Ralph Kirshbaum (cello) *
Piers Lane (piano) *
Angelo Xiang Yu (violin) **
Gordon Back (piano) ***
Pamela Frank (violin) ^
Joji Hattori (viola) ^
Beethoven Sonata in A Major for Cello and Piano, Op. 69 ˟
Ravel Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in G Major ** ***
Schumann Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 44 * ** ^
Five star jurors of the Menuhin Competition Richmond 2021 are joined by Artistic Director, Gordon Back, in a powerhouse evening showcasing chamber music at its very best. Featuring masterworks of the sonata genre by Beethoven and Ravel, the program culminates with the five jurors performing the brilliant Schumann Piano Quintet.
This concert is presented as part of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Mary Anne Rennolds Chamber Concert Series.
Artists' Biographies
Ralph Kirshbaum - Richmond 2021 juror and guest artist
Find out more about Ralph Kirshbaum here
Piers Lane - Richmond 2021 juror and guest artist
Find out more about Piers Lane here
Angelo Xiang Yu - Richmond 2021 juror and guest artist
Find out more about Angelo Xiang Yu here
Pamela Frank - Richmond 2021 juror and guest artist
Find out more about Pamela Frank here
Joji Hattori - Richmond 2021 juror and guest artist
Find out more about Joji Hattori here
Gordon Back
Gordon Back’s distinguished career as a pianist has taken him all over the world. He has performed and recorded with many great artists including Yehudi Menuhin, Nathan Milstein, Maxim Vengerov, Josef Suk, Sarah Chang, Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos and the Cleveland Quartet. He has been an official accompanist at major international violin competitions and gives regular masterclasses as guest professor in music colleges and conservatoires.
He is Artistic Director of the Menuhin Competition and the Gower Festival, and is Artistic Advisor of the Hattori Foundation. He is Chair of the jury of the prestigious Vendome Prize at the Verbier Festival.
His recordings include the Bach-Schumann Sonatas and Partitas for violin and piano with Jean-Jacques Kantorow (which received a French Grand Prix du Disque), the Schubert Arpeggione and Rachmaninov Cello Sonatas with cellist Daniel Lee (for Decca) and a series of CDs with clarinetist Emma Johnson (for ASV). In 2011 he recorded the complete works of Ernst with Josef Špaček.