Brahms Violin Sonata no 2

Long time friends and colleagues, violinist Mélanie Clapiès and pianist Patrick Hemmerlé are delighted to present a programme of music close to their hearts, including Albert Roussel’s succinct neo-Classical masterpiece, his 2nd violin sonata, and Szmnakowski virtuosic but sensually beautiful Mythes. Brahms lyrical 2nd violin sonata rounds out the programme of this engaging concert showcasing the rich and varied textures inherent to the violin and piano duo.

• Roussel Violin Sonata 2 op 28
• Szymanowski Mythes op 30
• Brahms Violin Sonata 2 op 100

Mélanie Clapiès violin
Born in Paris, Dr. Mélanie Clapiès is a multifaceted soloist and a dedicated chamber music player who enjoys an international career. She has been invited to festivals in the United States, France, the UK, Russia, Malta, Italy, Spain, and Algeria, including Yellow Barn, Colmar, Musique en roue libre, the Deauville’s Festival de Pâques and Août Musical, la Roque d’Anthéron, the Salon Romantique of the Palazzetto Bru Zane, “Suona Francese”, Portogruaro, and the Fondation Monteleon. Her collaborators have included Anthony Marwood, Roger Tapping, John Myerscough, Pavel Vernikov, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Victor Julien-Laferrière, Adam Laloum, Guillaume Vincent, and Patrick Hemmerlé.

She studied at the Conservatoires Nationaux Supérieurs de Musique in both Lyon and Paris. After having moved to the United States, she received her M.M. and A.D. from the Yale School of Music and completed a Doctoral degree at the Manhattan School of Music in the studio of Mark Steinberg. Named a Zonta Club laureate in 2001, she has also received the Broadus Erle Prize (2013), the Yale School of Music Alumni Association Prize (2014), the Philip Francis Nelson Prize from Yale University (2015), and the Saul Braverman Award (2021). At Yale, she was the winner of the Woolsey Concerto Competition in 2015 with Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto. She is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda.

A dedicated educator, Mélanie Clapiès joined Butler University as a Violin faculty in 2022. She previously taught at the Conservatories in Toulon and Bordeaux as well as at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris.

Patrick Hemmerlé piano
Patrick Hemmerlé is one of Europe’s foremost and most enigmatic pianists. Refusing to follow musical traditional conventions, he has forged a unique path in the musical world which leaves him free to immerse himself with singular dedication into the repertoire and musical expression resonating with the profoundest convictions. The results are interpretations of startling insight and originality. By dauntlessly performing all 24 Chopin Etudes or 24 of Bach’s Preludes and Fugues in a single concert, as well as championing lesser-known composers he feels a deep affinity for, he has developed a reputation as an original with something out of the ordinary to say.

A charismatic speaker, he is able to elucidate the musical concepts close to his heart with unapologetic candour in a manner that both mirrors and complements his piano playing. Not comfortable with compromise, he engages with his audience from the keyboard with an energy and integrity that leaves no-one in the room in doubt as to his musical intentions.

French born and trained at the Conservatoire de Paris under Billy Eidi, and laureate of many international piano competitions, he now lives in Cambridge, England, where he has built up a staunchly loyal following. He also performs all over the world and recent engagements have taken him to New York, Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Prague and China. He has published 5 CDs. Patrick is a member of Clare Hall, where he is in charge of the concert programme.

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