Sunday February 2, 2025, 5 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
BEETHOVEN TRILOGY II: Bruckner's String Quintet
CMS's season long exploration of the influence of Beethoven continues, juxtaposing works from the composer's middle period with Anton Bruckner’s monumental String Quintet. Two instrumental sonatas by Beethoven—including the G-major Violin Sonata performed by legendary violinist Pinchas Zukerman and the A-major sonata performed by cellist Amanada Forsyth and pianist Shai Wosner—provide context for the String Quintet by Bruckner, which itself foreshadows a new era in classical music. The Quintet offers a rare opportunity to experience the talents of a composer known primarily for his large symphonies in an intimate chamber music setting. 
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Beethoven Sonata in A major for Cello and Piano, Op. 69 (1807–08)
Beethoven Sonata in G major for Violin and Piano, Op. 96 (1812)
Bruckner Quintet in F major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello (1879)

Shai Wosner, PIANO • Aaron Boyd, Arnaud Sussmann, VIOLIN•  Pinchas Zukerman, VIOLIN/VIOLA • Matthew Lipman, VIOLA • Amanda Forsyth, CELLO

Thursday February 20, 2025, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Rose Studio
ART OF THE RECITAL: JUHO POHJONEN, Piano

Pohjonen has both impeccable technique and a cleareyed approach to music... Complete confidence, a superb performance." —The Washington Post
World Premiere of Jyrki Linjama's Prélude oublié
Internationally acclaimed Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen, praised by The New York Times for his "pearly touch, singing tone and sensitivity," is an ardent champion of Scandinavian music, and his recital program opens with a world premiere by his compatriot Jyrki Linjama, who will be in attendance. Pohjonen envisions the narrative arc of his program moving from shadow to illumination, opening with Linjama's Prélude oublié. This atmospheric new work evokes forgotten melodies emerging from the past, reminiscent of a rediscovered Baroque piece tinged with gentle melancholy. “Scriabin's mystical sonatas,” says Pohjonen “envelop us in the dark depths of the human psyche, and works by Liszt and Beethoven offer transformative passages, guiding us from infernal realms towards the celestial, culminating is Messiaen's ecstatic depiction of divine love.” 
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Jyrki Linjama Prélude oublié for Piano (World Premiere) (2024)*
Scriabin Sonata No. 6 for Piano, Op. 62 (1911)*
Liszt Après une Lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata for Piano (1849)
Beethoven Sonata for Piano, Op. 27, No. 1, “Quasi una fantasia” (1800–01)*
Scriabin Sonata No. 7 for Piano, Op. 64, “White Mass” (1911)*
Messiaen “Le baiser de l’Enfant-Jésus” from Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus for Piano (1944)*

Juho Pohjonen, PIANO

Tuesday February 25, 2025, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
MENDELSSOHN’S PIANO TRIO NO. 2
An all-Mendelssohn program that includes his final string quartet, Op. 80, composed in response to the untimely death of his sister Fanny and performed by the Escher String Quartet. "It is impossible not to be impressed by the verve and precision with which the Escher launch into [Op. 80]," wrote Gramophone. Also on the program is Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in C minor, a profound work that showcases the composer at his most impassioned. Violinist Arnaud Sussmann and cellist Nicholas Canellakis join renowned pianist Anne-Marie McDermott to bring Mendelssohn's masterpiece to life in Alice Tully Hall. 
Event page

Mendelssohn Sonata No. 1 in B-flat major for Cello and Piano, Op. 45 (1838)*
Mendelssohn Quartet in F minor for Strings, Op. 80 (1847)
Mendelssohn Andante and Scherzo for String Quartet, Op. 81 (1847)
Mendelssohn Trio No. 2 in C minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 66 (1845)

Anne-Marie McDermott, PIANO • Arnaud Sussmann, VIOLIN • Nicholas Canellakis, CELLO • Escher String Quartet (Adam Barnett-Hart, Brendan Speltz, VIOLIN • Pierre Lapointe, VIOLA • Brook Speltz, CELLO)

Thursday February 27, 2025, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Rose Studio
SONIC SPECTRUM III: Music for Winds, Piano and Percussion (2000-2025)
World Premiere by Elise Arancio
CMS's Sonic Spectrum Series presents the works of living composers from diverse backgrounds and cultures over the course of four concerts each season. This evening, a program of 21st-century works for winds, piano and percussion features the world premiere of a CMS commission by Elise Arancio, currently a student at the Juilliard School and one of 20 awardees of the prestigious Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2024). A roster of outstanding CMS wind players—Tara Helen O'Connor, flute; James Austin Smith, oboe; Peter Kolkay, bassoon—join percussionist Ian David Rosenbaum and pianist Juho Pohjonen for this evening of musical exploration.
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Liza Lim Ming Qi (Bright Vessel) for Oboe and Percussion (2000)*
Tonia Ko Tilt for Bassoon (2021)*
Elaine Lillios Sleep’s Undulating Tide for Flute and Electronics (2016)*
Alejandro Viñao RIFF for Marimba and Piano (2006)*
Elise Arancio Rookery for Flute, Piano, and Percussion (CMS Commission, World Premiere) (2025)*
Viet Cuong Trains of Thought for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano (2012)*

Juho Pohjonen, PIANO • Tara Helen O’Connor, FLUTE • James Austin Smith, OBOE • Peter Kolkay, BASSOON • Ian David Rosenbaum, PERCUSSION