Internationally renowned stars perform an evening of “romantic fire” with Brahms, Haydn’s fiery Gypsy melodies, and a Paganini showpiece at the Liberation International Music Festival.
The evening promised chamber music at its finest with two piano trios spanning classical clarity to romantic warmth inviting the audience into a complete musical journey.
Internationally renowned stars perform an evening of “romantic fire” with Brahms, Haydn’s fiery Gypsy melodies, and a Paganini showpiece at the Liberation International Music Festival.
The evening opens with Haydn’s celebrated “Gypsy Rondo” Trio, with its fiery Hungarian melodies. Harriet Mackenzie and Finghin Collins then perform Brahms’s Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano, a work of great beauty and emotional depth. David Cohen showcases the cello’s virtuosity in Paganini’s Moses Variations. The concert ends with Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor, bringing the evening to a close with passion and drama.
Led by violinist Harriet Mackenzie, Irish piano soloist Finghin Collins, and renowned cellist David Cohen, the concert invites audiences on a musical journey.
“Searing intensity… a performance full of panache… captivating” The Strad about violinist Harriet Mackenzie
“One of the most talented cellists I know” Lord Yehudi Menhuin about cellist David Cohen
“Exceptionally fluent, exceptionally intelligent, exceptionally sensitive” BBC Music about Finghin Collins
The artists featured in this concert are internationally acclaimed performers. Harriet Mackenzie is a leading concerto soloist and a dedicated ambassador for contemporary music, with over a hundred works written for her and performances in major concert halls worldwide. David Cohen, cellist and conductor, is recognised for his exceptional versatility, combining a major solo career with principal orchestral roles — including Principal Cello of the London Symphony Orchestra — alongside an active international conducting career. Finghin Collins, one of Ireland’s most renowned musicians, is a prize-winner of the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition, whose international performing career is matched by influential artistic leadership as director of major festivals and competitions.
Programme:
J. Haydn – Piano Trio No. 39 ‘’Gypsy Rondo’’
J. Brahms – Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major Op. 78
N. Paganini – ‘’Moses’’ Variations on a theme by Rossini.
F. Mendelssohn – Piano Trio in D minor
Tickets:
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Artists:
Harriet Mackenzie:
Harriet Mackenzie is an internationally renowned concerto soloist and has performed across five continents. Her recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestra Nova and the English Symphony Orchestra have received international acclaim, including Five Stars in The Times, ‘Editor’s Choice’ in Gramophone Magazine and a nomination for ‘Recording of the Year’ in Music Web International.
Her recording of Deborah Pritchard’s Wall of Water violin concerto was selected as one of the top recordings of 2015 in Gramophone Magazine, and her recording of Christopher Gunning’s concerto with the RPO was chosen as one of the top recordings of 2016. She has recorded for Nimbus, Signum, NMC and Naxos, with live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM.
An ambassador for contemporary music, Harriet has inspired over a hundred new works written for her, including violin concertos by Robert Fokkens, Graham Coatman, Deborah Pritchard, Julian Joseph and Errollyn Wallen. She has appeared as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and English Symphony Orchestra.
She made her directing debut in 2016 and has since directed the English Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonia and her own string orchestra, the Celoniatus Ensemble. She has performed in major venues including the Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Beijing NCPA and Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.
Harriet graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with First Class honours and DipRAM. In 2015 she was awarded the Richard Carne Fellowship at Trinity Laban and was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. In 2020 she became Associate Artist of the Salisbury Festival.
David Cohen:
The world-renowned cellist and conductor David Cohen embodies a unique combination of qualities making him one of the most versatile and exciting musicians of this day. He has been internationally acclaimed for his remarkable instrumental mastery, generous musicianship, vast experience in varied repertoires combined with a flamboyant charisma.
Highlights of recent seasons include David’s appearance as a conductor with the PHION Orchestra in The Netherlands and his performance as a cellist of the Edward Elgar Cello Concerto at the Barbican Centre together with the London Symphony Orchestra and Antonio Pappano.
Born in the town of Tournai in Belgium, David made his solo debut with the Belgium National Orchestra at the age of nine. His international career as a soloist soon flourished leading him to perform with top-class orchestras such as the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, NHK, BBC Concert Orchestra, and the London Soloist Chamber Orchestra. Furthermore, David has worked as a soloist with distinguished conductors such as Lord Menuhin, Mistlav Rostropovitch, Sir Charles Mackerras, Vladimir Ashkenazy and C.V. Dohnanyi.
David won more than 25 prizes in International Cello Competitions. Amongst these are the Gold Medal of the GSMD in London, the Geneva International Cello Competition, the Guilhermina Suggia Gift, the Ian Fleming Trust and the J.S. Bach International Competition. Furthermore, David was nominated ECHO “Rising Star” for the season 2002–2003.
David was appointed Principal Cello of the Philharmonia Orchestra in March 2001, making him the youngest principal cellist in its history, and was appointed Principal Cello of the London Symphony Orchestra in 2022.
Finghin Collins:
One of Ireland's most successful musicians, Finghin Collins was born in Dublin in 1977 and studied piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with John O'Conor and at the Geneva Conservatoire with Dominique Merlet. He took first prize at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland in 1999. Since then he has continued to enjoy a flourishing international career that takes him all over Europe and the United States, as well to the Far East and Australia.
Collins has performed with many of the world’s finest orchestras and conductors. He has also given solo recitals in many of the world’s most prestigious halls and participates frequently in chamber music festivals with a variety of colleagues of international standing.
Finghin Collins is very active as a programmer, commissioner and concert presenter in Ireland, having been Artistic Director of the New Ross Piano Festival since its inception in 2006, and Artistic Director of Music for Galway since 2013. In March 2023 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Dublin International Piano Competition. He will chair the jury of the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland in 2023 and 2025.
In October 2017, the National University of Ireland conferred on him an honorary Degree of Doctor of Music, in recognition of his outstanding achievements.