A Rose Between Two Thorns

Our title for this program is quite obviously tongue in cheek! One cannot possibly label either of the great melody masters, Rachmaninov and Schubert, as anything remotely close to being thorns, but the idiom seemed apt in the context of the largely underestimated Fanny Mendelssohn as a composer to be admired in her own right. Highly intellectual , cultured and a formidable force in the musical life of Berlin, Fanny was also confidante and best friend to her brother Felix who passed away within months of her own untimely death. Book-ending the season with Schubert’s second great final piano trio, this program, which brings together two of Australia’s most gifted musicians of the younger generation with Kathy, is truly an exploration of youth, song and yearning. It is a fitting close to our dazzling exploration of the piano trio repertoire this season.