Mill Valley Chamber Music Society presents the 3rd concert of its 47thseason of chamber music, highlighting internationally celebrated classical artists. On Sunday, January 26, 2020 the award-winning Gould Piano Trio with Robert Plane, clarinet will perform.
The Gould Piano Trio (Lucy Gould, violin; Richard Lester, cello; and Benjamin Frith, piano) have been directly compared to the great Beaux Arts Trio for their ‘musical fire’ and ‘dedication to the genre’ in the Washington Post, and have remained at the forefront of the international chamber music scene for a quarter of a century. Launched by their first prize at the Melbourne Chamber Music Competition in 1994, they were ‘ECHO Rising Stars,’ making a highly successful debut at the Weill Recital Hall in New York’s Carnegie Hall, and described by Strad Magazine as ‘Pure Gould.’
Commissioning and performing new works is an important part of the UK-based trio’s philosophy of staying creative and freshly inspired. Renowned British composer and pianist Huw Watkins composed a new work for the Gould Piano Trio and Robert Plane and they gave the premiere of ‘Four Fables’ at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford on July 31st 2018. It has already been performed ten times in the UK and will be performed in Mill Valley on January 26.
The Gould Trio’s extensive tours of North America, the Far East, New Zealand, and Europe are interspersed with masterclasses to nurture the next generation, In addition to their highly praised recordings of standard works, the trio have thrown light on neglected gems from the late romantic British repertoire
Robert Plane has tirelessly pursued a particular passion for British clarinet. His Gramophone Award-winning account of Finzi’s Concerto and Gramophone Award-shortlisted Bax Sonatas being just two of a large collection of recordings of works by the great English Romantics.
Robert’s hugely varied career has seen concerto appearances in Europe, Asia and the USA, with performances of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in Madrid with the City of London Sinfonia, Beijing with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and in the USA with the Virginia Symphony. He has explored a wide range of repertoire and commissioned new works as well as performed a clarinet quintet repertoire with a number of the finest string quartets in the world.
Robert is principal clarinet of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and has held the same position with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia.
The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society, a non-profit, all volunteer organization, was founded in 1973 with the goal of presenting exceptional classical musicians at affordable ticket prices. Mill Valley Chamber Music Society also introduces classical music to children through outreach programs presented in Marin County schools. For more information call 415-381-4453.
