2019 SEASON
AUGUST 23-31
Opening Night: Schubert’s Cello Quintet
Jean-Baptiste Barrière — Sonata for Two Cellos in G major (1737-40)
Antonín Dvorák — Terzetto for Two Violins and Viola in C major, Op. 74 (1887)
Franz Schubert — Quintet for Two Violins, Viola, and Two Cellos in C major, D. 956 (1828)
Two of Franz Schubert’s most beloved works, the Cello and Trout Quintets, bookend the Music on the Strait’s 2019 Season. Written in the final weeks of his short life, Shubert’s sublime Quintet in C was his last instrumental work and remains a treasured piece of the chamber music repertory. This program also features Jean-Baptiste Barriere’s seldom-heard Sonata for Two Cellos in G and Dvorak’s playful Terzetto for Two Violins and Viola.
Ani Aznavoorian plays Shostakovich
Saturday, August 24
7pm
6:15pm pre-concert talk with Lisa Bergman
Maier Hall at Peninsula College
Sergei Prokofiev — Sonata for Two Violins in C major, Op. 56 (1932)
Dmitri Shostakovich — Sonata for Cello and Piano in D major, Op. 40 (1934)
Amy Beach — Piano Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 67 (1907)
Composed just two years apart, Prokofiev’s Sonata for Two Violins and Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata capture the dynamic spirits of two Soviet contemporaries—both of whom were celebrated as national heroes by Stalin while simultaneously struggling to create under his oppressive regime. Ironically, Prokofiev died on the same day as Stalin, just hours before. Festival favorite Ani Aznavoorian returns to perform Shostakovich’s graceful and lyrical Cello Sonata in D. The second half of the program features American composer Amy Beach’s lush and romantic Piano Quintet in F minor. This underperformed masterpiece combines the language of Brahms with forward-looking harmonies and a uniquely American spirit.
Stefan Jackiw and Orion Weiss in Recital
Johann Sebastian Bach — Sonata for Violin and Keyboard in B minor, BWV 1014 (1717-23)
Aaron Copland — Sonata for Violin and Piano (1943)
Clara Schumann — Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22 (1853)
Johannes Brahms — Sonata No 3 in D minor, Op. 108 (1888)
Two of America’s leading concert soloists—violinist Stefan Jackiw and pianist Orion Weiss—unite for a captivating performance of Bach, Lutoslowski, and Beethoven. Come hear the magic of this celebrated duo and get to know both of our 2019 Music on the Strait Special Guest Artists!
Quartet(s) for the End of Time
Steve Reich — Different Trains for String Quartet and Tape (1989)
Elliott Carter — Elegy for Viola and Piano (1943)
Olivier Messiaen — Quartet for the End of Time (1941)
In 1940, 31-year-old Olivier Messiaen was captured during the German Invasion at Verdun, France. While held captive at the Stalag prisoner-of-war camp in Görlitz, Germany, Messiaen managed to craft and enduring masterpiece of ethereal beauty: Quartet for the End of Time. Considered one of the greatest works of the twentieth century, Messiaen’s composition was inspired by his deep Catholic faith. The piece uniquely reflects his environmental constraints; it is written for the unusual combination of clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, the players available to him at the camp. This program also features another twentieth-century masterpiece by Steve Reich, a pioneer of the minimalist music movement. The work’s three movements (America—Before the War, Europe—During the War, and After the War) transport the listener through an impactful, powerful journey.
A Community Grand Finale:
Schubert’s Trout Quintet
PAY WHAT YOU CAN!
Johannes Brahms — Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B-minor, Op. 115 (1891)
Ernő Dohnányi — Pastorale on a Hungarian Christmas Song for Solo Piano (1920)
Franz Schubert — Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 “Trout” (1819)
All are welcome at our Music on the Strait 2019 Grand Finale! Bring your neighbors, friends, and family to this pay-what-you-can community concert. In closing our second season, we’re pleased to share some of our all-time favorite works of chamber music by Brahms, Dohnányi, and Schubert. Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet is one of the most well-loved pieces in the repertoire and features Stefan Jackiw and clarinetist Yoonah Kim. This program concludes with Schubert’s beloved Trout Quintet, featuring pianist Orion Weiss alongside Port Angeles-raised double-bassist Steve Schermer. We’ll close our 2019 season with five musicians on stage, three of whom were raised on our very own Olympic Peninsula.