Romanticisim in Concert
Saturday nights in March
Every Saturday night in the month of March brings romanticism in concert to the homes of Stingray Classica viewers. In four dramatically beautiful recitals, acclaimed international soloists enchant with programmes that explore the topics of drama, romance and melancholia. On March 7th, conductor Teodor Currentzis leads his ensemble MusicAeterna alongside violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja in a performance of works by Brahms and Mendelssohn. The week after, Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos and Chinese pianist Yuja Wang join forces to interpret three sonatas of Johannes Brahms. Furthermore, the special features a performance of the French Chamber Music ensemble Trio Zadig and a performance of Schubert’s Second Piano Trio from the International Chamber Music Festival in Bellinzona.
Beauty is a Crime: Mendelssohn & Brahms
Saturday, 7 march
Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis leads his ensemble MusicAeterna alongside Austrian-Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja in a performance showcasing young, accomplished and energetic musicians. For this concert, they went searching for a new definition of the meaning of the word beauty. Thus, this 2015 performance from the renowned Musikfest Bremen sheds an entirely new light on two beloved classics by Brahms and Mendelssohn. The concert programme features Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor and Johannes Brahms's Symphony No. 3 in F Major.
Brahms - The 3 Violin Sonatas, Op. 78, 100 & 108
Saturday, 14 march
In this splendid 2013 concert from the Church of Verbier, Switzerland, Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos and Chinese pianist Yuja Wang join forces to interpret three sonatas by Johannes Brahms. Leonidas Kavakos rose to fame in 1985, when he became the youngest musician to ever win the first price of the prestigious Sibelius Competition. With Yuja Wang, an accomplished artist at young age herself, he forms a masterful duo of chamber music interpretation. The programme features Brahm's Sonata for Piano and Violin, No. 1 in G major, Op. 78, also known as the "Regensonate," Sonata for Piano and Violin, No. 2 in A major, Op. 100, the "Thuner Sonata," a portrait of the Swiss lake of Thun's peaceful scenery. It comes to a fiery and passionate finale with Brahm's Sonata for Piano and Violin, No. 3 in D minor, Op 108.
Trios: Tchaikovsky, Op. 50 & Shostakovich, Op. 67
Saturday, 21 march
The Zadig Trio was born when two childhood friends from France, Boris Borgolotto (violin), and Marc Girard Garcia (cello), joined musical forces with American pianist Ian Barber. Today, they have received several international prizes at international competitions in France, Italy, Austria, and the USA. In this 2017 concert from the Auditorium St Pierre des Cuisines in Toulouse, France, the trio interprets several pieces by Russian composers. The programme features Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 and Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, for violin, cello and piano, Op. 67.
Schubert - Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 100, D. 929
Saturday, 28 march
Ester Hoppe (violin), Christian Poltéra (cello) and Francesco Piemontesi (piano) perform Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 100 (D. 929) during the International Chamber Music Festival in Bellinzona, Switzerland, in 2019. This trio was among the last compositions completed by Schubert and is dated November 1827. It was published late 1828, shortly before Schubert's death and first performed in January 1828 to celebrate the engagement of Schubert's friend Josef von Spaun. The second theme of the opening movement is based on a theme from the Trio of Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 18 (D. 894). The main theme of the second movement is used as a central musical theme in Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon (1975).