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Come join us!

Welcome to SkanFest! Everywhere we go, people ask us about the Skaneateles Festival. Is it really as beautiful there as everyone says? Yes. Are you looking forward to the Festival? Yes! What do you have in store for the programs? Well, … An exciting and diverse roster of over 75 artists from around the country and the world will join us at the Festival this summer. Many of them are at the absolute forefront of what they do: from Metropolitan Opera soprano Lisette Oropesa (“irresistible,” New York Times); to the Miró Quartet (“exceptional,” New York Times); to jazz sensation Joshua Redman (“a knockout,” New York Times); to leading Klezmer innovator David Krakauer (“electrifying,” New York Times); to Grammy-winning vocal octet Roomful of Teeth (“pure joy,” Boston Globe); to the New York Philharmonic’s principal clarinetist, Anthony McGill (“radiant,” Baltimore Sun)—these are performers everywhere in demand.

Artistic Directors Aaron Wunsch & Julia Bruskin

When we speak with them, they often express how much they are genuinely looking forward to their arrival in Skaneateles. We tell them: wait until you meet the audience! We don’t know a community anywhere that loves its Festival more than Skaneateles. Talented and enthusiastic performers encouraged by an appreciative and supportive audience: This is a recipe for truly great music making.

pg. 6

Jennifer Koh

Matching the performers with each other and with music to perform is one of our joys as artistic directors. We hope that in every program you will find something moving, something surprising, and something uplifting. If you return for more than one program (and we hope you will!), you may notice some themes emerge from among all the diverse artists and musical selections:

pg. 10

Claremont Trio pg. 22

Anthony McGill

Instrument Spotlight: The Clarinet—Hear several of the world’s great clarinetists show how versatile their instrument really is: From the lyrical elegance of Mozart, to the folk rhythms of Bartók, to the wild flourishes of Klezmer, hear an astonishing emotional range from this small piece of wood. Folk Roots—For all of its elevated aspirations, this summer’s music stays grounded in the melodies and rhythms of folk culture. Hear the sounds of American bluegrass, Jewish Klezmer, Inuit throat singing, as well as melodies from Israel, Ireland, Italy… and that’s just the “I’s.”

pg. 28

Dynamic Duos—More than your average ‘solo and accompaniment,’ these dramatic and virtuosic duos explore the ups and downs between two absolutely equal individuals—from argument, to agreement, to agree-to-disagree.

pg. 36

Joshua Redman pg. 64

Composer Spotlight: Judd Greenstein—Up-and-coming composer Judd Greenstein has helped to break down the walls between classical and pop without losing depth or a sense of fun. Hear his works during the Festival—let them engage your mind, heart, and foot (tapping). We feel so fortunate to be joining the Skaneateles community this season, and it is an honor and a pleasure to work with such a dedicated staff and volunteers. We truly hope your experience with the music—and with each other—is a memorable one. Please introduce yourself and share with us your thoughts on what you hear! We will be right there with you, taking it all in. 1

Skaneateles Festival

2015

Board of Directors

Advisory Council

Administration

Dave Birchenough, President Doug Sutherland, Vice President George Bain, Treasurer Bill Mahood and Ginny Marty, Co-Secretaries John King Joan Christy Bill Lynn Edward Conan Amy Neumann Barb Connor Louise Robinson Jessica Danial Margaret Sovik David Duggan Michael Tutor Scott Hafler Doug Whitehouse Dana Hall Joyce Jowaisas

Thomas Bersani Ellen Bifano Beth Boudreau Mary Cotter William Davis John DeFrancisco Michael P. Falcone Lindsay Groves Claire Howard Daniel Labeille Andy Latchem Sharon Magee Andrew Ramsgard David Robinson (1924-2006)

Susan Mark, Executive Director Aaron Wunsch and Julia Bruskin, Artistic Directors Steve Frackenpohl, Operations Manager Jessica Boyce, Executive Assistant Christine Grayton, Communications Coordinator Sandi Frackenpohl, Housing Coordinator Meaghan Mark, Coordinator of Support Services Chris Niebuhr, Assistant Stage Manager Alex Van Riper, Dom Grasso, Joe Hagen, Stage Assistants Outside the Box Business Solutions, Bookkeeping & Ad Sales Nancy Boyce, Graphic Designer & Media Buyer

A Special Thank You to our 2014 Volunteers Diane and Mark Aberi George Bain Miki Bangs Alyssa Blount Ann Marie Bergold Dave Birchenough and Carrie Lazarus Tom and Arlene Bloomer Mark Bostick and Connie Walters Nancy, Jessy and Lee Boyce Mary Bradly Lynn Brown Carol Brownscheidle Carol Bryant Judy Bryant Betsy Burton Corinne and Bill Buterbaugh Patti and Bud Carey Maryellen Casey and Bruce Keplinger Linda and Steve Chow Joan Christy and Tom Bersani Victoria Clark

Diana Cramer Dan Cochrane Paula and Ed Conan Barbara Connor and Doug Wood Carol Ann Cook Susan Dailey Mary Dooley Evan and Liz Dreyfuss Kim and Charley Driscoll Bill Eberhardt, Sherwood Inn Hamilton and Fran Fish Paul and Erika Fiutak Steve and Sandi Frackenpohl Pam Freeman Koko Fuller Marianne Gage Mary Gardner Judy Gelston Alex and Donna Giambartolomei Mary Gomoll-Granicz David Graham Joe and Dom Grasso

Holly Gregg and Patience Brewster Georgina Gregory Dana and Susan Hall Scott Heinekamp Katie Hess Tom Higgins Donna Himelfarb Amy Heuber Claire and Rob Howard and family Don Hughes Mary Knepper Myron and Luba Kopchynsky Wendy and John Kopley Kay Kraatz Josephine Kress Craig Lindsey and the First Presbyterian Church Sharon, Marshall, Kathryn and Grace Magee Bill and Miki Mahood Peggy and John Manring Ellie McGaan

Donna Merchant Madonna and Jeff Meyer James and Nancy Mion Peter Moller Margaret Murray Richard Naughton Bob and Sally Neumann Jim and Patti Nocek, Anyela’s Vineyards Beth Oddy Tim and JoDean Orcutt Jeff Paston Bob and Christine Pierce Mimi Purington Debbie and Greg Quick Daniel and Lisa Riordan Louise Robinson Anne Roth Rosalind Schwartz Sharon Slater Mona Smalley Carolyn Smith Peter and Elsa Soderberg

Margaret Sovik Anita Sterns Jan Sterling Don and Chacea Sundman Peggy Surdam Jennifer Sutherland Eugene and Joan Tarolli Lisa Terhune Joan Thomsen John and Glenys Tobin Margaret Usdansky and Gustav Niebuhr Gail van der Linde Patty Weisse and George Thomas Suzanne Weitz Jo and Bob Werner Margaret White Doug and Peg Whitehouse Susan Wolstenholme Sheryl Woodmansee

A special thanks to all the volunteers and cooks who made Summer Suite such a great success.

Acknowledgements Louise Robinson, Brook Farm – Concert Location & Hospitality Artist Pianos – Steinway Pianos Maryellen Casey and Bruce Keplinger, “Cybersolvers” – Webmaster and Computer Coordinator Maryellen Casey and Bruce Keplinger; Elizabeth and Evan Dreyfuss; Sue and Dana Hall; Koko Fuller; Mandan Inn; Doug and Judy Robertson; Sherwood Inn; Chacea and Don Sundman; and Festival Friends – Musician Dinners Joan Christy – Musician Dinners and Guarantor Reception

Programs and artists subject to change. © The Skaneateles Festival 2015

First Presbyterian Church – Concert Location Koko Fuller – Ticket Sales ChaseDesign – Brochure and Program Cover Design Skaneateles High School – Music Stands & Percussion Arthur Nick Smith – Piano Tuning Pete and Danette Davis – Photography Marcellus High School – Percussion Eastman School of Music and Cornell University – Percussion Many thanks to the generous Skaneateles residents who open their homes to the Festival’s visiting musicians.

Brook Farm

Built in 1902, Brook Farm is on the National Register of Historic Places and is privately owned.

➧ The house is available to musicians and staff only. Enjoy the concert and please carry-in/carry-out your picnic supplies.

First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles, NY UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Huntley Brown, pianist Sunday, Sept. 13 time TBA

Syracuse Vocal Ensemble Saturday, Oct 24 • 6:30 pm 97 East Genesee Street • Skaneateles, NY 13152 Phone: (315) 685-5048

skanpresby.org 3

Thank you to all the Skaneateles Festival Donors!

Gifts received as of July 28, 2015

Guarantor Society Roland and Tacie Anderson Artist Pianos George Bain Barclay Damon Dave Birchenough and Carrie Lazarus Gwen and Bill Birchenough Mark and Lou Bitz Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC Rick and Ann Capozza Maryellen Casey and Bruce Keplinger ChaseDesign Joan Christy and Tom Bersani

Ed and Paula Conan Bob and Sue Congel Barb Connor and Doug Wood Jessica and Patrick Danial The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation David Duggan and Lynn Cleary Penny Eger Michael and Noreen Falcone Michael P. Falcone and Nicole Ruvo Finger Lakes Radio Group Fletcher Foundation Koko Fuller Donna Graber, Planning Sense

Holly Gregg and Patience Brewster Grossman St. Amour, CPAs PLLC Scott Hafler iHeart Media The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Bob and Sally Neumann New York State Council on the Arts NewsChannel 9 WSYR Onondaga County and CNY Arts

Faye Panasci Andrew and Sherie Ramsgard, Whole Mental Wellness Doug and Judy Robertson Louise Robinson Carl Schramm and Ellyn Brown Jary and Julie Shimer Peter and Elsa Soderberg Donald and Chacea Sundman Doug Sutherland and Nancy Kramer Jennifer Sutherland Sieglinde Wikstrom WCNY Public Television & Radio WSKG Public Broadcasting

David Graham Joseph and Marie Grasso Dana and Susan Hall Tom and Gretchen Jeffers Joyce and Robin Jowaisas Linda and Bruce Kenan John and Maren King Paul and Elizabeth Koenig Andrea Latchem

Sutton Real Estate Marshall and Sharon Magee Ginny and Fred Marty Peter and Betsy McKinnell Dan and Kathleen Mezzalingua Chris and Amy Neumann Robert and Christine Pierce Jack and Judy Varney

Leah Weinberg and Paul Barron James and Salli Tuozzolo Leah Weinberg and Paul Barron WAER Syracuse Public Media Welch Allyn WRVO Public Media

Jean Eygnor Hamilton and Fran Fish Susan Klenk Bill and Miki Mahood Susan Mark

Mr. and Mrs. Raul Martinez Fred and Ginny Marty The Allyn Foundation Frank and Frances Revoir Foundation

David Rubin and Tina Press Paul and Mary Torrisi Dan Walding, Bentley-Hall, Inc. Bob and Jo Werner

Scott Heinekamp Joe and Mary Ellen Hennigan Sally Holben Jack and Ruth Howard Jackie Keady Mary Knepper Wendy and John Kopley Barbara Kotula Carol Krumhansl and Jeffrey Roberts Joan and Ted Kuck Jeff and Wendy LaDuca Elizabeth Liddy John MacAllister and Laurel Moranz Clifford and Lucille MacBroom Scott MacRae

Mr. and Mrs. James Marquardt John and Candace Marsellus Susan Martineau Gary and Carolyn Mucci Sean and Laura O’Keefe Lynne Pascale Dick and Kim Poppa Tom and Camille Potter Greg and Debbie Quick Radon Home Services, Inc. Raz Rahman Nick and Linda Rossi Al and Vicky Sabin Bob and Lynne Scheer Marilyn and James Seago Gary and Ginny Shanley

Jean Shook and Chris Johnson Jason Slottje and Pamela Preston David and Deirdre Stam Jeffrey Stannard Jan Sterling Judith Stoikov and Richard Miller John Sutter Cynthia Tracy John and Jean Vincent Ben and Eleanor Ware Dr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Wickwire Charles and Nancy Williams Chuck and Reenie Wilson Joseph and Maureen Wilson

Benefactor Jim and Karin Blute The Bonadio Group Sam and Debby Bruskin Patti and Bud Carey Stephen and Linda Chow Columbian Foundation Sid and Suzanne Devorsetz Evan and Elizabeth Dreyfuss Franklin Lofts, LLC

Gold Patron Henry and Helga Beck Craig and Kathleen Byrum Patti and Bud Carey Guy and Nancy Easter Robert and Nicolena Errico

Patron

Bernard and Lilian Asher Ed and Sharon Barno Mary Bradly Alan and Joan Coates Nancy Collins Lawrence Cummings and Mary Ellen Andrews Susan T. Dailey Sid and Suzanne Devorsetz Myron and Barbara Egtvedt Alan Fischler and Karen McDonald Hamilton and Fran Fish Steven and Sandi Frackenpohl Ron and Rose Ann Gay Steve and Anne Hahn Marilyn and Walter Hannig

Contributor Matteo and Rose Bartolotta Ann Marie Bergold Dave and Pat Blackwell Barbara Bloom Jim and Cindy Bright Hal and Peggy Brown Carol Bryant Andres and Monique Cardenes Curt and Joyce Carlson Elaine Ceresko Jim and Sharon Cirincione Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Clark Phyllis Clark Rev. Becky and Kip Coerper Theresa Coleton Paul and Gail Cowley Diana Cramer Jim and Cecilia Curley Auburn Public Theater Mickey and Johanna Dalton David and Lisa de Silva Terry and Bill Delavan Kate DiDonato Anna and Ed Egert Robert Eggleston

Thomas Eldred Barbara Evans Dorothy Fagerstrom Bob and Kay Fagliarone Paul and Erika Fiutak John V. Frank David Ying and Elinor Freer Mona and Coburn Freer Robert and Kathleen Garofalo Alex and Donna Giambartolomei Thomas and Louise Gilhooley Children’s Health Specialists Gloria and Joshua Goldberg Bob and Val Gray William and Ann Griffith Agnes E. Griffith, Ph.D Jinnette Grimes Dorothy Hauk Jim and Patty Hertz Mary and Mark Hetrick Rich and Debbie Hole Bob and Barbara Holloway Joseph and Eleanor Hubbard

Dr. and Mrs. Peter Huntington Lin Kroeger and Alan Johnson Alfred Kelly and Sharon Burke Ted and Kathy Kinder Stephen and Terry Kline Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Koziol Daniel and Grace Labeille Edward and Carol Lipson Frank Lomax Gard Lorey, DDS and Sean Smith, DDS, PC George and Barbara Lowe Dawn and Guy Mackenzie Cliff and Roberta Malzman Loretta Marx Edward Mazur James Mostrom Sandi Mulconry Eileen Murphy and CJ Ryan Margaret Usdansky and Gustav Niebuhr JoDean and Timothy Orcutt Bruce and Margaret Osborne Nicholas Palumbo

Lawrence and Janet Ruston Louis Green and Nanette Sable Milton Sack Carrie and Chris Scholz Sharon Slater Margaret Sovik Dr. and Mrs. Ken Spitzer Elena and Wolfram Stahl Carol and William Stokes-Cawley Holly Strong Eugene and Joan Tarolli Nancy E. Tiedemann Steve and Kathy Totman Ron and Jane Walsh Syracuse Anesthesia and Pain Management Pl Richard and Ann Wasiewicz Mark Watkins and Brenda Silverman Don and Mary Anne Winfield Susan Wolstenholme Bob and Jeanne Young Joyce Zadzilka

Brian Brundage and Pam Foresman Polly Gardner Amandy and Wolfgang Geihe Marilyn Giancola Tranquility Salon Michael and Helen Glowacki Nancy Graham Louise Harpster Mary Louise Hartenstein William and Karen Havens Bob Hiemenz Thomas Higgins Perry and Dottie Howland Diane M. Johnson Richard and Mary Lee Kokosa

Elizabeth Kolodney and Barbara Sutton Myron and Luba Kopchynsky Jim and Kimball Kraus Claudia and Thomas Lambdin James and Jane Lanshe Rev. Frank Lioi Ed Little Eric Vandewater and Rebecca Mays-Vandewater Margaret Merli Peter Moller Richard Moscarito Virginia Muggleton David and Janet Muir Richard Naughton

Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Panner Elizabeth Patton Victor Poleshuck Tuni and Robert Rodormer Lisa Rosecrans Edith Schmitz Janet and Vito Sciscioli Carolyn and Richard Smith Terrance and Mary Frances Squires Joan Thomsen Glenys and Jack Tobin Patty Weisse and George Thomas Laura Yelinek

Daniel and Grace Labeille Andrea Latchem William and Anne Lynn Marshall and Sharon Magee Susan Mark and Mary Knepper Gardner and Lynn McLean Bob and Sally Neumann Susan and David Palen Fred and Marna Plank David and Maria Rapasadi Linda and Dan Roche Dan and Lisa Riordan

Agnes Robert John and Carol Shannon Jary and Julie Shimer Beverly and Doug Smith Peter and Elsa Soderberg Margaret Sovik Jan Sterling Doug Sutherland and Nancy Kramer Glenys and Jack Tobin Lauren and Peter Waite Kendra and Don Witter

Member Mary Ann Baner Bernie and Ona Cohn Bregman David and Lynn Brown Patti Callahan Jeff and Marybeth Carlberg Kathryn Carlson John and Lucia Cataldo Mary and Steven Ching Victoria Clark Lynn K. Cornachio Dick and Claire Damaske Carol Delaney Dennis and Barbara Dundon Eleanor Filburn

In Memory of Colleen Fisher Carolyn and Frederic Abbott Janet Allyn Dave Birchenough and Carrie Lazarus Mark and Lou Bitz Judy Bryant Patti and Bud Cary Bradley and Sarah Cates Stephen and Linda Chow Joan Christy and Tom Bersani Linda and Lloyd Cline Michael and Dottie Cogswell

Barb Connor and Doug Wood Susie Dailey David Duggan and Lynn Cleary Mr. and Mrs. Peter Emerson Hamilton and Fran Fish David Ying and Elinor Freer Robert and Kathleen Garofalo Joseph and Marie Grasso William and Karen Havens Jim and Patty Hertz Jackie Keady Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Koziol

FUN at the Festival Educational events for all!

KIDSFEST AND WORKSHOPS ARE SPONSORED BY:

The Panasci Family and the Fletcher Foundation

Aesop’s Fables: Music and Stories with Susan Reed

Julie Abbott-Kenan, guest narrator FREE Event • Wednesday, August 12, 11:00 AM • First Presbyterian Church Nationally recognized singer-songwriter, violinist, banjo player and storyteller Susan Reed captures the hearts and imaginations of audiences of all ages with her delightful blend of folk music and stories. Festival musicians join Susan to weave together Aesop’s beloved fables with her own original songs in a participatory program sure to be a lot of fun. Check out Susan’s original song UP, UP, UP! which has 1.8 million hits on YouTube! Susan Reed, storyteller/singer/musician

Krazy Klezmer with David Krakauer FREE Event • Friday, August 28, 11:00 AM • First Presbyterian Church Explore the fascinating sounds of klezmer, the vibrant Jewish folk music sure to make you get up and dance. The one and only David Krakauer, an international klezmer star, leads his band of clarinet, accordion, bass, and drums in this entertaining program for kids of all ages.

Music Workshops

Wednesday, August 26, 11:00 AM • First Presbyterian Church For music students of all ages and levels. All instruments welcome. With: Artistic Directors Julia Bruskin and Aaron Wunsch Please Note: Pre-registration is required – students interested in participating can find the registration form online at www.skanfest.org or call 685-7418.

Beethoven’s Fingerprints 2:00 PM • First Presbyterian Church Three Classes – Tuesdays, August 18, 25 and September 1 This season the Festival launches a new educational initiative, open to all. Festival Artistic Director Aaron Wunsch, a professor at the Juilliard School, will teach the first course. Learn the basics of reading a musical score by following Beethoven as he composes his String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3 (“Razumovsky”). Multimedia presentations explore the ups and downs of Beethoven’s life at the time, his first sketches for the quartet, his complete manuscript, and the finished score, culminating in a Festival performance of the piece by the Miró Quartet. Whether or not you have any background in music, you will further your skills and learn secrets about one of music’s towering figures.

Concert – September 2 Hear Beethoven’s exuberant “Razumovsky” Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3, with a multimedia introduction by Festival Artistic Director, Aaron Wunsch, followed by a Q&A with the Miró Quartet. Order tickets online at skanfest.org or call (315) 685-7418

The Skaneateles Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Ways to Support YOUR Skaneateles Festival DONATE for Music Today Donate today and support the 2015 season. Your gift will be recognized in next year’s program.

SPONSORSHIP for 2016 Sponsor a concert or musician for the 2016 season. Your gift of $1,500 or more can sponsor a musician or an entire concert in 2016. Your gift will be recognized in next year’s program and you will be invited to meet the musicians.

ENDOWMENT for the Future Your gift can provide beautiful music forever… when you donate to the Festival endowment fund.

PLANNED GIVING Forever... Your planned gift can demonstrate your love of music and your continued commitment to the community that is the Skaneateles Festival.

