Saturday 8th March, 2025 at 7.45 pm

Two pianists – four hands

Elena Kats-Chernin and Tamara Cislowska were back in Yass for the third time! Their program consisted entirely of Kats-Chernin’s own compositions, including her beloved “Eliza Aria”, and the well-known “Unsent Love Letters”, a meditation on Erik Satie’s work and unrequited love. “Slicked Back Tango” and “Russian Rag” book-ended the program with Kats-Chernin’s characteristic energy and vibrancy, contrasting with the delicate sensitivity of “Bird on the bench”, “Remember when” and the selection from “Thirteen Glimpses for William”.

The program also included a surprise “Mystery Piece”. Kats-Chernin invited the audience to participate in creating a new composition on the spot! Audience members called out suggested notes, keys, and chords, and Kats-Chernin disappeared off stage for a few minutes, coming back with not one, but two, instant compositions based on our suggestions! And the compositions were exquisite! After the concert, Elena presented the hand-written scores to our president, Peter Crisp.

In the meantime, Tamara-Anna Cislowska stunned us with a performance of a Rachmaninov prelude. Our beautiful Steinway Grand resounded with her brilliance. What power!

Throughout the performance, the two friends’ warm personalities shone through and enchanted the audience. It feels as if these two outstanding musicians have become true friends of the Yass Music Club.

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Elena Kats-Chernin is one of the Australia’s best loved composers. Her extensive output includes works in almost all classical genres, and she has received numerous commissions from internationally renowned orchestras and institutions. Her distinctive musical language reflects her singular personal history, from Tashkent over Moscow and Germany to Australia. Her bittersweet harmonies and rhythmic pulsing melodies are redolent of Russian folk music and traditional jazz. Some of her most famous works include the Eliza Aria, the Alexander Rag and her Unsent Love Letters – mediations on Erik Satie.

Tamara-Anna Cislowska is one of Australia’s most renowned, ARIA award-winning pianists, performing and recording in Australia and internationally to critical and public acclaim. Earning international prizes in London, Italy and Greece such as the Rovere d’Oro, and touring Japan and the USA as cultural ambassador for Australia, Tamara’s accolades include ABC Young Performer of the Year, the Freedman Fellowship, an Art Music Award for ‘Performance of the Year’ (ACT) and the 2015 ARIA award for ‘Best Classical Album’. With millions of streams on Spotify alone, Tamara is also celebrated as a regular presenter on ABC Classic FM including her weekly show, Duet; as curator and music director, librettist, and now, composer.

Elena Kats-Chernin and Tamara-Anna Cislowska performed for Yass Music Club in 2018 and 2021. Their performance was a top favourite for Yass music lovers, and so we were delighted to welcome them back to play again on our beautiful Steinway Grand.