Eugenia and Klimis were born to a Greek classical music family linked to the arts for four generations. They share an extensive musical education and a lively interest in chamber music in all its forms. Their duo partnership is the result of thorough explorations of style and stagecraft that have commenced in their childhood.
In this current series of recitals, they are focusing on lesser-known works for cello and piano which they endeavour to bring to the public stage. Among these works, prominent are Felix Mendelssohn’s two ravishing violoncello and piano Sonatas, requiring perfect sound projection and formal clarity from both soloists.
The centrepiece of the recital will be Mendelssohn’s Second Cello Sonata.Mendelssohn was working on his second Cello Sonata at around the same period he had composed his absorbingly tragic Variations Sérieuses, Op 54 for solo piano. One commentator previously called the Variations a baring of the soul, and the Op 58 cello work shares some of the same intensity and sense of personal turmoil.
In turn torrential, elegant, noble and luminous, the Sonata contains (unusually) four movements: Allegro assai vivace, Allegretto scherzando, Adagio, Molto allegro e vivace. The Adagio is a tribute to Bach, whose work of course Mendelssohn not only resurrected but also devoted his life to studying and performing. Its chorale-like features and the heart-stopping cello recitativo directly quote Bach and bring to mind oratorios and early Italian opera. They make this movement without a doubt the apogee of the Sonata.
Dr Eugenia Russell is a musician and author. An alumna of the American College ‘Anatolia’, Thessaloniki and the Royal Academy of Music, London (Violoncello Performance and Teaching), she holds higher degrees in Advanced Musical Studies (Musicology) from the University of Bristol and in History from the University of London. She is also the holder of a Diploma in Violoncello and higher certificates in Advanced Harmony, Counterpoint, and Music Arrangement from the National Conservatoire of Thessaloniki; and a Pianoforte Diploma with Honours from the Victoria College of Music.
Formative musical experiences include her extensive study of Bach’s Chorales and Choral Preludes; and of painstaking comparisons of contrapuntal writing from the Age of Palestrina to the early twentieth centuries. She has performed as soloist and chamber musician in different parts of the UK, Italy, France, Germany and Greece, as well as appearing on Greek television and radio. Her musical credits include writing and performing original soundtrack music for the TV documentary film Exile in Paradise: the Adventures of Edward Lear, which has been broadcast in Britain and internationally.
As a historian, Eugenia has published and lectured extensively on Greek cultural history, art and literature in the UK, Europe and the US. In her music performances she strives to combine an in-depth reading of the music with her interest in the historical context and aesthetic of each composer she features. Her love of the piano and chamber music repertoire is a significant influence in the direction her violoncello playing develops both technically and emotionally.
Klimis Voskidis studied piano performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, and continued his studies at the Royal College of Music in London, where he achieved his Master’s Degree in Music as well as the prestigious PGDip, an intensive training programme designed to hone the technique and virtuosity of advanced soloists.
Klimis is best known as a 19th century expert, having specialised during his Postgraduate studies on the larger works and collections of the core Romantic repertoire. He has performed from this repertoire as a recitalist, as well as appearing in several international masterclasses and as a soloist with the National Orchestra of Athens. In parallel, he has pursued collaborations with composers, championing new music on the concert platform and as a recording artist. A skilled and versatile musician, he has also worked with singers and instrumentalists in a variety of settings, including public performances, auditions and exams.
Klimis brings his energy and enthusiasm for live performance to his teaching and student concerts. He teaches the piano and music theory up to an advanced (Diploma) level including ABRSM Grades exams and University/College entrance. He is in great demand as a private teacher and music tutor in west and north London, for example working for the Harrow Arts Centre, Richmond Music Trust and the Music House for Children, Shepherds Bush.