Beethoven, Weber and Lopes-Graça Recital - Works for clarinet, cello and piano
The Museum of Portuguese Music - Casa Verdades de Faria hosts a chamber music recital with Esther Georgie (clarinet), Maria José Falcão (cello), and Anne Kaasa (piano). The program proposes a musical journey between European Romanticism and 20th-century Portuguese composition, with works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Carl Maria von Weber, and Fernando Lopes-Graça, marking the 120th anniversary of the birth of Lopes-Graça, a major figure in contemporary Portuguese music.
Free admission, subject to room capacity, reservations required by calling 214 815 904 or emailing mmp@cm-cascais.pt
More information: 214 815 904 or mmp@cm-cascais.pt
Organized by: Cascais Municipal Council
FERNANDO LOPES-GRAÇA (1906-1994)
Variations on a Portuguese Folk Theme for Piano
Forgotten Page, for cello and piano
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Twelve Variations for cello and piano on a theme from Handel's Oratorio "Judas Maccabeus," WoO 45
CARL MARIA VON WEBER (1786-1826)
Grande Duo Concertante for clarinet and piano, op. 48
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Trio in C minor, op. 1 No. 3, (version for clarinet, cello and piano)
Esther Georgie, Clarinetist
Esther Georgie's musical training began at age four with the piano and a few years later with the clarinet. From the age of eleven she was already giving recitals with her mother, the pianist Philippa Barnes. Born in Michigan, USA, she moved with her family to England where she studied with Thea King at the Royal College of Music in London and graduated with First Class Honors.
She has been awarded, among other prizes, a “Double Exhibition” in clarinet and piano and the Frederick Thurston Memorial Prize. As winner of the 1st Prize at the International Young Concert Artists Competition and the Young Artists Platform of London, Esther Georgie was invited to perform recitals at Wigmore Hall, BBC TV and many other venues in England. She was also invited to participate in special performances in the presence of members of the Royal Family, including H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth.
Esther Georgie was principal clarinetist in the Gulbenkian Orchestra for over 32 years, collaborating with the greatest musicians of our time. She recorded Weber's 2nd Clarinet Concerto with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Lawrence Foster. Esther Georgie continues her musical activity in Portugal in the fields of recital, chamber music, orchestra, and masterclasses.
Maria José Falcão, cellist
Maria José Falcão began her musical studies at the age of six at the Musical Foundation of the Friends of Children in Lisbon, with cellists Adriana De Vecchi and Fernando Costa.
She obtained her diploma from the Higher Course of the National Conservatory of Lisbon with the highest marks, after which she began her advanced studies in Paris with cellist Paul Tortelier.
She was awarded the Guilhermina Suggia Prize twice. Maria José Falcão was principal cellist of the National Broadcasting Orchestra and the Gulbenkian Orchestra. From 1976 to 1990 she held the position of principal cellist in the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland and simultaneously taught cello at the Lausanne Conservatory of Music. Returning to Portugal, she rejoined the Gulbenkian Orchestra where she held the position of principal cellist from 1990 to 2015 and taught at the National Conservatory of Lisbon until 2015.
She graduated from the Lisbon Higher School of Music. She has given numerous concerts in Portugal and abroad. She has participated in several festivals, notably Algarve, Sintra, Macau and Funchal. She regularly collaborates with the Portuguese radio station Antena 2, and has recorded a CD with Fernando Lopes-Graça's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra with the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra.
Anne Kaasa, pianist
Born in Norway and based in Portugal, where she teaches at the National Conservatory of Lisbon, Anne Kaasa is described by the French music magazine Le Monde de la Musique as "a pianist who stands out in the abundant world of soloists for the depth of her interpretations, the fluidity of her musical discourse and the delicacy of her touch". Her activity as a soloist has led her to perform in venues such as Wigmore Hall (London), the Great Auditorium of the Gulbenkian Foundation and the Belém Cultural Centre (Lisbon), the National Auditorium (Madrid), the Roman Athenaeum (Bucharest) and the Sheremetev Palace (St. Petersburg) and at international festivals such as the Ljubljana Festival, Nuits pianistiques de Aix-en-Provence, Maputo Festival, Estoril Coast Festival, Madeira Festival and Dias de Música at the CCB. She has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Gulbenkian Orchestra, the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, the Madrid Community Orchestra, the Porto National Orchestra, the Granada Orchestra, and the Florence Chamber Orchestra. Anne Kaasa has recorded for national radio stations in France, Spain, and Slovenia.