Yes, I want to help the Skaneateles Festival.

o Donate for music today o Sponsorship for 2016 o Please contact me to discuss my gift options. Name ______________________________________ Address ____________________________________ City _______________________________________ State ____________________ Zip_______________

I would like to make a tax-deductible gift to the Skaneateles Festival at the following level (all donations received this summer are recognized in the following year’s program book): o Guarantor Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2000 and up o Benefactor Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1000-1999 o Gold Patron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500-999 o Patron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $200-499 o Contributor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100-199 o Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50-99

o Check enclosed. Make checks payable to: Skaneateles Festival o Charge my: o Visa o Mastercard Card # ___________________________________________________

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Mail to: Skaneateles Festival, 97 E. Genesee Street, Skaneateles, NY 13152 For more information call 315-685-7418 Donate online at: www.skanfest.org 7

WEEK 1

Summer Suite

Wednesday, August 12 6:30-9:00 PM

9th Annual

Summer Suite

Join us at the beautiful lakeside home of

Jessica and Patrick Danial The season opens in spectacular fashion with this popular event. An evening of gourmet food & drink, and a sampling of superb music from the Festival musicians. Performers Jennifer Koh, violin; Maurycy Banaszek, viola; Michael Kannen, cello; Julia Bruskin, cello Thank you to our 2015 Summer Suite Sponsors 1911 Spirits Buttonwood Grove Winery Fins & Tails Gilda’s

The Gould Hotel Joelle’s French Bistro Johnny Angel’s The Krebs

LakeHouse Pub Mandana Inn Mark’s Pizzeria Mirbeau

Please support our sponsors and advertisers. (See directory on page 82.) 8

Moro’s Kitchen Pascale Pâtisserie Sherwood Inn

A view of the concert from inside Brook Farm.

World Class Music in a World Class Setting

Brook Farm · Picnic Saturdays

www.skanfest.org 9

TONIGHT’S CONCERT IS SPONSORED BY:

WEEK 1

Thursday, August 13

8:00 PM First Presbyterian Church

Carl Schramm & Ellyn Brown and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Opening Night BRAHMS

Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100

Jennifer Koh, violin Orion Weiss, piano

DORMAN

Udacrep Akubrad (2001)

Jeffrey Irving, percussion Ian Sullivan, percussion

BRITTEN

Sonata in C for Cello and Piano, Op. 65

Julia Bruskin, cello Aaron Wunsch, piano

Allegro amabile Andante tranquillo Allegretto grazioso (quasi andante)

Dialogo Scherzo - pizzicato Elegia Marcia Moto Perpetuo

INTERMISSION

FAURÉ

Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15

Jennifer Koh, violin Maurycy Banaszek, viola Michael Kannen, cello Orion Weiss, piano

Allegro molto moderato Scherzo, Allegro vivo Adagio Allegro molto

TONIGHT’S ARTIST SPONSORSHIPS:

TONIGHT’S MEDIA SPONSOR:

Jeffrey Irving is sponsored by Koko Fuller Jennifer Koh is sponsored by Roland & Tacie Anderson Ian Sullivan is sponsored by James & Salli Tuozzolo Aaron Wunsch and Julia Bruskin are sponsored by Grossman St. Amour Orion Weiss is sponsored by Donna Graber, Planning Sense, Inc.

WRVO Public Media The Skaneateles Festival is made possible, in part, by operating support from the County of Onondaga, administered by CNY Arts.

Program Notes

he words “opening night” cause a flutter of excitement in performers and listeners alike—the anticipation of a new season, the culmination of months of practice and rehearsal, the potential for surprise and exhilaration. Tonight’s three diverse duos and a quartet are a microcosm of the whole season: Brahms’ enchanting violin sonata; Israeli composer Avner Dorman’s macho, pulsating marimba duo; Britten’s astonishing cello sonata; and Fauré’s uplifting piano quartet.

© AARON WUNSCH, 2015 a second-rate composer, pointing out that the main quality of his music was a “yearning … felt by all who are full of … dissatisfaction of any kind.” While Nietzsche surely underestimated the subtle beauties contained in the music, his point was not entirely wrong: Brahms’ Violin Sonata is full of a soulful yearning, which projects both a bittersweet glance back toward what might have been and a peaceful coming to terms with what is.

Udacrep Akubrad (2001) AVNER DORMAN (B. 1975)

Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 (1886) JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Though Brahms was a city dweller in Vienna during most of the year, the serenity and inspiration he needed to compose usually involved skipping town for a scenic village located on the shores of a beautiful lake. Sound familiar? In fact, his summer composition retreats have much in common with Skaneateles: He composed his first Violin Sonata (1879) lakeside, in the village of Pörtschach, Austria, and his second Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 100, at stunning Lake Thun, in Switzerland (1886). The scenic location seems to echo in the sonata itself. Even as it traverses a wide emotional terrain, tranquility is around every corner. In the first movement, Brahms directs the performers to play Allegro, but “amiably” (amabile), with a kind of unhurried enjoyment. The second movement moves steadily forward, but “tranquilly” (Andante tranquillo), as if on a forest walk, interrupted here and there by a lively country dance overhead in a nearby village. And Brahms directs the performers to play the third and last movement “gracefully, as if Andante”— in other words, try to sound even more relaxed than the tempo indicates. Surely this is not city music. Shortly after the sonata appeared, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche published a curt dismissal of Brahms as

At age 40, composer and conductor Avner Dorman is already one of Israel’s most renowned composers, and his works are performed worldwide, including by the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony. He received his doctorate from The Juilliard School in 2005, and he now conducts the CityMusic Cleveland chamber orchestra and teaches at Gettysburg College, in Pennsylvania. About his percussion duo, Undacrep Akubrad, he writes: “What determines the special character of a piece of music written for percussion instruments is the very choice of sets of instruments. The possibilities are infinite. The variety and richness of possible combinations allow the composer to embark on special creative journeys. In Udacrep Akubrad, (“Percadu Darbuka” reversed, written for and dedicated to Israeli percussion duo Percadu in 2001), I have chosen a similar set of percussion instruments for each of the players: a marimba, two Darbuka, and a tom-tom. This piece draws its inspiration from the music of our region [the Middle East], extending the Eastern boundaries as far as the Indian subcontinent. The main source materials in this piece are scales and the rhythms emanating from the traditional classical music of the peoples of the Mediterranean on the one hand, and on the other, a repetitive minimalism, prevailing also in the music tradition of the Middle East, but in this piece depending on a technique that has been developed during the last thirty years.”

Sonata in C for Cello and Piano, Op. 65 (1961) BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976)

Music from China perform last season.

The title page of Benjamin Britten’s Cello Sonata reads “Sonata in C,” which in 1961 was far more countercultural than it might sound now. At that time, most “serious” composers had long given up writing music in a particular key and looked upon doing so with considerable disdain, at least until Terry Riley’s provocative (and today, classic) “In C” of 1964 allowed performers to play fragments of C Major each at his or her own pace. Arnold Schoenberg, who had (arguably) spawned music deliberately composed without a key, surprised his composition class at UCLA in 1940 by declaring: “There is still plenty of good music to be written in C major.” Britten’s Sonata proves it. 11

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8/13 Program 8/13 Program Notes Notes (CONTINUED) (CONTINUED)

While the Sonata is clearly in C major, it nevertheless surprises the listener at every turn. The first movement, “Dialogue,” sets the cello and piano as equals in a sophisticated exchange of questions and answers: They agree, stubbornly disagree, argue, and finally come to terms—a reminder, perhaps, of Britten’s controversial pacifist stance during World War II. An impish scherzo follows, in which the cellist simply puts down the bow and plucks madly away. The “Elegy” that follows could be called the heart of the piece, a measured build toward an outpouring of grief. An off-kilter “March” then offers a change of pace, a dose of humor before the devilish maze of the final movement, a “Perpetual Motion.” This subterranean search leads to a fiery unison passage, which finally finds its way, triumphantly, to C major. The Sonata was composed for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, for whom Britten had an enduring admiration, and—after this piece—a lasting friendship.

Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15 (1883) GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845-1924) Although Brahms and Fauré were quite different in temperament, in two respects, tonight’s program comes full circle: Fauré’s Quartet (1883) is almost exactly contemporary to Brahms’ Violin Sonata, and, like Brahms, Fauré seems to have found inspiration at the shore near a body of water—not a mountain lake, in this case, but the ocean, at

WRVO Public Media salutes the

36th Annual Skaneateles Festival Thank you for being part of it!

PERFORMER QUOTE

“Faure's C minor piano quartet is one of my favorite pieces. Dark and brooding themes pass through the prism of Faure's genius, resulting in multi-hued, radiant, even ecstatic music! Every performance unfolds like a discovery of unexpected beauty and colors…” ORION WEISS

Sainte-Adresse, Normandy. According to his friend Marie Clerc, Fauré “discovered” the first theme on a balcony overlooking the water, and it certainly has the nautical quality of vigorously swaying waves—all curves and no edges. The stormy waves subside at the end of the movement, and the sun comes out—where it stays for the second movement, practically a how-to manual in Parisian charm. The third movement stands in stark contrast, an achingly sad Adagio, by turns consoling and inconsolable. The wave-like sweep of the first movement returns in the last, now in a rapid swell of notes that carries the listener ever onward, until at the end it virtually lifts one right out of the chair. While today Fauré’s work seems the absolute archetype of a piano quartet, it was not considered this way at first, a reminder that what seems new and strange becomes familiar over time. At the rehearsal for the first performance, when Fauré suggested a few places that could be louder or softer, he faced the scorn of busy, seasoned musicians that many a young composer knows; the cellist replied, “Ah, dear man! We are in a hurry, we are already having enough trouble with the notes, we don’t have time to play the dynamics, too.” The composer then struggled to find a publisher, and yet his persistence paid off: Today it is the most admired of all French piano quartets.

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WEEK 1

TONIGHT’S CONCERT IS SPONSORED BY:

Friday, August 14

7:00 PM Backstage Pass (for ticket holders only)

8:00 PM First Presbyterian Church

Dan Fisher and Mark & Leokadia Bitz, In Memory of Colleen Fisher

Backstage Pass – Making Music at the Met In the high-stakes world of grand opera, there is plenty of drama both on and off stage. Discover what it’s like to make music at the famed Metropolitan Opera from three perspectives: conductor Daniel Stewart, orchestra member Julia Bruskin, and star singer Lisette Oropesa share their stories.

Concert – Song & Dance BIZET

Chanson d’Avril Chant d’amour Adieux de l’hôtesse Arabe Ouvre ton coeur

Lisette Oropesa, soprano Orion Weiss, piano

ADAMS

Road Movies (1995)

DVOŘÁK

Slavonic Dances in C Major, Op. 46, No. 1 – Furiant in A-flat Major, Op. 46, No. 3 – Polka in G minor, Op. 46, No. 8 – Furiant

Relaxed Groove Meditative 40% Swing

Jennifer Koh, violin Aaron Wunsch, piano

Orion Weiss, piano Aaron Wunsch, piano

INTERMISSION

SCHUBERT

Octet in F Major, D. 803

Adagio - Allegro - Più allegro Adagio Allegro vivace Andante – variations Menuetto: Allegretto Andante molto – Allegro – Andante molto – Allegro molto

David Chan, violin Catherine Ro, violin Nardo Poy, viola Julia Bruskin, cello Brendan Kane, bass Boris Allakhverdyan, clarinet William Hestand, bassoon Stewart Rose, horn

Please join us in welcoming the musicians at a post-concert reception in Dobson Hall.

TONIGHT’S ARTIST SPONSORSHIPS:

TONIGHT’S MEDIA SPONSOR:

Jennifer Koh is sponsored by Roland & Tacie Anderson Lisette Oropesa is sponsored by Penny Eger Stewart Rose is sponsored by The Columbian Foundation Daniel Steward is sponsored by Doug & Judy Robertson Orion Weiss is sponsored by Donna Graber, Planning Sense, Inc. Aaron Wunsch and Julia Bruskin are sponsored by Grossman St. Amour

iHEART Media Group The Skaneateles Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

In Memoriam Colleen Fisher From the very beginning of the Skaneateles Festival, Colleen Fisher was a special member of the Festival family. In 1983 she became treasurer of the board of directors, for two years, vice president, in 1986 and 1987, President in 1988 and 1989, board member in 1990, board member again from 2006 to 2011. As important as her talent as an administrator was, her ability to create delicious meals for musicians was also outstanding. There are fond memories of her lunches that could range from hot chili to cold soups, and a very favorite supper was her curried chicken and rice, with chutney and other condiments. She would bring the food from her kitchen to Brook Farm where she greeted everyone with her beautiful smile. There was a saying that “if you feed them well, they will play well,” and Colleen did just that. Her daughters Beth and Eileen helped often with serving many suppers at Brook Farm. It goes without saying that all of the Fishers loved good music and added so much to every Festival season. David Ying and Elinor Freer, former artistic directors, recently commented that “we feel grateful that we were able to know her for the time that we did, and will always remember her smile, poise, kindness, and incredible sense of serenity. She was so welcoming to us when we started working at SkanFest, and we always felt her interest and support. We feel richer for having known her a little, and know that the Skaneateles Festival and community feel that way, too.” Claire Howard, former general manager, remembers Colleen’s “boundless enthusiasm, can-do attitude, and her problem-solving skills. You would never know that Colleen had hit a bump in the road. She met every challenge with equanimity, positive spirit and kindness. And, these characteristics served her well in her family therapy practice.” In April, Dan and Colleen renewed their wedding vows with a special ceremony at St. James’ Church, with her daughters and son, Alec, and his wife, Caitlin, participating with them. Sadly, Colleen passed away in June. It is very fitting that their many friends join them now in a celebration of her life. She will be forever remembered for her love of people and life. – Louise Robinson

Program Notes

welve performers take the stage in this program, which balances the lively with the lyrical, from Bizet’s luscious songs, to the rhythmic drive of John Adams’ Road Movies, to Dvořák’s foot-tapping Slavonic Dances. The evening culminates in the ultimate union of songful melodies and dance rhythms, Schubert’s glorious Octet for winds and strings.

Four Songs GEORGES BIZET (1838-1875) Georges Bizet may always be known first as the composer of the opera Carmen, which, completed at age 38, was one of his last compositions. Although music for the stage was his first priority, Bizet was also a gifted pianist whose abilities impressed even the practically unimpressable Franz Liszt. The French composer’s output included several dozen piano pieces, symphonic and choral works, and, most delicious of all, songs for voice and piano. The giddy “Chanson d’Avril” is an eager embrace of springtime. After a long winter, the poet abruptly awakens her beloved and heads outside to charm him among the violets. The soaring yet charming melody and impatient piano accompaniment perfectly conjure up the poem’s image. Now outdoors, the lovers turn more ardent in “Chant d’Amour,” on a poem by the ever-serious, philosophizing poet-politician Alphonse de Lamartine. The surrounding beauty of nature elevates this first love and purifies it. Next, we land in the Middle East for “Adieux de l’hôtesse arabe,” where an “Arabian hostess” is left in the lurch by her (presumably European) lover. The exoticism of the music matches Victor Hugo’s poem, though only Bizet has her dancing seductively. The roots of Carmen’s infamous habanera are surely here; the ending sends a chill down one’s spine. Finally, we head to Spain for a serenade, an excerpt from Bizet’s Symphonic Ode, Vasco de Gama, arranged here for voice and piano (imagine the castanets, which drive the rhythm in the orchestral version). This lover is doggedly determined to possess her beloved, which, by the end, she surely does.

“Chanson d’avril” LOUIS-HYACINTHE BOUILHET (1822-1869)

“Chant d’amour” ALPHONSE MARIE LOUIS DE LAMARTINE (1790-1869)

“Adieux de l’hôtesse Arabe” VICTOR HUGO (1802-1885)

“Ouvre ton cœur” LOUIS DELÂTRE (1815-1893) 16

Road Movies (1995) JOHN ADAMS (B. 1947) The title of this work suggests a connection to a distinctly American tradition, as John Adams’ works often do—from American Berserk to Lollapalooza to his most famous opera, Nixon in China. His recent autobiography, Hallelujah Junction, is subtitled Composing an American Life, which succinctly declares his musical goals. Like Aaron Copland and Charles Ives before him, Adams blends the sounds of American popular music with traditional forms and techniques associated with classical music. “Whenever serious art loses track of its roots in the vernacular, then it begins to atrophy,” Adams has said. Adams grew up in Massachusetts and has lived for many years in California, but Road Movies seems to concern itself with the open spaces between the coasts. While Adams leaves the exact interpretation of the title up to the listener, the propulsive rhythm of the piano part surely suggests an automobile, while the blues-inflected groove of the violin provides commentary on the scenery. Adams does provide images for each movement: The first is a “relaxed drive down a familiar road,” the second is a “solitary figure in an empty desert landscape,” and the third is a “giddy, bouncy ride,” “for four-wheel drives only.” If these are road movies, then the first two movements are more Easy Rider, while the third is more Mad Max.

Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, No. 1, 3, and 8 (1878) ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) While Mozart and Beethoven hailed from distinguished musical families in the employ of princes and archdukes, Antonín Dvořák’s family literally chopped liver. The son of a butcher-innkeeper, he was one of eight children, born in a rural Czech village where he picked up the violin at the local village school. By age 17 he had switched to viola and joined a dance band, which played in restaurants. Appropriately, therefore, it was with the composition of Slavonic Dances that Dvořák burst on to the international scene. However, these were not his idea. His loftier aspiration was to walk in the footsteps of Beethoven, Schumann, and Wagner, whose works his early compositions dutifully follow. Yet when Johannes Brahms recommended Dvořák to his own publisher, the work requested was a set of dances for piano, four-hands, a popular household genre guaranteed to sell at least a few copies. The dazzling dances of orchestral proportions that Dvořák produced, at once sophisticated and naïve, so far surpassed everyone’s expectations, including the composer’s own, that they became the cornerstone of his reputation and shaped the rest of his career. He quickly arranged them for full orchestra, in which version they are best known today. We begin with a festive furiant, Czech for “proudly swaggering.” As one mid-19th century dance manual indicates,

8/14 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

one dancer “imitates a proud puffed-up farmer,” while the other marks time; then the two dance a more subdued country dance. One can hear why Dvořák quickly adapted such a piece so rich in chords for full orchestra. A sauntering polka follows, ornamented by lovely decorative arabesques. Abruptly, a fast dance raises the heart rate, but our dancers soon settle back into their saunter; after a couple of attempts, the fast dance finally wins them over. Our puffed-up farmer returns for a final furiant. His mock-serious tone takes the listener aback, but it’s all for show, which becomes apparent with a sudden shift from G minor to G major. This back-and-forth is the essence of the dance, which seems to glide practically off to sleep before one final poke of the pitchfork.

Octet in F Major, D. 803 (1824) FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828) “I have tried my hand at several instrumental works, for I composed two Quartets … and an Octet …,” Franz Schubert told a friend, painter Leopold Kupelwieser, in 1824. “In fact, I intend to pave my way toward grand symphony in that manner. The latest in Vienna is that Beethoven is to give at concert at which he is to produce a new symphony … God willing, I too am thinking of giving a similar concert next year.” While Schubert and Beethoven had no real personal contact and led strikingly different lives in the very same city, Beethoven was for

Schubert a model of what a freelance composer could achieve though hard work and determination. The symphony by Beethoven of which Schubert spoke, his Ninth, still astonishes us in its scope and ambition. Yet Schubert’s Octet, in fact, is pretty much exactly the same length. Although the Octet may be on the road to a symphony, it travels many other paths as well: By turns, it is symphonic and intimate, grand and personal, dramatic and lyrical, lofty and earthy. By scoring the work for a combination of winds and strings, Schubert allowed himself great flexibility in variety and in scope. Such mixed scoring was already the rage in Vienna, where works like Beethoven’s Septet—little-known today, but once his most popular work—and Louis Spohr’s Nonet drew enthusiastic crowds to hear chamber music in concert settings for the first time. Yet Schubert’s Octet has its origins in the drawing room, site of so many Schubertiades, convivial music parties where his numerous songs and chamber music like the “Trout” Quintet first saw the light of day.

PERFORMER QUOTE

“The Schubert Octet is always a joy to play – one of the most deeply human pieces in all of music. But to have the chance to play it with one's own orchestra colleagues in a beautiful setting such as Skaneateles is a truly special opportunity.” DAVID CHAN, VIOLIN

The opening note, played by all, establishes a sense of occasion, but the following slow introduction is mostly an intimate exchange of ideas, until a trill from the clarinet turns the whole enterprise into a rollicking symphony. The second movement, Adagio, is a different kind of music altogether; the achingly beautiful clarinet solo tells of very personal love and loss, while the other instruments offer sympathy and support. Then, suddenly, we’re outside with a country band, enjoying the fresh air and perhaps something else, in a glass. Charming variations on a song follow, the simplicity of which belies the sophisticated creativity Schubert applies to the instrumental combinations and textures. A rather wistful minuet follows, leading us briefly back to the realm of the personal, before heading back to the symphonic stage for a dramatic finale, which throws the violin headlong into paroxysms of upward enthusiasm. Everyone is in a good mood and doesn’t want the music to end, including Schubert. Why go back to real life?

week 1

Picnic Saturday

tonight’s concert is sponsored:

In part with support from the

Saturday, August 15

Noreen and Michael Falcone

7:30 PM Brook Farm

Fund for Artistic Excellence and Sieglinde Wikstrom

Rain Location: Skaneateles High School

A Night at the Met STRAUSS

Overture to Die Fledermaus

arr. Kelly Fenton HANDEL

“Piangero la sorte mia” from Giulio Cesare

MOZART

“Deh vieni, non tardar” from Le nozze di Figaro

DONIZETTI VERDI

“Chacun le sait” from La Fille du Regiment “Sempre libera” from La Traviata

arr. Kelly Fenton

Lisette Oropesa, soprano

intermission

MAHLER

arr. Klaus Simon 2007

Symphony No. 4 in G Major Bedächtig, Nicht eilen (Moderately, not rushed) In gemächlicher Bewegung, Ohne Hast (Leisurely moving, without haste) Ruhevoll (Poco adagio) (Peacefully, somewhat slowly) Sehr behaglich (Very comfortably)

Lisette Oropesa, soprano

MET Opera Orchestra Musicians Daniel Stewart, conductor David Chan, violin Catherine Ro, violin Nardo Poy, viola Julia Bruskin, cello Brendan Kane, bass

Stephanie Mortimore, flute and piccolo Pedro Diaz, oboe and english horn Boris Allakhverdyan, clarinet

William Hestand, bassoon Charlie Bailey, bassoon and contrabassoon Stewart Rose, horn Jeffrey Irving, percussion Ian Sullivan, percussion

Adrienne Kim, piano Sar Shalom-Strong, harmonium

tonight’s artist sponsorships:

tonight’s media sponsor:

Julia Bruskin is sponsored by Grossman St. Amour Jeffrey Irving is sponsored by Koko Fuller MET Orchestra is sponsored by Michael P. Falcone & Nicole Ruvo Lisette Oropesa is sponsored by Penny Eger Stewart Rose is sponsored by The Columbian Foundation Daniel Stewart is sponsored by Doug & Judy Robertson Ian Sullivan is sponsored by James & Salli Tuozzolo

NewsChannel 9 WSYR Please support our sponsors and advertisers. (See directory on page 82.)

