Pathways To The Soul

Complete Sonatas for Piano and Cello by Beethoven and Brahms Join internationally renowned pianist Dr. Michael Tsalka and cellist Elgee Leung in their soul-searching quest to perform the complete cycle of the seven sonatas for piano and cello by Beethoven and Brahms. Composed between 1796 and 1815, Beethoven’s five sonatas for piano and cello were not only the pioneers in the medium where the two instruments play as a duo with equal significance, but also a concise journey through the composer’s three compositional periods. The baton of continuing the German music traditions with this genre in the Romantic Period was then passed to Brahms, who composed two sonatas for piano and cello in 1862-65 and 1886 respectively. From the young Beethoven to the pinnacle of the Late Romantic Period, the cycle spans the first 90 years of development in one of the most exquisite chamber music genres. Dr. Michael Tsalka is currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. He is also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Salzburg, Austria; the Chairman of the Board of the European Fortepiano Museum and Academy in Germany, and a visiting Professor at Celaya Conservatory of Music in Guanajuato, Mexico. As a pianist and early keyboard performer, he has won numerous prizes in Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America. He has also recorded 30 critically acclaimed CDs for various renowned recording companies such as NAXOS. Originally from Hong Kong, where he has served as an orchestral cellist in Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Pan Asia Orchestra, and Hong Kong Bach Choir Orchestra, Elgee Leung has enjoyed a diverse musical career, performing extensively for over two decades also as a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor in Asia, Europe, and New Zealand.

Programme I (Wednesday, July 31)
Beethoven Sonata for Piano & Cello No. 1 in F major, No. 2 in G minor (Op.5), & No. 4 in C major (Op. 102, No. 1)
Brahms Sonata for Piano & Cello No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38

Programme II (Thursday, August 1)
Beethoven Sonata for Piano & Cello No. 3 in A major (Op.69), & No. 5 in D major (Op. 102, No. 2)
Brahms Sonata for Piano & Cello No. 1 in F major, Op. 99