Outstanding Sonatas
| 1. | Introduction | 00:00:50 |
| 2. | Mozart: Sonata in F major for Violin and Piano, K. 376 | 00:19:35 |
| 3. | Beethoven: Sonata in C major for Cello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 1 | 00:16:30 |
| 4. | Brahms: Sonata in E-flat major for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2 | 00:21:34 |
This collection of works showcases three great masters of the sonata, and through this progression we observe the evolution of one of chamber music’s most stalwart genres. Beginning with Mozart’s Violin Sonata in F major, K. 376, we hear the violinist and pianist, perhaps for the first time, as equal partners in a continuous, even-handed dialogue.
Written seven years after his previous cello sonata, Beethoven’s C major cello sonata, Op. 102, No. 1, is often regarded as the first piece from his “late period.” This baroque-inspired sonata in two movements epitomizes the intense emotional contrast and dramatic character shifts of this compositional period.
In 1890, Brahms intended to retire from composition, but the artistry of clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld inspired him to write several chamber works for clarinet over the next few years. These include the magisterial Quintet in B minor, the A minor trio, and two landmark sonatas. The Clarinet Sonata in Eb major, Op. 120, No. 2, reveals both Brahms’ fascination with the instrument’s sound and the defining characteristics of his late style: intimacy, refinement, and deep introspection.
PROGRAM
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) |
Sonata in F major for Violin and Piano, K. 376 (1781) Paul Huang, violin; Anne-Marie McDermott, piano |
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Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) |
Sonata in C major for Cello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 1 (1815) Paul Watkins, cello; Alessio Bax, piano |
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Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) |
Sonata in E-flat major for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2 (1894) Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Wu Qian, piano |
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Paul Huang
Anne-Marie McDermott
Paul Watkins
Alessio Bax
Wu Qian
Recipient of a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, violinist Paul Huang has made recent appearances with the Rotterdam Philharmonic with Lahav Shani, Dallas and NHK Symphonies with Fabio Luisi, Detroit Symphony with Leonard Slatkin, Baltimore Symphony and Seoul Philharmonic with Markus Stenz, San Francisco Symphony with Mei-Ann Chen, and Houston Symphony with Andrés Orozco-Estrada. In the 2024–25 season, he returns to the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Hiroshima Symphony, and Residentie Orkest Den Haag with Jun Markl, and makes his London debut at the Barbican Hall with BBC Symphony and Marie Jacquot. He recently stepped in for Anne-Sophie Mutter at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, playing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 with Chamber Orchestra Vienna-Berlin, and made recital debuts at the Lucerne and Aspen Music Festivals, all to critical acclaim. In fall 2021, he also became the first classical violinist to perform his own arrangement of the US national anthem for the opening game of the NFL at the Bank of America Stadium to an audience of 75,000. Winner of the 2011 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Huang earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Juilliard School. He plays on the legendary 1742 ex-Wieniawski Guarneri del Gesù on loan through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. He is on the faculty of Taipei National University of the Arts and resides in New York.
One of the most dazzling American pianists of her generation, Anne-Marie McDermott has played concertos, recitals, and chamber music throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is an insightful interpreter of Baroque and Classical masterpieces, 20th-century modernism, and music by influential contemporary composers. McDermott has soloed with the New York Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the National Symphony Orchestra. She continues her tenure as Music and Artistic Director of the Bravo! Vail Music Festival through 2026. She is the Artistic Director of the Ocean Reef Chamber Music Festival and Artistic Director of the McKnight Center’s Chamber Music Festival. McDermott is currently recording the complete Beethoven piano concertos with Mexico City’s Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería under Carlos Miguel Prieto. Her recordings also include the complete piano sonatas of Prokofiev, solo works by Chopin, Bach’s English Suites and Partitas, and Gershwin’s works for piano and orchestra. She received a 2024 honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music.
Paul Watkins enjoys a varied and distinguished career as soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. The cellist of the Emerson String Quartet from 2013 until its disbanding in 2023, he is also the Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and in 2019 he was appointed Professor of Cello at the Yale School of Music. He has performed as concerto soloist with prestigious orchestras throughout the world. A dedicated chamber musician, he was a member of the Nash Ensemble from 1997 until 2013 and is a regular guest artist at CMS. Watkins has held the positions of Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra. His extensive discography as a cellist includes more than 70 recordings, and his first recording as a conductor, of the Britten and Berg violin concertos with Daniel Hope, received a Grammy nomination.
Alessio Bax catapulted to prominence with First Prize wins at both the Leeds and Hamamatsu International Piano Competitions. He has appeared with more than 150 orchestras, including the London, Royal, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras, the Boston, Dallas, and Sydney Symphonies, and the NHK Symphony in Japan, collaborating with such eminent conductors as Marin Alsop, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Simon Rattle, Yuri Temirkanov, and Jaap van Zweden. He released his 11th Signum Classics album, Italian Inspirations, whose program was also the vehicle for his solo recital debut at New York’s 92nd Street Y as well as on tour. He and his regular piano duo partner, Lucille Chung, have given recitals at Lincoln Center and were featured with the St. Louis Symphony and Stéphane Denève. This season he makes his debut with the Milwaukee Symphony, and will return for the fourth time for two recitals at the historic Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Last summer he made return appearances at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival with the Dallas Symphony and Fabio Luisi conducting. At age 14, Bax graduated with top honors from the conservatory of Bari, his hometown in Italy, and after further studies in Europe, he moved to the United States in 1994. A Steinway artist, he lives in New York City with pianist Lucille Chung and their daughter, Mila. He is a former member of CMS’s Bowers Program and on the faculty at the New England Conservatory.
Winner of a 2016 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award, as well as classical music’s bright young star award for 2007 by The Independent, pianist Wu Qian has maintained a busy international career for over a decade. She has appeared as soloist in many international venues including the Wigmore, Royal Festival, and Bridgewater halls in the UK, City Hall in Hong Kong, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. As a soloist she has appeared with the Konzerthaus Orchester in Berlin, the Brussels Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, I Virtuosi Italiani, the European Union Chamber Orchestra, and the Munich Symphoniker. She won first prize in the Trio di Trieste Duo Competition and the Kommerzbank Piano Trio competition in Frankfurt, and has received numerous other awards. Appearances this season include performances in the UK, Germany, USA, Korea, Australia, Spain, and The Netherlands and collaborations with Alexander Sitkovetsky, Leticia Moreno, Cho-Liang Lin, Clive Greensmith, and Wu Han. Her debut recording of Schumann, Liszt, and Alexander Prior was met with universal critical acclaim. She is a founding member of the Sitkovetsky Piano Trio with which, in addition to performing in major concert halls and series around the world, she has released two recordings on the BIS label and also a disc of Brahms and Schubert on the Wigmore Live Label. Wu Qian an alum of The Bowers Program.