Trio Aquilon: Eulalie Charland (violin) Maiko Mori (piano) Lawrence Durkin (cello) play:
Lili Boulanger: "D'un matin de printemps" & "D'un soir triste"
Lili Boulanger, the Parisian-born daughter of a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire and a Russian princess, was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome in 1913, at the age of 19. Guided by her musical family and in particular her older sister Nadia, she developed her voice as a composer very early on. Her short life and work were dogged by chronic illness, which perhaps explains the darkness in her music. D’un matin de printemps (Of a spring morning) and D’un soir triste (Of a sad evening) were written in the last year of her life, as her health deteriorated rapidly. Together they form a diptych; the melodic material is very similar, though tempo, rhythm and character make them dramatically different. The first has the lightness and playfulness its title suggests, while the second is slow and sad with the occasional uplifting moment, perhaps bearing the marks of her physical suffering. She died in March 1918 at the age of 24, a few weeks after completing ‘D’un soir triste’.
Timothy Salter: Shadows I & II
Timothy Salter is a composer, conductor and pianist, whose works include instrumental, chamber and orchestral music, choral music and songs. He is musical director of The Ionian Singers, with whom he records and performs internationally. For many years he taught composition and performance studies at the Royal College of Music, London. In 1995 he founded Usk Recordings for the promulgation of new music and neglected works from the past. He says: "Shadows II, formerly entitled Shadows, was written in 1999 for the Chamber Music Exchange at the request of Thalia Myers. Shadows I was written in 2006 for the then-named Aquilon Ensemble (now Trio Aquilon). It is a contrasting movement preceding the original Shadows, to which it is linked by a short passage on solo violin. A coda following Shadows II and recalling the music of Shadows I was added in 2007. Shadows of two kinds are reflected in the piece, as suggested by the designation of Shadows I as ‘unquiet, flickering’ and of Shadows II as ‘mysterious’."
-Interval-
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 -1827) Piano Trio in B flat major Op 97 “Archduke”
Allegro moderato ~ Scherzo: Allegro – coda ~ Andante cantabile, ma però con moto – Poco più adagio – Tempo I ~ Allegro moderato – Presto – Più presto
This, the last full length piano trio written by Beethoven in 1811, was well received in its day and has continued to be one of the mainstays of the piano trio repertoire since that time. Although deafness was becoming an increasing problem, in this trio we find Beethoven at the height of his powers and his development of the genre in the few years since the death of Mozart had taken the medium to new heights. Here we have the rich textures of the instrumental writing in which the three instruments are regarded as equals, the strong thematic links which give the whole work a sense of unity and the wide ranging emotions expressed by the music. The work was dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph of Austria and received its first public performance in 1814 when Beethoven struggled not only with his deafness but also with an out of tune piano, alternately playing too loud or too soft. The first movement moves at a majestic pace with the piano introducing both themes, the second of which appears in the unexpected key of G major. The scherzo, usually the third movement but here placed second, is introduced by the cello with an ascending theme which is complemented by a descending phrase by the violin and the trio section, also introduced by the cello, features some interesting chromatic writing. This is followed by a lyrical slow movement which takes the form of a theme in D major with four variations, the fourth of which leads without a break into the final rondo in the home key – a lively extended movement with some quirky methods of modulation, before returning finally to the home key. © Christine Talbot-Cooper 2012
Eulalie Charland is a violinist with an international performance and teaching profile. Eulalie’s great love is chamber music, and in 2002, she founded the Aquilon Ensemble, incorporating instruments flexibly to facilitate eclectic programming of standard and contemporary repertoire. The ensemble now performs widely throughout the UK and Europe, with a recording for Radio France’s broadcast Le Matin des Musiciens with pianist Maiko Mori in May 2010. Eulalie studied at the RCM with Yossi Zivoni, where she won the Director’s Prize. She now teaches violin at the University of Chichester and is a chamber music coach at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Maiko Mori is a Japanese pianist whose career has steadily grown since her first prize in 2002 at the 23rd Robert William and Florence Amy Brant International Piano Competition. Maiko made her orchestral debut in the UK with the RCM Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko and quickly went on to debut internationally with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra in India. Among her recent performances, she has enjoyed acclaim at prestigious venues such as the Purcell Room at London’s South Bank Centre, Bridgewater Hall, Steinway Hall, St Lawrence Jewry, St James's Piccadilly and St Martin-in-the-Fields. Lawrence Durkin studied at the RCM with Melissa Phelps, Moray Welsh and Leonid Gorokhov, where he was supported by the Constant and Kit Lambert, Jacqueline Ward and Astor Awards. He made his concerto debut in 2003 performing Haydn’s Concerto in C with the London Pro Arte Orchestra. Until 2009 Lawrence was the cellist in the Harpham String Quartet. He now gives recitals with the Janos String Trio who recently performed at the Leeds International Chamber Music Series, St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh and St. James’s Piccadilly. Other highlights include a concert of works by Mark-Anthony Turnage, recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2008. Lawrence currently teaches at St. Georges College in Surrey, Latymer School in Edmonton and Dame Alice Owens School in Hertfordshire. He plays a cello made in Paris by Charles Buthod circa 1880.