Program Notes

onight’s performance immerses us in the world of opera, and, at Brook Farm, opera is immersed in the world of nature. Performers from the Metropolitan Opera offer some of opera’s greatest hits, from Strauss Jr.’s electrifying Overture to Die Fledermaus to arias from four of the most charismatic opera heroines. The program ends with opera conductor Gustav Mahler’s ode to nature, his magical Fourth Symphony.

Overture to Die Fledermaus (1874) Johann Strauss Jr. (1825-1899)

For Johann Strauss Jr., writing waltzes was the family business. His father, composer Johann Strauss Sr., however, preferred his eldest son become a banker, which (as many a parent can relate) encouraged him to do the exact opposite. By age 19 he was his father’s rival bandleader and would go on to far surpass his father’s musical achievements. By the time of the premiere of his operetta Die Fledermaus (“The Bat”), in 1874, Strauss Jr., was a worldfamous musician; in Boston at the World Peace Jubilee two years earlier, he led an orchestra of 10,000 and a chorus of 20,000. Like Strauss Jr. himself, Die Fledermaus came to represent to the world the opulent, pleasure-filled ballrooms of Vienna (never mind that the libretto is actually

French). The frothy tale involves aristocrats behaving badly, disguises, a drunk jailer, various shenanigans, and, of course, an opulent ball. Strauss Jr.’s knack for orchestral color, greatly admired by Brahms, is on display in the Overture, which both presents the themes of the operetta and stands on its own as a concert work. The Overture bursts out of the gate in grand style. A few reflective moments provide some insight into the individual characters of the opera, while the constantly shifting tempo and diversity of musical ideas foretell the highly amusing adventures ahead. Naturally, one of the themes is a waltz, which swirls and whirls its way along toward a fast (and ever-faster) polka. The waltz returns for a giddy conclusion, during which anyone left dancing surely collapses in a pile on the floor.

“Piangero la sorte mia” from Giulio Cesare (1724) GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685-1759) Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) is today the best known of Handel’s 40-odd Italian operas, perhaps because the opera has it all: familial intrigue, political intrigue, and romantic intrigue. The opera also features the eternally beguiling Cleopatra, one of history’s most fascinating women, who starts here as a villain and ends a heroine. With a heartmelting lyricism, Cleopatra laments in “Piangero” the

World Class Music by the Lake

Congratulations on the 36th world class season! Michael and Noreen Falcone 19

characters were real and relatable. In the finale of Act I, “Sempre libera,” Violetta sings of her desire to always stay sudden turn of circumstances by which both her lover, free in life, roaming from pleasure to pleasure. While the Caesar, and her political power seem forever lost to her. waltz rhythm conveys the fun of the ballroom party scene, In the middle section of the aria, her anger boils over as Verdi characterizes her determination to remain a liberated she imagines the supernatural revenge she will take after woman through the strings’ repeated notes. From this her death. After this aria charismatic aria we understand from Act III, our sympathies both why Violetta so absolutely lie with her for the rest of captivates Alfredo, as well as why PERFORMER QUOTE the opera. their love is ultimately doomed to fail. “The Mahler 4th Symphony is 8/15 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

“Deh vieni, non tardar” from Le nozze di Figaro WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)

one of my all-time favorite pieces to hear and to play. The music evokes a child's view of

Symphony No. 4 in G Major (1900) GUSTAV MAHLER (1860-1911)

Better loved in his lifetime as an In Mozart’s opera, the men opera conductor than a composer, have the power, but the heaven in all its bucolic splendor. Gustav Mahler was an early women have the brains. This A place under the stars at champion of Strauss Jr.’s Die complex story of attempted Fledermaus. Yet he drew inspira(and thwarted) infidelity Brook Farm will be the perfect tion for his own music not so places the valet Figaro in an much from urban ballrooms as setting to experience it." awkward situation when his from the enchantment he found boss, the powerful Count in nature. To compose his symAlmaviva, makes advances STEWART ROSE, HORN phonies, he often removed himself upon Figaro’s fiancée, from the city to a lakeside retreat, Susanna. Figaro has little usually a tiny hut right at the edge of the lake, not only for faith in Susanna’s fidelity, which she points out here in a peace and quiet, but also for inspiration. The Fourth song of love that she knows Figaro will assume is directed toward the count. It is actually for Figaro himself. This lilting serenade from Act IV is masterfully characterized by Mozart: Its lyrical lines are sensual and seductive, yet its simplicity and transparency convey innocence at the same time, a perfect reflection of both the supposedly steamy situation as well as Susanna’s actual purity.

“Chacun le sait” from La fille du Régiment (1839) GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848) The unlikely tale of a military regiment’s canteen girl has been an audience favorite since Donizetti composed it; Paris alone heard it over 1,000 times in its first 75 years, and the Metropolitan Opera (where its tenor role was a vehicle for Luciano Pavarotti) has presented it dozens of times since then. One can’t help but love Marie, a (supposedly) orphaned girl raised by a regiment who rouses the patriotism of the soldiers with her songs, especially “Chacun le sait” from Act I, heard here. Imagine yourself one of these soldiers, your courage roused by the aria’s physical acrobatics, which are equivalent to a soldier’s military valor. Vive la France!

“Sempre libera” from La Traviata (1853) GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) Verdi’s controversial opera about a high-society call girl and the man who adores her broke quite a few operatic taboos of the time. Not only did it cast the immoral Violetta in a sympathetic central role, it also set the tale (based on Alexandre Dumas’ Lady of the Camellias) in 20 the present day. Verdi wanted his listeners to feel his

8/15 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

Symphony was largely composed in the summers of 1899 and 1900, at two Alpine lakes, Aussee and Wörthersee. The Fourth Symphony is suffused with evocations of the natural world. “Imagine the uniform blue of the skies …,” Mahler told Nathalie Bauer-Lechner. “This is the fundamental mood of the whole [symphony]. Only sometimes it darkens and becomes ghostly, gruesome. But heaven itself is not darkened, it shines on in an eternal blue.” Such natural allusions in Mahler’s music are rarely without some corollary in the world of human behavior. Here, the blue sky of childlike simplicity and the belief in a heavenly afterlife confront the cloudy specter of death and human suffering, and the irreconcilable contrast between the two breeds a subtle sense of irony. In the end, however, naiveté wins us over. The first movement begins with the startling ring of sleigh bells, the kind of extra-orchestral sound that in Mahler’s time provoked the ire of traditional symphony lovers. A melody for strings proceeds with a childlike twinkle in its eye, where humor and sincerity are never far apart. From this simple beginning Mahler builds a glorious edifice out of some seven interwoven themes. In this most lightly scored of his symphonies, intimacy and grandeur are never too far apart. Mahler originally subtitled the second movement “Our friend Death strikes up the fiddle for a dance,” referring to death’s personification in German folklore. By tuning each string a whole step up, the solo violin acts as a slightly demented tour guide through this alternatively bewitching and frightening movement. “The scherzo is mystical, confused and eerie, so that your hair will stand on end,” Mahler wrote. The patiently unfolding third movement is both the longest and emotionally richest part of the symphony. The childlike and folkloric now give way to a very adult contemplation on the beauty of human life and the inevitability of its decay. The most beautiful soaring melodies alternate with dark thoughts, until these opposites confront each other in a frenzied exchange about two-thirds of the way through. Looking upward again,

Peg and Doug Whitehouse enjoy "A Christmas Suite".

the soaring melody returns and finally lands us—literally— in heaven. In the finale, we find ourselves in a particular heaven of German folklore, as depicted by an anonymous poem, “The Heavenly Life,” from Arnim and Brentano’s 1808 collection, Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Magic Horn). In its description of the plenty contained in heaven, the poem obliquely refers to the earthly suffering here below—“the whole dishfuls” imagined on high can only mean half dishfuls here. Yet the poem finally leaves these physical sensations behind for an image of heavenly music—with which “no music on earth can compare.” Mahler’s symphony finally comes to rest in this spiritual realm, with suffering forgotten, a dream where we all feel happy to linger.

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WEEK 2

TONIGHT’S CONCERT IS SPONSORED:

Thursday, August 20

7:00 PM Prelude Concert 8:00 PM First Presbyterian Church

Prelude Concert Featuring the 2015 Robinson Award winner, cellist Brian Gadbow J.S. BACH SHOSTAKOVICH SCHUMANN

Prelude from Suite in C Major, BWV 1009 Prelude (arr. for 2 Cellos and Piano)

Brian Gadbow, cello Julia Bruskin, cello Aaron Wunsch, piano

Fantasiestücke, Op. 73

Brian Gadbow, cello Aaron Wunsch, piano

Zart und mit Ausdruck (Tender and with expression) Rasch und mit Feuer (Quick and with fire)

Concert – Hungarian Revolution BACH arr. Kurtág

Andrea Lam, piano Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottes Sohn, BWV 601 Aaron Wunsch, piano Das alte Jahr vergangen ist, BWV 614 Dies sind die heil’ge zehn Gebot’, BWV 635 Alle Menschen müssen sterben, BWV 643 Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 687

ENESCU

Concert Piece for Viola and Piano (1906)

Beth Guterman, viola Aaron Wunsch, piano

BARTÓK

Contrasts, Sz. 111 (1938)

Anthony McGill, clarinet Emily Bruskin, violin Andrea Lam, piano

Verbunkos (Recruiting Dance) Pihen´ó (Relaxation) Sebes (Fast Dance) INTERMISSION

DOHNÁNYI

Sextet in C for Piano, Strings and Winds, Op. 37 Allegro appassionata Intermezzo: Adagio Allegro con sentimento Finale: Allegro vivace, giocoso

TONIGHT’S ARTIST SPONSORSHIPS:

Claremont Trio is sponsored by George Bain and Sam & Debby Bruskin Beth Guterman is sponsored by Donna Graber, Planning Sense, Inc. Anthony McGill is sponsored by Bruce Keplinger & Maryellen Casey Stewart Rose is sponsored by The Columbian Foundation Aaron Wunsch and Julia Bruskin are sponsored by Grossman St. Amour 22

Anthony McGill, clarinet Stewart Rose, horn Beth Guterman, viola Claremont Trio Emily Bruskin, violin Julia Bruskin, cello Andrea Lam, piano

TONIGHT’S MEDIA SPONSOR:

CNY Central The Skaneateles Festival is made possible, in part, by operating support from the County of Onondaga, administered by CNY Arts.

The Robinson Award The Robinson Award is an annual scholarship prize awarded to a young musician who exemplifies the values cherished and embodied by David and Louise Robinson, Festival co-founders. Thirty-six years ago, David and Louise opened their hearts and their home to musicians, their families, and the audiences who come to hear them perform. Their lakeside home, Brook Farm, has been a gathering place and rehearsal space for musicians, and the performance venue for the Festival’s outdoor Saturday evening concerts, a tradition Louise has continued since David’s passing in 2006. Created in 2002, the award is given each year to a young musician whose character, musicianship, and community service reflect the values of David and Louise Robinson – enthusiasm and dedication to music of high quality.

David & Louise Robinson

2015 Winner Brian Gadbow, Cello Cellist Brian Gadbow is a 2015 graduate of Whitesboro High School and currently studies with Gregory Wood of Syracuse University and Symphoria. He was principal cellist of the Syracuse Youth Orchestra and named the winner of the 2015 SYO Concerto Competition. Other awards include the 2014 Civic Morning Musicals/Symphoria Concerto Competition winner, and first place in the Oneida County Music Educators Association Senior Scholarship Competition. During past summers Brian was principal cellist for two years at Crane Youth Music, and received the Outstanding Musician of Symphony Orchestra Award. He also spent a summer in Saratoga at NYSSSA School of Orchestral Studies and another at Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina. This summer he will attend the BUTI Young Artists Orchestra at Tanglewood. In the fall Brian will attend the Eastman School of Music, where he will study with David Ying, former Skaneateles Festival artistic director, majoring in cello performance. Brian hopes to someday have a career playing professionally in an orchestra or chamber group, soloing, and teaching.

Our thanks to those who have contributed to the Robinson Award

Anonymous Brenton and Mary Bradly Barb Connor Fletcher Foundation David and Louise Robinson Skaneateles Area Council for the Arts

Frank and Jan Smith Karl and Peggy Smith Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Spitzer Diane Walsh and Dick Pollak Suzanne Weitz Welch Allyn

If you would like to contribute to the Robinson Award Fund, please call 315-685-7418. 23

Program Notes

rom the edge of central Europe comes a musical culture that blends a reverence for classical masters with a hot-blooded, improvisatory flair. This program’s four composers have each succeeded in connecting Hungarian musical idioms to traditional classical forms in ways that are nevertheless singularly their own. György Kurtag’s Bach transcriptions render cosmic themes on an intimate scale; Romanian composer George Enescu’s Concert Piece for Viola and Piano integrates French harmonies into the form of a Hungarian Rhapsody; Béla Bartók’s Contrasts employ innovative and virtuosic instrumental techniques to bring to life scenes in a country village; and Ern´ó Dohnányi’s raucous Sextet brings his signature rhythmic verve to a traditional four-movement musical form.

Transcriptions of Cantatas and Chorale Preludes by J. S. Bach GYÖRGY KURTAG (B. 1926)

Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottes Sohn, BWV 601 Das alte Jahr vergangen ist, BWV 614 Dies sind die heil’ge zehn Gebot’, BWV 635 Alle Menschen müssen sterben, BWV 643 Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 687 György Kurtag is one among a remarkable generation of Hungarian performers and composers for whom music is far more than an entertainment, even more than a passion: It is an essential anchor of meaning in a life splintered by war and conflict. This generation witnessed both the Nazi and Communist occupations, as well as the failed revolution of 1956. Kurtag recalled about this time: “I realized to the point of despair that nothing I had believed to constitute the world was true.” In the 1950s, Kurtag visited a psychologist, who suggested exploring all the relationships that are possible between just two notes; this resulted in his new, distinctive compositional style: very short pieces, usually 30 seconds to 2 minutes in length, which highlight the beauty of the individual act, expressive musical gestures of a note or two.

At the same time, Kurtag studied the music of J. S. Bach, the model of integrity and purity, by arranging selections from his large-scale public works for the intimate genre of piano four-hands, thereby enshrining the music in private. In recent years, however, Kurtag has frequently performed these transcriptions in public with his wife, Marta, usually on an upright piano where the keyboard faces the audience, as if to invite the listeners in on the experience of playing. Of those heard here is Kurtag’s signature transcription, Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (“God’s time is the best of all possible times”), the first movement of Bach’s funeral cantata, originally scored for two flutes, viols, and continuo. It simply yet profoundly

“When Aaron and I were married in 2008, I walked down the aisle to the Bach piece that opens this program (Gottes Zeit, for piano, four-hands). The melody is a close interweaving of two voices that requires the pianists in this arrangement to play very close to each other and even cross hands. The physical act of playing the piece mirrors the intimate mood of the music. I think it's one of the most beautiful little pieces I know and it always brings me back to that wedding moment.” JULIA BRUSKIN, CELLO

Concert Piece for Viola and Piano (1906) GEORGE ENESCU (1881-1955) George Enescu was the leading composer from Hungary’s neighbor to the east, Romania—though as he himself pointed out, Hungarian influence was an important factor in his own country’s music. Enesco was greatly admired by his exact contemporary Béla Bartók, but whereas Bartók’s feet were both firmly planted in Eastern Europe, Enescu had one foot in Romania and one in Paris. A violinist of international standing, Enescu completed his composition studies at the Paris Conservatoire, where, along with fellow pupil Maurice Ravel, he studied with Gabriel Fauré. From then on he spent summers composing in Romania and most of the rest of the year performing elsewhere. His Concert Piece for Viola and Piano, composed at the age of 25, also straddles local and cosmopolitan musical traditions. The work’s romantic melodies are filtered through a distinctively French harmonic language, while its improvisatory spirit has much in common with the charismatic ebb and flow of a Hungarian rhapsody. Clearly designed for the stage, this virtuosic essay is one of the most impressive of all concert works for the viola, a mellowtoned instrument too often relegated to the background. Here, Enescu shows its remarkable versatility, in a blend of

rich melodies, stratospheric leaps, energetic passagework, and finger-twisting double stops. A master of several instruments, Enescu played the viola himself, but when performing this particular work, he more often chose to play the piano part—perhaps preferring to hear the viola’s double stops, rather than having to play them.

Contrasts, Sz. 111 (1938) BÉLA BARTÓK (1881-1945) In the 19th century, musicians born in Eastern Europe found themselves in the orbit of the vast Hapsburg Empire and its capital, Vienna—and therefore many of them went to study there, including Dvořák, Mahler, and Enescu. Bartók, too, was offered a scholarship to study in Vienna— but, in a decision that speaks to his musical orientation, he instead chose to stay in Hungary and study piano and composition at the Budapest Academy of Music. Shortly after graduation, he heard a Transylvanian maid singing a folk song and, gifted with a phenomenal ear, quickly jotted it down. From this eureka moment onward, Bartók developed a passion for collecting, categorizing, and analyzing authentic folk music. With his colleague and friend composer Zoltan Kodály, he undertook “a complete collection of folk songs, gathered with scholarly exactitude.” Twelve years later, he had reached the 10,000 mark. His superhuman efforts went largely unappreciated, save for one result: the influence these folk materials had upon his own, freely composed music.

One enthusiast for Bartók’s music was fellow Hungarian Josef Szigeti, who by the 1930s was one of the world’s most renowned violinists. In 1938, Szigeti wrote to Bartók that he had just met “the world famous jazz clarinet idol,” Benny Goodman. Goodman wanted to commission a 6- to 7-minute duet for clarinet and violin, with piano backup. “We hope that a brilliant clarinet and violin cadenza will be included, too!” Szigeti wrote. With Contrasts, Bartók obliged them in most respects, except in that he doubled the size of the work and added a middle movement. The work was premiered at Carnegie Hall on January 9, 1939. The New York Times review warned Benny’s fans: “Jitterbugs reading this review have been simply wasting their time. This work is as Hungarian as goulash….” However, the work is by no means particularly serious—by Bartók’s standards, it is positively populist, and it has remained popular. The first movement, Verbunkos (“advertisement”), is a recruiting dance. As the out-of-town military band passes through, it hopes to entice some local village youth, presumably a little gullible and looking for action, to tag along and join the army. Won’t it be thrilling! Your opportunity for valor! The second movement, Pihen´ó (“Relaxation”), borders on hypnosis; the piano offers its lazy replies to nocturnal meditations by the clarinet and violin. The final movement, Sebes (“Fast Dance”), begins with a specially mistuned violin, which seems to evoke an off-kilter village fiddler and his eccentric band. Various folk melodies and jaunty rhythms take this threesome through a series of misadventures. By the end, this virtuosic movement has more than lived up to its title.

