asiachart@hotmail.com or call 038 069681 during 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

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