Ahead of the Spokane String Quartet's 2023-24 season opening concert this weekend, violinist Amanda Howard-Phillips and guest pianist Evren Ozel sat down the in KPBX studio with E.J. Iannelli to chat about about the program of chamber works by Brahms, Schumann and Chopin.
Howard-Phillips is the SSQ's second violinist, and Ozel is the opening concert's special guest.
Ozel, a native of Minneapolis who now resides in Boston, talked about his musical background and his career so far as a young, rising-star pianist. He also shed light on a filial link to the SSQ: His stepfather, the Polish pianist Tadeusz Majewski, was previously a special guest of the ensemble back in the early 2000s.
The two musicians each shared their perspective on the concert's two ensemble pieces, Johannes Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 and Robert Schumann's Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44. Both works have links to Schumann's wife Clara, a composer and a formidable pianist in her own right.
Ozel also spoke about his solo piano piece on the concert program, Frédéric Chopin's Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat major, Op. 22. To close the interview, he played Chopin’s Mazurka, Op. 17, No. 1 live in the SPR performance space.
The Spokane String Quartet’s season opening concert takes place Sunday afternoon (Sep. 24) at the Fox Theater in downtown Spokane. For additional details or to purchase tickets, head to the Spokane String Quartet's website.