Sextet in C for Piano, Strings and Winds, Op. 37 (1935) ERN ´Ó DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960)

Four years older than Bartok, Ern´ó Dohnányi was the first of Hungary’s completely homegrown talents of international repute. The most widely respected Hungarian pianist since Liszt, he was among the first soloists to regularly perform chamber music, including some of his own. Brahms recognized in Dohnányi’s chamber works a continuation of his own goals and even arranged a premiere in Vienna for the young Hungarian’s Piano Quintet No. 1. Yet, whereas Brahms maintained at least the aura of a private space in many of his works, Dohnányi’s music, such as the Sextet, definitively belongs on the stage, not in the living room. By the time he composed the Sextet in 1935, Dohnányi had performed in public thousands of times, including seven tours of the United States, and knew a thing or two about what an audience might like to hear. By augmenting a piano quartet with clarinet and horn, Dohnányi has two important orchestral resources at his disposal (wind and brass); the piano, via some compositional alchemy and gazillions of arpeggios, makes up for the other 50-plus instruments of the orchestra. The result is thrilling and larger than life. 25

WHERE LITERATURE TAKES SHAPE Co l u m M c C a n n S e p .1 5 . 2 0 1 5

S te p h e n G re e n b l at t O c t .1 4 . 2 0 1 5

A l i ce M c D e r m o t t N ov. 0 3 . 2 0 1 5

2015-2016 Lecture Series

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8/20 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

The opening movement begins like an orchestral tone poem: From the first moment, we are amid a dramatic tale of great intensity. The horn introduces our protagonist, already sailing atop a stormy sea of cello arpeggios. During an adventure through pretty much every key imaginable, the one constant in the whole movement is a sense of forward motion. During the first part of the second movement, the narrator turns a page in the story, and then a Slavic-toned theme takes us on horseback to some Crimean plateau. This is a forbidding and possibly dangerous place—yet of great natural beauty, as the piano’s shimmering arpeggios remind us. In the next chapter (the third movement), the story becomes personal, through a set of alternately intimate and virtuosic variations. After exploring this varied emotional terrain, a theme from the first movement reminds us of the larger story and launches us into the finale. If you hear something vaguely American in the theme of the Sextet’s final jaunty escapade, it could be that Dohnányi’s years as chief conductor of the New York State Symphony Orchestra during the height of the Roaring ’20s jazz craze left a mark on him. Our jazzy theme is interrupted by a slightly tipsy Viennese waltz, however, a reminder of just how international musical culture had become by the middle of the 20th century. A positively cheeky version of the theme, played by the piano

in the highest part of the instrument, leads toward a final romantic outpouring, at the end of which the theme from the first movement reminds us of our epic—however, we’re all in too good of a mood by now to care too much about that anymore. The wine has been poured, so you might as well have another glass.

In loving memory of our dear friend Bud Carey, pictured with his wife Patti, and Joan Christy.

TONIGHT’S CONCERT IS SPONSORED BY:

WEEK 2

Scott Hafler

Friday, August 21

8:00 PM First Presbyterian Church

Coming Together MOZART

Trio in E-flat Major, K. 498, “Kegelstatt”

RZEWSKI

Coming Together (1971)

Andante Menuetto Rondo: Allegretto

Anthony McGill, clarinet Beth Guterman, viola Aaron Wunsch, piano

NOW Ensemble Alexandra Sopp, flute Nicholas Gallas, clarinet Mark Dancigers, electric guitar Logan Coale, bass Michael Mizrahi, piano Brad Wells, narrator

INTERMISSION

BRAHMS

Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8 Allegro con brio Scherzo: Allegro molto Adagio Finale: Allegro

Claremont Trio Emily Bruskin, violin Julia Bruskin, cello Andrea Lam, piano

TONIGHT’S ARTIST SPONSORSHIPS:

TONIGHT’S MEDIA SPONSOR:

WSKG

Aaron Wunsch and Julia Bruskin are sponsored by Grossman St. Amour

The Skaneateles Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Program Notes

onight’s performers come together for music from improbable places. Mozart supposedly composed his “Kegelstatt” in a bowling alley; Frederic Rzewski’s Coming Together is a narrated account of the will to survive in Attica prison before the 1971 riot; and Brahms penned the most beloved of all romantic trios, his Trio in B Major, Op. 8, after a hike along the Rhine River.

Trio in E-flat Major, K. 498, “Kegelstatt” (1786) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) As its nickname, “Kegelstatt,” would have it, Mozart’s Trio for the unlikely combination of viola, clarinet, and piano, is both the first and probably the last great musical work composed in a bowling alley. Alas, it now seems that the trio was probably not written in a “Kegelstatt” after all; that work turned out to be Mozart’s 12 Duets for two horns, assuredly a sportier pairing of instruments. Nevertheless, the Trio has a distinctly recreational character to it, intended as a pastime for his student Franziska Jacquin and her family, with whom Mozart was friendly. The combination of instruments, the first of its kind, is already a kind of whimsy. The piano part was intended for (and first performed by) Franziska, while Mozart himself preferred to play the viola; Mozart’s friend Albert Stadler took up the newfangled instrument called the clarinet.

© AARON WUNSCH, 2015 the emperor’s name day. Mock seriousness prevails in the middle section of the movement as well, but here the instruments can’t seem to agree on anything. Showing off his virile viola, Mozart responds to a plaintive sigh from the clarinet by launching into a flurry of macho triplets. The piano wants in on the game, which quickly becomes “whatever you can do, I can do better.” Finally, the viola and piano wrestle it out, whereupon the clarinet, having had enough of this, leads the motley crew back to the opening minuet. The third movement is one of Mozart’s signature rondos, where a lyrical returning theme alternates with episodes of ever-greater exuberance. Here, the clarinet sings a sweet melody, inviting the viola and piano to join in. Soon, the champagne flows freely, sending off a succession of sixteenth-note bubbles through the piano part. But wait! The viola has something serious and dramatic to say. After great waves of elocution, it turns out merely to be “may I please play the opening melody?”, which the piano now accompanies with the greatest enthusiasm. Finally, everyone feels satisfied and finishes in the best of humor.

The silly first gesture consists of nothing more than a note, an ornament, and an arpeggio, to which the piano sheepishly replies, after a pause. The viola tries again, with no greater success. Where’s that clarinet? Finally, it enters, taking up the basic idea and trying to summon a melody out of it, with only moderate success. For this to work, the three instruments must join forces, and so they do, each taking up some or other part of the tuneless tune. Miraculously, this all starts to sound like sublime music, until a cheeky chromatic scale puts the brakes on the whole enterprise. The second movement is a slightly grandiose minuet, the kind one might hear a wind band play in the streets on

Festival Fans enjoying Anyela’s Vineyards.

8/21 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

This may be all fun and games for Mozart, but Mozart’s mere pastime is for us the summit of musical art.

Coming Together (1971) FREDERIC RZEWSKI (B. 1938) Most composers are content to stay out of politics, preferring their art as a refuge from present times. Composerpianist Frederic Rzewski is not among them. After a traditional education at Harvard and Princeton, Rzewski set sail for Rome on a Fulbright grant in 1960, where he stayed on to form MEV (Musica Electronica Viva), an ensemble that specialized in group-based improvisation. Realizing that a composer-guided group improvisation is much like a microcosm of society, Rzewski starting composing openly political works that explore the relationships between freedom and constraint. In Coming Together, Rzewski asks a narrator to read phrases from a letter by Attica Correctional Facility inmate Sam Melville, a leader of the 1971 riot against prison conditions. (The prison is two hours from Skaneateles.) The letter, which is deconstructed into mantra-like phrases by a narrator, speaks of Melville’s attempt to maintain inner strength and even optimism in the face of the horrific living conditions at the prison. Meanwhile, an ensemble of an unspecified number of instruments plays

a single, ceaseless line of pulsating music. By allowing the players some choice in which notes to play or leave silent in each section, Rzewski gives them a measure of freedom within the constraints of the single line. The rules change as the work goes along, leading the players to become more and more animated. The effect of this progression is mesmerizing: What begins as a kind of oppressive rhythmic straitjacket gradually becomes the will to survive it. Like a group of inmates, the ensemble must do its time, which takes considerable concentration and physical stamina. By the end, you will be rooting for their survival. Sadly, Sam Melville was shot dead during the riot; a federal judge awarded his family a settlement in 2000, nearly 30 years later.

Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8 (1854/1889) JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) This most beloved of all piano trios is neither the work of a 20-year-old firebrand, like Shostakovich’s First String Quartet, nor that of a 56-year-old master, like Beethoven’s final String Quartet, Op. 135. It is actually both. “You will never guess with what childish amusement I whiled away the beautiful summer days,” the 56-year-old Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann, in 1889. “I have re-written my B Major Trio and can call it Op. 108 instead of Op. 8. It will not be so wild as it was before — but whether it will be better — ?”

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8/21 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

Brahms recognized something vital in his earlier work, such as the glorious opening theme of the first movement—one of the quintessential melodies of the whole Romantic Era. However, in the first version Brahms tries too hard to be the 56-year-old composer of Beethoven’s final quartets: He overstuffs it with thematic material, fugal counterpoint, and attempts at profundity. Yet there are also pitfalls in refining a 20-year-old’s work at age 56, as Brahms fretted about to Clara; how can one make an organic whole out of ideas from two different generations? Against the odds, Brahms does this masterfully, by both shortening and enriching the development of his youthful themes. In his typically self-effacing manner, he modestly explained his approach to his friend Julius Grimm: “Do you still the remember the B Major Trio from our early days, and wouldn’t you be curious to hear it now, as I have (instead of placing a wig on it -!) taken the hair and combed and ordered it a bit …?” Starting quietly (as each movement does), the first movement’s aspiring opening theme rises patiently toward its goal, which Brahms supports with his trademark mattress of thick piano harmonies. After a scurrying flurry of triplets, the yearning sighs of the second theme intercede. Brahms the mature master takes over in the middle part of the first movement, discarding the longwinded fugue of his earlier version. Grabbing hold of a seemingly

trivial triplet figure used at the end of the first section, Brahms tells a stormy and compelling drama. In a brilliant stroke, he fuses the return of the opening melody with the triplet figure, which propels the theme to even greater heights. At every turn, Brahms has a new solution to the predictability of repetition; the return of the second theme now reverses the roles of the strings and piano. In a dreamy, suspended coda, our theme (which one can really never hear too many times) wafts upward, until it gives way to a grand conclusion. The Scherzo that follows is the stuff of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales; unholy goblins with problems in anger management lead us down long forsaken forest pathways. In the middle of the movement, we hear about the romance of some prince or princess, pure and ardent. The goblins return for a second go at us (the pianist can never have too many chances at the fiendishly difficult passagework), after which we are abruptly left in a clearing, staring at the twinkling stars of the night sky. Here is where we linger for the third movement, a nocturnal reflection on both the happiness and self-doubt that first love can bring. Brahms left intact his inspired opening alternation between the piano, heard with the rarely indicated “soft” pedal down, and the strings, which whisper their consent. A true cello moment follows, as a lover questions whether the foundation of this new love is real. The dialogue between piano and strings continues, until both finally join hands together. The last movement veers toward the tragic. Uncharacteristically for a multi-movement work in a major key, this final movement both begins and ends in minor, but not without a struggle: The destructive sweep of the minor-key theme faces a major-key challenge from one of the most heroic, strong-willed counter-themes ever penned by Brahms. Here the pianist’s right hand confidently leads us into battle, urged on by the cello and violin’s pulsating off beats. These two themes will never work out their differences, and in the end, the whole thing goes up in flames—but what a blaze of glory to behold.

week 2

Picnic Saturday

tonight’s concert is sponsored:

Saturday, August 22

Gwen & Bill Birchenough and Dave Birchenough & Carrie Lazarus

7:30 PM Brook Farm

Rain Location: Skaneateles High School

Roomful of Teeth and NOW Ensemble DANCIGERS SHAW

Burst (2009) Allemande from Partita (2011) (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

GREENSTEIN

Change (2009)

BURHANS

Beneath (2010)

GARBUS

Quizassa (2011)

intermission

SHAW

Ritornello 2.4 (2015) (World Premiere)

GREENSTEIN

Nothing New (2015) (World Premiere)

NOW Ensemble Alexandra Sopp, flute; Nicholas Gallas, clarinet; Logan Coale, double bass; Mark Dancigers, electric guitar; Michael Mizrahi, piano

Roomful of Teeth Brad Wells (founder/artistic director); Cameron Beauchamp, Dashon Burton, Martha Cluver, Eric Dudley, Estelí Gomez, Avery Griffin, Caroline Shaw, Virginia Warnken

tonight’s artist sponsorships:

NOW Ensemble is sponsored by Don & Chacea Sundman Roomful of Teeth is sponsored by Jennifer Sutherland 32

Please support our sponsors and advertisers. (See directory on page 82.)

Program Notes

wo of the hottest new music groups join forces for the first time here in Skaneateles: Grammy-winning, genre-bending vocal octet Roomful of Teeth pairs up with the NOW Ensemble for festival-commissioned works by Judd Greenstein and Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw, as well as each group’s greatest hits.

Mark Dancigers – Burst (2009)

Caleb Burhans – Beneath (2010) In my piece “Beneath”, I was looking to explore the full vocal range of Roomful of Teeth, which spans over four octaves. The title is drawn from an episode of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled “From Beneath You, It Devours.”

Merrill Garbus – Quizassa (2011)

I needed to drum up some courage to compose for these In "Burst," I was inspired by the idea mixing guitar writing amazing singers, so I decided to draw inspiration from some that has elements of African popular music—circular powerful folk music, in particular Bulgarian and other rhythms and pentatonic melodies—with ensemble writing Eastern European choral traditions. The nasal resonance influenced by Mozart-esque counterpoint. In my imaginaand odd meters of that style of singing offered exciting tion, I think I was trying to somehow channel guitarist possibilities. I have been thrilled to work with singers Ali “Farka” Touré into the Mozart Requiem. The piece who cry, "more, more!" instead of, "we can't do that!" and cycles through the same they have taught me so much material twice: an introduction (including the Inuit throat is followed by a section domiPERFORMER QUOTE singing games that begot the nated by guitar melody, then middle section of the song). “The first time I sang Caroline's the introduction repeats with rhythmically excited Caroline Shaw - Ritornello music was like discovering a new woodwind lines and the guitar 2.4 (2015) World Premiere melody comes back, doubled playground as a child.” Sometimes it is the smallest by the clarinet. things that return. Again and again, and again. Sometimes CAMERON BEAUCHAMP, BASS Caroline Shaw – repetition enhances meaning. Allemande from Partita Reinforces meaning. Depletes (2011) it, warps it. Envelopes it. The simplest words, when The score’s inscription reads: “Partita is a simple piece. repeated aloud, develop a strangeness that is delightful and Born of a love of surface and structure, of the human chilling at the same time. Repetition folds and unfolds a voice, of dancing and tired ligaments, of music, and of signifier until the relationship between the signifier and our basic desire to draw a line from one point to another.” the signified breaks down, articulated best in fragments and Allemande opens with the organized chaos of square dance distilled to something non verbal. Elusive semiotic theory calls overlapping with technical wall drawing directions of aside, this, I think, is where some of our music comes from. the artist Sol LeWitt, suddenly congealing into a bright, And maybe this is why some music keeps coming back. angular tune that never keeps its feet on the ground for Ritornello does not exist in a single, finished form. It’s very long. There are allusions to the movement’s intended designed intentionally as a general project that could simulation of motion and of space in the short phrases of expand and contract like an accordion. It is, to be quite text throughout, which are sometimes sung and sometimes honest, the most important thing I am working on right embedded as spoken texture. now, and it is the longest thing I have been working on in my life so far. It will be something that I return to, again Judd Greenstein – Change (2009) and again. There are many different colors and crevices In times when people seem ready to entrust our broken in the music itself, but the main material that returns systems with their hopes of making positive change, it’s (the “ritornello”) is grounded in just two chords. Recently most important to step up and, as Gandhi said, “Be the someone said to me, “It’s all V-I, or is it I-IV?” I’m not sure change you want to see in the world.” This piece represents it matters. And I love the ambiguity. It mirrors that other my own reminder to myself to always keep that fire lit. wild binary that I love — the sometimes elusive distinction between joy and sadness.

TONIGHT’S EVENT IS SPONSORED BY:

WEEK 3

Barb Connor & Doug Wood

Wednesday, August 26 FREE Community Event

5:30 PM Anyela’s Vineyards

TONIGHT’S ARTIST SPONSORSHIP:

2433 West Lake Rd., Skaneateles

ECCO is sponsored by Patience Brewster & Holland Gregg

SPECIAL EVENT

Musical Happy Hour

Stop by after work for a sampling of world class music featuring ECCO. Enjoy great music along with a breathtaking view of the lake.

Featuring: ECCO Violin

J Freivogel Megan Freivogel Karen Kim Min-Young Kim

Viola

Tai Murray Ayano Ninomiya Sandy Yamamoto

Maurycy Banaszek Jessica Thompson Jonathan Vinocour

Cello

Na-Young Baek Peter Myers Ken Olsen

The Skaneateles Festival is made possible in part by funding from Onondaga County and CNY Arts. 34

Bass

Nate Farrington

DOUG WOOD CONTRACTING & ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK

WOODLLC.COM | 315.364.7070

A lawn full of music lovers at Brook Farm

PATIENCE BREWSTER We are Grateful for

the Skaneateles Festival & Happy to Sponsor & Applaud ECCO!

w w w. p a t i e n c e b r e w s t e r . c o m 35

TONIGHT’S CONCERT IS SPONSORED BY:

WEEK 3

Jary & Julie Shimer In Memory of Colleen Fisher

Thursday, August 27

8:00 PM First Presbyterian Church

Music for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Featuring musicians from ECCO BARTÓK

Duos for Two Violins, Sz. 98 (1931)

Tai Murray, violin Ayano Ninomiya, violin

DVOŘÁK

Miniatures for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 75a

Sandy Yamamoto, violin Karen Kim, violin Maurycy Banaszek, viola

WOLF

Italian Serenade

J Freivogel, violin Min-Young Kim, violin Jessica Thompson, viola Daniel McDonough, cello

GERSHWIN

Lullaby (1919)

Min-Young Kim, violin J Freivogel, violin Jessica Thompson, viola Peter Meyer, cello Nate Farrington, viola INTERMISSION

TCHAIKOVSKY

Souvenir de Florence for String Sextet, Op. 70

TONIGHT’S ARTIST SPONSORSHIP:

ECCO is sponsored by Patience Brewster & Holland Gregg 36

Ayano Ninomiya, violin Tai Murray, violin Jonathan Vinocour, viola Maurycy Banaszek, viola Ken Olsen, cello Na-Young Baek, cello

The Skaneateles Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Program Notes

uo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet: Tonight’s program is a metaphor for the ever-widening circle of friendships that results from making music together and sharing it with an audience. Folksy miniatures by Bartók and Dvořák for two and three players precede Hugo Wolf’s passionate yet eccentric Italian Serenade for string quartet. A soothing Lullaby by George Gershwin follows, and the program concludes with Tchaikovsky’s euphoric musical celebration, Souvenir de Florence.

Duos for Two Violins, Sz. 98 (1931) BÉLA BARTÓK (1881-1945) During a period of writer’s block that coincided with the Great Depression, inspiration struck the 50-year-old Bartók from an unlikely source. By now an internationally recognized composer, in 1931 he received a request from a German violinist, Erich Doflein, for permission to arrange some of Bartók’s pieces For Children to use in his progressive School of Violin Playing (a kind of precursor to the Suzuki method). Bartók loved the idea of progressive pieces and offered instead to compose new ones; he completed 44 in all, based on folk tunes from diverse cultures: Hungarian, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Arabic. Once the ink started flowing, Bartók couldn’t stop it; he proceeded with piano pieces on a similar model, Mikrokosmos, which eventually reached 153 in total. Bartók’s settings of these melodies are a testament to the power and emotional range of folk music—a celebration of life, within the simplest means.

Miniatures for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 75a (1887)

© AARON WUNSCH, 2015 each of a single melody and mood. The Cavatina, a kind of Slavic Pachelbel’s Canon, is lithe and lovely. The Capriccio is fittingly capricious with its emotions, veering between mock seriousness and joviality. The Romance shows off Dvořák’s gift for writing the most uplifting yet sincere violin melodies. Dvořák ends the set with an Elegie, a quiet meditation on a three-note pattern, which seems to warrant a contented sigh, rather than a round of applause. After all, the piece was first performed in a living room—by Kruis; his violin teacher, Jan Pelikan; and Dvořák on viola. Afterward, Dvořák teased his publisher, Simrock, about the Miniatures: “My work brings me as much pleasure as if I were writing a major symphony—what do you say to that?”

Italian Serenade (1887) HUGO WOLF (1860-1903) 27-year-old Austrian composer Hugo Wolf took inspiration for his Italian Serenade from the Romantic German poet Josef von Eichendorff’s short novel From the Life of a Ne’er-Do-Well (1826), to which Wolf himself could certainly relate. He was dismissed from high school for being “wholly inadequate;” later, he was asked to leave the Vienna Conservatory for rebellious behavior (though he preferred to think that he himself had quit). Yet like the violinist-protagonist in Eichendorff’s story, Wolf was undeniably brilliant, if volatile, impatient, and temperamental. In the three years before writing the Serenade, Wolf had been a fearless music critic for the Vienna Salonblatt, extolling the virtues of his idols Schubert, Liszt, and above all, Wagner, while skewering recent works by Brahms, who he might well have run into on the street. “Truth is not the language of compliment,” Wolf writes. “Compliment is for diplomats.”

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) One of three works on this program composed in the apparently inspiring year of 1887, Antonín Dvořák’s intimate, sincere Miniatures for two violins and viola came to life for purely domestic reasons. The circumstances of the work give us some impression of this gentle and generous man’s personality. With five children and a sixth on the way, little money in the bank, and major commissions on offer from England, Dvořák penned these inspired pieces for a local chemistry student, Josef Kruis, who was renting the composer’s spare bedroom. Furthermore, Dvořák first composed for Kruis his larger-scale Terzetto, Op. 74, but when it turned out to be too much for Kruis’ minimal violin skills, Dvořák composed the Miniatures as well. Surely Kruis must be accounted as one of the luckiest mediocre violin-playing chemistry students of all time. While other composers might have simply dashed something off halfheartedly, Dvořák used Kruis’s technical limitations to spur his creativity rather than to limit it. The result is four small pieces of naïve yet subtle beauty,

PERFORMER QUOTE

“I am absolutely thrilled to be back at Skaneateles Festival this summer and playing with my beloved ECCO! As always, I know the performances will be full of joy and passion!” AYANO NINOMIYA

Wolf brings the same passion and sardonic wit to the Serenade. In Eichendorff’s story, an Italian ensemble plays a serenade, which figures into the plot. Though it has some Italianate charm, Wolf’s serenade is more a depiction of the protagonist himself, a restless, provocative, yet endearing individual, who eagerly and fearlessly dives headfirst 37

8/27 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

into life. He is typically Romantic, yet his ironic wit is somehow anti-Romantic at the same time. In just over six minutes, Wolf brings to life a wonderfully nuanced character, which might well be the composer himself.

