In search of lost time
Matthias Balzat (cello) and Ekaterina Zhemaitis (piano)
Three non-romantic composers look back at the elusive past: Rachmaninov admires it in his expressive manner. Shchedrin looks painfully at the nineteenth century as at a long-lost childhood. Prokofiev, as if trying to isolate himself from the fearful reality, turns to his youth full of light, humor and love.
Three views on the romantic age - the age of youth, beauty and sincerity - from composers of the eras of neo-romanticism, modernism and postmodernism.
Program:
Prokofiev Sonata for cello and piano in C major, op.119
Shchedrin Belcanto in the russian mode for cello and piano
Rachmaninov Sonata for cello and piano in g minor, op. 19
New Zealand-born cellist Matthias Balzat (1999) has gained recognition as an international soloist and chamber musician. He has won prestigious competitions, including the Accordi Musicali International Cello Competition, 69th ROSL Annual Music Competition, SieghardtRometsch Concerto Competition, and New Zealand National Concerto Competition (2014, 2017). He has performed with leading orchestras such as the NZSO, CSO, Sinfonietta Köln, and St. Matthews Chamber Orchestra, and collaborated with conductors including Guy Noble, Benjamin Northey, and Rüdiger Bohn.
Balzat has appeared at major festivals like Aspen Music Festival, Classiche Forme, and Edinburgh Fringe. He has worked with renowned musicians, including Daniel Müller-Schott, Johannes Moser, and Wolfgang Schmidt. Currently completing the prestigious Konzertexamen at Robert Schumann Hochschule under Pieter Wispelwey, he holds a Master's from the same institution and a Bachelor’s from Waikato University, which he began at the age of 14.
Ekaterina Zhemaitis was born in 1989 in Moscow, Russia. She started playing piano under the guidance of her mother - wonderful pianist Anna Manasarova. In 2009 Ekaterina completed her bachelor degree with Tatiana Direktorenko at the Academic Music College in Moscow. In 2014 graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she studied piano with Elena Kuznetsova, and chamber music with Aleksander Bonduriansky. In 2016 completed her postgraduate studies. Afterwards Ekaterina continued her studies with Evgeniy Sinaisky at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany.
Ekaterina has won prestigious competitions including The Fifth International Chamber Music Competition named after S. Taneev (Kaluga, Russia), The VI International Piano Duo Competition (Poland, Bialystok), The Internarional Piano Competition 'Citta di Moncalieri' (Moncalieri, Italy), The XVIII International Academic Music Competition in Jūrmala (Jūrmala, Latvia). From 2016 to 2022, Ekaterina taught piano at the Chopin College in Moscow. She was also the organizer and artistic director of the piano music festival ‘Jeux d’Enfants’. Ekaterina has collaborated with such recognized musicians as Liza Ferschtman, Ivan Karizna, Oxana Schevchenko, Matthias Balzat and Maryana Osipova.
TICKETS: €25 / €15 children Available at the door.
Information on advanced reservations will be made available later.