GIFT OF THE BELOVED

Devised by ELIZABETH MANSFIELD

In musical collaboration with THE PEABODY TRIO

Gift of the Beloved is a unique, dramatic, musical performance, where Beethoven's two great Opus 70 Trios, No 1 in D Major 'Ghost' & No 2 in Eb Major, are interwoven with poetry from Goethe's West-Östlicher Divan - The Poems of West and East.

Goethe's great last poem, inspired by the Divan of Hafiz, the 14th century Persian poet and Sufi master, influenced Beethoven profoundly. The passages chosen were his favourites, 'underlined and tear-stained' according to Walter Knoll, his publisher friend, to whom Beethoven entrusted the collation of his personal library, after his death.

In Gift of the Beloved Elizabeth Mansfield, the Olivier Award nominated UK actress, brings these poems gloriously to life inspired by, and inspiring, the Peabody Trio.

The Peabody Trio

Violaine Melançon (violin), Natasha Brofsky (cello), Seth Knopp (piano)

"Incandescent playing of great verve and sensitivity."

Los Angeles Times

"An unforgettable experience, renewing my faith in the powers of live performance."

Philadelphia Inquirer

"A beautifully polished, lush sound...luminous."

The New York Times

Elizabeth Mansfield

"This actress gives such an awesome, powerhouse performance that the whole house literally holds its breath"

What's On in London

"A remarkable performance. Mansfield has been nominated for an Olivier Award and deserves to win it."

The Daily Telegraph, London

Visit the Peabody Trio website at: www.peabodytrio.org

PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES

November 2007	Peabody Institute, Baltimore USA
May 2005	Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
January 2004	The Chamber Music America Conference, Westin New York at Times Square, NYC, USA
September 2003	Smithsonian Freer Gallery, Washington DC, USA
June 2003	St John's Smith Square, London, UK
November 2002	Boulder and Denver, Colorado, USA
October 2002	Baltimore, Maryland USA