Lullaby (circa 1919) GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) Tin Pan Alley tunesmith George Gershwin’s sudden burst through the barrier between popular and classical in 1924 with Rhapsody in Blue was a defining American musical moment. In truth, Gershwin straddled commercial and concert music throughout his life. A child of Russian immigrants (his mother’s maiden name was Bruskin), Gershwin made rapid progress in his piano lessons, playing works by Chopin and Debussy. He then dropped out of high school in 1914 to take $15 a week as a “song plugger” in Tin Pan Alley. The following year, however, Gershwin took up the study of counterpoint and harmony with Edward Kilenyi, a Hungarian composerviolinist with a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Gershwin’s Lullaby for string quartet (circa 1919) was composed as a harmony exercise for Kilenyi and is the first of Gershwin’s classical works. The work was never published and was not played in public until the Juilliard Quartet picked it up in 1967. If its origins are as an exercise, the Lullaby nonetheless has the marks of vintage Gershwin: syncopated rhythms, instantly memorable tunes, and delectable harmonic twists. These are all offered with a wonderfully gentle, light touch; should you actually drift off to sleep, it will be with a smile on your face. In the version heard here, ECCO adds a double bass to the quartet for extra resonance; indeed, the work is often played by full string orchestras. Shortly after composing the Lullaby, Gershwin hit pay dirt with his song Swanee, recorded by Al Jolson, which led to royalties of more than $10,000. Fortunately for us, however, the future composer of Rhapsody in Blue and American in Paris never put his interest in concert music to sleep.

Souvenir de Florence for String Sextet, Op. 70 (1887-92) PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) In the same year that Hugo Wolf penned his Italian Serenade, Tchaikovsky started an Italian work of his own, Souvenir de Florence (“Reminiscence of Florence”). Whereas Wolf’s Italy is from the world of fiction, Tchaikovsky spent plenty of time in Florence himself, mostly on vacation, where his patroness Nadezhda von Meck had a villa (should we all be so lucky). After a trip in 1891 to New York City to conduct a concert celebrating the opening of Carnegie Hall, Tchaikovsky completed a revision of the work, with which he could not have been more satisfied. “What a 38

2014 Robinson Award winner Erin Dowler is joined by Claire Howard, Louise Robinson, Elinor Freer and David Ying.

Sextet!...It’s a pleasure,” he wrote to his brother. “It is awful how pleased I am with myself.” Tchaikovsky augments the usual string-quartet foursome with an extra viola and cello, so now each instrument has a friend with whom to hold hands. This addition richens the lower range and adds the possibility of doubling two instruments (the sound of an orchestral string section). The resulting work is a pretty festive party; whether it’s in Italy or Russia is up for debate, but there’s no doubt about who the host is. The first movement launches straight into a vigorous dance, which seems quite serious at first but quickly turns fun loving. The dance rhythm recedes, while a very charming individual in the corner of the room captures our attention. Others gradually join in the conversation, until all decide to head back to the dance floor, where some serious jamming ensues. In the second movement, Tchaikovsky indulges his melodic gifts to their fullest. After a brief introduction, a serenade for solo violin begins, while the others pluck at the guitar. Soon a cello joins the violin, and we have a love duet worthy of Tchaikovsky’s greatest opera moments (Eugene Onegin, for example). The third movement turns more somber, until someone flashes a mischievous look, which proves contagious to all, prompting a silly game of chase. The somber mood makes somewhat of a comeback, but how somber can one be after playing a game of chase? The last movement is what musicians commonly refer as a barn burner. This fast dance starts lightly and grows in strength and speed, stopping short of triumph and restarting the process again. The second time, it seems surely this can’t get any faster or more exciting, but then—oh, yes, it can.

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CIVIC MORNING MUSICALS

125th Anniversary 2015-2016

featuring youth concerto & vocal competition winners

Smart Giving Conserves

Dorothy Riester visits the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park with Stephen Waldron, Art Park board member.

It’s tough to be first at anything. Just as society is starting to accept what you are doing, you are on to the next unpopular thing. In the 1960s that ‘unpopular thing’ was the creation of a sculpture garden and art exhibit venue on the sprawling compound I shared with my husband, Bob. Stone Quarry Hill Art Park has garnered accolades from the art world and been touted as a crowning jewel of Cazenovia’s community fabric. We turned to the Community Foundation to fulfill a critical piece of this amazing land’s preservation plan: the establishment of an endowment to support the upkeep of the property. We knew that with the burden of physical maintenance of the grounds taken care of, the Art Park’s board and staff would be freed up to concentrate on creating quality programming to keep the park visitors coming back for more. We were drawn to the Community Foundation because of its unique ability to preserve the voice of the donor through the generations, keeping our wishes for the use of the fund at the forefront. It is reassuring to know that the Community Foundation will always stay true to our instruction for the use of the funds under its management no matter what the future holds, making it Where the Smart Money Gives. Read Dorothy’s full story at www.cnycf.org/Riester

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tonight’s concert is sponsored by:

week 3

SKANEATELES FESTIVAL

DINING SPECIAL

Friday, August 28

Upon presentation of two Skaneateles Festival tickets, on the night of the event, The Sherwood Inn will offer 10% off your final dinner bill. Reservations (315) 685-3405.

8:00 PM First Presbyterian Church

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Pathways in Folk Music MARTIN

SMETANA

Trio on Irish Folk Themes (1925) Allegro moderato Adagio Gigue

Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 15 Moderato assai Allegro, ma non agitato Finale: Presto

Peter Rovit, violin Julia Bruskin, cello Xak Bjerken, piano

Ayano Ninomiya, violin Ken Olsen, cello Aaron Wunsch, piano

intermission

TRADITIONAL arr. Krakauer

Der Gasn Nign

TRADITIONAL

Terkish Yale V'Yove Tanz into Klezmer a la Bechet

KRAKAUER TRADITIONAL

Gypsy Bulgar

TRADITIONAL

Kozatzke/Der Ziser

KRAKAUER

Tribe Number Thirteen

KRAKAUER

Love Song for Lemberg/Lvov

KRAKAUER

Synagogue Wail into Der Heyser Bulgar

TRADITIONAL

David Krakauer, clarinet Rob Curto, accordion Michael Sarin, percussion Leo Traversa, bass

tonight’s artist sponsorships:

tonight’s media sponsor:

David Krakauer is sponsored by Donna Graber, Planning Sense, Inc. Aaron Wunsch and Julia Bruskin are sponsored by Grossman St. Amour

Finger Lakes Radio Group Please support our sponsors and advertisers. (See directory on page 82.)

Program Notes

his program joins three distinct folk pathways in Irish, Czech, and Jewish music. Two works for piano trio constitute the first half: the jaunty Irish jigs of Frank Martin’s Trio on Irish Themes contrast with the passionate Czech melodies of Bedřich Smetana’s Trio. The second half features one of the leading voices in both new and traditional klezmer music, David Krakauer and his Acoustic Klezmer Quartet, in an electrifying selection of klezmer favorites and David’s own compositions.

Trio on Irish Folk Themes (1925) FRANK MARTIN (1890-1974) Although the composer of this Trio on Irish Themes has a name that would not seem out of place in the British Isles, Frank Martin (Frahnk Mar-TAN) was Swiss. The son of a Calvinist minister, he followed his parents’ request in studying physics and math but dropped out of school to follow his ears instead. And his ears led him everywhere— which, for his life as a composer, was both a blessing and a curse. Once a particular sound had captivated him, it quickly found its way into his own music; by the 20th century, there was such a bewildering plethora of musical styles, it could be difficult to find one’s own. At first, Martin was drawn into the whirlpool of J. S. Bach’s

© AARON WUNSCH, 2015 harmony, which suffused his own works from age 11, when he first heard Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, to age 30. Next came the French sonorities of Debussy and Ravel, and shortly afterward the chant-like modal sounds of medieval music. By 1925, when he composed the Trio on Irish Themes, folk music had captured his ears—Indian, Bulgarian, and, in this case, Irish. Martin was not drawn to Irish melodies on his own. He received a commission for the Trio from an American woman of Irish ancestry, which compelled him to visit the National Library in Paris in search of some authentically Irish tunes, at her request. He found 20 melodies in all. Martin does not re-harmonize them according to modern practice, preferring to leave the melodies intact—and yet they do not come across as a mere medley. Instead, Martin works wonders with their underlying pulse, so that each movement has a rhythmic logic that bridges across the various tunes. (The commissioner, however, was not pleased by this and withdrew the funding.) The first movement consists of several tunes of evergreater speed. The violin and cello play the first, rather mystical, tune in octaves, after which the cello takes over with the next while the violin and piano offer jaunty off beats. The violin and piano contribute their own tunes, and soon the whole group is dancing away. The

8/28 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

interchange between the instruments grows more frequent as the pulse speeds up, building into a joyful frenzy. A plaintive cello melody takes us into the second movement. This melody proves so unforgettable that the cello cannot stop playing it even after the violin has moved on to another, more optimistic tune—and therefore we soon hear multiple tunes going on at the same time. The cello finally acquiesces and briefly joins the violin for a dance, until it falls back into melancholy with its opening tune. The piano just keeps dancing along. The final movement comes the closest to what one might call a jig. Even the piano is fiddling away. As Martin moves from one tune to the next, one wonders if the players can keep up the speed—which they do, until they toss off the ending with an upward swing, a musical “hey!” Composition was not an easy process for Martin, since he struggled to find his own voice amid all of these competing sounds in his ears. Yet gradually he developed his own musical logic, particularly in harmony, and here, in rhythm. Martin’s ears took him ever further afield; he later adopted his own version of Schoenberg’s twelve-tone technique (called “gliding tonality”), and his son introduced to him the sound of electric guitars (used in Poems of Death, for three electric guitars and male voices). Had he lived longer, perhaps we would have a trio on bluegrass themes for three electric guitars?

Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 15 (1855) BEDŘICH SMETANA (1824-1884) Bedřich Smetana’s musical career was built out of persistence, to which many a musician can relate. The son of a wealthy brewer, Smetana dodged his father’s plan for his career in the civil service, taking shelter with his elder cousin while studying music. His attempt at a concert career in piano ended badly, so he set up camp in Prague as a freelance teacher and performer. Swept up in the revolutionary furor of 1848, Smetana tried his hand at composing some patriotic pieces, and his style took a turn toward the nationalist. Still without any real prospects, Smetana wrote a letter to the famous Franz Liszt, asking for musical guidance and financial support, which he had been known to give. This bold gesture turned out to be an excellent idea: While Liszt did not offer any cash, he formed a lasting bond with the young aspiring musician and recommended Smetana’s works to publishers. Among the first of his works to particularly impress Liszt was Smetana’s Trio in G minor, Op. 15. Generally speaking, the piano trio was not a genre that interested Liszt, since its image as refined household entertainment did not fit the dramatic “music of the future” envisioned by Wagner, Liszt, and others in the so-called New German School. Smetana’s Trio, however, has both the dramatic intensity and rhapsodic freedom of an orchestral tone poem. Like Liszt’s recently composed tone poems, Smetana’s Trio does not narrate a linear 50

story (as does Richard Strauss’ Don Juan, for example); it inhabits a more philosophical, cosmic plane, where individual thoughts and feelings interact in a quest for larger significance. The arresting wail of the opening violin solo, however, surely has its roots in Smetana’s personal life. Shortly before its composition, Smetana tragically lost his eldest daughter to scarlet fever; in his catalog, he wrote about the Trio: “Written in memory of my first child, Bedriska, who enchanted us with her extraordinary musical talent, and yet was snatched away from us by death, aged four and a half years.” After the shock and anger of the opening theme has worked its way through all three instruments, the cello offers some consolation. The emotional scope of the trio broadens from here, coinciding with a turn toward the orchestral. Eventually the turmoil dies down into a quiet reminiscence, after which the violin’s lament returns, now more vehemently; after some effort to reconcile itself with the contrasting thematic ideas, it overtakes them in the coda’s flash of anger. The second movement takes its cue from the chamber music of Schumann and Mendelssohn, whose scherzos likewise begin with ghostly staccato first themes and proceed (in Schumann’s case) with contrasting, selfcontained episodes. In other respects, Smetana walks his own path: he hides the contour of the violin’s lament from the first movement inside the staccato theme, and his second episode is a grand patriotic march.

8/27 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

The final movement is a volatile tarantella, which often seems in danger of erupting in violence. As in the first movement, the contrasting, lyrical second theme is worlds away from the first, until the two start to interact with each other. Here, the lyrical theme eventually transforms the first from a destructive into a life-affirming force. The Trio was surely for Smetana a kind of musical therapy, a working out of life’s contradictory emotions—a way to persist, as we all must, and quite possibly even triumph.

New and Traditional Klezmer Music

PERFORMER QUOTE

“For the past 25 years I've been on an incredible musical and personal journey exploring my Eastern European Jewish heritage through music. In my concerts it's

David Krakauer (b. 1956)

tremendously exciting for me to

David Krakauer, one of the most important and influential musicians in new Jewish music today and of the vital new wave of klezmer, is known mostly for his amplified sound pushing the boundaries of klezmer to include elements of jazz, rock, funk, and hip-hop. In this program, Krakauer presents acoustic versions of his original compositions mixed with classic tunes from the traditional klezmer repertoire. This is an opportunity to hear Krakauer’s distinctive sound up close and personal, completely unplugged. The audience will bear witness to some incredible mind reading between these musicians that David has been playing with for years. Writes Judy Gelman Myers for New York Press: “Throughout history, the Jewish tradition has renewed itself wherever it has settled—from Babylon to Cordoba to Bessarabia to New York—whether through exile or free choice… David Krakauer has come to exemplify this spirit of reaffirmation, wherever it will take him and his clarinet.”

present a mix of traditional pieces

KidsFest with the Shanghai Quartet

and new compositions that I've written. Each of these ‘miniatures’ tells a story that relates to my journey and the experiences I've had along the way. I'm so pleased to give you all a glimpse into my world through music.” DAVID KRAKAUER

WEEK 3

TONIGHT’S CONCERT IS SPONSORED BY:

Picnic Saturday

Peter & Elsa Soderberg

Saturday, August 29 7:30 PM Brook Farm

TONIGHT’S ARTIST SPONSORSHIP:

Rain Location: Skaneateles High School

ECCO is sponsored by Patience Brewster & Holland Gregg

The Four Seasons MOZART

Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525

STRAVINSKY

Concerto in D (1946)

GREENSTEIN

Four on the Floor (2005)

INTERMISSION

VIVALDI PIAZZOLLA arr. DESYATNIKOV VIVALDI PIAZZOLLA arr. DESYATNIKOV

The Four Seasons Summer

Tai Murray, violin

Four Seasons in Buenos Aires Fall (1969)

The Four Seasons Winter

Ayano Ninomiya, violin

Megan Freivogel, violin

Four Seasons in Buenos Aires Spring (1970)

J Freivogel, violin

Featuring: ECCO Violin

J Freivogel Megan Freivogel Karen Kim Min-Young Kim

Viola

Tai Murray Ayano Ninomiya Sandy Yamamoto

TONIGHT’S CONCERT is made possible with additional support from Bob & Christine Pierce

Maurycy Banaszek Jessica Thompson Jonathan Vinocour

Cello

Na-Young Baek Peter Myers Ken Olsen

Bass

Nate Farrington

TONIGHT’S MEDIA SPONSOR: WCNY Classic FM

The Skaneateles Festival is made possible, in part, by operating support from the County of Onondaga, administered by CNY Arts.

Program Notes

CCO returns to Brook Farm for a spin on Vivaldi’s famous concerto foursome, The Four Seasons. Two of Vivaldi’s concertos (summer and winter) are complemented by two newer incarnations from Argentinean tango composer Astor Piazzolla (fall and spring). Mozart’s tuneful Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Stravinsky’s energetic Concerto, and composer Judd Greenstein’s rollicking Four on the Floor round out this lively, fun program.

Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 (1787) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Composers can never tell what will turn out to be their greatest hit, should they be so lucky as to have one. Johann Pachelbel would surely be amazed to find that one of his least ambitious works, a certain Canon in D, accompanies half of all brides down the isle. Imagine how the temperamental Beethoven would react to news that his trifle Für Elise gets more airtime than the Ninth Symphony. And Mozart, author of well over 600 works in his 35 years, could scarcely have guessed the diminutively titled Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music) would capture public fancy the most, 228 years later. There is no sign he even intended to have it published—which it wasn’t, until long after his death. Not that this evening serenade is at all a bad piece. This is a mature, skillfully composed work of Mozart’s, at once familiar and inventive, drafted in 1787 alongside his operatic masterpiece Don Giovanni. No one expected such high quality Nachtmusik, essentially disposable party music for a certain (in this case, unknown) occasion, but Mozart couldn’t help himself. In the most famous first movement, Mozart gives us the impression that music is a language we all speak: the upward swing of the opening phrase (question!) quickly finds its downward partner (answer!), like witty, genial party conversation. The delicate second movement passes onward to a jovial minuet. A rondo with a laughing theme of ha-ha-ha-ha brings musical diversion to a close.

© AARON WUNSCH, 2015 were surely underappreciated. His Concerto in D for string orchestra is the first work composed after receiving his American citizenship, at the end of 1945. It took a while for Stravinsky to get his musical bearings in the more economically driven cultural climate of the United States (one of his first American works was Circus Polka, for a troupe of circus elephants). This particular Concerto is not in a radically new style, if still certainly not West Hollywood’s cup of tea. Working on commission from Swiss conductor Paul Sacher, the composer designed a neoclassical version of a Bach Brandenburg Concerto. Like Bach’s models, Stravinsky’s concerto has three movements—slow, fast, slow—with an often-propulsive rhythmic character and a texture of multiple lines. In the pungent first movement, we learn why this is “Concerto in D” and not “in D Major” or “in D minor”—both the minor and major third are used together, a kind of musical grimace. The second movement, Arioso, is sentimental reminiscence of the old world gone by, which cannot escape ironic touches of the present. The concise, perpetual-motion finale floats several lyrical melodies above the constant simmer of sixteenth notes underneath, which often threaten to boil out of the pot—until (of course) they finally do.

Four on the Floor (2006) JUDD GREENSTEIN (B. 1979) New York City native composer and musical entrepreneur Judd Greenstein has helped to break down the walls between the musical genres generally known as classical and pop without losing either emotional depth or a sense of fun. After studying at Williams College and Yale University, Greenstein returned to New York City to found the highly successful Ecstatic Music Festival and the recording label New Amsterdam Records. His works such as Four on the Floor tend to engage the mind, the heart, and the foot. About Four on the Floor, heard here PERFORMER QUOTE

Surely ECCO’s performance will win you over, but if you still feel a little sick of Mozart’s greatest hit, surely P.D.Q. Bach’s A Little Nightmare Music will be your cure.

“Playing Judd Greenstein’s Four on

Concerto in D (1946)

The rhythmic energy is completely

IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)

infectious and there is something

Igor Stravinsky’s music changed with the world, or even a little ahead of it. The audience rioted at the 1913 premiere of his primitive foot-stomper, Rite of Spring, but just a few years later the ballet was everywhere the most popular embodiment of Modernism. After World War I, his Neoclassical Octet seemed to Aaron Copland “like a bad joke,” but soon Copland and many others adopted its style as the antidote to Nationalism. In 1941, Stravinsky immigrated to West Hollywood, where his modernist works

Floor with ECCO is such a thrill.

so fresh, visceral and ultimately optimistic about the piece. I guarantee it will be hard to sit still when you are listening.” DANIEL MCDONOUGH, CELLO

8/29 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

in a string orchestra version, the composer writes the following description: “Many composers handle strings by taking advantage either of their singing, lyrical quality, writing music that is almost vocal in nature, or of their amazing ability to produce a huge variety of textures, through changes in bow pressure, placement, and articulation. If I had written my ‘usual’ chamber work—and I may well have this string quartet still in me—I’m sure it would have gone in those directions. But for this first string quartet, I wanted to write something else. I wanted to write a piece that really rocked, not in the easy sense of writing out rock chords, but in the energy and vibe that would be conveyed in the music. To get this effect, I took advantage of the precise playing of a good string quartet, as well as the dramatic sounds of strings moving with and against each other. String instruments blend like no other; a quartet can sound like one instrument, or four (or two or three), depending on how the parts are written, and can move from sound to sound on a dime. Here, I ask the quartet to sound like a sextet, or perhaps an octet, through the frequent use of double stops (where players play on more than one string at once). The result is a thick texture that’s constantly moving and shifting while the staggered rhythms drive the piece forward. It’s ridiculously virtuosic, requiring remarkable individual energy and endurance and a degree of precision that only a top-rate string quartet can provide.

