Dimitra Ananiadou (violin) Richard Whalley (piano)

‘Their performance of the dramatic Beethoven Violin Sonata Op. 30 No. 2 was compelling and stunning as it moved through changing moods from serenity to storms in the skilful and energetic hands of these fine interpreters’ Rochdale Online News

Programme:

Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata II for Solo Violin BWV 1003: Allegro
Richard Whalley: Butterflies
Alex Apostolopoulos: ‘Must it Be?’ for Solo Violin (composed for Dimitra Ananiadou)
Jules Massenet: Meditation from ‘Thais’ for Violin and Piano
Interval
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata Op. 47 ‘Kreutzer’

Dimitra Ananiadou is an award-winning violinist, who won, amongst others, the ‘Silver Award’ in the Virtuoso International Music Awards, the ‘Platinum Prize’ and the ‘Best Beethoven Performance Special Award’ in the Beethoven International Music Competition. She has a Violin Diploma, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Musicology, Master’s in Historical Performance and is a doctoral researcher on Beethoven under the guidance of Barry Cooper. The audience praised her for her emotional expression and technical ease. Dimitra played at some of the most acclaimed venues in the UK, such as the British Parliament, Welsh Parliament, National Centre for Early Music, Harrogate Theatre, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, etc.

Richard Whalley is a composer and pianist living in Manchester, where he is a Senior Lecturer in Composition at the University of Manchester. As a pianist, he performs classical and contemporary music, and has given numerous premieres of new works. As a composer, he is particularly fascinated by the evocation of time and memory and finding musical analogies for shapes, processes and textures found in nature. His music has been performed by numerous outstanding soloists and ensembles, including Psappha, Trio Atem, Ensemble 10/10, the Quatuor Danel, and the Ebonit Saxophone Quartet, and in Gaudeamus 2001, ISCM World Music Days (Flanders) in 2012 and Milan Expo in 2015. His scores are published by Composers Edition and many of his works have been commercially recorded.

This is a benefit concert for the Society for Abandoned Animals (SAA)

Tickets are £16.50 / £11.50 / £8, available on the door