EPR9611/12
Fabio Bidini made his North American debut performing Beethoven's Fantasy for piano, chorus and orchestra, Opus 80, with Yoel Levi and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the ASO Beethoven Summer Festival 1993. He undertook two North American tours: the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in the United States and a series of recital and orchestra engagements in key cities extending from Mexico City to Juneau, Alaska. Mr. Bidini's New York metropolitan area debut recitals included performances at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, The Frick Collection, the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on Long Island, and a guest appearance with the BBC at the United Nations honoring the 49th anniversary of that institution. On March 3, 1992, in a concert celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Barbican and the London Symphony Orchestra's residency there, Mr. Bidini appeared with the LSO under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas in a performance of the Liszt Concerto No.1 in E-flat. This marked Mr. Bidini's first performance as an official Steinway artist, and the inauguration of the Barbican's Steinway Concert Grand Piano. Mr. Bidini records for Encore Performance Recordings. Born in Arezzo, Italy in 1968, Fabio Bidini began his piano studies at the age of five. Following ten years of private study, he enrolled in the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome where he graduated magna cum laude. He also studied composition at the Florence Conservatory and piano with Orazio Frugoni. He has further concentrated on specializing his technique on the greater repertoire with Mario Tipo. Mr.Bidini has been awarded the first prize in eleven of Italy's most prestigious national piano competitions and has been the recipient of the top prizes in eight international competitions.
Tamás Kocsis began studying violin at age four, and at age nine entered the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and gave his first recital on Hungarian Radio. He graduated from the Liszt Academy with a Master and Artist Diploma. Mr. Kocsis then came to the United States to study under Josef Gingold at Indiana University and received an Artist diploma in 1993. He served as concertmaster of the Indiana University Symphony Orchestra and played with the Springfield Symphony and the Illinois Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Kocsis has also studied with Nelli Shkolnikova of Indiana University and Dorothy DeLay of The Juilliard School. As a soloist, he has performed with many orchestras throughout the world and is regularly featured with the Hungarian State Concert Orchestra, the Hungarian Radio symphony, the Budapest Symphony and the Cluj Philharmonic of Romania. Mr Kocsis made his New York solo debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in February 1995. Tamás Kocsis has won numerous international awards including a Diploma at the 1994 Tchaikovsky competition. He was also a winner at the Artist International Auditions in New York City, the European Council's Juventus Award in Paris, and the Leopold Shopmaker Award. He received a Special Certificate at the CIEM International Music Competition in Geneva in 1993. Mr. Kocsis serves as concertmaster of the Fort Worth Symphony and performs on the 1710 Davis Stradivarius violin, owned by Mr. and Mrs. William S. Davis. He also serves as Artist in Residence at Texas Christian University.
Laura Bruton began her professional career in 1985 as section violist in the Fort Worth Chamber and Symphony Orchestras. In 1988 she was appointed principal violist of the orchestras, a position which she continues to hold. In this capacity she performs and records with the orchestra during the prestigious Van Cliburn Piano Competitions held in Fort Worth, Texas. She also recently served as principal violist by special invitation for the 1996 Dallas Opera production of Richard Strauss' Elektra. A native of North Carolina, she received her Bachelor of Music performance degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts, where she studied violin with Elaine Richey and viola with Sally Peck. Laura also attended the St Louis Conservatory of Music where she was a graduate student of violist Michael Tree of the Guarneri String Quartet. Ms. Bruton teaches privately and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Texas College of Music. She performs on a 1993 viola made by Tetsuo Matsuda of Chicago.
Cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach's playing has been hailed by the press as "superbly lyric and personal", "a golden moment", "magnificent", "gorgeous" and "truly enthralling". Ms. Gerlach has concertized extensively with orchestras and in recitals across the United States as well as in Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. In 1992 she performed with conductor Mstislav Rostropovich at the Evian Festival in France, and in 1994 with conductor James DePreist at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. As a chamber musician, Ms. Gerlach has performed as a guest artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and has collaborated with artists such as Dawn Upshaw, Pamela Frank, Bruno Giuranna, Derek Han, Paul Neubauer, Ken Noda and Benita Valente. Alexis Pia Gerlach was born in New York City and began cello lessons at age seven with Nancy Streetman. She went on to study with Aldo Parisot at Yale University and at The Juilliard School. Ms. Gerlach also took lessons with Pierre Fournier, William Pleeth and Janos Starker. She plays the "Willeke" Nicolo Amati cello made in 1648. For many years this cello belonged to the great Hungarian cellist William Willeke who, as a young man, played chamber music with Brahms in Vienna.
Disc 1
Piano Quartet in G minor, op. 25 (40:18)
1 Allegro (13:21)
2 Intemezzo: Allegro, ma non troppo; Trio: Animato (7:39)
3 Andante con moto (10:29)
4 Rondo alle Zingarese: Presto (8:49)
Piano Quartet in A Major, op. 26 (52:13)
5 Allegro non troppo (16:25)
6 Poco adagio (13:51)
Disc 2
7 Scherzo; Trio: Poco allegro (11:06)
8 Finale: Allegro (10:51)
Piano Quartet in C minor, op. 60 (35:52)
9 Allegro non troppo (10:56)
10 Scherzo: Allegro (4:01)
11 Andante (10:10)
12 Finale: Allegro comodo (10:45)
Total Program Time: 1:68:02