14 minute read
Live Performances
Tickets or reservations are required for all live performances. The Four Arts app ■ www.fourarts.org ■ customerservice@fourarts.org ■ (561) 655-7226 All live peformances take place in the Walter S. Gubelmann Auditorium, unless noted. Doors open one hour prior to performance. Program selections are subject to change.
WU HAN INTRODUCES THE 2021-22 SEASON
Dear friends,
It is with great honor and excitement, in this my first year as artistic advisor to The Society for the Four Arts, to share an extraordinary season designed especially for you.
We open our season with collaborations with two major institutions: Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s signature performance of Bach’s six Brandenburg concertos, the very best of both worlds.
Sprinkled throughout the season are four string quartet programs performed by a diverse selection of today’s leading ensembles: the Escher, Pacifica, Danish and Brooklyn Rider Quartets, each group offering their own imaginative program, including not only master works from the quartet repertoire but also featuring significant guest artists, including clarinetist Anthony McGill, Met Opera star Susanna Phillips, and mandolinist Avi Avital. A rare performance of all of Paganini’s Caprices for solo violin, with the unusual piano accompaniments by Schumann, features violinist Sean Lee. And for piano lovers, we’ll have a complete Chopin recital by the young superstar Jan Lisiecki. Gabriela Montero and Joshua Rifkin will each bring you diverse programs featuring improvisations and lectures. Those who love baroque music can hear Les Violons Du Roy with guest pianist Jeremy Denk performing Bach’s keyboard concertos, and Copenhagen’s Trio con Brio joins this season’s visitors from Denmark.
During two special mini-festivals, I will be joined by musicians from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to explore and celebrate two extraordinary areas of the chamber music literature: the music of great Czech composer Antonin Dvořák, and the rich and diverse repertoires of Vienna, Paris, and America, concluding with Gershwin’s iconic American in Paris for piano, four hands. In addition, for Palm Beach’s younger community, we will bring one
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, trumpet, “Big Band Holidays”
A holiday performance with special guest vocalist Ashley Pezzotti
Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Jazz musician, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Wynton Marsalis has helped propel jazz to the forefront of American culture. In April 1997, he was the first jazz artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music. Enjoy an unique afternoon with Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, comprising 15 of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. $40 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Arguably the greatest of all baroque concertos, Bach’s six masterpieces unfailingly provide spiritual fulfillment for music lovers of all faiths and beliefs, inspiring strength at year’s end and a vision of the brightest future.
of CMS’s wildly popular family programs entitled “Leaping Leopold.”
I simply cannot wait to jump on stage to share all of it with you. I look forward to seeing you at the live performances.
Sunday, January 9, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Enjoy a beautiful program featuring Chopin’s Etudes and Noctunes from “a musician of unusual refinement and imagination (Boston Globe).” Jan Lisiecki’s interpretations and technique speak to a maturity beyond his age. Now 26, the Canadian performs over a hundred yearly concerts worldwide. At 18, Lisiecki became both the youngest ever recipient of Gramophone’s Young Artist Award and received the Leonard Bernstein Award. In August 2021, Deutsche Grammophon released Frédéric Chopin’s complete Nocturnes, Lisiecki’s eighth album for the prestigious label.
Escher String Quartet with Susanna Phillips, soprano
Sunday, January 16, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
The acclaimed Escher String Quartet, 2020-2021 Season Artists of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, team up for the first time with star soprano Susanna Phillips, who has sung at the Metropolitan Opera every season since her debut there in 2008. Together, they showcase a beautiful and eclectic program of chamber music: the Quartet performs works by Haydn and Dvořák while Ms. Phillips joins for vocal selections by Respighi, Dvořák, and Arthur Shepherd.
Sean Lee, violin and Peter Dugan, piano
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. $40 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
The 24 Caprices of Niccolò Paganini are thought of as the Mount Everest of the violin repertoire, rarely performed even by the most talented of violinists. But beyond the technical challenges, each Caprice is a compelling character piece — and even more colorful with the addition of Robert Schumann’s piano arrangements, which keep the original violin score unchanged. Sean Lee, who studied with violinist Ruggiero Ricci (who made the first solo violin recording in 1947), performs with longtime collaborator Peter Dugan in this special event.
