Existing Ticketholders
For Adelaide ticketholders to Chopin's Piano on 18 November, your tickets will be automatically valid for this replacement concert so there's no need for you to do anything. We look forward to seeing you at Adelaide Town Hall on Thursday 18 November at 7:30pm.
If you are no longer able to attend or have any other queries, please contact the Box Office on 1800 688 482 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm AEDT) or via email at boxoffice@musicaviva.com.au to discuss alternative arrangements.
The Seraphim Trio have more than earned their name in the decades since their founding, bringing their sublime interpretations of the chamber repertoire into concert halls and homes all around the country. Having celebrated their 20th year in 2014, the Trio have only continued to build on their reputation as one of Australia’s finest ensembles – their extraordinary music-making, championing of new repertoire, and collaborations with a range of artists, often unexpected, make them a vital force in our country’s musical life.
For this concert, pianist Anna Goldsworthy and violinist Helen Ayres are joined by their long-time colleague, cellist Simon Cobcroft, who steps in for core member Timothy Nankervis. Together they will present an unforgettable program of works that demonstrate the immediacy and power of the piano trio.
One such work is Beethoven’s Archduke Trio, hailed as the finest of all the composer’s piano trios and the pinnacle of his vaunted middle period. Its origins are bittersweet – at the time of its premiere in April 1814, Beethoven’s hearing was in such decline that his piano playing was badly affected, with quiet moments almost inaudible and forte passages played with such little delicacy that it was painful. Following a second performance of similar quality, Beethoven retired from public performance altogether. Although his playing abilities were diminished, there is no doubt that his compositional skills were in full flower. Dedicated to his patron, Archduke Rudolph of Austria, the Trio is an extraordinary work that places significant demands on each of the musicians. It is music of a grand sweep, with a sense of warmth and spaciousness that speaks to the soul.
If Beethoven’s Archduke Trio represented the apotheosis of the piano trio form, Haydn’s Piano Trio in C is an important milestone in its development, where each instrument attains a new degree of independence. Dedicated to Theresa Jansen, an accomplished British pianist whom Haydn had met in London, the virtuosic piano writing of the Trio suggests that she was a very fine performed indeed. An extroverted work that charms the ear, the Trio is full of surprising changes of mood and colour, underscored by a witty lightness of touch.
