Berlin-based violinist Claire Wells makes her debut with a program that moves boldly between fragmentation and renewal. The evening begins with the dissolving forms of Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen, before reaching an electrifying peak in Jörg Widmann’s visceral Etude No. 3. From there, the music turns inward, toward the warmth of Johannes Brahms and the rhythmic vitality of Béla Bartók, restoring clarity, lyricism, and emotional grounding.

Program

DEBUSSY: Violin Sonata, L. 140
MESSIAEN: Thème et variations
JÖRG WIDMANN: Etude No. 3 for solo violin
BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100
BARTOK: Rhapsody No. 2, Sz. 90

“My debut program starts as an unraveling of traditional forms, beginning with French repertoire and Widmann’s explosive dissolution of harmony. After the dust settles, we experience a sense of restoration in the grounded lyricism of Brahms, and a celebration of being home in the folk-inspired Bartók. Through these singularly powerful pieces, I invite you to experience a story of departure and return.”

– Claire Wells, violin