Program Notes: Mozart & Brahms | Miror Piano Quartet | MH Chamber Music Series 2022-23 Season - II
Wolfgang A. Mozart
Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 493
The piano quartet was considered an unusual instrumentation; however, the E-flat major quartet was to be commissioned by the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister in 1785. The first movement begins with a bright and cheerful opening that sets the character for the entire work. The music throughout features a call and response, which often divides the warm, raspy string trio apart from the precise opacity of the piano. The second movement, Larghetto, is a poised but tender song based on the solo piano's opening gestures. It supremely capitalizes the steady, clear piano figurations that run through the dense and more earthy blend of the strings. The finale is a moderately paced rondo demonstrating the great fluidity of Mozart's textures. The string trio enjoys the greatest liberties to pursue its own chamber texture.
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60
Brahms began composing his 3rd piano quartet, Op. 60, in 1855, while in his early 20’s and smitten with Clara Schumann. The music, however, was set aside and never published until the year 1875. The C minor quartet was originally in the key of C-sharp minor, but after some discouraging rehearsals, Brahms set the work aside until the year 1874. He revised the work by changing the key, adding a scherzo, and completely rewrote the finale movement.
The C minor quartet surely expresses Brahms’ emotional agony towards his relations with Clara overflows with passionate love and emotional turmoil. This leads to the suggestion that Brahms composed this work under the influence of Goethe’s Sorrows of Young Werther, in which the protagonist commits suicide because of the love he has for the wife of a friend.
Mozart & Brahms
06:00 PM, July 31st, 2022 (Sunday)
Vivace International School of Music | 9889 Bellaire Blvd., #D261, Houston, TX 77036
Miror Piano Quartet
Julia Tondera | Violin
Yuxuan Zhang | Viola
Henna Mohamed | Cello
Ming Yang | Piano
Admission: $10.00
Please click the link below to purchase tickets:
PROGRAM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Quartet in E flat Major K. 493
ca. 26
Intermission
Johannes Brahms - Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor op.60
ca. 35
Q & A | Photos
Julia Tondera | Violin
Native to Poland, Julia Tondera is a violinist who has received numerous awards for her violin performance in both solo and chamber music competitions and used many opportunities to perform as a professional musician. She has won The Emil Mlynarski’s Concerto Competition three times, receiving a top award which was an opportunity to perform with an orchestra, as well as Third Prize in the Moores School of Music Concerto Competition (2018) and First Prize in the Best Bach Performance Competition (2019). Julia also received awards in both national and international chamber music competitions, often receiving first prize or being among top three finalists. She performed as a soloist in the most prestigious halls in Poland (Warsaw Philharmonic, The Witold Lustoslawski Concert Studio, and Polish National Opera) as well as on other famous stages around the world such as the Kennedy Center. Julia has participated in many prestigious music festivals in Poland and abroad, including Miami Summer Music Festival (2015) and Texas Music Festival (2018 and 2019) receiving full scholarships to each.
Julia was born into a musical family. Her father is a prominent accompanist and mother is a composer who also teaches improvisation. Originally from Warsaw, Julia started her journey with music at the age of 5 when encouraged by her parents she started playing piano. When she started her elementary music education at age of 7, she picked up the violin as the main instrument but has never stopped playing piano.
Julia has worked with many distinguished artists such as Paul Kantor, William Preucil, Simon James, Yuri Bashmet, Rollo Kovac, and Jan Stanienda.
Julia holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Violin Performance from University of Houston completed in the studio of Dr. Kirsten Yon. During these programs she was often distinguished and awarded merit-based scholarships, including Moores School of Music Scholarships and Fredell Lack Scholarship.
Yuxuan Zhang | Viola
Yuxuan Zhang comes from Beijing, China, and she is pursue certificate in music performance in University of Houston studying with Wayne Brooks.
Zhang began her studies of viola at the age of 13 in per college of China Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and she received her bachelor’s degree from Kant State university, as well as a performance diploma at Indiana University’s Jacob school of music. Her previous mentors have included Shaowu Wang, Fei Cao, Yu Jin and Atar Arad.
Yuxuan Zhang is an alumna of National Repertoire Orchestra and Aspen Music Festival and she has been a violist of Canton Symphony Orchestra and Owensboro Symphony Orchestra.
Henna Mohamed | Cello
Originally from Fairfield, cellist Henna Mohamed has just completed the Bachelor of Music Performance degree at the
Moores School of Music. Henna has been the recipient of numerous awards which include the Music For Youth
Malafronte Scholarship and the Greenwich Symphony’s Music Award and Scholarship. She has been a finalist of
several competitions including the Lyra Music Competition, the Stamford Young Artists competition, the Norwalk
Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, and the Williams Chorale Bacardi Fallon Scholarship Competition. With
a passion for chamber music and working with young musicians, she has completed internships with Chamber Music
Central and the Young Talent Chamber Music Inc. Henna also has a studio full of young, talented cellists and pianists
who come from Texas, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. She has served as faculty for the Young Artists
Philharmonic of Stamford, Connecticut.
Henna has participated in masterclasses with Allison Eldridge, Ole Akahoshi, Fred Edelen, Alan Stepansky, the
Formosa Quartet, Elias Quartet, and the Modigliani String Quartet.
Ming Yang | Piano
Taiwanese pianist Ming Yang earned his Bachelor’s degree in music at National Taiwan Normal University, where he studied with Daming Zhu, a Van Cliburn winner. Yang currently studies with Timothy Hester at the University of Houston, where he is pursuing his Master’s degree, double-majoring in piano performance and collaborative piano. As an active pianist, Yang frequently plays in masterclasses and performs with professors and colleagues.
Dedicated to collaborative art, Yang serves as the pianist in Thyme Trio, Miror Quartet, and AURA New Music Ensemble. His notable performances include concerts in Moores Opera House, Dudley Recital Hall, Kawai Piano Gallery, Pingtung Performing Arts Center, and Kaohsiung Cultural Center. Thyme Trio also gave a series of charitable performances for kids in country schools for educational purposes.
Orchestral Appearances: 2018 – National Taiwan Normal University New Music Symphony Orchestra, Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, mvt. 1 2016 – National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra, Mozart Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488, mvt. 1 Awards: 2015 – 1st prize – Piano Concerto Competition at National Taiwan Normal University 2014 – 1st prize – National Student Competition of Music, division of piano quintet (Taiwan)
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