Purdue News

February 2, 2001 Thibaud String Trio plays completely from memory WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Jacques Thibaud String Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, in Fowler Hall. Admission is $9. Tickets can be purchased at Purdue box offices or charge by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. The performance is presented by Purdue Convocations as part of the Discovery Series. The German trio consists of violinist Burkhard Maiss, violist Philip Douvier and cellist Uwe Hirth-Schmidt and pays homage with its name to the great French violinist Jacques Thibaud. Born in 1880, Thibaud devoted himself to chamber music in addition to his activities as a soloist. Many of the great musicians of his time found their way to his Paris apartment to play with him. At 73, while still maintaining an international performance schedule, Thibaud was killed in a plane crash. The trio was founded at the Berlin School of Art in 1994 and first toured that same year. Since then, the trio has toured the United States, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan and Scandinavia. Audiences frequently take note of the group because its members play from memory, which is uncommon among today’s chamber ensembles. In the summer of 1997, the trio’s first U.S. tour received positive responses from audiences and critics. The Los Angeles Times said, "Their playing had authority as well as heat; indeed, it proved both compelling and graceful." Among the renowned musicians the trio has worked with are Thomas Brandis and Wolfgang Boettcher of the Brandis Quartet, Ilan Gronich of the Kreuzberg Quartet, Adolphe Mandeau, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Koji Toyoda and Laszlo Varga. The Fowler Hall performance will include works by Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and Dohnanyi. CONTACT: Larry Sommers, Purdue Convocations, (765) 494-5045, lsommers@purdue.edu. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A publication-quality photograph of the Jacques Thibaud String Trio is available on the ftp site. Photo ID: Thibaud.jpeg To the Purdue News and Photos Page