MOZART & SHOSTAKOVICH

R2 International Concert Series
With London Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Andrej Power & Friends

When: June 24 (Tuesday) at 19:30
Where: Neilson Hays Library
Ticket Prices: General Public 1,250 Baht, Library Members 1,150 Baht

Dear Music Lovers,This concert is a rare chance in Thailand to see of one the world’s leading violinists, Andrej Power, perform two of the greatest string quartets ever written. He will be joined by Thai violinist Kasina Ansvananda along with Rhys Watkins (violin) and Rowena Calvert (cello). The quartet will perform a private concert for her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya and the UK ambassador two nights before, and have chosen to repeat the programme at the Neilson Hays Library in what promises to be the highlight of the R2 International Concert Series season.
                                                       

About Our Guest Performer:Andrej Power is renowned for his dynamic leadership and expressive artistry. In 2023, he was appointed as one of the Leaders (concertmasters) of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), joining Roman Simovic and Benjamin Marquise Gilmore in this prestigious role.  

Born on January 21, 1988, Power began playing the violin at the age of three, inspired by his grandfather, Naoum Power. He studied under Professor Olga Parchomenko from the age of 12, then continued his education at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm with Professor Henryk Kowalski, and later at the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland with Professor Zakhar Bron.  

In 2014, at just 25 years old, Power became the youngest concertmaster in the history of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he continues to hold.  He has also been invited to guest lead prominent orchestras, including the Swedish Radio Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.   

As a soloist, Power has performed with all the major orchestras in Sweden and has appeared internationally with ensembles such as the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Beijing National Opera Orchestra, and the Utah Symphony.  His performances have been broadcast on radio and television, showcasing his versatility and depth as a musician.

Power currently plays the 1708 ‘Regent’ Stradivarius, which is kindly on loan from Tarisio, New York. 

Programme:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – String Quartet in C major, K. 465 “Dissonance”Dmitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110
                                                   

 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – String Quartet in C major, K. 465 “Dissonance”Composed in 1785, Mozart’s String Quartet in C major, K. 465, is the last in the celebrated set of six quartets dedicated to Joseph Haydn. These works represent Mozart’s mature and deliberate response to Haydn’s innovations in the quartet genre — music crafted with intense care and a sense of personal ambition. The “Dissonance” nickname refers to the quartet’s strikingly slow and harmonically ambiguous introduction. Even today, its clashing suspensions and daring chromaticism are surprising, but in Mozart’s time it was nothing short of shocking. Listeners puzzled over how such seemingly ‘wrong’ notes could come from the pen of a composer famed for elegance and clarity.

Yet this brief prelude resolves into a cheerful and sunny Allegro that seems to sweep away the shadows, as if reminding us that disruption and dissonance are often necessary preludes to light and order. The following movements continue with a sense of balance and expressive beauty: a lyrical slow movement in F major, a graceful Menuetto with chromatic quirks of its own, and a finale that brims with clarity, charm, and wit.

The quartet showcases Mozart’s unique synthesis of expressive depth and structural refinement. By opening the piece with such harmonic mystery, he subtly expands the emotional vocabulary of the string quartet, paving the way for later composers to explore more adventurous musical terrain.

Dmitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110Few pieces of chamber music carry as much personal weight as Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet, composed in Dresden in 1960. Officially, it is dedicated “to the memory of the victims of fascism and war,” a gesture appropriate for a city still bearing the scars of World War II. But Shostakovich’s friends and contemporaries understood the dedication to be more inward. The composer, depressed and under intense political pressure after reluctantly joining the Communist Party, saw this work as a kind of personal requiem.

The quartet opens with the now-famous musical monogram D–E♭–C–B, or D–S–C–H in German notation — Shostakovich’s initials in musical form. This haunting theme appears in all five movements, weaving through the music like a ghostly presence. The work quotes liberally from his previous compositions, including his Fifth Symphony, Second Piano Trio, and the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. These quotations feel less like acts of nostalgia than urgent cries from a life marked by fear, censorship, and internal conflict.

The five movements are played without pause, forming a bleak and powerful narrative. From the mournful opening Largo to the terrifying energy of the Allegro molto, and the eerie calm of the final movement, the quartet feels like a descent into the composer’s psyche. Shostakovich later said he could not listen to the piece because it made him weep — and many listeners have shared that reaction. It remains one of the most gripping and emotionally devastating works in the string quartet repertoire: a harrowing self-portrait rendered in music.

*** Children’s Attendance***Although there’s no minimum age for admittance, many evening concerts aren’t suitable for young children. Children should be able to sit quietly through a concert.Children are encouraged to attend the kids concerts, which are programmed especially for families.

Tickets: 
Tickets can be purchased online or at the library.

IMPORTANT: When purchasing tickets online, after putting your tickets in the basket, please settle the bill right away, and either enclose the bank slip with the order or email the proof of payment to info@neilsonhayslibrary.org so your order can be updated to “Complete”. If you don’t receive the order confirmation in your Inbox, please try checking in the Spam Folder or Junk Mail.If your payment is not completed within 3 days of the online order, it will be automatically cancelled.

If you require any further information, please call 08-3173-6675, or email info@neilsonhayslibrary.org.                                                       ——————
 Parking Location: 
With the limited parking space available at the library, it is recommended that you take a taxi or use public transportation.  If you do drive, parking is available at Bangkok Union Insurance, 175/177 Surawong Road (garage entry on Soi Anuman Rajdhon 1) a 5-minute walk to the Neilson Hays Library. They charge a fee of THB 30 per hour for parking.  Click for Map Link