December 

14th, 16th and 18th

Complete Violin Sonatas of

Beethoven

A rare chance to hear the complete cycle

Erzhan Kulibaev

playing the Rode Stradivarius*

and

Ilya Kondratiev

Piano Professor at the Royal College of Music, London

The complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas in three recitals

Wednesday 14th at 6pm:

No.1 op.12 no. 1

No.2 op. 12 no. 2

No.3 op 12 no. 3

No.4 op. 23

Friday 16th December at 6pm

No. 5 op. 25 The Spring Sonata

No. 6 op. 30 no. 1

No. 7 op 30 no. 2

Sunday 18th December at 6pm

No. 8 op. 30 no.3

No. 9. op 47 The Kreutzer Sonata

No. 10 op 96 

It is a rare treat to hear the Beethoven ten. They are only occasionally performed over a short period. In 2012 I travelled to Manchester to hear them played by ten different musicians at the Royal Northern College of Music. 

It is also rare to hear them played in order of publication. They are usually mixed for the Procrustean reason of making each program similar in length. I have avoided that temptation in order to get a sense of Beethoven's flow of creation. 

The first nine sonatas were written between 1797 and 1803 and so fall into the early-mid period. No 10 was written in 1812 for the French violinist Pierre Rode, whose Stradivarius violin of 1722, according to Wikipedia, is now played by Erzhan. Could it be that we will hear the performance of no. 10 on the violin for which the sonata was written? That's a stretch. 

Erzhan Kulibaev is a Kazakh born violinist living in Madrid and now a national of Spain. He has visited Eelswamp several times, to much acclaim. He has performed the 24 Paganini Caprices as well as sonatas of Mozart, Prokofiev, Schubert and Respighi. 

Ilya Kondratiev is a Professor of Piano at The Royal College of Music, in London, one of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world. I met Ilya at the 2014 Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv. He was a standout talent. This will be his fifth visit to Eelswamp. 

Reservations: 1,200 baht for one concert. 2,000 baht for two. 3,000 baht for three.

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).

Cancellations and credits: Credit will be allowed for future concerts in the event of cancellation for reasons of sickness.

Directions to Eelswamp: search for 'Eelswamp' on google maps. 

Taxi service to Eelswamp: Bolt should get you here.

Filipp and Vlad play Mussorgsky and Medtner

 Friday, November 25th, 6pm

and repeated on

Monday November 28th, 6pm

Filipp Opanasenko

plays

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition

and

Vladislav Chubenko

plays

Medtner's Forgotten Melodies no.1 

Medtner: Forgotten Melodies Cycle 1, op 38 Complete (played by Vlad) 

Nikolai Medtner is not as well known as his contemporary, Rachmaninoff, but he is on the same level of pianistic genius. Like Rachmaninoff's compositions, Medtner's works are melodious and cleverly structured. From the Hyperion website:

What was the genesis of Medtner’s style? He considered himself a follower of Beethoven and the best of his work reflects the great polyphonic skill, the detailed development of short compact motifs, and the severe spirit and concentrated depth of the late Beethoven sonatas. No less important for Medtner was German Romanticism in general and Schumann’s legacy in particular. 

The op. 38 cycle begins with Medtner's most popular sonata, the Sonata Reminiscenza. It is followed by seven short pieces which borrow from the haunting melody of the sonata, ending with a powerful reprise of the main theme of the sonata.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (played by Filipp)

Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition is a timeless classic comprising a cycle of ten 'portraits' inspired by an art exhibition, interwoven with a recurring Promenade theme.
 

Filipp Opanasenko and Vladislav Chubenko are two graduates of Moscow Conservatory and recent emigrees from Russia. 

Filipp has played four concerts this year at Eelswamp including all-Bach, Chopin and Beethoven programs.

Vlad has just arrived. He was a student of Medtner specialist, Pavel Nersessian at Moscow Conservatory.

Friday, November 25th, 6pm 

and Monday 28th November 

(same program repeated)

Book now!

Reservations: 1,000 baht by email to asiachart(at)hotmail.com

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, those who pay 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.

Children: Children aged eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program.

Cancellations and credits: Credit for future concerts will be allowed in the event of illness.

Directions to Eelswamp: search for 'Eelswamp' on google maps. 

Friday, November 11th, 6pm

Pro Musica String Quartet

Two early quartets of

Mendelssohn 

and 

Tchaikovsky

Both are masterpieces of the Romantic period:  sonorous, melodious and passionate.

 

Mendelssohn Quartet no. 2 in A major, op. 13

Mendelssohn wrote his second quartet in 1827. He was 18 years old and had already published several masterpieces: the Octet op. 20 and the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream to name two. The quartet is constructed around a recurring melody from a song that Mendelssohn had written a few months earlier. The second quartet is regarded by musical critics as a landmark in 'cyclical' composition. It is a delight to hear. 

Tchaikovsky Quartet no. 1 in D major op. 11

Tchaikovsky wrote three quartets. His first was written in 1871 when the composer was 31. The second movement, Andante Cantabile, is often played as a separate piece and has numerous anecdotes attached to it. According to Tchaikovsky,

“…Tolstoy, sitting next to me and listening to the Andante of my First Quartet, burst into tears"

Friday, November 11th, 6pm

Book now!

