Lunchtime Concert Series

Sarah Sew - violin Tadashi Imai - piano

Monday 28 November 1.00pm Concordia Foundation Series

Suggested donation £3.50

St Martin-in-the-Fields Trafalgar Square London WC2N 4JJ Tel: 020 7766 1100 www.smitf.org

If you are unable to stay for the whole of the concert please leave during the applause. Smoking and the consumption of food and drink are not allowed in this church. Members of the audience are kindly requested to switch off mobile phones and alarms on digital watches. Photography, audio or video recording are not permitted.

Programme

Träume Wagner (6 mins) Träume was originally composed in 1857 as the final song in Wagner’s Wesendonck Leider for voice and piano. The song cycle is a setting of five poems by Mathilde Wesendonck, the young wife of rich patron Otto Wesendonck, whom Wagner had become infatuated with. Here, the song is fully titled Träume - Studie zu Tristan und Isolde (Dreams - A study to Tristan and Isolde) and can be clearly heard as the foundation of the love duet in Act II. The version for violin came about when Wagner orchestrated the song for violin and small orchestra to be performed under Mathilde’s window for the occasion of her 29th birthday. The version heard today combines the original piano part with the violin part from the orchestration. Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Franck i. Allegretto ben moderato (30 mins) ii. Allegro iii. Recitativo – Fantasia iv. Allegretto poco mosso In 1886, just four years before his death, Franck responded to the request of fellow Belgian, the famed violinist Eugene Ysaÿe, to write a violin sonata. The manuscript was given to Ysaÿe as a wedding gift and he subsequently gave the official premiere in Brussels later that year. Whilst extremely Romantic in its freely expressive melody and dramatic harmony, the Violin Sonata is written in traditional Classical forms with subtleties in the part writing of the piano which reveal Franck to be an organist at heart. The Sonata displays extreme contrasts in calmness and restlessness. The opening peaceful melody is set in against the tempestuous second movement, while the Recitativo – Fantasia itself contains two contrasting main themes – one essentially of agitation and one of bleak stillness. The finale is a masterpiece in writing in canon - the violin and piano work together perfectly, playing the same melody set one bar apart, perhaps romantically alluding to the nature of the Violin Sonata as a wedding gift for Ysaÿe. Polonaise in D Op.4 Wieniawski (5 mins) Wieniawski left Poland at the age of eight to study violin at Paris Conservatoire, graduating three years later with first prize and the gold medal, but later returning for one year to study composition. Composed in 1852, the Polonaise in D is dedicated to the Polish virtuoso and rival to Paganini, Karol Lipinski. It is a work which requires the performers to take note of Wieniawski’s personal motto, “Il faut risquer” - “One must take risks”.

The Performers Sarah Sew is the recipient of the prestigious Maisie Lewis Young Artists’ Fund Award which supports her recital debut at Wigmore Hall this season, the Emanuel Hurwitz Award for an outstanding UK violinist from the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund and the J&A Beare Prize from the Royal Academy of Music. She was appointed Concert Master of the European Union Youth Orchestra in 2010. In demand as an orchestral leader, Sarah has led orchestras at international festivals and venues such as the BBC Proms; World Expo, Shanghai; Aldeburgh Festival; Berlin Konzerthaus and Concertgebouw, Amsterdam working closely with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Matthias Bamert, Semyon Bychkov, Sir Colin Davis, Claus Peter Flor, Gianandrea Noseda, Oliver Knussen and Thierry Fischer. Sarah performances as a soloist and chamber musician have taken her to festivals in Austria, Italy, Japan, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. She became a Concordia Foundation Artist in 2010. Born in London, Sarah studied with Maurice Hasson and Howard Davis at the Royal Academy of Music and Friedemann Eichhorn at the Hochschule für Musik “Franz Liszt” Weimar, Germany. She graduated with First Class Honours, Distinction and the DipRAM for outstanding Final Recital. During her studies, Sarah led all the RAM orchestras, was a member of the elite Royal Academy Soloists and was awarded the D M Lloyd Prize, Lesley Alexander Award and Peter Latham Gift. Her studies were supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, San Martino Scholarship, Lynn Foundation and South Square Trust. Tadashi Imai made his debut in Tokyo in 1997 under the auspices of the Japan Committee of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. As a prizewinner of several international competitions in Japan and the United States, he has performed as soloist with orchestras such as the Osaka Symphoniker and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. As Grand Prize winner of the Grand Prix International Chopin Competition, he made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall. Tadashi studied at the Toho Gakuen College of Music with Hiroshi Tajika and Hidemitsu Hayashi, Texas Christian University with Tamas Ungar and the Royal Academy of Music with Christopher Elton, where he graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma and the Vice-Principal’s Special Prize and was subsequently awarded the Hodgson and Shinn Fellowships. Tadashi has been an official accompanist for the Menuhin International Violin Competition, Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, London Masterclasses, Lake District Summer Music and Bartok Festival, Hungary. Tadashi was appointed an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in 2008. The CONCORDIA FOUNDATION was established in 1994 and became a registered charity in 1995 with Yehudi Menuhin as its patron. Founded by Gillian Humphreys, international soprano out of her real concern that it is important to build bridges of friendship and excellence through Music and the Arts. www.concordiafoundation.com

St Martin-in-the-Fields has welcomed talented musicians to this central London platform for over 50 years - from highly acclaimed young soloists, to choirs from all over the world; from promising new ensembles, to established professionals. This tradition is supported by the generosity of our performers as well as our audiences. Whilst these concerts are free to all, for those able to give, a suggested donation of £3.50 would be greatly appreciated to help fund all aspects of the work at St Martin’s.

Monday 28 November 7.30pm Memorial Concert for Richard Campbell A concert to celebrate the life of Richard Campbell including performances by: Fretwork Feinstein Ensemble Unkle Bob Tregye Orchestra Dai Miller Clare Wilkinson The Dufay Collective Tickets: £20 (unreserved) Tuesday 29 November 1.00pm St Martin’s New Music Series Classical improvisation group Prima Volta provide an exciting concert experience building performances on ideas given by the audience and exploring musical languages from across the centuries to the present day. Prima Volta Simon Gilliver Flute Miguel Tantos Sevillano Trombone Drew Balch Violin Lunchtime Concerts are FREE, suggested donation £3.50 which goes towards the work of St Martin’s

Friday 2 December 1.00pm Royal Norwegian Annual Lunchtime Concert G.F.Handel - Concerto Grosso op 6 No 1 J.S.Bach - Violin Concerto in E major Einojuhani Rautavaara - The Fiddlers Pablo de Sarasate - Zigeunerweisen Trondheim Soloists Eldbjørg Hemsing Violin Lunchtime Concerts are FREE, suggested donation £3.50 which goes towards the work of St Martin’s