LIVE PERFORMANCES Pacifica Quartet with Anthony McGill, clarinet
Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
The Pacifica Quartet joins forces with clarinetist Anthony McGill, friend and longtime collaborator, for a program that celebrates the joys of folk music. Starting with Prokofiev’s Second String Quartet, based on exuberant Kabardinian folk songs and rhythms, the musicians then perform the new Quintet for Clarinet and Strings by composer James Lee III, in its Florida premiere. The rollicking Clarinet Quintet by Carl Maria von Weber, one of the great Romantic composers of 19th century Germany, celebrates the joy of making music together after a year of isolation. Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. $40 ■ No charge for Four Arts members Generously supported by Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Forbes
Join the cast of the most sought-after dancers from “Fred Astaire Studios” to give you a glimpse into the elegant, exciting, and dynamic world of Ballroom and Latin dancing. This program will make you dream about the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot as well as the Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, Samba and many more. Be enticed and experience the wonder of sparkles and flourishing moves during an enchanting evening.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Meet The Music!: Leaping Leopold
A family-friendly live performance with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 2 p.m. $30 for adults ■ No charge for Four Arts members or ages 17 & under
Take a musical journey in the up-close and friendly world of chamber music. Mozart’s dad, Leopold, appears to tell everyone that it is he who is really responsible for his son’s genius! Leopold says he can teach anyone to be a musical genius … and he does it right on stage! Hosted by the irrepressible Bruce Adolphe and featuring CMS artists, the 1-hour program combines theater, performance, and a question and answer session. Join us for what promises to be a fun time for the whole family.
“Around Dvořák” A festival featuring three performances organized by David Finckel and Wu Han, with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Our Four Arts 2022 festival, “Around Dvořák”, centers on the music of one of history’s most beloved composers. It’s exciting to discover that the famed creator of the New World Symphony was also the composer of a great number of definitive, masterful chamber works that constitute a significant portion of our standard repertoire today. In looking and listening “around” this impressive Czech composer, we’ll encounter those who influenced, inspired, and impacted Dvořák’s creativity, surrounded by an assemblage of his most heartfelt Romantic works, both classics and novelties. Hear an individual concert or participate in a week-long residency program with a package ticket. Details on Page 59.
– David Finckel and Wu Han, Beyer Artists-in-Residence
Around Dvořák I
Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
The opening program of this year’s festival frames Dvořák with two composers who would prove to be significant inspirations in his life. The first is the father of Czech music, Bedřich Smetana, whose heartwrenching Trio served as an outlet for his grief. The second, Henry Burleigh, was a student at New York’s National Conservatory who taught Dvořák the African-American spirituals which informed some of his most famous works. Dvořák’s melodious String Quintet Op. 97, inspired by his time in Spillville, Iowa, rounds out an essential Bohemia-meets-the-New-World experience.
Around Dvořák II, with Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. $40 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
This musical banquet pairs our featured composer, Antonín Dvořák, with his early and most important champion, Johannes Brahms. It was Brahms who introduced Dvořák to the publisher Simrock, who would become a key to his success. Beginning with Slavonic and Hungarian Dances of folklike vigor for four-hand piano, the program features sets of songs by both composers as well as two instrumental masterpieces by Dvořák: his unique and charming Terzetto for two violins and viola, composed for his friends, and his exuberant second Piano Quartet, written at the behest of Simrock, which features irresistible melodies for the cello.
Around Dvořák III
Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Even seasoned chamber music listeners often have never heard of Josef Suk, but the young Czech violinist who captured both Dvořák’s admiration and the hand of his daughter in marriage is worth meeting. His famed Op. 1 Piano Quartet, which so impressed Dvořák, opens this program of unbridled passion, followed by Brahms’s dark and foreboding work for the same ensemble, graced with one of history’s most beautiful cello solos. Dvořák’s mighty Piano Quintet (considered one of the “big three” along with those by Schumann and Brahms) provides a powerful ending to an essential Dvořák experience.
Sunday, February 27, 2022, identical programs at 3 and 4:30 p.m. No charge ■ No reservations needed ■ Seating may be limited
Impassioned by their love for music and belief in its emotional power, pianists Nick Luby and Susan Zhang converted a 16-foot box truck into a fully functioning mobile concert hall, complete with lights, sound system, and piano. The Concert Truck has toured across the country, presenting concerts anywhere you can think to park a truck, redefining the concert experience and making live music accessible to all by engaging audiences with thoughtful, timely programming.
Les Violons du Roy with Jeremy Denk, piano
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. $40 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Led by charismatic, award-winning pianist Jeremy Denk, Les Violons du Roy will perform Renaissance and Baroque works culminating with J.S. Bach’s Keyboard Concerti in E Major and D Minor. Les Violons du Roy, which takes its name from the court orchestra of the French kings, plays modern instruments with period bows for Baroque and Classical music. Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists, winner of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize.
