Tomorrow, Tuesday 30th June, sees the Parisian ensemble Aldante Duo comprised of Pierre Henri Xuereb on the viola and Vincent Beer-Demander on the mandolin. They will team up with top cellist Hélène Dautry in a concert of works which sees the Malta premiere of yet another 2 of Joseph Vella’s works specifically commissioned by the ensemble and which had their world premiere earlier this year in France. Joseph Vella’s association with both Pierre Henri and Vincent goes back a long way. In fact, Vella was invited as composer-in-residence at the prestigious Saint Dizier Festival last year, during which a few of his compositions were performed and new works commissioned by top Parisian musicians.

The programme, which consists of works by Scarlatti, Vanhall, Beethoven, Lutoslawski, Ravel, Houdy, Cosma and Vella, is an opportunity for the performers to express their virtuosity. Most of the works are original works, to include a very rare Beethoven Adagio composed for mandolin.

The concert will be held at the Bishop’s Curia Main Hall, courtesy of H.L. Bishop of Gozo Mario Grech, and starts at 8pm. Don’t miss it!

Pierre Henri Xuereb graduated with full honours from the Conservatoire de Musique d’Avignon and won first prize from the Paris Conservatoire in the Viola class of the famous Serge Collot at the age of sixteen. He perfected his studies at the legendary Juilliard School, New York, followed by a postgraduate course at Boston University. Auditioning for Pierre Boulez in New York, he joined the Ensemble Intercontemporain as a soloist for two years. He has collaborated with many prestigious ensembles and orchestras, namely, Audubon, Tchaikovsky Trio, Rosamonde, and Talich Quartets, and the Tel Aviv Symphony Orchestra, amongst others. He has also performed in various Festivals, appearing alongside Pascal Devoyon, Natalia Gutman, Jean-François Heisler, Vladimir Mendelssohn, and others.  Pierre Henri has recorded numerous CDs for the labels Timpani, Harmonia Mundi, and Deutsche Grammophon, and he also teaches master classes in music festivals worldwide.  He works closely with the famous Martinů Quartet, with whom he performs in complex chamber formations. He is currently Professor of Viola at the pretigious Paris Conservatoire and at the Ecole Nationale de Musique de Gennevilliers.

Vincent Beer-Demander is the recipient of numerous first prizes of prestigious competitions all over France, including the famous Ecole superieure de musique, Paris, and others in Europe. After studying the Mandolin with Florentino Calvo and Ugo Orlandi, composition with Régis Campo and chamber music with Alberto Ponce, he embarked on a hugely successful career, with performances taking him all over the world.  Apart from teaming up with renowned musicians such as Riccardo Sandoval, Roland Dyens, Roberto Alagana, and others, Vincent has also performed with The National Orchestra of France, Capitole of Toulouse, Opera Bastille, National Orchestra of Montpellier, Philharmonic Orchestra of Nice, and many more. As a versatile composer and also a critic and writer of books published in Germany, Canada and Spain, he has been commissioned works by famous musicians but still champions the original repertoire of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He holds a higher degree in ancient instrument performance and teaches at the legendary Paris Conservatoire and at the Mandolin Academy, Marseille, where he is responsible for the artistic direction of the Academy. His discography reflects his musical eclecticism.

Hélène Dautry commenced her musical education studying the pianoforte, only later on developing an increasing curiosity in the violoncello. The incredible speed with which she took to the instrument enabled her to be admitted to the prestigious CNSM, Paris, after only five years of study.  There, she excelled in performance and technique, studying with Maurice Gendron, obtaining highest marks and winning first prize in her studies.  This was followed by intense engagement with chamber music performance under the tuition of Jean Mouillière.  She is a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra Jean-François Paillard and the Symphonic Orchestra of Besançon under the direction of Peter Csaba. A passionate chamber music performer, Hélène has recorded a CD for the label Lyrinx with pianist Bruno Rigutto, comprising of works by Franck, Schumann, and Debussy.  She has numerous accolades to her credit and is currently Professor of Violoncello at the CRR, Paris, the Royal College of Music, London, and the Ecole Normale de Musique, Paris.