Antal Zalai &
Adam Heron

Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)

Violin Sonata in A major, Op. 1a, No 2 (Saint-Georges)

i Allegro moderato, ii Andantino - Allegro - Andantino

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) is one of the first composers of African heritage in the European classical tradition. An astonishingly accomplished man, he was music director to Marie Antoinette, an influential composer, an acclaimed violinist, a champion fencer, the first colonel of color in the French army, and an abolitionist activist. The three sonatas of Op. 1a are presumed to be written around 1770 and published without date by LeDuc in 1781.

Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)

Violin Sonata in G minor, Op. 1a No 3 (Saint Georges)

i Allegro, ii Rondeau: Gracioso

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) is one of the first composers of African heritage in the European classical tradition. An astonishingly accomplished man, he was music director to Marie Antoinette, an influential composer, an acclaimed violinist, a champion fencer, the first colonel of color in the French army, and an abolitionist activist. The three sonatas of Op. 1a are presumed to be written around 1770 and published without date by LeDuc in 1781.

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908)

Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 (Sarasate)

i Moderato, ii Lento, iii Un poco più lento, iv Allegro molto vivace

Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs), Op. 20, is a musical composition for violin and orchestra written in 1878 by the Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate. It was premiered the same year in Leipzig, Germany. Like his contemporaries, Sarasate misidentified Hungarian folk music with the “gypsy music” of the Romani people, and the themes in the piece are not of Romani origin, but were all actually adapted from Hungarian music pieces. For instance, the third section borrows a melody by Hungarian composer Elemér Szentirmay de; hu, and the last section uses a theme from Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13, in the rhythm of the csárdás.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

Two Gipsy Movements, Op. 20 (Coleridge-Taylor)

i D major, ii A minor

Adam Skoumal (1969-)

Variations on a Gypsy Melody (Skoumal)

Adam Skoumal is known to the audiences in Europe, USA, and Japan as one of the foremost Czech pianists and composers.

Performers

Antal Zalai - Violin

“An exceptional violinist, who has perfect technique, beautiful large tone, real musical finesse and maturity as well as noble personality,” wrote legendary Russian violinist Igor Oistrakh of his colleague, Antal Zalai, who is fifty years of his junior, and who is unique among his fellow violinists with his characteristic tone, mature musical phrasing and elegant virtuosity.

Adam Heron - Piano

A multidisciplinary classical pianist of Nigerian-Filipino ancestry, Adam Heron is the winner of the 2020 Harriet Cohen Bach Prize. Born in Hong Kong, then adopted by his Irish mother, Adam rose to prominence following his 2018 television debut as a BBC Young Musician piano finalist. Through his unique artistry, coupled with an innate flair for communication, he strives to become a leading ambassador for classical music.