Trio con Brio Copenhagen
Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Enjoy an afternoon of Haydn, Schubert, and Shostakovich from one of the finest trios in the world. The Trio con Brio Copenhagen was formed at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna in 1999. The group features two musical pairings – the Korean-born sisters, Soo-Kyung Hong (cello) and Soo-Jin Hong (violin), and SooKyung and her husband, Danish pianist Jens Elvekjaer. The Trio con Brio Copenhagen has won over audiences worldwide with its fresh and contemporary approach.
Gabriela Montero, piano
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. $40 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Gabriela Montero’s visionary interpretations and unique compositional gifts have garnered her critical acclaim and a devoted following on the world stage. “Montero’s playing had everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power” (New York Times). Enjoy her “Innocence and Experience” program featuring works from Schumann and Shostakovich along with Montero’s own riveting improvisations.
Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Hailed as “the future of chamber music” (Strings), veteran string quartet Brooklyn Rider presents eclectic repertoire and gripping performances that draw rave reviews from classical, world, and rock critics alike. The quartet performs with Avi Avital, who previously appeared at the Four Arts in 2020. The first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy, Avital is a driving force behind the reinvigoration of the mandolin repertory.
Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. $40 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Whether in search of fame, inspiration, connections, or the simple intellectual camaraderie of its cafés, creative thinkers have been drawn to the Austrian capital of Vienna for centuries. No profession competes historically with the art of music when it comes to Vienna, an environment in which Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms bloomed and produced arguably the greatest music ever composed. This program pairs two iconic works of the late 18th century, composed by Mozart at the height of his powers and by Beethoven setting out to take Vienna by storm. To conclude, Brahms’ mighty second piano quartet synthesizes the best of both the Classical and Romantic ages, connecting Mozart and Beethoven by design (and with Schumann in spirit).
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, “An American in Paris”
Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members Generously supported by an Anonymous gift
American composers have a long history of studying in Paris. Aaron Copland and George Walker, the first African-American composer to earn a Pulitzer Prize for music, both visited the City of Lights to study with famed pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. Featured in this program is Nadia’s younger sister Lili, a supremely gifted composer who became the first female to win the Prix de Rome. Gershwin, who traveled to meet Nadia Boulanger, wrote his iconic An American in Paris there. The remaining works on the program by Ravel and Milhaud date from the heady 1920s, when jazz idioms made their way into the works of many of France’s most distinguished composers. Discover the influences one city can have in the world of music.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. $40 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Since its debut in 2002 at the Copenhagen Festival, the Danish String Quartet has become one of the most sought-after quartets in the world. The ensemble is celebrated for its musical spontaneity, giving audiences the sense of hearing even treasured canon repertoire as if for the first time, and exuding a palpable joy in music-making that makes them enormously in-demand on concert stages around the world. They will perform a program featuring Schubert’s String Quartet in D minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden” and their signature arrangements of folk music from their Scandinavian homelands.
Joshua Rifkin, piano
Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 3 p.m. $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Joshua Rifkin, whose classic recordings spearheaded the revival of Scott Joplin and ragtime, has performed the music of this essential African-American composer to acclaim and enthusiasm throughout the world. In his Four Arts debut, he brings Joplin into dialogue with his great Brazilian counterpart, the tango master Ernesto Nazareth. North and south, the music enchants, delights, and stirs the emotions. Presented in conjuction with Joshua Rifkin’s Campus on the Lake lecture, “Genuine Negro Ragtime: Scott Joplin’s African-American Identity,” on April 6 at 3 p.m. (see Page 54).
An Afternoon with Dailey & Vincent
Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 3 p.m. ■ $30 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Backed by one of the best bands on tour, Dailey & Vincent’s sound is a concoction of traditional country, gospel and bluegrass blended with the fantastically instinctive vocal blends of Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s reedy harmonies. The duo is riding a wave of critical acclaim for their brand-new release, Patriots & Poets, as well as their nationally broadcast weekly TV series, The Dailey & Vincent Show, on RFD-TV.
Photo credits
(If not listed below, photo was supplied courtesy of the artist or management company)
Page 18 Wu Han - Lisa-Marie Mazzucco Wynton Marsalis - Piper Ferguson
Page 19 Jan Lisiecki - Christoph Köstlin Susanna Phillips - Dario Acosta Anthony McGill - Matthew Septimus “Leaping Leopold” - Roger Roth
Page 21 Around Dvořák - Cherylyn Tsushima
Page 22 Les Violons du Roy - Michel Robitaille Jeremy Denk - Michael Wilson Gabriela Montero - Anders Brogaard Page 23 Brooklyn Rider - Erin Baiano Avi Avital - Christoph Kîstlin “Stars of Vienna” - Tristan Cook “An American in Paris” - Ameila Panico
Page 24 Danish String Quartet - Caroline Bittencourt Joshua Rifkin - Jan Kobel