Reservations: 1,000 baht by email to asiachart(at)hotmail.com

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.

Children: Children aged eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. Smaller children may be left with the nanny on the premises. 

Cancellations and credits: Credit for future concerts will be allowed in the event of illness.

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

Early Quartets: Haydn and Mozart

Pro Musica Quartet

First in a series of string quartet performances

Thursday, April 22nd, 6pm

Leo Phillips Violin

Jirajet Jetsadachet Violin

Tasana Nagavajara Viola

Hut Wongwechwiwat Violoncello

Early Works of Mozart and Haydn

Haydn String Quartet op. 20 no. 4 in D major (1772)

Mozart String Quartet No. 8 in F major, K. 168 (1773)

Haydn String Quartet op. 33 no. 1 in B minor (1781)

Some of the greatest works in musical history were written for the string quartet. In Thailand we don’t have a regular, full time string quartet, so the opportunity to hear a quartet is rare and much of the repertoire has never been performed here. This series hopes to remedy the neglect of the string quartet. It will begin with a survey of early works of some of the most important composers for string quartet: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. 

The early quartets of Mozart, Schubert and Mendelssohn are all the work of childhood geniuses. They will astound you with their sophistication and maturity. 

Haydn is regarded as the granddaddy of the string quartet. He did not invent the form but he brought it to prominence. His output of 68 quartets established the quartet as the most important form in chamber music. His quartets are all ingenious, charming, and at times dramatic. Unlike his successors, he didn’t write his first quartet until he was 30. We will begin with a selection from op. 20, which Haydn wrote in 1772, at the age of 40 and opus 33, written nine years later. 

Mozart’s early quartets were inspired after hearing Haydn’s quartets. As a teenager, Mozart produced two sets of six quartets, The Milanese Quartets and the Viennese Quartets all of which are brilliant. We will hear two of the latter set, which Mozart wrote in 1773, at the age of seventeen; the first K168 will be performed in the first program.

Other concerts in this series will be on Monday June 14th and Monday July 19th.

Reservations: 1,000 baht 

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 eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 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

Bennett Lerner Rescheduled

Friday, November 6th, 6pm

Revisiting Old Friends

a program of piano music played by

Bennett Lerner

Friday, November 6th, 6pm

Schumann: Variations on the Name “ABEGG”, Op. 1

Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso in E Major, Op. 14

Chopin: Nocturne in F# Major, Op. 15, No. 2

Liszt: Ballade No. 2 in B Minor, S. 171

Tcherepnin: Autors des Montagnes Russes (Riding the Roller Coaster) (1937)

Copland: The Cat and the Mouse (Scherzo humoristique)

Irving Fine: Diversions for Piano (USA, 1914-1962)

Debussy: “Suite bergamasque No. 2”
Masques (Masks)
D’un cahier d’esquisses (From a Sketchbook)
L’isle joyeuse (The Joyful Island)

Bennett Lerner was my piano teacher for a few years, many years ago in Bangkok. He is one of the most respected piano teachers in the country, having taught at Payap University in Chiangmai, amongst other places. I look forward to him revisiting an old friend (me) and giving his first performance at Eelswamp.

Here is his official biography:

American pianist Bennett Lerner (b. 1944) is well-known in his country as a performer of contemporary music.  He has performed with major orchestras in the USA, such as the New York Philharmonic (in a nationally-televised concert celebrating composer Aaron Copland’s 85th birthday), the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Cleveland Symphony.  Mr. Lerner has numerous recordings: American Piano Music, Vols. 1 and 2 (Etcetera, 1984, 1986), Piano Music of Alexander Tcherepnin (Etcetera, 1985), Exposition Paris 1937 (Etcetera, 1988), Music by My Friends (Albany, 2004), and The Complete Piano Music of Claude Debussy, Vols. 1-4, (Bridge, 2006-7).  He has lived in Thailand since 1990 and was Head of the Piano Department of the Chintakarn Music School in Bangkok.  In 1995, Mr. Lerner moved to the northern city of Chiang Mai to teach at Payap University, where he is now an Honorary Professor.  After a six-year hiatus from performing, he celebrated his 72^nd birthday with gala concerts in Chiang Mai and, also, with the premiere of “Luminary”, a piano concerto written in honor of Mr. Lerner’s birthday by his student, Narong Prangcharoen, performed by another of his students, Christopher Janwong McKiggan, with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra.  Mr. Lerner has participated in the Thailand International Composition Festival since the festival’s inception in 2005.  In March of 2018, Mr. Lerner played Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Thailand Philharmonic.  Mr. Lerner’s formative teachers were the Chilean virtuoso Claudio Arrau, Arrau’s associate and compatriot Rafael de Silva, the Cuban pedagogue German Diez, the Argentinian virtuosa Arminda Canteros, and the American pianist-composer Robert Helps.  Mr. Lerner has his B. Mus. and M. Mus. from the Manhattan School of Music and his D. M. A. from City University of New York.  His YouTube channel is “bennettlerner2”.

