The Art of Duo | Musical Salon: From Lekeu to Los Angeles

Ambroise Aubrun, violin
Steven Vanhauwaert, piano

This concert pays tribute to the refined tradition of musical salons, tracing their influence from nineteenth-century Vienna to early twentieth-century Los Angeles. At its heart is Guillaume Lekeu’s Violin Sonata, performed in homage to Alfred Megerlin, the Belgian violin virtuoso and concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the 1920s. The L.A. Philharmonic itself was founded by William Andrews Clark Jr., a passionate patron of the arts who likely hosted intimate musical gatherings in the Drawing Room at the Clark Library. Through works by Schubert, Fauré, Debussy and others, the program evokes the elegance, intimacy, and cultural dialogue that defined salon music across generations and continents.

Program

1. Viennese Prelude

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Sonata in G Minor, op. 137 no. 3, D. 408

Allegro giusto
Andante
Menuetto
Allegro moderato

2. French Miniatures 

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Berceuse, op. 16

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Beau soir, CD 84 (Arr. Heifetz for violin and piano)

3. Belgian Homage

Guillaume Lekeu (1870-94)
Violin Sonata in G Major

Très modéré – Vif et passioné
Très lent
Très animé

4. Calming our Souls

Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)
À Chloris (arr. violin/piano)

Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824)
Sicilienne for Violin and Piano in E-flat Major

Ambroise Aubrun

Hailed as a “marvelous violinist” (France Musique) with “sensitive tone” (Pizzicato Magazine) and “tremendous ease, suppleness, and beauty of sound” (Nice-Matin), violinist Ambroise Aubrun enjoys a career as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. He has performed extensively on three continents and has conducted master classes in North America, France, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. His performances and albums have been broadcast on CBS, ABC, WFMT Chicago, France Musique, 3MBS Melbourne (Australia), Klara Radio (Belgium), KPFK Los Angeles, KNCJ Nevada, WTUL New-Orleans, and KUSC Los Angeles.

Aubrun graduated at age nineteen from the Paris National Superior Conservatory, and then studied at UCLA (D.M.A.) and at the Colburn Conservatory of Music (Artist Diploma). He is a winner of the Charles Oulmont Prize of the Fondation de France, a laureate of the Langart Foundation in Switzerland, and a recipient of the UNLV Barrick Scholar Award for outstanding achievement in Creative Activities and a CSUN Faculty Achievement Award. Currently Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Dr. Aubrun previously taught at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and UC Santa Barbara. He is the artistic director of the Henry J. Bruman Summer Chamber Music Festival at UCLA. Dr. Aubrun plays a Matteo Goffriller violin, on generous loan from the Langart Foundation.

More information at www.ambroiseaubrun.com

Steven Vanhauwaert

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times for his “impressive clarity, sense of structure, and monster technique,” pianist Steven Vanhauwaert has garnered a wide array of accolades, including the First Prize at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition. Mr. Vanhauwaert has appeared as a soloist in concert halls all over the world, and with orchestras both in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Vanhauwaert serves as co-director for the Unbound Chamber Music Festival in Mammoth Lakes, a three-week-long summer festival featuring guest artists from around the world. He is also the Artistic Director for the Second Sundays at Two concert series in Rolling Hills, CA.

His discography, on the Hortus, Sonarti, ECM, and Bridge labels, covers a wide range of composers, from Joseph Woelfl to Stravinsky and Tigran Mansurian. His recordings have been awarded 5 Diapasons, a nomination for the International Classical Music Awards, France Musique’s Editor’s Choice, and five stars in Pizzicato Magazine. Mr. Vanhauwaert serves on the faculty at the University of Utah’s School of Music and he is a Steinway Artist.

More information at www.stevenpiano.com

As a duo, Ambroise and Steven have performed across the United States and Europe and have recorded three critically acclaimed albums earning a nomination for the International Classical Music Awards.

The program is free to attend and will be held in-person at the Clark Library. Seating is limited at the Clark Library; walk-in registrants are welcome as space permits.

Photograph credit: Martin Chalifour, courtesy of the Artists.