Chamber Projects

“Performances such as the one given by Wu Han and friends at South Mountain are the stuff of legend. When a chamber music performance is both easygoing and insanely precise, the underlying substance of it has a way of penetrating deeply into the human psyche. That’s what it’s all about for Han, Finckel, and the people with whom they work. They are defining, in real time, the very essence of chamber music.”

In recent seasons, David Finckel and Wu Han have appeared frequently with violinist Philip Setzer—David Finckel’s colleague in the legendary Emerson String Quartet for more than three decades—in performances of the piano trio literature. The trio has been met with critical acclaim worldwide. Of their performance of the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Utah Symphony, Reichel Recommends wrote, “It used to be the Beaux Arts Trio that other piano trios had to look up to and attempt to emulate. Now it’s the Han-Setzer-Finckel triumvirate that is the standard bearer.” In addition to their concert activities, the artists have recorded the piano trios of Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Dvořák on the ArtistLed label, and embark on trios by Beethoven and more in the 2018–19 concert season.

David Finckel and Wu Han relish sharing the stage with long time colleagues Daniel Hope and Paul Neubauer. During the 2016-17 season, the artists embarked on a 12-city tour through Europe and North America. Capturing the unique synergy among the players, Deutsche Grammophon released a live recording of their New York recital at Lincoln Center featuring works by Mahler, Schumann, and Brahms. The piano quartet reunites this winter and tours the United States.

As Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS), David Finckel and Wu Han design the programming and can be heard in performance in New York City and on tour around the world. In keeping with its mission to develop audiences for chamber music, both nationally and internationally, CMS presents on average 70 performances per season outside of New York City, including concerts in North America, Europe and Asia – all providing the same consistent, extraordinary quality of performances, beautifully crafted and engaging programs, and the opportunity to hear the world’s foremost chamber musicians.

CMS is one of eleven constituents of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts complex in the world. The Chamber Music Society has its home in Alice Tully Hall. Through its performance, education, and recording/broadcast activities, it draws more people to chamber music than any other organization of its kind.