Reservations: 1,000 baht or donation. Limit to 25 adults.

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 eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 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

Eelswamp Calendar 2020 January to June

Eelswamp has been cancelled until after the Covid

Calendar 2020 - The first six months

January: Sergey Sobolev, piano  

Friday 24th: All Beethoven: Symphony no. 7 transcription by Liszt, Eroica Variations op. 35 and the last set of Bagatelles, op. 126

Sunday 26th: Mostly Russian

Chopin: Two Nocturnes op.15 no1 and op.62 no1 and two Mazurkas op.30 no. 4 and op.50 no 3

Tchaikovsky Grand Sonata in G major op. 37

Stanchinsky Sonata in E flat minor and 

Prokofiev:  Sonata no 8 in B flat major op. 84

Book now: email asiachart@hotmail.com 

February - Ilya Kondratiev, piano

Violin programs cancelled. Ilya will play two solo piano programs

Friday 14th: Ysaye Six Sonatas for Solo Violin - cancelled

Saturday 15th Ilya Solo 1

Schubert Sonata no.16 in A minor, D845  and 

Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition.

Sunday 16th: Ilya Solo 2

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E♭ major, Op. 31, No. 3

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 26 in E♭ major, Op. 81a, Les Adieux

Liszt Sonata in B minor.  

Beethoven Violin Concerto in D op.61, Korngold Violin Concerto in D op.35 - cancelled

Book now: email asiachart@hotmail.com 

Full details here: https://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-musical-feast-in-february.html

March - Andrey Gugnin, piano - Sadly, cancelled

September 4th: Scriabin, Complete Mazurkas

September 6th: Beethoven Sonata no. 29, op. 106 'Hammerklavier'

Chopin Preludes op. 28.

https://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2020/02/gugnin-2020.html

Book now: email asiachart@hotmail.com 

Saturday 21st: Bennett Lerner Birthday Concert

https://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2020/03/bennett-lerners-birthday-bash.html

Works by Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Copland and others

April

Sunday 5th April

Siddharta Bhose, sarod and Sandip Ghosh, tabla

May

Martin Malmgren, piano





Friday May 8th, 6pm: All Bach: Partita no. 4, English Suite no. 5 and Bach transcriptions
.
Sunday May 10th, 5pm: Chopin The Mazurkas

June 

Tasana, Dimitri and Alexandre piano trio

Tasana Nagavajara, violin

Dimitri Papadopoulos, piano

Alexandre Vay, cello

Wednesday 3rd June: All Bach: 

Two Cello Suites: numbers 1 and 2

Godowsky piano transcription of Cello Suite no.2 and 

Partita no.1 in B flat major BWV 825

Friday 5th: 

Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 2 in A major, op.12 no.2 and 

Dvorak Cello Concerto

Sunday 7th: Beethoven Trios op. 70 nos 1 and 2.

Eelswamp made a donation to the Human Help Network

Gugnin 2020

Postponed until September

Please note the new dates
and cross your fingers!

Andrey Gugnin, piano

Winner of 2014 Gina Bachauer Competition

Winner of 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition
Nominated BBC Classical Music CD of the Year

"Gugnin’s new disc is nothing short of disarming. This is some of the finest Liszt-playing one is likely to encounter these days..." — Gramophone Magazine

"An all-Shostakovich triumph from pianist Andrey Gugnin" Classical-music.com and recording of the month

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

"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 performance, January 2018

Friday 4th Septmber, 6pm 

Scriabin: Mazurkas Complete

Comprising opuses 3, 25 and 40, the mazurkas trace the development of Scriabin from a Chopin acolyte to a composer with a unique language. The early mazurkas are easy listening, but far more original and inventive than merely regurgitated Chopin. Gradually we hear Scriabin's style develop until, by opus 40, Scriabin has shed the Chopin cocoon entirely and emerges metamorphasized.

Sunday 6th September, 5pm

Beethoven:  Piano Sonata No. 29 in B♭ major 'Hammerklavier'

This is grandest of the Beethoven's 32 Sonatas. Completed in 1818, it stretched the boundaries of the sonata form with four movements in classical form but on a monumental scale. The first known public performance was after Beethoven's death, by the 25 year-old Liszt, perhaps because the sonatas was generally regarded as so technically demanding as to be unplayable. I saw Andrey give a superb performance of the Hammerklavier at the Beethoven Competition in Vienna, 2013. It was so impressive that I invited him to come and visit us. I look forward to hearing Andrey's rendition of the Hammerklavier again, after seven years.

Chopin: 24 Preludes op. 28

Needs no introduction. One of the greatest collection of miniatures in the repertoire.

Andrey Gugnin has a special relationship with Eelswamp. He was the first musician whom I invited from overseas and he has visited us annually since then. This will be his seventh visit. During those years, we have seen Andrey's career skyrocket, winning two prestigious international competitions, releasing numerous CDs and most recently, gaining a management contract from one of the top management companies in the world (with a clause allowing continued visits to Eelswamp).

Reservations:  One concert for 1,200 baht or 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.

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 eight years and older may attend the concert depending on the suitability of the program. 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