Piano Trio Delights

From Paris to St. Petersburg

Artists
Asiya Korepanova, piano
Irina Muresanu, violin
Ronald Lowry, cello

In her Needham Concert Society debut, pianist Asiya Korepanova joins violinist Irina Muresanu and cellist Ronald Lowry to perform two piano trios—Fauré’s late trio in D minor, Op. 120, nostalgic and reflective, and the Tchaikovsky A minor trio, Op. 50, a grand virtuosic tour de force.

Program

Gabriel Fauré, Piano Trio in D minor, Op.120
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50

About the Artists

With a repertoire of over sixty works ranging from baroque to contemporary, pianist Asiya Korepanova is also a composer, transcriber, visual artist, and poet. “Poème,” her work for alto saxophone and piano, recently received its world premiere. A native of Russia, Ms. Korepanova debuted at age nine and has since soloed with many Russian orchestras. In the U.S., she won the gold medal at the Wideman International Piano Competition and earned an Artist Diploma from the University of Miami. South Florida Classical Review has hailed her “blazing technique” and her “singular affinity for Rachmaninoff’s Russian romantic idiom.” Ms. Korepanova celebrated Rachmaninoff’s 150th birthday in 2023 with performances of his complete solo piano music.

Romanian violinist Irina Muresanu is known for elegant and passionate performances that stretch the boundaries of classical music. A sought-after soloist and chamber musician who has appeared throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South Africa, Ms. Muresanu is a compelling interpreter of contemporary music. Her concerts have frequently been cited by the Boston Globe as among the “Best of Classical Music Performances.” As a faculty member of the University of Maryland, she has documented worldwide variations in violin technique, and she is engaged in development of AI technology for use in violin instruction. Ms. Muresanu earned the Artist Diploma and Doctor in Musical Arts degrees from New England Conservatory. She plays an 1849 Giuseppe Rocca violin with an Étienne Pajeot bow.

Needham Concert Society artistic director Ronald Lowry—praised in the Boston Globe for “superb” musicianship—is principal cellist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Boston Ballet Orchestra. He performs frequently with the Boston Symphony, both at home and on international tours. He has presented solo recitals at Jordan Hall and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and he has been a guest artist with the Boston Chamber Music Society, the New England Conservatory First Mondays concert series, and the Muir String Quartet. Mr. Lowry teaches at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and the Rivers School Conservatory.