Gabriel Fauré is among the finest of composers whose work marked the turn of the twentieth century. Even the French novelist Marcel Proust was deeply drawn to his music while creating masterpieces of his own. Fauré ventured into chamber music with piano quartets, which have become jewels of chamber music literature. In this concert, four distinct soloists will merge their artistry with the great glory of the scores.

Fauré spent several years revising the first piano quartet and composed a new finale for its publication in 1884. Riding on its success, the second piano quartet, composed around 1885 and 1886, adopted a theme-and-variations approach for this multi-movement piece to showcase a greater emotional range. Audiences will be able to appreciate Fauré’s diverse use of musical language and exploration of instrumental combinations.

Piano: Cindy Ho

Cong Quartet

Programme

FAURÉ Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 15

FAURÉ Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op. 45

Cindy Ho

An active soloist and chamber musician, Hong Kong born Steinway Artist Cindy Ho performs internationally. Highlights in recent years include concerts at Wiener Konzerthaus and Carnegie Hall as part of the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 2017.

In 2016, she was awarded the Associate of Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) for her contribution in music. She also received the Paul Creston Award 2017 in New York. 

As the music director of Vantage Music, Cindy has organised and performed in recital series since 2015 in Hong Kong and overseas. Programmes have spanned a wide range of chamber music works which included Medtner's complete Sonatas for Violin and Piano. 

A graduate of Royal Academy of Music and King's College London, Cindy is currently the Chairperson of the Royal Academy of Music HK Alumni Association. She founded Young Musicians Series, a concert series providing young and outstanding soloists and chamber ensembles more performing opportunities. She also founded Vantage Music and magazine Vantage in promoting classical music in Hong Kong and the surrounding regions, especially for the new generation of Asia-based international artists. 

Cindy's teachers include Choi Sown Le, Ruth Nye, Aaron Shorr, and Alfred Lee.

Cong Quartet

A string quartet in demand around Asia, Europe, and the United States, Cong Quartet took part in the 2023 artistic residency of Musique à Flaine in France and was priorly the Artist in Residence & Ensemble-in-Residence at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) from 2019-2022. The quartet is currently part of the Nederlandse Strijkkwartet Academie (NSKA), a young artist group of Musethica in Europe, a musical partner of Domaine de La Garde in France and managed by Le Dimore del Quartetto in Italy.

Drawing from the mentorship of Prof. Ivan Chan, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Danel, Ysaÿe, and Pacifica Quartets, Cong Quartet's rapid rise was fuelled by top prize wins at the 2022 Virtuoso & Belcanto's Chamber Music Competition in Italy, 2019 Salzburg Mozart International Chamber Competition in Tokyo, 2021 Kreutzer International Competition in Belgium, and as finalists of several international chamber music competitions. They have performed with world-renowned artists such as the members of the Borromeo Quartet, Yovan Markovitch, Enrico Pace, Yuri Bashmet, Joshua Bell, among many others. In this past year, they have also focused on collaborations with prominent musicians of their generation such as violinists Angela Chan, Jinjoo Cho, Shannon Lee, violist Adrien La Marca, cellist Brannon Cho & Sterling Elliott.

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