(Instrumentation: piano, string quartet)

• Bax – Piano Quintet in G minor
• Elgar – Piano Quintet in A minor, op.84

Echoes of an Age brings together two of the greatest English chamber works of the early twentieth century — Bax’s storm-tossed Piano Quintet of 1915 and Elgar’s elegiac Piano Quintet of 1918–19.

Both composers respond to the upheavals of their time with deeply personal, emotionally charged music. Bax’s quintet, born in wartime turbulence, surges with passion and Celtic mysticism; Elgar’s, written in the shadow of loss, turns inward toward reflection and remembrance. Together, they form a powerful dialogue between turmoil and tranquility — two voices speaking across the same age of change, each echoing the other in spirit and sound.

(Instrumentation: piano, violin, cello, clarinet)

• Debussy – Première Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano
• Debussy – Sonata for violin and piano in G minor
• Bartók – Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano, Sz. 111
• Messiaen – Quartet for the end of time

A programme of sublime music that traces a luminous journey through the sound worlds of the early 20th century, where colour, rhythm, and spirituality intertwine. From the shimmering impressionism of Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie and Violin Sonata to the folk-infused brilliance of Bartók’s Contrasts, the concert culminates in Messiaen’s visionary Quartet for the End of Time— a work born in captivity yet radiant with faith and transcendence. Together, these masterpieces explore music’s power to move beyond time, beyond place, and beyond colour itself.

(Instrumentation: soprano, piano and string quartet)

• Debussy – String Quartet in G minor, op.10
• Hahn – Selection of songs for soprano and piano
• Chausson – Chanson Perpétuelle, op.37
• Fauré – La Bonne Chauson, op. 61

From Debussy’s shimmering String Quartet and Hahn’s tender melodies to the impassioned lyricism of Chausson and Fauré, this programme traces the many shades of French Romantic expression. Chausson’s haunting Chanson perpétuelle evokes love and loss with hypnotic intensity, while Fauré’s radiant La Bonne Chanson offers a vision of joy and renewal. A celebration of love, imagination, and the delicate balance between shadow and radiance.

(Instrumentation: piano, violin, cello)

• Schubert – Notturno
• Beethoven – Piano trio in D major, op.70 no.1 “Ghost”
• Shostakovich – Piano trio no. 2 in E minor, op. 67

From the spectral whispers of Beethoven’s “Ghost” Trio to the tender radiance of Schubert’s Notturno and the searing emotional depths of Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2, this programme traces a journey through mystery, beauty, and human resilience. Three masterworks, written across a century, illuminate the fragile balance between darkness and light at the heart of great chamber music.

(Instrumentation: piano, string quartet)

• Dvořák – String Quartet in F major, op.96 “The American”
• Copland – Piano Quartet
• Beach – Piano Quintet in F sharp minor, op. 67

This programme explores the evolution of an American musical identity through three landmark works for strings and piano. Dvořák’s radiant “American” Quartet captures the optimism of the New World as seen through European eyes, while Amy Beach’s passionate Piano Quintet transforms that transatlantic influence into a distinctly American Romantic voice. Half a century later, Copland’s spare and luminous Piano Quartet distills the essence of the American landscape into music of profound simplicity and quiet strength. Together, these works trace a journey from Romantic warmth to modern clarity — three composers, one transatlantic story.

(Instrumentation: piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinet and horn)

• Schumann – Märchenerzählungen (Fairy Tales), Op. 132
• Brahms – Horn Trio in E flat major, op.40
• Dohnányi – Piano Sextet in C major, op.37

This programme invites listeners into the glowing heart of the Romantic imagination. Schumann’s Märchenerzählungen(Fairy Tales) for piano, viola and clarinet opens with lyrical miniatures that shimmer with fantasy and tenderness. Brahms’s noble Horn Trio follows — music of deep emotion and autumnal warmth, written in memory of his mother. Dohnányi’s magnificent Piano Sextet brings the concert to a radiant close, blending Brahmsian richness with Hungarian vitality and early-20th-century brilliance. Together, these works trace a journey through intimacy nostalgia, and exuberant Romantic firelight.