Baiba Skride, Daniel Müller-Schott & Xavier de Maistre Presented by Liszt Academy

This recital features a violin, cello and harp, individually, in pairs and as a trio. Trio, the first production of the evening, was written by Jacques Ibert specifically for this unusual line-up. Ibert was one of a minority of 20th-century composers who did not write excessively dramatic ‘audience-scaring’ works. He endowed French music with witty, light melodies that could be categorized as more or less Neoclassical but that sometimes did touch on more profound themes. Ravel’s four-movement duo is a sparse chamber work for just two string instruments. After the intermission, Gabriel Fauré’s Impromptu is performed by French harpist Xavier de Maistre. The concert closes with Henriette Renié’s Trio, when the harpist is rejoined by the Latvian violinist Baiba Skride and the German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott. All three artists have won numerous prizes at competitions – Skride is a former winner of the Queen Elisabeth violin prize – and are much sought after as soloists.