Recital with Isabel Villanuev (Viola) and François Dumont (Piano)
And this in a program of its very own, select profile. There is no way around the second of Johannes Brahms' two late clarinet sonatas, which the composer himself arranged for the viola; the piece rightly belongs to the standard repertoire. Less well known is Paul Hindemith's Viola Sonata: an early work by the composer that sings gorgeously. Hindemith exhibits the instrument's beauties in all their glory - no wonder, the composer was a violist. Just as the American Rebecca Clarke, a widely esteemed violist, draws on the full range of her instrument in her Sonata for Viola, also written in 1919. And lets the viola flaunt in late romantic exuberance.
The program in detail
Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979)
Sonata for viola and piano (1919)
- Impetuoso
- Vivace
- Adagio - Allegro
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Sonata for viola and piano op. 11 No. 4 (1919)
- Fantasy. Quiet
- Theme with variations
- Finale (with variations) [sic].
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Sonata for viola and piano in E flat major op. 120 No. 2
- Allegro amabile
- Allegro appassionato
- Andante con moto - Allegro
The artists
Isabel Villanueva
Born in Pamplona in 1988, the violist performs with orchestras all over the world, giving concerts in Europe and Latin America, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran and China. She has premiered numerous works for her instrument and collaborated with Sofia Gubaidulina, György Kurtág, Mauricio Sotelo, José Zárate and other composers. Villanueva has performed with flamenco singer Rocío Márquez and jazz pianist Moisés P. Sánchez. Together with choreographer Antonio Ruz, she created a stage work between classical music and contemporary dance. Villanueva received the "Premio El Ojo Crítico" of the Spanish Radio in 2015 and the Cultural Award of the Comunidad de Madrid in 2019. Her debut CD Bohèmes (with François Dumont) was awarded "Best Classical Album of 2018" in Spain. She has been teaching as a professor at the Royal College of Music in London since 2022.
www.isabelvillanueva.com
François Dumont
The French pianist, born in Lyon in 1985, won the "Concours International de Musique Jean Françaix" after his studies at the Paris Conservatoire and was a prizewinner of the "Concours Reine Elisabeth" 2007 in Brussels, the "Concours Clara Haskil" 2009 in Vevey and the Chopin Competition 2010 in Warsaw. François Dumont has performed as a soloist with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia and many others. The pianist has performed at the Festival de la Roque d'Anthéron, the Folle Journée de Nantes, the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier and the Festival Besançon Franche-Comté. Dumont recorded Maurice Ravel's two piano concertos with conductor Leonard Slatkin and the Orchestre National de Lyon. Most recently, his album of Chopin's Ballades and Impromptus was released.
www.francoisdumont.com
Note regarding photo and video recordings
Please be advised that photographs or video recordings will be taken during our events and published in digital media and/or in our printed materials. If you have any objections, please contact us. Thank you very much!
Administrative notes
Cost (per person): CHF 60.-- (free for membership supporter and friend).
Discount for students and trainees (only with valid ID): CHF 10.--