Performances

A cello and chamber music concert centred on works by the Romantic cello virtuoso François Servais.

This concert is a profound dialogue written for two cellos, presented by cellists Pan Yan and Shi Chengyan. The program gathers four duo gems spanning the Classical and Romantic eras, showcasing the full range of the cello’s warm tone and expressive depth. Notably, many of these works are Chinese premieres, and all are cello duos written by cellists themselves, drawing on the instrument’s own character to explore both blended sonority and virtuosic technique.

First half: from Classical elegance to virtuosic brilliance The concert opens with the “Queen” Sonata by the Classical master Luigi Boccherini. This work in A major is full of courtly grace and brightness; the contrast across its three movements (Allegro – Largo – Allegro) paints a vivid musical picture. Next comes the third of the “Three Grand Duos” by the Romantic composer Jacques Offenbach. Though known for operetta, Offenbach here reveals the unique appeal of two cellos in dialogue through intricate technique, varied movements (Adagio – Allegro maestoso – Allegro vivace – Presto) and dramatic tension.

Second half: Romantic warmth and brilliance After the interval, the concert enters a purely Romantic world, beginning with the Fantasy-Caprice by the 19th-century master François Servais. A posthumous work, it combines deep lyricism with the free, improvisatory color of the caprice, and its melodies are deeply moving. The finale is the Suite, Op. 16, written for two cellos by the late-Romantic cello giant David Popper. This grand five-movement work moves from a graceful Andante to a lively Gavotte, from a swift Scherzo to a heartfelt Largo, closing with a brilliant Finale-March — a pinnacle of the cello-duo repertoire that fuses dazzling technique with symphonic richness.

Let us look forward to Pan Yan and Shi Chengyan leading us, with precise rapport and heartfelt interpretation, into the enchanting harmonies woven by two cellos.

A concert devoted to the chamber music, fantasies and virtuosic études of the cellist Alfredo Piatti.