Programme
Brahms at the Piano: Celebrating 190 years of Brahms
6 Klavierstücke, Op. 118 (1893)
Intermezzo in A minor. Allegro non assai, ma molto appassionato
Intermezzo in A major. Andante teneramente
Ballade in G minor. Allegro energico
Intermezzo in F minor. Allegretto un poco agitato
Romanze. Andante
Intermezzo. Andante, largo e mesto (25 mins)
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Händel, Op. 24 (1861) (30 mins)
About the programme
My first experience of the piano music of Brahms was through introduction to his late, ethereal, and introspective 6 Klavierstucke Op. 118. They were the first pieces I learnt by Brahms as a student at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and I can vividly remember the feeling of exploring them for the first time; their feeling of intimacy, passion, and love. As this work has grown alongside me over the years, I have since learnt much more about Brahms the man whilst also adding a few more of his works along the way! It is therefore now a great pleasure to be able to present a programme focusing exclusively on some of the composer’s great piano works to present this 2023, a year which will mark 190 years since Brahms’ own birth.
“Without craftmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.”
Cahal Masterson: Piano
Award winning Northern Ireland pianist Cahal Masterson has considerably built upon an already impressive performing profile as of late with a string of Irish debut performances including chamber collaborations with the Ulster Orchestra, debut performances at House of Waterford Crystal, Belfast International Arts Festival, Music for Galway, Drogheda Classical Music, Castleconnell Concert Series, Music For Wexford, and the Hugh Lane Gallery Dublin. Having come from a musical family with four siblings who are all professional violinists, Cahal has performed extensively as a soloist, vocal repetiteur and chamber musician throughout Europe, North America, and Suzhou, China. He has a varied musical career which also encompasses music education as well as championing exciting new Irish compositions. Upcoming autumn performance include solo Brahms programmes at Maynooth University and Portstewart as well as chamber concerts with Cork Orchestral Society. Cahal will give his Paris debut recital at the Centre Culture Irlandais this October while premiering new song cycle Kraina by composer Anselm McDonnell alongside soprano Rebecca Murphy.
In 2018 Cahal recorded his inaugural album Transition at Sono Luminus Studios in Boyce, Virginia, releasing this debut record with a series of performances in Washington D.C, and Toronto, Canada. Cahal graduated with a Masters in Music Performance from Shenandoah University, USA in May 2019, and prior to this completed an Artist Diploma at The Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Canada. He is a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin.