Schubert's piano trios take their place amongst the towering masterpieces in the chamber music repertoire. Sentimental and soulful, triumphant and dramatic, the two works represent the zenith of the young's composer expansive output, at the twilight of his tragically short life.
The Piano Trio in B-flat showcases Romantic expression at its finest, with a balance of spirit and charm. The Piano Trio in E-flat is even more ambitious, with the structural scale of a symphony that, at the same time, retains the delicate exquisiteness of a chamber work. The music so moved Schumann that he remarked: "One glance... and the troubles of our human existence disappear and the whole world is fresh and bright again."
Kelvin Chan's versatility and élan as a soloist and chamber musician has led him to collaborate with diverse musicians on stages across the United Kingdom, United States, and Singapore. Having studied with Noriko Ogawa, Bryce Morrison, and Stephen Manes, Kelvin made his debut with an all-Ravel recital in 2002 and has since performed in such venues as Victoria Concert Hall, the University of Cambridge, and the La Jolla Athenaeum Music & Arts Library.
Vladimir Choi has performed in Canada, Italy, England, Japan, Singapore, and Sweden, and made his debut in Hong Kong with the Hong Kong Symphonia in 2015. His recitals in recent years have focused on Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Schubert. Vladimir is a former pupil of Lawrie Hill at the Vancouver Academy of Music and two-time winner at the Canadian Music Competitions.
Brandon Voo, a 2008 graduate of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore, is well-known to Singaporean audiences as a veteran of the chamber music scene. He held a sold-out solo cello recital featuring Schubert and Rachmaninov with Lin Xiu Min at the Arts House in 2014, and has participated in the 46th Summer Music Academy at the Académie de Musique Tibor Varga, Switzerland, and the 19th New Directions Cello Festival at Ithaca College in the United States.
This concert represents their debut as an ensemble - a soirée not to be missed.
