Edward Neeman, Rachel Johnston and Chris Stone

Pianist Edward Neeman, cellist Rachel Johnston, and violinist Chris Stone will team up for a special one-night only concert for Musica Viva this August 24. Fixtures of the Canberra music scene, what unites these three musicians is a palpable delight in performance, a technical mastery of their respective instruments and repertoire, and programming that is both thoughtful and creative.  

Don’t miss Johnston and Neeman’s rendition of the Shostakovich Cello Sonata, a work that flits between solemnity and expressive tenderness before culminating in an athletic, frenzied finale. Offering audiences a moment of repose and reflection, Stone will step into the spotlight for Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel. Among the composer’s most well-known pieces, its structure follows a strict formula: each ascending melodic line, performed by the violin, is followed by a descending mirror phrase. The effect is highly meditative, the music seemingly endless. 

These popular works are paired with Amy Beach’s rarely heard Ballade, a piece for piano that’s full of the lush, colourful writing characteristic of her more familiar work. Sure to be a wonderful discovery for audiences, it’s programmed alongside folk tunes by Swedish contemporary ensemble Väsen, whose acoustic music contains classical, jazz, dance, and folk elements.