RENCONTRES INÉDITES VIII
Piano superstar Yunchan Lim, only 21 years old, delves into Medtner’s universe with his monumental Piano Quintet, bringing together the finest musicians of his generation (Lozakovich, So, Ridout, Soltani). In the first half, clarinetist Pierre Génisson will explore the full lyrical genius of Bruch with his Eight Pieces for clarinet, viola, and piano.
Programme
MAX BRUCH (1838-1920)
Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano Op. 83
(Génisson, Ridout, Kim)
Interval
NIKOLAÏ MEDTNER (1880-1951)
Piano Quintet in C major Op. posth
(Lim, Lozakovich, So, Ridout, Soltani)
Artist(s)
- Daniel Lozakovich violin
- Paloma So violin
- Timothy Ridout viola
- Kian Soltani cello
- Pierre Génisson clarinet
- Sunwook Kim piano
- Yunchan Lim piano
Yunchan Lim plays Dvorak: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 87: 3. Allegro moderato, grazioso
When Bruch composed his Eight Pieces for clarinet, viola and piano in 1910 at the age of 72, the young Medtner had already laid the foundations for his Piano Quintet – which he did not complete until 1949. Peppered with references to Orthodox liturgy (one only has to listen to the second movement, an ample chorale reflected from the strings to the piano, to realise this), it combines superb melodic mastery with a tragic bent and a shifting, deliberately indecisive harmony. For Rachmaninov, Medtner was “the greatest composer of his time“: a major challenge for Sunwook Kim, Kian Soltani and Daniel Lozakovitch, artists who shine with their lofty vision in the most profound works.
Bruch’s Eight Pieces are yet another demonstration of the composer’s lyrical genius. Romantic in aesthetic but innovative in form, they alternate tenderness, playfulness and nostalgia, three feelings that Pierre Génisson, with his infectious enthusiasm, knows how to convey to his audience.