Many thanks to the Israel Contemporary String Quartet for the recording posted above. “In the spirit of joy and togetherness that I hope is embodied in the work, and in honor of their commitment to one another, Four on the Floor is dedicated to Amelia Hollander and Christopher Ames, on the occasion of their marriage.”

The Four Seasons (circa 1725) ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678-1741) Antonio Vivaldi was the Elvis Presley of the 18th century. Like Elvis and rock ’n’ roll, Vivaldi didn’t invent late Baroque style, but he went a long way in making it popular. His smash hit album (er, sheet music) was L’estro armonico, Op. 3 (1711), which translates as Harmonic Heat or Harmonic Frenzy. The critics gave his music a mixed reception. Englishman Sir John Hawkins found the music “wild and irregular” but admitted “a peculiar force and energy.” Vivaldi’s virtuosic violin playing caused similar reactions to Elvis’ hip gyrations; one critic said he had “too much mercury in his constitution.” Therefore, like Elvis, Vivaldi was controversial, and your opinion of his music— and his morals—depended on what generation you were in. One youngster to copy Harmonic Heat out by hand was an organist in an obscure region of Germany, one Johann Sebastian Bach. At almost the same age Elvis joined the Army, Vivaldi joined the Italian service—the priesthood. Nicknamed

8/13 Program 8/29 Program Notes Notes (CONTINUED) (CONTINUED)

“Red Priest” for his long red hair, Vivaldi never much enjoyed celebrating Mass and was censured by the church for un-priestly-like conduct, presumably for taking music as his mistress. In 1703, he was appointed violin teacher at a Venetian orphanage for girls, where he helped turn the unwanted children into concerto-performing virtuosos, a feat that captivated the high society of Venice. The concertos he wrote for them formed the basis for his career as a composer. Today, the most famous of his 500-plus concertos (in this he outpaced Elvis) are his vivid depictions of the great

outdoors, Four Seasons, the first four in his collection Contest Between Harmony and Invention (circa 1725). The two heard here are Summer and Winter. In the first, it’s summer, and it’s hot. Everything is lazy and still—that is, until a wind whips through. The solo violin sings the songs of various birds. The uneasy second movement foreshadows the coming of a summer storm, which finally erupts in a downpour mixed with hail. This driving rhythmic energy and virtuosic finger-play is Vivaldi’s trademark: It forever changed Baroque music, like R&B’s transformation into rock ’n’ roll. Winter evokes the way one feels leaving the house after a snowstorm: shivery and alert. The second movement takes us back inside to warm up by the hearth. After a few moments of calm, the winter wind (in the form of a violin) whips up for a chilling finale. After his death, Vivaldi’s music languished for nearly 200 years, until its popularity resurged in the 1950s—right there with Elvis.

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The Four Seasons in Buenos Aires (1970) ASTOR PIAZZOLLA, arr. LEONID DESYATNIKOV Born in Buenos Aires, 3-year-old Astor Piazzolla and his family moved to New York City in 1924, the year of Gershwin’s sensational success there with Rhapsody in Blue. Although his family returned to Argentina in 1937, Piazzolla would go on to bring into the traditional tango elements of classical and jazz styles, expertly mixed in a blender not so different from Gershwin’s. Like Rhapsody in Blue, Piazzolla’s “Nuevo Tango” caused a similar controversy for purists. First accepted outside Argentina, by the 1980s Piazzolla’s signature blend of traditional tango, jazz, classical forms, and flavorful dissonance had gained currency in his home country, where he was now seen as a revitalizer of a dying art form. Piazzolla’s Seasons adapt Vivaldi’s basic idea to the climate of Argentina, where the seasons are reversed. Fall and Spring are closer to what we know as spring and fall. Musically, too, these are in a different climate: Piazzolla in no way imitates Vivaldi’s style or approach. Here there is no mimicry of weather or animals, and Piazzolla’s Seasons are for a very different ensemble of instruments (originally electric guitar, double bass, bandoneón, violin, piano). To hear ECCO perform Piazzolla’s seasons, therefore, we have the help of Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov, who, at the request of violinist Gidon Kremer, expertly arranged these tango seasons for Vivaldi’s ensemble, string orchestra. After Fall’s portentous introduction, a cello plays the solo role in an improvisatory lament on the inevitability of passing time. The orchestra responds with an enjoy-itwhile-you-can dance. A solo violin adds more than its own two cents on the subject, after which the orchestra and violin engage in a sardonic pas de deux with each other. Spring is a livelier affair, full of youthful energy, if not optimism (there may be no such thing as an optimistic tango). After a quiet rumination for solo violin, the ensemble enters more vigorously than ever, driving hard toward its thrilling conclusion. 55

tonight’s concert is sponsored by:

week 4

David Graham and Fred & Ginny Marty

Thursday, September 3

8:00 PM First Presbyterian Church

An Evening with the Miró Quartet String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2, “Quinten”

HAYDN

Allegro Andante o più tosto allegretto Menuetto: Allegro ma non troppo Vivace assai

String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3, “Razumovsky”

BEETHOVEN

Andante con moto - Allegro vivace Andante con moto quasi allegretto Menuetto: Grazioso Allegro molto

intermission

Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44

SCHUMANN

Allegro brillante In modo d’una marcia: un poco largamente - Agitato Scherzo: Molto vivace Allegro, ma non troppo

Aaron Wunsch, piano

Miró Quartet Daniel Ching, violin; William Fedkenheuer, violin; John Largess, viola; Joshua Gindele, cello

tonight’s artist sponsorships:

Miró Quartet is sponsored by Doug Sutherland & Nancy Kramer Aaron Wunsch is sponsored by Grossman St. Amour 56

The Skaneateles Festival is made possible, in part, by operating support from the County of Onondaga, administered by CNY Arts.

Program Notes

onight, the Festival turns over the stage to one of the great American instrumental ensembles, the Miró Quartet, admired around the world for its “explosive vigor and technical finesse” (New York Times). This program of classics features Haydn’s Quartet, Op. 76, No. 2 (“Quinten”), Beethoven’s great String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3 (“Razumovsky”), and Schumann’s exhilarating Piano Quintet.

Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2, “Quinten” (circa 1797) FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809) Even if a little historically inaccurate, Joseph Haydn is not called “father of the string quartet” for nothing. His musical children certainly were running all around Europe by the time he composed his Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2 (circa 1797); countless reprints of his earlier quartets had been issued in Paris, London, and Vienna. Although Haydn by no means invented the quartet, his works coincided with—and even helped foster—the rise in its popularity. In his long life, Haydn oversaw the emergence of the quartet out of the symphony (his Op. 1 quartets are labeled “Symphonies or Quartets”); its development into a sophisticated, intimate medium, the equivalent of witty Parisian conversation; and finally its transformation back into a more public idiom, in his quartets specially designed for performance in the concert hall. The Quartet heard here falls into the last category.

© AARON WUNSCH, 2015 In the 18th century, a crucial element in music for public performance was an attention grabber. Candles could not be dimmed to call the listeners to attention like lights in today’s halls, and therefore the music had to fend for itself. In Haydn’s Quartet, a vigorous, severe pair of descending leaps by fifth draws the ears to high alert and surely puts a wet blanket on any lingering audience conversation (thus the quartet’s nickname, “Quinten,” German for “Fifths”). These fifths move from melody to accompaniment as they are passed along from first violin to the other instruments, and the first violin gradually finds itself in a better, more joyful mood. Yet the serious tone resurfaces and takes over the rest of the movement. The Andante begins in a gentler frame of mind, with the first violin leading us through a graceful theme and its elaboration. As this movement demonstrates, Haydn’s public quartets require an outstanding first violinist (such as Daniel Ching, for example). The following Minuet is a strict canon in two parts, where each voice plays the same music slightly out of sync with the other. This must be a kind of musician’s humor, since the minuet is supposed to be a fun country dance, and instead we hear some serious contrapuntal snobbery. The earthy middle section lightens up the tone, however, for a brief outdoor romp. Serious again, the final movement begins with a nervous energy and forward motion. After a while, the quartet simply refuses to stay pensive any longer, and the theme shifts into D major, where the piece ends in a joyful outpouring of rapid scales and chords. Signal to the audience: You may now start clapping.

String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3, “Razumovsky” (1806) LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)

Jack and Judy Varney, Joan Coates and friends enjoy “A Musical Happy Hour” at Anyela’s.

Count Andrey Razumovsky was a serious Beethoven fan. Long before he commissioned the composer for a set of three String Quartets, Op. 59, the Russian diplomat Razumovsky purchased print subscriptions to Beethoven’s earliest published chamber music and attended his Viennese performances. Though a strong amateur violinist, Razumovsky appreciated the advantages of hearing professionals play challenging music. He was among the first to advocate for a professional string quartet, a medium that until then had 57

Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 (1842)

9/3 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

been associated primarily with amateurs. The String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3, is anything but a living-room diversion: Those who read it at sight do so at their own risk and will almost surely fall on their faces. It is full of “licks”—challenging scale passages that ascend into the clouds. Yet what musician doesn’t love a good challenge? The quartet’s quizzical introduction provides not a single clue to the rest of the first movement. (One review of Op. 59 in 1807 called the quartets “not universally comprehensible.”) However, its series of seemingly unrelated, sustained, and difficult-to-tune chords build the listener’s anticipation for their release, which finally comes in the form of a jovial Allegro. Beethoven soon pushes all four instruments out of their comfort zone into an everwidening range of highs and lows. The second movement is cut from a very different cloth. One might react to this super-serious, Slavic-flavored meditation: “This is by Beethoven?” It’s almost as if Beethoven is wearing a Russian costume—but if you look closely, he’s there underneath. Unlike in the previous two “Razumovsky” Quartets, Beethoven does not quote a Russian folk melody here; instead, in this second movement, he composes one himself. After not smiling for an entire movement, Beethoven allows himself (and us) a grin in the graceful Minuet that follows. Again, don’t ask the village band to play these acrobatic passages—leave them to the professionals. The same can be said of the race-car finale, the first of two crowd-pleasing fugues heard this evening (the latter is Schumann’s Quintet finale, which Beethoven’s movement might well have inspired). Its headlong rush toward the finish line seems to send smoke rising from the instruments. One might think the technical challenges of this work would have sent Razumovsky’s amateur musician friends running from the room, but on the contrary, everyone wanted to try this quartet out, even if they couldn’t really play it. As the review pointed out: “The third [quartet], in C Major … by virtue of its individuality, melody, and harmonic power must win over every educated friend of music.”

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ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Chocolate and jalapenos, peanut butter and bananas, caramel and sea salt—who dreamed up these unlikely pairings? They don’t seem to belong together, and yet (arguably) they do. We might add piano and string quartet to the list. The two have completely different sound palettes; the string quartet is a perfectly balanced medium on its own, why ruin it with that lumbering, imperfectly tuned beast called the piano? In this case, you can blame Robert Schumann, whose Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44, was the first of its kind. The combination of piano and string quartet could have been a real disaster, a mix of baking soda and vinegar. In the mid-19th century, audiences at piano performances expected to cheer the virtuosic fireworks of a charismatic soloist, while those at chamber concerts expected to sit quietly and hear sophisticated and tasteful music. Furthermore, Schumann had trouble pleasing either audience with his eccentric works. Clara Schumann, the exceptional pianist and dedicatee of her husband’s Piano Quintet, complained to him in 1839: “Listen Robert, couldn’t you just once compose something brilliant, easily

9/3 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

understandable, and without inscriptions—a completely coherent piece …?” Schumann labels the opening movement “Allegro brillante,” a sign that the work is intended to please the more fun-loving members of the audience. Yet after its opening chords, the music quickly moves on to more private, tenderly yearning themes played by the piano alone and then picked up by the others. Schumann maintains this alternation of public and private throughout the movement, until the public wins out in a brilliant coda. A somber, darkly hued funeral march follows. In two contrasting episodes sandwiched in its middle, Schumann explores related but contrasting emotions—first, a rosy reminiscence, in which all five instruments are beautifully blended; and second, an agitated outburst of anger. These feelings all come to terms with each other in the remainder of the movement, where they are skillfully combined. We return to brilliance for a white-hot scherzo, a dazzling game of “what goes up must come down.” The final movement is surely one of Schumann’s most inspired creations. A swaggering, vigorous theme guides the listener

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through a varied emotional terrain, until it lands in a double fugue; then, in an astonishing stroke of genius, the theme from the first movement appears and combines with the theme from the last. One might think this brainy fugal idea wouldn’t be much fun—but it really, really is. Schumann wrote in 1837, “The best fugue will always be the one that the public takes for a Strauss waltz.” The enthusiastic conclusion wins over any skeptics. PERFORMER QUOTE

“The last movement of Schumann’s Piano Quintet is one of the greatest musical expressions of pure joy—I can’t play it without actually smiling. For a moment it makes one feel as if everything in the world will turn out right.” AARON WUNSCH, PIANO

Unlikely as it first seemed, Schumann’s Quintet turned out to be a smashing success, which it remains today. Clara, for once, was entirely pleased by this new concoction, which she called “splendid, full of vigor and freshness;” she even added it to her otherwise solo piano recitals. Schumann’s Quintet combo piqued the taste buds of many other composers after him, Brahms, Dvořák, and Shostakovich, among them. Perhaps you, too, will agree that the two taste pretty good together, after all.

This performance is dedicated to the Festival’s former artistic director, pianist Robert Weirich, whose injury prevented him from performing Schumann’s Quintet last season

All proceeds from intermission sales of cookies and drinks will help to support this incredible opportunity for many talented young musicians. You can also help by making a tax-deductible contribution to Syracuse Youth Orchestra. The Syracuse Youth Orchestras are comprised of a 6-12 grade String Orchestra (SYSO) and a 9-12 Symphony Orchestra (SYO), conducted by Karen Veverka and James Tapia.

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TONIGHT’S CONCERT IS SPONSORED BY:

Friday, September 4

7:00 PM Backstage Pass (for ticket holders only)

8:00 PM First Presbyterian Church

Jary & Julie Shimer In Memory of Colleen Fisher

Backstage Pass – Life in a String Quartet Members of the Miró and Aeolus Quartets discuss their experiences in what is arguably the most intense and rewarding of all musical ensembles, the professional string quartet.

Octets with Miró & Aeolus SCHUBERT

Quartettsatz, D. 703

WELCHER

Museon Polemos (“War of the Muses”) for Two Antiphonal String Quartets (2012) Prologue: Introduction of the Rival Teams The Challenge: Introduction and Barcarolle The Battle - Epilogue

INTERMISSION

MENDELSSOHN

Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 Allegro moderato ma con fuoco Andante Scherzo Presto

Miró Quartet Daniel Ching, violin; William Fedkenheuer, violin John Largess, viola; Joshua Gindele, cello Aeolus Quartet Nicholas Tavani, violin; Rachel Shapiro, violin Gregory Luce, viola; Alan Richardson, cello

TONIGHT’S ARTIST SPONSORSHIPS:

Miró Quartet is sponsored by Doug Sutherland & Nancy Kramer Aeolus Quartet is sponsored by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation 60

The Skaneateles Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Program Notes

n a collaboration between two generations of string quartets, the up-and-coming Aeolus Quartet joins the veteran Miró Quartet for two high-spirited octets: Mendelssohn’s euphoric Octet for Strings, Op. 20, and Rochester native Dan Welcher’s vivacious Museon Polemos (“War of the Muses”), which pits both quartets against each other in a battle of the bands, a kind of instrumental Jets vs. Sharks. The Miró Quartet opens the program with Franz Schubert’s stormy, arresting Quartettsatz.

Quartettsatz, D. 703 (1820) FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828) Musicologists may argue acrimoniously over the personal life of Franz Schubert, who remains an enigmatic individual, but on one point all are agreed: he was not an egoist. The son of a lowly schoolteacher, Schubert dodged his family profession for an itinerant life as a musician. It was not in his nature to put on airs; he hoped one day to be a truly excellent composer but did not seem to see the one staring at him in the mirror. He told his friend Josef von Spaun that his works thus far were merely “worthless exercises.” One of these was his so-called Quartettsatz (“piece for quartet”). This was in fact his twelfth quartet, which, like his “Unfinished” Symphony, remains in a forever incomplete state due to the composer’s excessive humility. Like the “Unfinished” Symphony, this single movement begins in an unsettled, tremulous state. After an outburst from the first violin, the quartet gradually settles down into more hopeful terrain; yet a sudden shift back to minor reminds us that darker thoughts lurk around every corner. Whispered heavenward prayers—which only Schubert could have written—seek to banish these darker thoughts but do not succeed. Schubert began a second movement, a beautifully gentle Andante, which, sadly, trails off in the middle. (The Miró Quartet sometimes includes this fragment in their performances and has recorded it, a bittersweet look into what might have been.) Fortunately, Schubert gained more confidence in his final three quartets, including “Death and the Maiden,” D. 810, for which we can at least be grateful that this capital-C Composer brought to completion.

Museon Polemos (“War of the Muses”) for Two Antiphonal String Quartets (2012) DAN WELCHER (B. 1948) Composer, pianist, and bassoonist Dan Welcher was born in Rochester and studied at the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. Once principal bassoonist of the Louisville Symphony, he now teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. His numerous works include symphonies, performed by major U.S. orchestras,

© AARON WUNSCH, 2015 and two operas. About his Double Quartet, Museon Polemos, Welcher writes: “The year 2013 marked the 100th anniversary of classical music’s most notorious scandal: the world premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s epoch-making ballet Le Sacre du Printemps, usually translated as “The Rite of Spring.” This piece not only put Stravinsky on the map for all time; it is generally considered to be the “beginning of modern music.” But Stravinsky was a restless musical soul, and he didn’t stay in the Bad Boy Modernist mode for very long. By the mid-1920s and all through the 1930s and ’40s, he evolved stylistically into a more polite neoclassical composer. When Texas Performing Arts commissioned me to write a double string quartet, it was with an eye to Stravinsky’s neoclassic ballet scores that I began work. PERFORMER QUOTE

“Museon Polemos is a fun, edgy, dramatic work that we commissioned for two opposing quartets who enact an ancient Athenian battle scene through music. This octet is a contemporary piece with a classic story and an engaging sound, which we are also pleased to be playing with the Aeolus Quartet, our former students.” JOHN LARGESS, VIOLA

“Basically, Museon Polemos is a 25-minute ballet without dancers—but with two rival dance teams. When I say ‘ballet,’ I’m thinking of the classic Balanchine/ Stravinsky works of the ’30s and ’40s, like Orpheus and Jeu de cartes. These are pieces that don’t exactly tell a story, but that imply one; with that wonderful flexibility of mood, speed, and timing that those pieces have. I concocted a scenario in which Quartet A is one “tribe,” and Quartet B is another. They sit not all together, but separated on the stage facing each other on a half-angle to the audience. “The piece is in three big sections. It’s completely abstract, in that there’s no real ‘story,’ but it has a scenario nonetheless. Each quartet is a ‘tribe,’ or a ‘gang’ with its own sonic identity and its own way of acting and reacting. 61

9/4 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

(actually quite Romantic), the groups re-separate and leave the way they came. Separate, but equal.

Quartet A is Apollonian, to a certain extent, and Quartet B is Dionysian: The former is cool, well disciplined, thoughtful, ‘neoclassic,’ while the latter is a bit rougher: hedonistic, swaggering, governed by the senses. Each of the two quartets has its own musical language: The various chords and scales that are used for Quartet A are different from the materials used for Quartet B.

“Part III is the actual fight; a sort of ‘rumble of the quartets.’ The gangs take turns being the aggressor, and a hint of the choppy chords of Dances des Adolescents from Le Sacre Du Printemps appears. The music is cast as a big tarantella with side-trips, and both groups and feverishly trading off material throughout. There’s a tragic highpoint to all this fast-and-furious fun, though, and it leaves us in the dust unable to move. Gradually, though, we do move... and a song begins, rising slowly from the depths with a cantus firmus of Gregorian chant sounding in the violins, over and over. The source-tune quoted here is the original fourth century music for the Latin Mass to the words dona nobis pacem. The piece ends with a frame of the very beginning: The two gangs know and respect each other now, and while they may never completely reconcile, there is harmony between them.”

