Spellbound: A Classical Concert - plus tea & cake

YOUNG AND INSPIRED  Hank Xiang, recently returned from six years study in Russia, joins  local young violinist Cedar-Rose for their first performance together.  They present works by:

FOUR GREAT COMPOSERS  

Jean Sibelius, the frustrated Finish violinist who became a brilliant composer and wrote the most hauntingly beautiful violin concerto. 

Frédéric Chopin, wrote: “Bach is an astronomer, discovering the most marvellous stars. Beethoven challenges the universe. I only try to express the soul and the heart of man.” 

 Tchaikovsky, his vibrant violin concerto was inspired by Eduard Lalo’s, Symphonie espagnole. He writes, Lalo " does not strive after profundity, but he carefully avoids routine, seeks out new forms, and thinks more about musical beauty than about observing established traditions.....”  perhaps also a self-reflection of his practice in this work.  

Tchaikovsky, "The Seasons” character pieces for piano, are  more intimate, and capture the atmosphere of Russian nature and culture.  

Ravel, captivated by the Gypsy pieces he heard performed by Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Arányi in 1924, he wrote Tzigane. The work is brooding and spirited calling for deeply expressive play as well as playful virtuosity.

EMERGING ARTIST SERIES - HEAR THEM LIVE  These concerts are about creating opportunities for young performers to  be heard live within their local community.  All proceeds from these concerts go to the young artists.  

MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Hank Xiang graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in 2012, studying with Dr Paul Rickard-Ford. Taking keen interest in Russian music, his honours dissertation examined Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in relation to the compositions of the New Russian Nationalist School. Following his curiosity in Russian music and culture, he continued his studies at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in Saint Petersburg in the class of Nina Seryogina. Throughout his studies Hank was a recipient of the John and Dorothy Vimpani Scholarship, the Theme and Variations Foundation and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust. Hank participated in the Lev Vlassenko competition of 2015, the Australian National Piano Award of 2018 and most recently, was the third-prize winner of the Maria Yudina International Piano Competition in 2019 in Russia. Hank has performed in concert halls across Australia and Europe and worked as a soloist with several orchestras in Saint Petersburg and in Novosibirsk. He is an active chamber musician and his ensembles in Russia performed a large portion of the great piano trios, quartets, and quintets. Hank has also delved in the field of modern music with a premiere of The Aether Rings… by Martin Friedel on ABC radio in 2010 as part of the ISCM World New Music Days festival, and in 2019 was a performer of the Stop, Prepare, Repair: Variations on “Ode to Joy” for prepared piano by Allora & Calzadilla during its exhibition in the National Art Gallery of NSW, hosted by Kaldor Arts Projects.  As of 2019, Hank settled in Glebe, teaching privately from his studio, with many of his students already pursuing international performance careers. Hank is also an amateur chess enthusiast.

Cedar-Rose Newman (17), is a student of Lucie Robert at the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College, where she holds the Kate Bamberger Scholarship for Violin and studies piano with Gian-Franco Ricci in Sydney.  Cedar commenced violin with Sarah Hindson in 2010,  moving to study with Russian violinist, pedagogue and composer Albert Markov in the United States in 2016, in Australia she frequently takes lesson with Ass. Prof. Goetz Richter.   Cedar has performed many recitals in Australia, the Unites States and Europe, including two solo appearances with Steel City Strings in their Celebration of Youth Concerts.