The Glasshouse

Alasdair Beatson piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia

Schoenberg arr. Webern Chamber Symphony No.1
C Schumann Three Romances for Violin and Piano
Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor

In the world of chamber music, big emotions can come in small packages. When Brahms originally planned his Piano Quintet, he thought it would turn out to be a symphony – and confined to four string players and a piano, the emotion becomes so potent that it practically pours off the score. Pianist Alasdair Beatson and four Royal Northern Sinfonia musicians perform this pocket-sized epic today – a stirring counterpart to the tender Romances by Brahms’ beloved friend and mentor Clara Schumann. Webern’s extraordinary miniature version of Schoenberg’s ground-breaking Chamber Symphony gets things off to a swirling, intoxicating start.