Tabea Zimmermann, Viola
With Thomas Hoppe, Piano.
Pre-concert talk illuminating the program at 7PM by La Vie En Cello, Princeton University's student cello ensemble. Free to ticketholders.
Two seasons ago in Richardson Auditorium, the phenomenal pan-European Arcanto Quartet dazzled Princeton University Concerts with a lush program of Romantic repertoire. Tabea Zimmermann, who is regularly cited as the world’s greatest living violist, made her Princeton debut during that performance, and our ears are still resonating with her singular, unforgettable tone. Now she returns triumphantly, treating us to a full evening of her majestic playing alongside pianist Thomas Hoppe. György Ligeti once said of the viola, the violin’s mysterious and unsung cousin: “the low C-string gives the viola a unique acerbity, compact, somewhat hoarse, with an aftertaste of wood, earth and tannic acid.” And indeed, in Zimmermann’s hands, the instrument sings just as it should, filled with “graceful athleticism and a feathery left-hand touch.” (The New York Times) Hoppe and Zimmermann will perform the cornerstones of the viola sonata repertoire, rarely heard on our stage, including Brahms’ late masterpiece Op. 120, No. 1 and Schubert’s wonderfully melodic “Arpeggione” Sonata.