衛武營國家藝術文化中心 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

As the laureate of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition in Brussels, Taiwan violinist William WEI has developed a very "ear-catching" sound and expression, launching a brilliant international soloist career. Moving to Berlin after the competition, WEI continued to apprentice under the former Berlin Philharmonic concertmaster Kolja BLACHER, which assuredly deepened his understanding and mastery of German and Austrian classics.

In this concert, WEI will collaborate with the pianist WANG Pei-yao to play BEETHOVEN's Sonata for violin and piano, full of intense and stormy spirit. This music not only opens up the grammar of the violin, but is also considered a touchstone of the violinist, because of its rapid emotional changes, and the requirement for a deep understanding of the author's musical point of view.  In the second half, BRAHMS's Sonata for violin and piano, the only violin sonata BRAHMS ever wrote, will demonstrate the magnificence, almost symphonic like masterpiece through these four movements.

Between the two pieces is the Austrian composer WEBERN's Four Pieces for violin and piano. The composer uses very limited space (the four pieces are only 9, 24, 14, and 15 bars, respectively) to explore all kinds of fresh sounds of the violin, revealing the rebellious vitality of the end of the century.

  Post-talk  

Post-talk will be arranged after the recital.

  Program  

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Sonata for Piano and Violin No.1 in D Major, Op.12

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Sonata for Piano and Violin No.4 in a minor, Op.23

Anton von WEBERN: Four Pieces for Violin and Piano Op.7

Johannes BRAHMS: Sonata for Piano and Violin No.3 in d minor, Op. 108

  Creative and Production Team  

Violin｜William WEI

Piano｜WANG Pei-yao

  Artists Introduction  

Violin｜William WEI

Born in Taiwan, William began his violin studies at the age of five. He is a proud recipient of the Jerome L. Greene Foundation Scholarship at the Juilliard School, where he earned his Bachelor's degree under Hyo KANG. He is currently pursuing his Master's degree at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin under Kolja BLACHER, former concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic. William's recent highlights have included concert series, stepping in for violinist Shlomo MINTZ in Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major with Eliahu INBAL.NSO with Nai-Yuan HU and Ray CHEN, and Baden-Baden Philharmonic with Pavel BALEFF. William plays on a 1761 Tomasso BALESTRIERI loaned from the Chimei Foundation in Taiwan.

Piano｜WANG Pei-yao

WANG Pei-Yao made her solo piano debut at the age of eight at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan. At age 12, she was invited to study at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she worked with pianists Seymour LIPKIN and Gary GRAFFMAN. She then continued her studies with Claude FRANK, earning her Master of Music degree from Yale University, where she also pursued a concentration in architecture.  Upon graduating from Yale University, she was under the tutelage of celebrated pianist Richard GOODE.

Ms. WANG is widely in demand as a soloist and chamber musician. She has appeared with the Stamford Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Philharmonic, and many others. Ms. WANG has collaborated with members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Orion, Mendelssohn and Miro quartets, and with musicians such as Hilary HAHN, Cho-Liang LIN, Ida and Ani KAVAFIAN, Nicola BENEDETTI, Mitsuko UCHIDA, Peter WILEY and David SOYER. She is regularly invited to perform chamber music at festivals such as Marlboro, Bard, Santa Fe, Hong Kong and Chamber Music Northwest. Ms. WANG has given concerts throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia; including  venues such as the Salle des Varietes in Monte Carlo, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the National Concert Hall in Taipei, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, Beijing Concert hall,  the Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall's Stern, Weill, and Zankel Halls. A frequent guest at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, she became a member of the Chamber Music Society Two from 2002-2004.

As a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program, Ms. WANG has worked with noted conductors such as James LEVINE, Alan GILBERT, to name a few. As part of the production team at the Metropolitan Opera, the noted opera production of Doctor Atomic by John ADAMS received the Grammy Award in 2011. She has continued to expand her repertoire in Taiwan with engagements that include Salome, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Turn of the screw, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Traviata and Tristan und Isolde to name a few. In addition, Ms. WANG is active as a vocal pianist, having worked extensively with singers such as Sasha COOKE, John MOORE, and many others.

Ms. WANG has commissioned and premiered over 20 solo and chamber works in the past. She made her conducting debut in 2017 at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, premiering 7 new vocal chamber works by Taiwanese female composers. Pei-Yao WANG currently teaches at National Taiwan University of Arts as visiting professor.

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