“Part I is all about introducing the players, first as separate quartets and then with individual solos: It consists of a lot of connected short sections, about a minute each—just long enough to get one set of dancers into the wings while the next one skips on, though it begins and ends with both quartets in full sail. The individual ‘showoff’ solos for each quartet are preceded by swirling introductory music, with a sort of ‘your turn’ feeling, as one quartet cedes the floor to the other. “Part II is a ‘challenge,’ a standoff between the groups. Quartet A plays chordal music, but Quartet B’s first violinist decides to strut his stuff with a big cadenza. This happens twice, until it appears that Quartet B will win the day, but then Quartet A begins a slow, barcarolle-like motion that is emotionally contained, but nonetheless is very sad. Within a minute or two, all eight of them are rocking together on that boat—and after the climax

Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 (1825) FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Mozart may be the most famous musical prodigy who ever lived, but according to the rarely enthusiastic poet Wolfgang von Goethe, that wigged youngster would not have measured up to Felix Mendelssohn. When the 72-year-old poet heard the 12-year-old Mendelssohn play

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9/4 Program Notes (CONTINUED)

his own Piano Quartet, the old man exclaimed to the boy’s teacher, Carl Zelter: “What your pupil already accomplishes bears the same relation to Mozart of that age as the cultivated talk of a grown-up does to the prattle of a child.” The young German composer was afforded a rare combination of nature and nurture: His talent was cultivated through an extraordinary education in music and other subjects, overseen by the best minds in Berlin. Mendelssohn was grandson of prominent philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, and visitors to his home included philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, poet Heinrich Heine, and scientist and biogeography founder Alexander von Humboldt. While at age 16 Mendelssohn was no longer a child, one would be hard pressed to find another teenager in history who composed a work on par with the Octet. As the opus number suggests, this was by no means Mendelssohn’s first composition. He already had three published piano quartets, some songs, and even several symphonies under his belt. The Octet was a 23rd birthday gift for his violin teacher, Eduard Reitz, for whom its virtuosic first violin part was intended. Yet the Octet is not a miniature violin concerto, as the large string ensemble pieces of the time often were. Both Reitz and Mendelssohn were diehard fans of the contrapuntal music of J.S. Bach,

whose monumental St. Matthew Passion they would revive together just three years later; the Octet reflects Mendelssohn’s interest in—and skill with—a Bach-like multi-layered musical texture. As a result, the work has both a youthful vigor and a compositional craftsmanship that frequently leave the listener in a state of wonderment. The primary musical idea in the first movement is a rising arpeggio, whose upward reach takes the violin into the stratosphere and invests the whole movement with a sense of optimistic aspiration. It is ambitious, too; this movement is twice as long as the others, and its form is of symphonic proportions. The second movement turns plaintive, but the increasingly turbulent eight-part texture brings with it a note of unease. The third movement is a quintessentially Mendelssohnian scherzo, thoroughly delicate and yet furiously charging ahead. Inspired by a supernatural scene in Goethe’s Faust, his sister Fanny said the listener feels “carried away in the air, half inclined to snatch up a broomstick and follow the aerial procession.” The last movement must be counted as one of the great musical finales of all time. While the fugue, in which each voice enters successively, was considered a moribund genre in the Romantic Era, in Mendelssohn’s hands it might as well be the hippest new musical invention. It explodes with enthusiasm for life that in the end wins over listeners of (and in) every age.

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Saturday, September 5 7:30 PM Brook Farm

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Rain Location: Skaneateles High School

Patrick Zimmerli’s Aspects of Darkness and Light Featuring

Joshua Redman and

Brooklyn Rider Joshua Redman, tenor saxophone Brooklyn Rider Johnny Gandelsman, violin; Colin Jacobsen, violin; Nicholas Cords, viola; Eric Jacobsen, cello Matt Penman, bass Satoshi Takeishi, percussion Patrick Zimmerli, director

Adapt. Develop. Renew. Wishing the Skaneateles Festival a successful 33 rd season!

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Program Notes

transatlantic commuter between New York and Paris, composer and saxophonist Patrick Zimmerli writes music that is an appealing blend of contemporary classical and jazz styles. Patrick brings together jazz superstar Joshua Redman with globetrotting string quartet Brooklyn Rider in the American premiere of an eveninglength tour-de-force, Aspects of Darkness and Light. As the sun sets over Skaneateles Lake, the many short movements making up this modern-day suite will mirror the many manifestations of light and darkness.

Aspects of Darkness and Light PATRICK ZIMMERLI (B. 1968) A frequent collaborator with jazz greats such as Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau, Patrick Zimmerli has also been commissioned by classical ensembles including the Ying Quartet and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. While earning his D.M.A. from Columbia University, he spent his nights freelancing as a jazz saxophonist and working his way into the New York jazz scene. With invigorating rhythms, memorable melodies, and a sense of pacing that always leaves room for improvisation and spontaneity, Patrick’s music not only inhabits both the classical and jazz worlds but creates an enchanting world all its own. About Aspects of Darkness and Light, he writes:

capacity, profound sense of rhythm, and tremendous attention to detail, he has brought a new level of perfection to the medium of jazz, approaching it almost as a classical musician would. “So it seemed fitting when the opportunity arose to write an extended work for Josh with a classical ensemble, by way of a commission from the Seattle Commissioning Club in 2012. “Josh and I both wanted this collaboration to be different from traditional commissions, where a work is fashioned for a given soloist and/or ensemble, the group rehearses for some limited time, there is a performance, and that’s often the end. Jazz is based on a more organic approach to music making, where a body of music is played multiple times, developing, changing, and growing as it goes. “So, instead of creating something fixed or static, I decided to write a ‘book’ of many modular movements, similar to what touring jazz groups use. The piece would vary from performance to performance—not only the improvisations within each movement, but their order, and indeed, which are played on a given night. “We began a process of rehearsing that took place over several years. I would bring in ideas, and based on the reactions of the group, revise and complete them, and start on more ideas. I have continued this process up to the present and intend to keep going as we continue to perform together. The result so far is a set of 21 separate movements, a selection of which you will hear tonight.

“Joshua Redman and I met at the 1991 Thelonious Monk Competition, where he first rose to international prominence. Josh has been an inspiring figure to several generations of musicians. With his boundless technical

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“Being a composer at heart, I did feel a desire to give the piece a consistent beginning, middle, and end. So we start with an Introduction featuring just strings, subtitled ‘The Eternal’ after ‘Lux Aeternae’ (eternal light). The movement begins with very high tremolos, under which a simple theme is introduced in the cello. This light motive (so to speak) resurfaces throughout the performance, and its theme is the basis of the finale, ‘Fireworks,’ which ties the whole together. “Darkness and light provide the central, unifying concepts for all the movements, as is reflected in their titles: ‘Flash,’ ‘Sun on Sand,’ ‘Through Mist,’ ‘First Light, ‘Dark White,’ ‘Soft Focus,’ ‘Chiaroscuro,’ and so forth. Each in its own way attempts to evoke the sense of the wonderful, mystical moments that can arise from the play of light and dark. Even the title ‘Between Dog and Wolf,’ which might at first seem unrelated to light, is in fact a literal translation of the French expression entre chien et loup, which describes that magical moment when day turns to night—for a little while there exists a suspended in-between space, neither day nor night, neither dog nor wolf. This could be said to sum up this project, which is neither jazz nor classical music, but mixes the light of both worlds to come up with something distinct and unique. “We’re thrilled to be joined by very special collaborators for this performance. Brooklyn Rider, the worldrenowned young string quartet with unusual stylistic range, is ideally suited to play this music. Not only do they

PERFORMER QUOTE

“While it’s fashionable these days for musicians to cross genre boundaries, it’s something that isn’t as easy to do as it's made out to be (or at least to do it well). In the case of this collaboration between Joshua Redman, Scott Colley, Satoshi Takeishi and Brooklyn Rider, it is the composer Patrick Zimmerli who has built the bridge, and we like-minded musical explorers are crossing it.” COLIN JACOBSEN, VIOLIN

understand rhythm well enough to fit in beautifully with jazz musicians, but each of the four players brings a tremendous amount of energy and verve to the ensemble, and each plays with a recognizable individual personality and ‘voice.’ My longtime collaborator Satoshi Takeishi, who has a percussion palette all his own based in jazz but borrowing liberally from Colombian, Japanese, and other traditions, has created a sound world that’s indispensable to the project. Veteran bassist Matt Penman has worked extensively in various formations with Joshua, Satoshi, and strings.”

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Musician Profiles

Aeolus Quartet Nicholas Tavani, Violin Rachel Shapiro, Violin Gregory Luce, Viola Alan Richardson, Cello

Music Encounters Program. Members of the group earned degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Texas at Austin. The ensemble is currently the Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School.

Praised by The Strad Magazine for its “high-octane” performance, the Aeolus Quartet is among the finest young string quartets performing today. Violinists Nicholas Tavani and Rachel Shapiro, violist Gregory Luce, and cellist Alan Richardson formed the Aeolus Quartet in 2008 at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Dedicated to bringing music into the community, the Aeolus Quartet has received wide recognition for its innovative and engaging outreach programs. The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association gave the Aeolus its 2013 Educator Award to acknowledge the impact of the group’s educational efforts. In addition, the quartet won the 2012 Lad Prize; this culminated in large-scale community engagement work in the Stanford University area. The Aeolus Quartet has served as teaching faculty at Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth, at the Austin Chamber Music Workshop, and at Da Camera of Houston’s

Boris Allakhverdyan, Clarinet Born in Baku, Azerbaijan of Armenian descent, Boris Allakhverdyan started taking clarinet lessons from his father at age 9. He received his B.M. from the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in 2006, his Artist Diploma Degree from the Oberlin Conservatory in 2008 and his M.M from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2010. A first-prize winner of the Hellam Competition, the Tuesday Musical Competition and the Oberlin Concerto Competition, he appeared as a soloist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra and the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra. He has performed with The Cleveland Orchestra on several occasions and participated in the Lucerne Festival Academy (under the direction of Pierre Boulez), the Mecklenburg-Vorpommen Festival in Germany, the Emilia Romagna Music Festival in Italy and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. An active chamber

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Musician Profiles musician, Mr. Allakhverdyan collaborates frequently with such distinguished ensembles as the St. Petersburg and La Catrina Quartets. Maurycy Banaszek, Viola Maurycy Banaszek has performed at the Marlboro, Seattle, Santa Fe, Aldeburgh, Moritzburg, Mozart, Kingston, Martha's Vineyard, Warsaw Autumn festivals. He regularly tours with the Musicians from Marlboro and appears at the Barge Music in New York. As a founding member of The Elsner String Quartet he has played in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Gewandhaus, among others. He has been invited to perform at the Amadeus Quartet 50th Anniversary Gala Concert in London, to be the soloist with the New Jersey Lyric Orchestra at their Carnegie Hall debut performance and with the Metamorphosen Chamber. He was also chosen to participate in Chamber Music Connects the World Festival in Kronberg, Germany. He holds a position of Principal Viola at the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. He is also a founding member of ECCO – the conductor-less chamber orchestra. He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

Xak Bjerken, Piano Pianist Xak Bjerken has given solo and chamber music recitals in Europe and throughout the United States. Orchestral solo appearances include Edinburgh with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Rome with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra and in Disney Hall, Los Angeles, with members of the LA Philharmonic. He has performed at the Royal Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, the Kennedy Center, and has given recitals in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Hungary. Mr. Bjerken is the pianist of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet and with his wife, pianist Miri Yampolsky, directs MAYFEST, an annual chamber music festival in Ithaca, New York. In addition, he has directed three festivals of 20th-century music: “Angels, Saints and Birdsong: A Messiaen Festival,” “Through the Iron Curtain: Music of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union,” and “The Stravinsky Project.” Brooklyn Rider Johnny Gandelsman, Violin Colin Jacobsen, Violin Nicholas Cords, Viola Eric Jacobsen, Cello Hailed as “the future of chamber music” (Strings), the game-changing string quartet Brooklyn Rider presents eclectic repertoire in gripping performances that continue to draw rave reviews from classical, world, and rock critics alike. NPR credits Brooklyn Rider with “recreating the 300-year-old form of string quartet as a vital and creative 21st-century ensemble”; the Los Angeles Times dubs the group “one of the wonders of contemporary music”; and Vice likens its members to “motocross daredevils who never screw up a stunt.” Equally at home in clubs and concert halls, the quartet has played venues as varied as Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Le Poisson Rouge, Japan’s Todai-ji, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn’s Littlefield, the Library of Congress, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and South by Southwest. All four members of the quartet enjoy longstanding participation in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, with which they have performed worldwide and recorded three albums for Sony Classical. The ensemble’s recordings are played across North America on stations ranging in focus from classical to world, jazz, pop, and new music.

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Musician Profiles Julia Bruskin, Cello Since her concerto debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at age 17, Julia Bruskin has established herself as one of the premiere cellists of her generation. She performed Samuel Barber’s Cello Concerto with conductor Jahja Ling at Avery Fisher Hall and has also been soloist with the Nashville, Utah, Virginia, and Pacific Symphonies, among others. A founding member of the Claremont Trio, she has recorded and toured extensively with the group. Their recording for Bridge Records of the Beethoven “Triple” Concerto with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra has received rave reviews. She has performed at La Jolla Summerfest, Mostly Mozart, Caramoor, Saratoga, Bard, and Norfolk, and toured with the Musicians from Ravinia. She is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City. Ms. Bruskin teaches at the Juilliard Pre-College and has given master classes at the Eastman School of Music, the Peabody Conservatory, the Conservatory at SUNY Purchase, the Boston Conservatory, Duke University, and Middlebury College. She completed the five-year double degree program at Juilliard and Columbia University.

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David Chan, Violin David Chan is the concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and an active soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He made his Carnegie Hall debut during the 2002-2003 season, performing the Brahms Double Concerto with the Met Orchestra under the baton of James Levine; and his New York debut at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in 1995, performing Paganini's Concerto No. 2 under the direction of Hugh Wolff. More recently, he again appeared as soloist at Carnegie Hall with the Met Orchestra in a performance of Gubaidulina’s “In Tempus Praesens” conducted by Fabio Luisi. His recordings include a recital program, a disc of two Paganini concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra, and an album of violin/cello duos with cellist Rafael Figueroa. Claremont Trio Emily Bruskin, Violin Julia Bruskin, Cello Andrea Lam, Piano Lauded as “one of America’s finest young chamber groups” by The Strad, the Claremont Trio is sought after for its virtuosic and richly communicative performances. First

Musician Profiles winners of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award, and the only piano trio ever to win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Claremonts are consistently praised for their "aesthetic maturity, interpretive depth, and exuberance" (Palm Beach Daily News). During the 2014-15 season the Claremont Trio performed at the Library of Congress (DC), the San Miguel International Festival (Mexico), the Sanibel Music Festival (FL), Concerts at the Point (MA), Music Mondays (NY), Dayton Vanguard Concerts (OH), the Rockport Chamber Music Festival (MA), and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (MA). Bridge Records released the Claremont Trio’s recording of the Beethoven “Triple” Concerto with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and Beethoven’s Trio Op. 1 No. 1 in 2012 to critical acclaim. Their discography also includes trios by Ravel, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, Arensky, Leon Kirchner, Ellen Zwilich, Paul Schoenfield, Mason Bates, and a collaborative disc with clarinetist Jonathan Cohler that received a Critic’s CHOICE award from BBC Magazine. The Claremont Trio was formed in 1999 at the Juilliard School. Twins Emily and Julia Bruskin and pianist Andrea Lam are all based in New York City near their namesake: Claremont Avenue.

Pedro Díaz, English Horn Before being named solo English horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2005, Pedro Díaz had performed extensively on five continents. He has served extended tenures as oboe and/or English horn with the Filarmonica Jalisco (Mexico), the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia (Spain), the Natal Philharmonic (South Africa) and the Pittsburgh Opera. His appearances as soloist include those at the Spoleto (Italy) Festival, with the New York Symphonic Ensemble (Japan tour), The Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa and with the Puerto Rico Symphony. A native of Puerto Rico, he received his early musical training there in the "Escuela Libre de Musica", an esteemed public school for the performing arts. Along with his current duties at the Met, Mr. Díaz is a member of the faculties of The Juilliard School, as well as Artist-in-Residence at SUNY Stony Brook University. ECCO In 2001, a group of musicians—colleagues and friends from leading conservatories and music festivals across the country—envisioned the creation of a democratically run, self-conducted chamber orchestra. The result was ECCO, a dynamic collective that combines the strength and power

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Musician Profiles of a great orchestral ensemble with the personal involvement and sensitivity of superb chamber music. ECCO is comprised of some of today’s most vibrant and gifted young string players—soloists, chamber musicians, principals of major American orchestras, and GRAMMY award winners. ECCO members play with the symphony orchestras of Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle and Boston among others. Members also play with the Enso, Jasper, Johannes, Jupiter, Parker, and Ying Quartets, as well as the Horszowski Trio, Trio Cavatina, Sejong Soloists, Time for Three, Konomichi and Chamber Music Society II. For a few concentrated periods of time each year, the members of ECCO meet for rehearsal and musical exploration. Beth Guterman Chu, Viola Beth Guterman Chu joined the St. Louis Symphony as principal viola in January 2013. She is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and was principal violist in the IRIS Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician she has performed with distinguished artists and ensembles, including Colin Carr, David Finckel, and Wu Han, members of the Guarneri Quartet, Gary Hoffman, Joseph Kalichstein, Edger Meyer, the Orion

Quartet, Itzhak Perlman, Menahem Pressler, and Gil Shaham. She has participated in many summer festivals, including the Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Steans Institute at Ravinia, Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. She received her Artist Diploma at the New England Conservatory and her bachelor of music and master of music degrees from the Juilliard School. William Hestand, Bassoon William Hestand is the principal bassoonist of The Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the second bassoonist of both The Albany Symphony Orchestra and The Lancaster Festival Orchestra. He recently returned to New York after holding the position of second bassoon with The Cleveland Orchestra. William has also been heard in performances with The New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, New York City Ballet, The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and American Composer’s Orchestra. He earned both his bachelors of music in bassoon performance and a masters in orchestral performance from Manhattan School of Music.

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Musician Profiles Jeffrey Irving, Percussion Jeffrey Irving is a freelance percussionist and timpanist in New York City, working regularly in the orchestral, theater and chamber music idioms. He performs frequently with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and on Broadway. He is an enthusiastic performer of contemporary solo and chamber music. Current and past chamber music engagements include counter) induction, Da Capo Chamber Players, Perspectives Ensemble, Newband, American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) and the Metropolitan Opera Chamber Ensemble. He has served on the faculty of Interlochen Arts Camp since 2011 and the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar since 2007. He also served as Instructor of Percussion and Director of Percussion Ensemble (sabbatical replacement) at Interlochen Arts Academy in 2011. He is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and holds his bachelor and master of music from The Juilliard School. Branden Kane, Bass Double bassist Brendan Kane has performed extensively throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Originally from Stillwater, Minnesota, Mr. Kane joined the bass section of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2014. He has held the positions of assistant principal bass of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and principal bass of the Minas Gerias Philharmonic Orchestra in Brazil. He is also a former member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach and regularly appears around the world as principal bass of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. He has performed with the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Detroit Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa), Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra (London), Pittsburgh Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and as guest principal bass with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and The Juilliard School.

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Michael Kannen, Cello Cellist Michael Kannen is distinguished as a musician and educator who is comfortable in widely diverse musical situations. He was a founding member of the Brentano String Quartet that was awarded the first Cleveland Quartet Award, the Naumburg Chamber Music Award, the Martin E. Segal Award, and the Royal Philharmonic Society's award for best debut recital in England for the 1997-1998 season. In addition to his work with the Brentano Quartet, Mr. Kannen has been a member of the Meliora String Quartet and the Figaro Trio. He is a member of the Apollo Trio. Mr. Kannen has been heard with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Berkshire Bach Society, and has appeared at major summer music festivals, including the Spoleto Festivals in Charleston, Italy and Australia, Chamber Music Northwest, the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove, England, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, the Cascade Head Music Festival in Oregon, the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival, and the Caramoor Music Festival. He is the director of chamber music at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Adrienne Kim, Piano Pianist Adrienne Kim has appeared as soloist with the Central Philharmonic Orchestra of Beijing, the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico, the Portland Chamber Orchestra, and the Richmond Orchestra. Ms. Kim was a member of Chamber Music Society Two, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's residency program for emerging young artists, and has performed with David

Musician Profiles Shifrin, Daniel Phillips, Ida Kavafian, Edgar Meyer, Cho-Liang Lin, Fred Sherry, Lucy Shelton, Wynton Marsalis, and Paquito Rivera. She has recorded the solo and chamber works of Daniel S. Godfrey with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra on the Koch label, the violin and piano sonatas of Charles Ives with Lisa Tipton on Capstone Records and the sonatas of Niels Gade with violinist, Katie Wolfe on the Centaur label. Ms. Kim is on the faculties of Syracuse University, Mannes College of Music, the Kinhaven Music School, the Summertrios festival, and the Concert Artist Faculty at Kean University. Jennifer Koh, Violin Jennifer Koh is dedicated to performing the violin repertoire of all eras. She is also committed to exploring connections in the works she performs, searching for similarities of voice among diverse composers. A frequent recitalist, she also solos with major orchestras throughout Europe and North America. In 2009, she debuted Bach and Beyond, a three-part series of recital programs that explores the history of the solo violin repertoire from Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas to modern composers and new commissions. She regularly commissions and premiers new works and is a committed educator. For 10 years, her “Music Messenger” outreach efforts have taken her to classrooms all over the country to perform for thousands of students. Born in Chicago of Korean parents, she made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11. She studied at the Curtis Institute with Jaime Laredo and Felix Galimir. During the 1994-95 season, she won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Concert Artists Guild Competition, and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. David Krakauer, Clarinet Internationally acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer redefines the notion of a concert artist. Known for his mastery of myriad styles, he occupies a unique position. He

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is one of the world’s leading exponents of Eastern European Jewish klezmer music, and at the same time, he is a major voice in classical music. He has appeared with the Tokyo, Kronos, and Emerson quartets, and has soloed with the Dresden, Seattle, and Detroit symphony orchestras, among many others. With his band Ancestral Groove, he has redefined the klezmer genre with major appearances at Carnegie Hall and internationally. His discography contains some of the most important klezmer recordings of the past decade, notably 2014’s “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind” by Golijov in a new arrangement for orchestra with A Far Cry. He is on the clarinet and chamber music faculties of Mannes College of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, NYU, and the Bard College Conservatory. Anthony McGill, Clarinet Recognized as one of the classical music world’s finest solo, chamber and orchestral musicians, Anthony McGill became principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic in 2014. He previously served in the same position with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Hel has appeared as soloist with many orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the

