Themes, Variations & Fugues Brahms wrote the Handel Variations for his “beloved friend” Clara Schumann in 1861, when the young composer was just 28 and achieving complete mastery both of the piano and of large-scale forms.  For many people it is one of the half-dozen great sets of variations and still sometimes overlooked by […]

Three great Russians and bit of Shostakovich too… I don’t subscribe to the theory that things ain’t what they used to be.  But I back my fantasy Trio of Oistrach, Rostropovich and Richter against any and all comers.  So here are two pieces to explain why. Dvorak’s cello concerto could have been written for […]

Stravinsky Stravinsky was, of course, a chameleon who changed his styles as often as Picasso.  Six years after the premiere of his Rite of Spring had caused a riot in Paris, he embarked on his neo-classical period with the one-act ballet “Pulcinella”.  It qualifies for tonight’s list because it sounds as much like Pergolesi […]

Tanks and Rivers? Let me start with Smetana’s Vltava, one of his great cycle of Symphonic Poems written in 1874 and known as Ma Vlast. We left Rostropovich in 1968 weeping for Prague as the Russian tanks crushed the liberalising efforts of Alexander Dubček. It is a city which has endured more than its fair share […]

Our soloist – Darin Qualls A native of Portland, Oregon, USA, violinist Darin Qualls studied at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music with master violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay.  He was awarded the Starling Prize for excellence in music performance, providing a full tuition scholarship and the opportunity to perform as a soloist. Following his studies, […]