Polish Cellist to Perform at Next Iris Axon Concert

The somewhat enigmatic 4th sonata by Beethoven (1815) gives a glimpse of the future pathways this composer took to change the face of music by challenging the traditional structures of the Classical era and usher in those of the Romantic era.

The tone artist Debussy revels in sound colour in both his famous Reverie (here arranged for cello and piano by Ronchini) and his solo piano waltz La plus que lente, here arranged for cello and piano by Zoltan Kocsis.

Rachmaninov's Sonata is a tour-de-force of instrumental equality and full dynamic spectrum with beautiful, tender melodies in the cello and virtuosic display in the piano in the last movement. Tonally, we journey through G minor, C minor, E-flat major, culminating in G major.

Julianna Antczak is a Polish cellist. After growing up in the countryside, she spent eight formative years at Manchester’s Chetham’s School of Music leading to take an undergraduate degree under Alice Neary.

A comprehensive education led to an early love for mixing genres - from taking part in Nordoff Robbins’ Music Therapy training, to touring the UK with West End stars at the age of seventeen and performing Sollima’s Lamentatio in complete darkness and recording jazz standards two years later.

Julianna plays a 2018 Amati copy made for her by Wojciech Topa in the Polish mountains and a fine contemporary bow made by Paul Sadka in Paris.

The Iris Axon Concert Series is an annual season of short (60-70 minute) monthly recitals on Sunday afternoons at the Acton Hill Church. The series was started by Music Director Jane Schopf in 2004 to provide a venue for young musicians starting on their professional careers, many of whom have subsequently enjoyed international success in competitions and on the concert platform. The series has continued to grow and now attracts established international artists as well.

Originally called the Acton Classical Music Concert Series, it was re-named in 2009 in memory of one of its most loyal supporters, Iris Axon, who made possible the purchase of a concert grand, handmade by Clive Pinkham.

The church is deemed ideal for concerts as it has the largest unsupported wooden barrel-vault ceiling in London which brings out the middle harmonics, creating a luxuriously warm sound.

Concerts are usually held on the first Sunday of the month at 4pm. Programmes at the door. There are crèche facilities available.

More information is available at classicalconcerts-acton.com.

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