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Concert Details

October

Overview

Graffin, Demarquette, Blumenthal Piano Trio

Schumann – Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor Op. 63
Schumann – Langsam (Slow movement from Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23), Geistervariationen for piano solo, WoO 24
Tchaikovsky – Piano Trio in A minor Op. 50

Graffin, Demarquette, Blumenthal Piano Trio

Philippe Graffin violin
Henri Demarquette cello
Daniel Blumenthal piano

A concert of 19th century romantic ghosts: Schumann’s first piano trio is followed by the trio arrangement of the beautiful slow movement from his late violin concerto, a work suppressed by Clara and Brahms, fearing Schumann’s madness was becoming increasingly obvious in his music. In 1854 Schumann worked its theme into some remarkable variations for piano – the Geistervariationen – apparently forgetting the theme’s origin, and claiming the ghosts of Schubert and Mendelssohn dictated it to him. Tchaikovskyʼs epic Piano Trio in A minor is also dominated by variation form, and written in the midst of mourning for the death of his friend, the pianist Nikolai Rubinstein.

Information

18.30 Sunday, 13th October 2013

LCMS Foyer Concert: Vasara Quartet - Sunday 13th October, 5:45pm

Schumann – Quartet A minor, op 41
I. Introduzione: Andante espressivo – Allegro II. Scherzo: Presto – Intermezzo III. Adagio IV. Presto
Benjamin Britten – Rhapsody for String Quartet

Emma Oldfield (violin); Jessica Coleman (violin); Emma Purslow (Viola); Kristiana Ignatjeva (Cello)

The Vasara Quartet was formed in September 2012 at the Royal College of Music. The members are all scholars in their second year of undergraduate studies; Emma, Jessica and Emma are supported by the Hilda and Douglas Simmons Award and Kristiana by the Lucy Ann Jones Award. The quartet receives regular tuition from Mark Messenger and other tutors at the RCM; and attended the National Youth String Quartet Weekend last year where they had intensive coaching from renowned professors including Nicholas Jones, Pavel Fischer, Thomas Riebl and Christoph Richter. In March 2012, the Varasa Quartet was selected to perform in the Wigmore Hall and shortly afterwards they received joint first prize in the Britten Intercollegiate String Quartet Competition. Other performance highlights include being invited to play as part of an exhibition on Benjamin Britten in Aldeburgh, performing for the Prince of Wales as part of the President’s Visit at the RCM and giving a recital in the Elgar Room at the Albert Hall.