Ning Feng (violin) and Nelson Goerner (piano) 16/04/2024
Ning Feng is widely recognised as an artist of great lyricism, innate musicality, and stunning virtuosity. He is an RNCM International Professor in Violin, and we’re delighted that he’ll be joined by renowned pianist Nelson Goerner for an inspiring evening of works for violin and piano.
A spirited and upbeat theme opens this event in Mozart’s Violin Sonata No 22 in A major K 305. Mozart was on the hunt for a job after resigning from his post in Salzburg when his tour took him to Mannheim. There, he came across six duets for harpsichord and violin by Joseph Schuster. Mozart wrote to his father claiming that the works were ‘not bad’ and that he wanted to write his own set, since the form seemed to be very popular. A year later in 1778, Mozart published his six violin sonatas, and today we hear the penultimate work in the set.
It should come as no surprise that the father of German art song makes the violin sing in his ‘Grand Duo’ violin sonata. Despite being written during a difficult time in Schubert’s life, the work has a sunny opening theme and finishes with energy and vivacity.
Richard Strauss’s claim to fame most often rests in his large orchestral works, operas, and songs; however, he wrote a number of chamber music pieces early in his career. On the brink of his foray into tone poems, he was twenty-three when he composed his violin sonata. The piece was also written during the year when Strauss first met the soprano Pauline de Ahna, whom he would later marry. When combined, these circumstances reveal inspiration for the dense textures, lush lyricism and romantic ardour that characterises this virtuosic work.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin Sonata No 22 in A major K 305
I. Allegro di molto
II. Tema. Andante grazioso — Variations I–V — Variation VI Allegro
Franz Schubert Violin Sonata in A major Op posth 162 ‘Grand Duo’
I. Allegro moderato
II. Scherzo: presto
III. Andantino
IV. Allegro vivace
Richard Strauss Violin Sonata in E flat major Op 18
I. Allegro, ma non troppo
II. Improvisation: Andante cantabile
III. Finale: Andante – Allegro
Ning Feng violin
Nelson Goerner piano
Ning Feng
Ning Feng performs across the globe with major orchestras and conductors, and in recital and chamber concerts in some of the most important international series and festivals. He has toured Europe, Asia and Australia with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and van Zweden. He has toured China with the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer, with whom he has also performed several times in Budapest, with the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester and Lawrence Foster, and with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with whom he has also worked many times.
Other career highlights to date include performances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish, LA Philharmonic, National Symphony (Washington), Helsinki Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Russian National Symphony orchestras amongst others. He has worked with many eminent conductors including Gianandrea Noseda, Marin Alsop, Yu Long, Tugan Sokhiev, Vladimir Spivakov, and Vasily Petrenko.
Nelson Goerner
Nelson Goerner is one of today’s greatest classical pianists. He is heralded for his performances of the highest art and poetry, while at the same time possessing exhilarating and masterful conviction. He’s given recitals on some of the world’s most important stages, including Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, London’s Wigmore Hall, Brussels’ BOZAR and Toulouse’s Cloitre des Jacobins. He’s also performed with many of today’s major orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Hallé Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia and NHK Symphony Orchestra, and with several of today’s leading conductors such as Neeme Järvi, Sir Mark Elder, Paavo Järvi, Vassily Sinaisky, Jonathan Nott, Fabio Luisi, and Esa Pekka Salonen.
