The final lunchtime concert in the Avex Recital Series sees violinist Sayaka Shoji give the European première of Toshio Hosokawa’s new work for solo violin. Pianist Jonathan Gilad joins Sayaka in a programme featuring works by Mozart, Schumann and Brahms.

‘A formidable musician, able to draw on huge reserves of stamina and the unflinching equal of anything thrown at her.’ Gramophone

‘Her performance here revealed impeccable intonation and an ability to sculpt phrases with considerable eloquence.’ Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun

‘Blessed with a big, rich tone and possessing a virtuoso technique to match, Shoji transmitted the spirit of the work, whether intimate or grand, to perfection: dignity without a hint of excess in the first movement, confiding and delicate in the ‘Canzonetta’, and in the finale, where her talent blazed. Sayaka Shoji is definitely a violinist to watch out for.’ Richard Landau, Classical Source

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