Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and cellist Sol Gabetta will perform together in South Korea for the first time.
The Seoul Arts Center said on the 14th that the two musicians will give a duo concert at its Concert Hall on the 29th as part of its 2026 World Star Series. The pair, who have been friends for 23 years, will play a repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary music with only a violin and a cello, without piano accompaniment.
Kopatchinskaja, a native of Moldova, is known for her free-spirited stage presence — she often performs barefoot — and for her unconventional interpretations. She won a Grammy Award for "Death and the Maiden," recorded with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Gabetta, who is from Argentina, is a cellist who combines a deep tone with brilliant technique and received the Herbert von Karajan Prize in 2018. The two released a duo album, "SOL & PAT," in 2021.
The first half of the program opens with Leclair's "Tambourin" and moves through works by Widmann and Bach to Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello, performed without applause between pieces. The second half features improvisations on Bach and Kopatchinskaja's own compositions, followed by works by Ligeti and Xenakis, and closes with Kodaly's Duo, Op. 7. Kopatchinskaja will also provide commentary on the pieces herself.