The Medtner Chamber Orchestra presents their 2nd large scale concert - led by pianist Ching Pong (Dono) Ng, this program consists of a chamber arrangement to Chopin's endearing E minor concerto, Mahler's “Songs of the Wayfarer” and the finale of Beethoven's string quartet in B-flat, op. 130.

The late string quartets of Beethoven inspired generations of musicians and audiences - amongst them were the young Nikolai Medtner. These magnificent quartets crowned in grandeur and intimacy, often described as a culmination of the whole human experience. Such magnificence were later found in all Symphonies by Mahler, who took his vision to realms beyond - as deep within, as far without. “A Symphony must be like the world - it must contain everything.”

As an aspiring young conductor and composer, Mahler surmised his uneventful love affair in the Songs of a Wayfarer. This set of lieder, with both his original text and music, was in many way a blueprint of his titanic 1st Symphony. They shared musical materials - by extention their literary implications. The burning sensation of a lost love, the bittersweetness of brief morning warmth, the acceptance of a heart break - all became the fuel of the cosmos he went on to create.

The notoriety of Chopin's orchestrations has been a bother to both soloists and their unfortunate collaborators. This condensed version of the score (arranged for strings ensemble by R. Hofmann) proves a deeper vision and consideration within this “piano-centric” concerto than we were led to believe. Within the small but no less impactful ensemble, there are much to be discovered.

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