Amber Emson & Dina Duisen

Performers

Notes on the performers

Amber Emson won first prize at International Competition Hohenpriesnitz and second prize at International Competition ‘Szymon Goldberg’. She performed in halls as Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berliner Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Singapore Victoria Hall, ANAM Quartethaus Melbourne and Rheingau Musikfestival.

Kazakh-British pianist Dina Duisen was born into a family of musicians in Almaty, Kazakhstan. At the age of five, Dina started studying piano at Kulyash Bayseitova State Special School for Gifted Children together with her two brothers Ordabek and Ilyas, who are both violinists. By the age of thirteen she had made her debut with the Symphony Orchestra. After graduating from school, Dina continued her studies at the Kazakh National Academy of Music before being awarded a full scholarship on the Artist Diploma programme at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, from which she graduated in 2008. Dina started studying for the new Master of Arts Degree in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, under the tutelage of Christopher Elton, Hamish Milne and Kathryn Stott, and graduated with distinction in 2011. Dina took part in Rome Music Festival, Oxford International Piano Festival, Sergei Babayan’s International Piano Academy in Cleveland Institute of Music, Vibrate Festival and George Enescu Festival.

She has been the resident class pianist at IMS Prussia Cove, Casalmaggiore International Music Festival, New Virtuosi International Masterclasses, Jiafeng Chen International International Music Sunmer Course, currently working at the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music. Dina has performed at the Holywell Music Room, Jacqueline du Pre Music Building, Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, Milton Court, Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall. She regularly works with Nicola Benedetti, Martin James Bartlett and Robert Cohen. She performed in Asia, Canada, Europe, USA. She made her debut at Cadogan Hall in a dramatised concert ‘Byron: Angel & Outcast’ with actors Simon Russell Beale and Rob Heaps, the same concert was given in Astana, Kazakhstan. She started her annual mini-festival of chamber music ‘Dina & Friends’ last year. Dina released her solo debut album ‘Mazurkas from Chopin to Adès’ which was recorded at Kings Place with the Grammy-award winning producer Andrew Keener giving the Asian premiere of ‘Mazurkas’ by British composer.

Programme

Programme notes

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)

Sonata op. 30 No. 3, No. 8 in G major

1. Allegro assai
2. Tempo di minuetto, ma molto moderato e grazioso – in E-flat major
3. Allegro vivace

The Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30, No. 3 is the third of Beethoven’s Opus 30 set, was written between 1801 and 1802 and dedicated to Tsar Alexander I of Russia.

This sonata is characteristic of early/middle Beethoven in its solid sonata structure, just beginning to get adventurous in syncopation, with some extraordinary off beat sforzandi.

Source: Wikipedia

Eugène Ysaÿe (1858 – 1931)

Violin Sonata in E minor, op. 27 No. 4

1. Allemanda: Lento maestoso
2. Sarabande: Quasi lento
3. Finale: Presto ma non troppo

In writing his six Opus 27 works in 1923, Belgian-born Ysaӱe had two things in mind: to pay homage to JS Bach, whose own works for solo violin were being increasingly played, and to present six fellow-fiddlers with fairly short virtuoso works which would suit their individual styles. This particular sonata was for Fritz Kreisler.  

Source: David Mulraney

Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)

Sonata in G minor, L.140

1. Allegro vivo
2. Intermède 
3. Finale: Très animé

This was Debussy’s last work, and it cost him dearly. Depression induced by war, with aggressive cancer causing debilitation and intense pain, this should have been a morose piece. But, inspired by the then little known baroque keyboard music of the likes of Couperin and Rameau, it is joyous – and all too short. Like Reger and Ysaӱe he was looking back to find renewal. If you think of cats and kittens as you listen to this, you won’t be alone.

Source: David Mulraney

Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937)

Tzigane

Tzigane is a rhapsodic composition by the French composer Maurice Ravel. The original instrumentation was for violin and piano (with optional luthéal attachment). The first performance took place in London on 26 April 1924 with the dedicatee, Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Arányi, on the violin and Henri Gil-Marchex at the piano (with luthéal). In his biographical sketch of 1928 Ravel spoke of it as “a virtuoso piece in the style of a Hungarian rhapsody”. It consists of “a string of successive variations juxtaposed without development”

Source: Wikipedia