Performers‍ ‍

BENJAMIN BEILMAN, violin

STEVEN OSBORNE, piano

Violinist Benjamin Beilman and pianist Steven Osborne bring two of the great Romantic sonatas to Hammer Hall. Beilman has earned international acclaim for the intensity, color, and lyricism of his playing; Osborne, one of Britain’s most treasured pianists, is admired for an exceptional refinement of expression and a musical intelligence that seems to illuminate a work from within. Their ongoing recital partnership brings together two searching musicians with a shared instinct for chamber music as conversation. Brahms’ G Major Sonata is among his most intimate works, its opening melody connected to his own “Rain Song” and its atmosphere suffused with tenderness, memory, and restraint. Franck’s Sonata in A Major, written as a wedding gift for the violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, unfolds on a broader arc - cyclical, passionate, and ultimately radiant. Placed side by side, the sonatas offer two very different journeys - Brahms inward toward intimacy and reflection; Franck toward an ending of extraordinary radiance and release. In the hands of Benjamin Beilman and Steven Osborne, two musicians celebrated for the intelligence, intensity, and individuality of their playing, these great sonatas become a meeting of formidable musical personalities.

“Playing with rich sound and plenty of brilliance, Mr. Beilman conveyed both dreamy lyricism and heated intensity.” Critic’s Pick review - The New York Times

Benjamin Beilman is “a remarkable talent, delivering playing of rare insight and generosity, as captivating as it is gloriously entertaining.” The Scotsman

“Some pianists gild everything they touch with their own personality; some are like chameleons, finding a new colour for each composer. Last night the wonderful Scottish pianist Steven Osborne did both, which lent the whole evening a miraculous air…every note seemed to vibrate with intelligence.” The Daily Telegraph

Program

JOHANNES BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78

CÉSAR FRANCK Violin Sonata in A Major

Tickets: Age 35+: $40 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.