The second week of Bay Chamber Concerts' Summer Series promises to be as enchanting as the first. On Thursday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rockport Opera House, the sounds of sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven and Janacek will fill the air. The duo of violinist Benjamin Beilman and pianist Andrew Tyson has been praised for their remarkable talent and passionate performances.

Beilman, whose “ ... handsome technique, burnished sound and quiet confidence [shows] why he has come so far so fast ...” (The New York Times) is returning to Bay Chamber for his second season. He has appeared as soloist with the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall, as well as with the London Philharmonic.

Hailed by BBC Radio 3 as “ ... a real poet of the piano,” Andrew Tyson is emerging as a distinctive and important new musical voice. He is consistently recognized for his commanding and expressive performances, replete with imaginative interpretations and exceptional artistry. Andrew Tyson has performed throughout the United States and Europe, appearing to rave reviews as a soloist.

Opening night features the works of three composers, beginning with Mozart's Violin Sonata in G Major, K. 301. The piece is one of 33 sonatas he wrote for piano and violin and consists of two movements, the first spirited and impulsive, the second more gracious and relaxed.

Leos Janácek was a Czechoslovakian nationalist, strongly influenced by the folk music of his native land. His Violin Sonata was conceived in 1914 and reflects the angst that pervaded the outlying territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the outbreak of World War I.

Beethoven's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 10 in G Major, known for its richness and complexity, was written for the French violinist Pierre Rode and dedicated to one of his patrons, Archduke Rudolph.

The Friday Night Series

The following night, Friday July 18 at 9 p.m., in the intimate setting of Union Hall, Beilman and Tyson will captivate their audience with three more exquisite sonatas by Dvorak, Debussy, and Beethoven. The Friday Café Concerts, sponsored by Macy's, feature specially curated wines for purchase before the performance.

The Friday night series features three dramatic works beginning with Antonin Dvorak's Sonatina in G Major, Op. 100. The music Dvorák wrote in the U.S. has often inspired listeners to nonsensical flights of the imagination. Debussy's Sonata for Violin and Piano was written in 1915 as an expression of his French patriotism.

And finally, Beethoven's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in E Flat Major was considered daring to his contemporaries for whom violin sonatas were generally hausmusik (house music) with the violin subordinated to the family keyboard instruments. Beethoven made the violin equally prominent, and his rhetorical style, with its unusual key changes, was somewhat avant-garde.

Tickets for these concerts can be purchased in advance by calling 207-236-2823. Or stop by Bay Chamber Concerts and Music School at 18 Central Street, Rockport. Tickets are also available in limited quantities at the door prior to concerts. To avoid the five dollar order fee that applies, tickets are available online at www.baychamberconcerts.org.

The Rockport Opera House is located at 6 Central Street, Rockport.