Wednesday 29 February 1.10pm
PHILIP HIGHAM (cello)
SAM ARMSTRONG (piano)
'Musicians Benevlolent Fund - supporting emerging artists'
Programme
| Beethoven | 12 Variations Op.66 'Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen' from Die Zauberflöte |
| Schubert | Arpeggione Sonata, D. 821 |
| Fauré | Sonato No.1 in D minor Op.109 |
The high-flying young cellist Philip Higham makes a welcome return to the Mid-days in a programme which revels in the singing qualities of his instrument. Beethoven was a pioneer of the solo cello and piano medium, elevating the instrument to be an equal partner in dialogue with the piano, as he demonstrated in his Magic Flute variations. Schubert's quirky Arpeggione sonata was one of the few compositions written for a short-lived hybrid stringed instrument, that might best be described as a bowed guitar, invented in 1823 by Johann Staufer. Fauré’s beautifully written first cello sonata (1917) has been described as conveying ‘the power of tranquil thought’.
Sponsored by The Orchard Trust