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Musician Profiles New York String Orchestra, all at Carnegie Hall. In January 2015, he performed and recorded the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. As a chamber musician, he has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia with quartets such as the Guarneri, Tokyo, Brentano, Pacifica, Shanghai, Miró, and Daedalus; with Musicians from Marlboro; and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Gabriela Montero at President Obama’s inauguration in January 2009. Originally from Chicago, he attended The Curtis Institute of Music. He is a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as the first Sphinx Medal of Excellence. He is on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Peabody Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, and Bard College Conservatory. Miró Quartet Daniel Ching, Violin William Fedkenheuer, Violin John Largess, Viola Joshua Gindele, Cello Now in its 19th year, the Miró Quartet is consistently praised for its deeply musical interpretations, exciting performances, and thoughtful programming. It performs throughout the world, garnering accolades from critics and audiences alike. Founded in 1995 at the Oberlin Conservatory, the Miró Quartet met with immediate success, winning first prizes at the Coleman, Fischoff, and Banff competitions as well as the prestigious Naumburg Chamber Music Award. The quartet also received the Cleveland Quartet Award and was the first ensemble to be awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant. In 2013, the group premiered a new concerto for string quartet and orchestra, “How Wild the Sea,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts with the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra. It subsequently performed the work

with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. The Miró Quartet is the Faculty String Quartet-in-Residence at the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin. Stephanie Mortimore, Piccolo Stephanie Mortimore has held the position of principal piccolo with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2000. She has won numerous distinctions, including first prize in the Myrna Brown Competition, the James Pappoutsakis Competition and the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Competition. An active recitalist and soughtafter teacher, she has given concerts and master classes in New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, and her native state of Wisconsin. She gave her debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 2007. She has performed as a soloist with the Dallas Chamber Orchestra gave the world premiere of Daniel Felsenfeld's double piccolo concerto in 2014 with Ensemble 212. She received her master of music from the New England Conservatory of Music and her bachelor of music from DePaul University. Ayano Ninomiya, Violin Violinist Ayano Ninomiya is the former first violinist of the Ying Quartet and associate professor of violin and of chamber music at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. She was a top prizewinner in the 2003 Naumburg Competition, the 2006 Tibor Varga Competition, and winner of the S&R Washington and Lili Boulanger Memorial awards, and has built a significant career of recital, concerto, music festival, and chamber music appearances. She has spent several seasons at the Marlboro, Ravinia, Caramoor, Bridgehampton, Olympic, and Moab festivals. As the recipient of the Beebe Fellowship, she studied in Budapest, Hungary, for nearly two years at the Liszt Academy of Music. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a joint degree in music and French in 2001, where she was also awarded

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Musician Profiles the David McCord Prize and won the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra Concerto Competition. She holds a master’s degree from The Juilliard School. NOW Ensemble Nicholas Gallas, Clarinet and bass clarinet Logan Coale, Double bass Mark Dancigers, Composer, electric guitar Michael Mizrahi, Piano Alexandra Sopp, Flute NOW Ensemble is a dynamic group of performers and composers dedicated to making new chamber music for the 21st century. With a unique instrumentation, the ensemble brings a fresh sound and a new perspective to the classical tradition, infused with the musical influences that reflect the diverse backgrounds of its members. NOW Ensemble’s recent collaborations range from work with homemade electronics guru Dan Deacon to multimedia opera with producer Beth Morrison and Missy Mazzoli. One of NOW Ensemble's main goals has been to create a musical paradigm in which continuous collaboration between composers and the performers is taken as a given. This philosophy has been put into practice in residencies at numerous institutions, including Yale, Princeton, University of Virginia, and the New College of Florida. NOW Ensemble's second album, “Awake,” reached #1 in

The 2014 “A Christmas Suite” event at Hobbit Hollow.

Amazon's Classical Chamber Music Charts. Since 2004, NOW has worked with more than 60 of today's most exciting composers, including Nico Muhly, Timothy Andres, Missy Mazzoli, Judd Greenstein, Kathryn Alexander, Jason Treuting, and Sean Friar. NOW has performed this new repertoire at venues such as Miller Theater, Merkin Hall, the Bang on a Can Marathon, The Kitchen NYC, The Stone, the Carlsbad Festival, the Festival International Chihuahua, the Look and Listen Festival, The Music Gallery Toronto, Sarasota's New Music New College, the Southern Exposure Series, Pittsburgh's Music on the Edge, Cal Arts, MIT, and Julliard. Ken Olsen, Cello Kenneth Olsen joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as assistant principal cello in 2005. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and a winner of the Institute’s prestigious Concerto Competition. Other awards he’s received include first prize in the Nakamichi Cello Competition at the Aspen Music Festival and second prize at the 2002 Holland-America Music Society competition. He has also been a participant at The Steans Institute for Young Artists, the Ravinia Festival’s professional studies program for young musicians, and Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute. A native of Colonie, New York, he is a founding member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO).

Musician Profiles Lisette Oropesa, Soprano The New York Times hailed Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa as an artist with a “magnetic” stage presence who “sings with effortless grace and lyrical bloom.” She makes regular appearances on concert and opera stages throughout Europe and North America and has established “an excellent reputation for singing with luminous tones and precise coloratura.” Her schedule took her to the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Opéra National de Paris, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the New Orleans Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Los Angeles Opera, and the Pittsburgh Opera for performances in the 20142015 season. Favorite roles include Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Gilda in Rigoletto, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Nannetta in Falstaff. She also performs on the concert stage, recently in Haydn’s Creation with the Credo Festival Orchestra and with Soli Deo Gloria; Bach’s St. John Passion and his St. Matthew Passion, both with the Chicago Bach Project; and Carmina Burana with the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphonies as well as the Cleveland Orchestra. She graduated from The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in 2008. She was Grand Finals winner at The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2005. Matt Penman, Bass Originally from New Zealand, Matt Penman moved to the United States in 1994 to attend Berklee College of Music, and in 1995 to New York, where he maintains an international performing, recording and teaching schedule as one of jazz music’s most in-demand bassists. He is an established member of the SFJazz Collective, an eight-piece composer’s collective devoted to presenting the original works of its members as well as arrangements of the jazz greats' oeuvre. The Collective features some of the finest composer/improvisers on the scene, including Mark Turner,

Margaret Lio, CEO of Chamber Music America presents the 2014 CMAcclaim Award to the Skaneateles Festival. Pictured: Elinor Freer and Susan Mark (seated). Margaret Lioi, Louise Robinson, Dave Birchenoug and David Ying.

Stefon Harris and Miguel Zenon. In 2009, he founded a collaborative quartet with Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks and Eric Harland called James Farm. The band released its debut album in 2011 on Nonesuch Records. As a teacher, he has led workshops throughout Europe, and was an artist-in-residence at the Brubeck Institute in Stockton, California in 2007. Nardo Poy, Viola Nardo Poy, an associate musician with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1990, has been a member of the world-renowned Orpheus Chamber Orchestra since 1978 and has been featured as soloist in the United States, Europe and Japan with Orpheus, the North Carolina Symphony, the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia and the Kansas City Camerata. Other groups with which he performs are the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Perspectives Ensemble, the Lighthouse Chamber Players and is principal violist of the American Symphony Orchestra, the Gotham Chamber Opera and L'Opera Français de New York, as well as assistant principal violist with the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra in New York. He has been an artist-inresidence at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music with the Carnegie String Quartet. Joshua Redman, Saxophone Joshua Redman graduated summa cum laude from Harvard and had already been accepted by Yale Law School, when he deferred entrance for a year to join some friends in Brooklyn. Almost immediately, he found himself immersed in the New York jazz scene and began jamming and gigging regularly with some of its leading jazz

Musician Profiles musicians. Later that year he won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition and began focusing on his musical career. He is one of the most acclaimed and charismatic jazz artists to have emerged in the decade of the 1990s. The son of legendary saxophonist Dewey Redman, he was exposed to a variety of music at an early age. The Grammy Award-nominated saxophonist “is unparalleled among horn players today” (JazzTimes). His latest album, Trios Live, recorded with longtime collaborators, drummer Gregory Hutchinson and bassists Matt Penman and Reuben Rogers features four original tunes by Redman and interpretations of others. As All About Jazz raves, “Redman’s definitely got the fire and burns hot as coals in Trios Live which captures the essence of his unbridled abilities as musician and performer.” Susan Reed, Violin Susan Reed is a classical violinist, folk musician, singer and storyteller from the Boston area, a multi-instrumentalist who uses original songs and stories to work magic with families, on local and national stages. Before launching her solo career, she was director of Suzuki Studies at New England Conservatory of Music. Her formal training includes both a bachelor and master of music degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. “Music and storytelling, it is my favorite way to encourage people to think about the world around them or the person sitting right next to them. That’s what I like to do,” she says. Along with traditional narrations and live story notes for kids, she draws audiences into the rich world of classical music, connecting audience to ensemble, and strengthening musical communities. Catherine Ro, Violin Catherine Ro, violinist in the Metropolitan Opera, has established herself as an active chamber musician, soloist, and recitalist. Her concerts have taken her all around the globe to such countries as Russia, Finland, Lithuania,

(315) 685-6116 28 Jordan St. • Skaneateles, New York 78

Spain, France, Portugal, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. Ms. Ro made her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. As a chamber musician, she performs regularly at Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot, held in the Burgundy region of France, since its inception. In addition, she has performed at Carnegie Hall with the Met Chamber Ensemble under James Levine. She received her bachelor and master degrees from the Juilliard School, where she was a teaching fellow and assistant to Dorothy DeLay. Roomful of Teeth Martha Cluver, Soprano Estelí Gomez, Soprano Virginia Warnken, Mezzo-soprano Caroline Shaw, Alto Eric Dudley, Tenor Avery Griffin, Baritone Dashon Burton, Bass-baritone Cameron Beauchamp, Bass Brad Wells, Director Founded in 2009 by Brad Wells, Roomful of Teeth is a vocal project dedicated to mining the expressive potential

Musician Profiles of the human voice. Through study with masters from non-classical traditions the world over, the ensemble continually expands its vocabulary of singing techniques and, through an on-going commissioning project, invites today’s brightest composers to create a repertoire without borders. The ensemble gathers annually at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, where they’ve studied Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, belting, Inuit throat singing, Korean P’ansori, Georgian singing and Sardinian cantu a tenore styles with some of the world’s top performers and teachers of the styles. The project’s debut album, Roomful of Teeth, was released in 2012 and was included on many Best of 2012 lists, topping the classical charts on iTunes and Amazon, and breaking into the top 10 on the Billboard charts. The album was nominated in three categories for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. It subsequently received a Grammy for best chamber music/small ensemble performance. Stewart Rose, Horn Stewart Rose, a native New Yorker, is principal horn with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He was principal horn with the New York City Opera for 24 years. He is a frequent guest with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has performed as guest principal horn with other leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra. He has appeared at the Marlboro, Tanglewood, Mostly Mozart, Spoleto, Edinburgh, and Eastern Shore festivals and with the Met Chamber Ensemble and the Ensemble Wien-Berlin. His first solo CD with the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, “From the Forest”, a collection of early Classical works for horn and orchestra by Telemann, Haydn, Leopold Mozart, and Christoph Forster, is widely available on iTunes and CD Baby.

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Julie & Jim Moore join Sandi & Steve Frackenpohl at “A Christmas Suite.”

Peter Rovit, Violin Concertmaster of Symphoria in Syracuse, violinist Peter Rovit was among the last students of Josef Gingold at Indiana University, where he also studied Baroque violin with Stanley Ritchie. His degrees include B.M., Indiana University; M.M., Hartt School; Professional Studies, Juilliard and D.M.A., SUNY Stony Brook. As a chamber musician, recitalist, and soloist he has performed throughout the United States and at music festivals such as Aspen, Taos, Yellow Barn, Hot Springs, Skaneateles, and Musical Spring in Saint Petersburg (Russia). A concerto competition winner at both the Hartt School and at SUNY Stony Brook, he has performed as a soloist with the Montgomery Symphony, the Fort Smith Symphony, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and the Tuscaloosa Symphony. He was a recipient of the prestigious Montgomery Symphony Violin Fellowship, has been a member of the Quartet Oklahoma, associate concertmaster of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and concertmaster of the Tuscaloosa Symphony. Sar Shalom-Strong, Harmonium Sar Shalom-Strong has collaborated with international artists including flutists Judith Mendenhall and Gary Shocker, trombonist Joseph Alessi, violinist Sarah Crocker, singers Helen Boatwright Peter Vandergraaf and Sanford Sylvan. Locally, Strong performs with the Society For New Music, Civic Morning Musicals, the Skaneateles Festival, A Little Summermusic, The Oasis Center of Syracuse, Hamilton College and Utica College. He has performed with most orchestras in the area, most notably the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, and is a founding member of both the Jewell Piano Trio and the Southwick Trio. Recorded performances with Society for New Music on Innova

Musician Profiles Records and with soprano Janet Brown on Russetbush Records have met with considerable acclaim. Strong is on the faculty at Hamilton where he has taught since 2001. Strong is active as an adjudicator and vocal coach, and also has been the accompanist/music coach for West Genesee High School since 1997. Daniel Stewart, Conductor Daniel Stewart is the newly appointed music director of the Santa Cruz Symphony. In 2012, James Levine appointed him as conductor with the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. He shared conducting with Levine for the Met/Juilliard co-production of "A Concert of Comic Operas," as well as readings with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The recipient of the 2010 Aspen Music Festival's James Conlon Conducting Prize, he has conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Hessischer Rundfunk Orchester, the Frankfurt Opern Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and the Saint-Louis Symphony. He has worked closely with contemporary composers such as the late Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Adams, and particularly Thomas Adès, whom he assisted in preparing the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s "Aspects of Adès" festival in 2011.

A perfect pairing… a picnic and beautiful music.

He holds a bachelor’s of music and a performers certificate in viola from the Indiana University School of Music. In addition, he earned a graduate degree in conducting from the Curtis Institute of Music. Ian Sullivan, Percussion Ian Sullivan is the principal timpanist of the New York City Ballet Orchestra. He also performs with the Metropolitan Opera percussion section. He has performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at Damrosch Park for a broadcast of “Live at Lincoln Center” and at the Tanglewood Music Center. He has appeared as principal timpanist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in Kuala Lumpur. He has appeared on numerous occasions at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Seiji Ozawa Hall, playing with various orchestras and ensembles. He has spent summers playing in Festival Orchestras in Verbier (Switzerland), Tanglewood Music Center, Pacific Music Festival (Japan) and the Aspen Music Festival. He is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and holds a B.M. from the University of Michigan and an M.M. from the Juilliard School. Satoshi Takeishi, Percussion Satoshi Takeishi has appeared on more than 75 recordings, including those by Latin giants Nestor Torres, Ray Barretto, Hector Martignon and Eliane Elias (in the film

Musician Profiles “Calle 54”). He has also performed with Laszlo Gardony, Badal Roy, Erik Friedlander, Cantor, Sasha Argov, Columbian saxophonist Antonio Arnedo, Paul Winter, Antony Braxton, Theo Bleckmann/Ben Monder, Joel Harrison and Rob Brown. But his roots are deep and he can also be found working with Marc Johnson, Eddie Gomez, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Mark Murphy, Herbie Mann, and the Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band. His unique style incorporates percussion and electronics with his traditional drum set. Orion Weiss, Piano Pianist Orion Weiss has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the New

(315) 712-4000 TheGouldHotel.com

York Philharmonic. Known for his affinity and enthusiasm for chamber music, he was a member of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two from 2002 to 2004. He was named the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year in 2010 and he has received the Gilmore Young Artist Award and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. In 1999, with less than 24 hours’ notice, he replaced André Watts for a performance of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a last-minute replacement for Leon Fleisher in 2011. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and in 2004, he graduated from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Emanuel Ax. Aaron Wunsch, Piano Praised for his bold interpretations and communicative sensitivity, pianist Aaron Wunsch appears regularly on concert stages throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He has performed at Lincoln Center, at Carnegie Hall, at Tanglewood, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. A vigorous proponent of contemporary music, he has worked closely with many composers, including Charles Wuorinen, Steve Stucky, Chen Yi, Fred Lerdahl, Kaija Saariaho, and Thomas Adès. He has recorded works by Anton Weber and Nico Muhly. He received his bachelor’s degree cum laude from Yale University, where he won the Henry Hart Rice Prize for the best essay in international studies, and completed his master’s and doctoral degrees at The Juilliard School, where he won the Richard F. French Prize, the school’s highest honor for doctoral students. He is on the faculty at The Juilliard School and is co-artistic director of the Music Mondays concert series in New York City.

Directory Thank you for supporting those that support the Festival. Art/Music/Theatre

Auburn Public Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Civic Morning Musicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 First Presbyterian Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Robert Oddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Redhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Rosamond Gifford Lecture Series . . . . . . . . . 26 Society for New Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Seward House Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Symphoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Syracuse Arts.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music . . . . . . . . 72

Automotive

Burdick BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Contracting

Wood LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Education

Guardian Angel Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Equestrian

* Marcellus Equestrian Center . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Financial

The Bonadio Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 * Donna Graber, Planning Sense . . . . . . . . . . . 45 * Grossman St. Amour, CPA, PLLC . . . . . . . . . 12 Outside the Box Business Solutions . . . . . . . . 26 Pinnacle Investments LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Port & Company, CPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Wells Fargo Advisor, LLC . . . . . . . 29, back cover

Foundation

CNY Community Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Healthcare

Auburn Eye MD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Crouse Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Eye Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons of Central New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Hospice of the Fingerlakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Upstate University Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Insurance

Parsons & Associates, Inc.. . . . . . inside back cover R.G. Wright Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Legal

Bond, Schoeneck & King . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 67 * Mackenzie Hughes LLP . . . . . . . inside front cover Scolaro, Fetter, Grizanti, McGough & King, P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

* Sponsor

Media

* CNYCentral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 * Finger Lakes Radio Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 * iHeart Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 * News Channel 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 * WAER Syracuse Public Media . . . . . . . . . . . 67 * WCNY Public Television & Radio . . . . . . . . . . 54 * WRVO Public Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 * WSKG Public Broadcasting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Preservation/Conservation

Westlake Conservators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Real Estate

* Franklin Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 RealtyUSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 RealtyUSA – Linda Roche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 * Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC . . . . . . . . . 66

Retail

Artist Pianos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Bev & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Imagine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 * Patience Brewster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Skaneateles Nails & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 White & White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Restaurant/Food

* 1911 Spirits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Doug’s Fish Fry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The Finger Lakes Pretzel Factory & Bakery . . . . 63 * Fins and Tails LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 * Gilda’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 * The Gould Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 * Joelle’s French Bistro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 * Johnny Angel’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 * The Kreb’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 * LakeHouse Pub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 * The Mandana Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 * Mark’s Pizzeria – Skaneateles . . . . . . . . . . . 77 * Mirbeau Inn & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 * Moro’s Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 * Pascale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 * Pâtisserie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 * Sherwood Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Tourism

Skaneateles Chamber of Commerce . . . . . . . . 47

Vineyard

* Anyela’s Vineyards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 * Buttonwood Grove Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Festival Fare MEMORABILIA ON SALE AT THE CONCESSION TABLE!

Fanfare Cookbook – SALE $10 Artist CDs Blankets Fleece Hats T-shirts & Long Sleeve Shirts Polo Shirts Sweatshirts Tote Bags Flashlights

A Christmas Suite

Concert Information All concerts are held in Skaneateles, August 13 – September 5, 2015. Tickets can be ordered at www.skanfest.org or by calling (315) 685-7418. Saturday concerts at Brook Farm are held at 7:30 pm outdoors. Patrons may arrive as early as 6:00 pm and picnic on the lawn. Carry-in/carry-out. Suggested items to bring: Lawn chairs, blankets & flashlights (chairs are provided in A seating only). Call (315) 685-7418 (or check skanfest. org) after 3:00 pm on Saturdays for rain location announcements. Rain Location: Skaneateles High School auditorium, 49 East Elizabeth Street Ticket exchanges may be made up to 24 hours prior to concerts. Unused tickets returned less than 24 hours before the performance will be acknowledged as a contribution to the Skaneateles Festival. Any unused ticket may be exchanged for a ½ price ticket to a Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music concert during their 2015-2016 Season (subject to availability).

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, December 12, 2015 A collection of Christmas Stories and Music Reservations will be taken starting November 1st Hosted by

The Falcone Family

Doors open for all concerts 30 minutes prior to concerts.

A Christmas Suite

Cameras & recording equipment may only be used with the permission of the Skaneateles Festival.

Contributors – 2014

The Falcone Family

Remember to silence all electronic devices. Please tell businesses listed in the program that you appreciate their support of the Skaneateles Festival. Skaneateles Festival 97 East Genesee Street Skaneateles, NY 13162 (315) 685-7418 • www.skanfest.org

Presented by the

Skaneateles Festival

GUARANTORS

Ed and Paula Conan – Bond, Schoeneck & King Rick and Ann Capozza – Hiscock & Barclay Sherie and Andy Ramsgard – Whole Mental Wellness Don and Chacea Sundman Doug Sutherland and Nancy Kramer PATRONS

SUPPORTERS

The Inns of Aurora Joan Christy and Tom Bersani Elizabeth and Paul Koenig Dan McCann Bob and Sally Neumann Sherwood Inn

Henry and Helga Beck Barb Connor and Doug Wood Realty USA

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2015 Program Book