SWALLOW RECITALS PRESENTS: SONGS OF ICE & FIRE

SWALLOW RECITALS PRESENTS: SONGS OF ICE & FIRE

Programme:

Nordic Nationalism and German Romanticism

Robert Schumann: Fantasiestucke Op. 73

Jón Nordal: Pictures on a Panel Wall

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata for cello and piano in A Major, Op. 69

– Intermission –

Jean Sibelius: Four Pieces, Op. 78

Edvard Grieg: Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Minor, Op. 36

This programme invites listeners on a rich musical journey bridging Nordic lyricism and German high-romanticism. The poetic and expressive miniatures that form Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 are set against Icelandic composer Jón Nordal’s Pictures on a Panel Wall—four short character pieces drawing inspiration from Icelandic poetry. Beethoven’s masterful Sonata in A Major, Op. 69—one of the pillars of the cello repertoire—closes the first half, balancing clarity and emotional depth. The second half features Sibelius’s Four Pieces, Op. 78, a set of characterful vignettes that blend Finnish melancholy with classical elegance. Finally, Grieg’s dramatic and sweeping Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Minor, Op. 36, captures the essence of Norwegian romanticism, closing the concert with passion and folk-inspired fervour. Together, these works explore contrasts and connections between two cultural spheres, highlighting the expressive range of the cello-piano duo.

Antoine Préat, Piano
https://www.antoinepreat.com

A Naïve Records Exclusive Artist and multi-award winner, Franco-Belgian pianist Antoine Préat is being noticed for his “distinctive voice” and strong musical convictions. Antoine has been invited to perform in prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, Paris Beaux Arts Museum, Frederyk Chopin Insitute, as well as festivals such as the Nohant Chopin Festival, Lisztomanias, Chopin à Bagatelle, Les Nuits du Piano in Paris, IMS Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove and Encuentro de Santander. He has appeared on BBC Radio 3, France Musique, Scala Radio and RTBF Musiq3.
Antoine has performed alongside leading artists and orchestras including Maté Szücs, Miclen LaiPang, Margarita Balanas, Manuel Blanco, Sinfonietta Lausanne, Lesley Hatfield, Robin Ireland, the Centre de Musique de Chambre de Paris, Sainsbury Soloists, Academy Festival Orchestra, University Orchestra of Alicante and London Student Orchestra.
Throughout his career, Antoine has also been fortunate to receive guidance from Philippe Cassard, Cedric Pescia, Thomas Adès, Boris Berman, Robert Levin, Jerome Lowenthal, Richard Goode, Imogen Cooper and Stephen Hough.
After graduating with honours from the Ecole Normale de Paris where he studied with Liudmila Berlinskaia and Guigla Katsarava, Antoine furthered his studies at the Royal Academy of Music and at the Guildhall School of Music under the tutelage of Tatiana Sarkissova and Ronan
O’Hora, while studying harpsichord and fortepiano under the guidance of Carole Cerasi. Antoine was awarded the first prize of the Concours international d’Ile de France and the Los Angeles Colburn Piano Festival Competition, the honour prize at the New York Début Piano
Competition and most recently was a semifinalist at the Clara Haskil Competition 2021.
Passionate about education, Antoine has also been teaching for several years and has been invited several times to teach at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Antoine is generously supported by the City Music Foundation, Talent Unlimited, the

Geirþrúður Anna Guðmundsdóttir, Cello

Praised for her “technical mastery” and “extraordinarily musical” performances (Morgunbladid, Iceland) Icelandic-American cellist Geirþrúður Anna Guðmundsdóttir is carving a distinctive musical voice, combining sensitivity with a bold and fiery stage presence. She has performed at venues across the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Southbank Centre, the Warsaw Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, and the Banff Centre, and appeared as soloist a with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, among others. Her performance in Reykjavík’s Harpa Concert Hall of the six Bach Cello Suites, was hailed as “an awe-inspiring experience” (Frettabladid, Iceland).

Geirþrúður has been a prize winner at numerous competitions, including the Anton Rubinstein International Cello Competition, Hellam Young Artist Competition, and the New York International Artists Association Competition. She was recently a semi-finalist at the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition and was selected as a 2024 City Music Foundation Artist. A passionate chamber musician, she won the Gold Medal and Grand Prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and performed as a semi-finalist at the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition with the Terra String Quartet. In addition to her work as a modern cellist, Geirþrúður has a keen interest in period performance and conducting. She has appeared at the Valley of the Moon Music Festival for period performance in California and made her conducting debut with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2023 as a member of the orchestra’s Conducting Academy.