Violin and cello duo at Grey Towers

Violinist Mikhail Kopelman, former leader of the Tokyo and Borodin string quartets, and cellist Yosif Feigelson, an international soloist and the artistic director of Kindred Spirits Arts Programs, will perform duets by Beethoven, George Frideric Handel, and Zoltan Kodaly 5:30 p.m. on August 20 at Grey Towers National Historic Site. This “Tea for Two” concert will take place outdoors under a large canopy at Grey Towers’ Pool Pavilion.

A First, and It’s Happening Here

Kopelman and Feigelson have performed together in piano trios, but this will be the first time they have appeared as a duo. “Mikhail Kopelman’s experience and achievements in chamber music is totally unique,” says Feigelson. “I, however, have the perspective of a soloist, so for me it’s always a treat and an opportunity for new discoveries when we play together.”

Why these Duets?

Beethoven wrote this music early in his career, and it was originally for clarinet and bassoon, but it was soon adapted for string duo. “The young composer already shows mastery and imagination,” says Feigelson. “Lots of beauty and youthful vigor, too.”

Handel’s Passacaglia is the last movement in a harpsichord suite that 19th-century violinist/composer Johan Halvorsen adapted for a string duo. “It became a crowd-pleaser that explores the capabilities of instruments beyond Handel’s time,” explains Feigelson.

Kodaly’s Sonata for Violin and Cello, written in 1914, was greatly influenced by French Impressionist composers like Debussy and Ravel. He blended these influences with folk melodies of his native Hungary to produce a grand scale, rhapsodic work.

One of the surprises about this duo and the music they’ll be performing is the variety of sounds they produce. For example, sometimes the cello jolts listeners by reaching higher notes than the violin is playing. “The audience will hear all kinds of exotic sounds, especially in the Kodaly,” said Feigelson. “These include artificial harmonics mimicking folk wind and percussion instruments.”