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Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors
March 2025
Concert Calendar
ZWILICH'S DOUBLE QUARTET & BRUCH'S OCTET
MARCH 2
DVOŘÁK AND JANÁČEK
MARCH 9
ART OF THE RECITAL
Kristin Lee and Michael Stephen Brown
March 20
SCHUBERT'S "TROUT" QUINTET
March 28 & 30
† Indicates that this artist is a current Bowers Program member.
* Indicates a CMS premiere.
Sunday March 2, 2025, 5 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
ZWILICH’S DOUBLE QUARTET
CMS begins March with a program consisting of string octets, doubling the power of the conventional quartet. This concert showcases three octets for strings by Bruch, Spohr, and Ellen Taafe Zwilich (a 1984 CMS commission), and one nonet by Finnish pianist and composer Olli Mustonen. Ellen Zwilich’s Double Quartet reveals the range of harmonic complexities and a blend of the modern and the traditional. Pianist and composer Olli Mustonen's adds double bass to fill out the ensemble for the closing nonet. His work provides a dazzling finish to a program that bristles with energy and inspiration.
Event page
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Double Quartet for Strings (CMS Commission) (1984)
Spohr Double Quartet No. 1 in D minor for Strings, Op. 65 (1823)
Bruch Octet for Strings (1920)*
Olli Mustonen Nonet II for Four Violins, Two Violas, Two Cellos, and Bass (2000)
Francisco Fullana, Ani Kavafian, Kristin Lee, Julian Rhee†, VIOLIN • Paul Neubauer, James Thompson, VIOLA • Dmitri Atapine, Mihai Marica, CELLO • Nina Bernat†, DOUBLE BASS
Sunday March 9, 2025, 5 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
DVOŘÁK AND JANÁČEK
CMS presents an evening of music from the heart of Europe. The Czech Republic boasts an impressive array of composers who each demonstrate pride for their homeland with a distinctive style. Dvořák’s Quintet in G major for Two Violins, Viola, Cello, and Bass is a shining example of his melodic richness and rhythmic vitality. Janáček’s Pohadka (Fairy Tale) for Cello and Piano is a poignant, mysterious, and intensely lyrical musical narrative inspired by a folk tale. This program also includes Smetana’s From My Homeland for Violin and Piano, and the Piano Quintet by their lesser-heard compatriot Josef Suk, a protégé of Dvořák.
Event page
Smetana From My Homeland for Violin and Piano (1880)*
Janáček Pohadka (Fairy Tale) for Cello and Piano (1910)
Suk Quartet in A minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 1 (1891)
Dvořák Quintet in G major for Two Violins, Viola, Cello, and Bass, Op. 77 (1875)
Sahun Sam Hong†, PIANO • Stella Chen, Chad Hoopes, VIOLIN • Paul Neubauer, VIOLA • David Requiro, CELLO • Nina Bernat†, DOUBLE BASS
Thursday March 20, 2025, 7:30 PM - SOLD OUT
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Rose Studios
ART OF THE RECITAL: KRISTIN LEE AND MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN
Violinist Kristin Lee and pianist Michael Stephen Brown—both alumni of the Bowers Program—collaborate on a highly anticipated program of American works by Kreisler, Ives, Bloch, Beach, John Adams, and Igor Frolov. “I am absolutely thrilled to be sharing a special program with pianist Michael Stephen Brown this season at CMS," says Lee. "Throughout this season, my focus has been on delving into the rich and diverse sounds of American composers, complemented by the release of my first album, American Sketches (FHR, November 2024). Among the highlights of this program is Ernest Bloch's Violin Sonata No. 2, ‘Poème Mystique.’ This extraordinary piece, a recent discovery, takes the listener on a fantastical journey, culminating in an ending that is truly exuberant and vivacious. I look forward to sharing this vibrant program – an immersion in the celebration of the colorful American music!”
Kreisler Praeludium and Allegro (in the Style of Pugnani) for Violin and Piano (1910)
Ives Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Piano, “Children’s Day at the Camp Meeting” (1906)
Bloch Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano, “Poème Mystique” (1924)*
John Adams Road Movies for Violin and Piano (1995)
Beach Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23 (1893)*
Frolov Concert Fantasy on Themes from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess for Violin and Piano, Op. 19
(1987)
Kristin Lee, VIOLIN • Michael Stephen Brown, PIANO
Friday March 28, 2025, 7:30 PM
Sunday March 30, 2025, 5 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
SCHUBERT’S TROUT QUINTET
In an evening that includes works for strings by W. F. Bach and Mozart, Artistic Director Wu Han joins a stellar quartet of CMS musicians for Schubert's beloved "Trout" Quintet. Known for his lieder and symphonies, Schubert's music is characterized by fluent lyricism sharpened by a richly expressive harmonic language. The “Trout” Quintet not only demonstrates Schubert's genius for melody and lyricism, but also features a distinct combination of instruments: only one violin and the addition of double bass giving it a dark color favoring the low strings. The richness of the low strings can also be heard in Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue, which deepens the string quartet’s tonal range.
W. F. Bach Fugue in F minor for Violin, Viola, and Cello (c. 1774–78, arr. Mozart, K. 404a)
Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C minor for Strings, K. 546 (1788)
Mozart Quartet in E-flat major for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, K. 493 (1785)
Schubert Quintet in A major for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass, D. 667, “Trout” (1819)
Wu Han, PIANO • Julian Rhee†, Arnaud Sussmann, VIOLIN • Paul Neubauer, VIOLA • Sterling Elliott†, CELLO • Anthony Manzo, DOUBLE BASS