Through the Great Ensembles series, the 92nd Street Y continues its tradition of bringing both established and up-and-coming ensembles to the U.S., giving them the opportunity to perform for New York audiences. The series' first concert, on December 11, 2008, welcomes the Suedama Ensemble for its New York City debut. Formed by pianist and artistic director David Greilsammer, "Suedama" is "Amadeus" spelled backwards, and alludes to the word games Mozart loved. The ensemble was created by Greilsammer for recordings of early Mozart piano concerti, and it continues to come together for special projects and performances.

Greilsammer and the ensemble will present an extra-musical journey exploring the links and bridges between Freemasonry and Kabbalah. The concert will look at the common ideas between these mystical philosophies through music and various texts. The highlight of the evening is the world premiere of a 92nd Street Y and Koussivitzky Music Foundation commission by composer Jonathan Keren. On The Bridge of Words: a Triple Concerto for Narrator, Clarinet, Piano, and Chamber Orchestra is inspired by a study of Kabbalistic traditions. Keren writes, "My idea from the start, rather than dealing with primary Kabbalistic sources, which are often indecipherable, was to focus on secondary sources, namely literary works that are inspired by Jewish mysticism. This would create a triangular relationship between the original Kabbalistic texts, the writers inspired by them, and finally the composer, looking at the two from a distance, from a different era." A native of Israel, Keren is influenced by baroque music, Middle Eastern folk dances, klezmer tradition, and now the Kaballah. He is the recipient of ASCAP's Young Composers' Award, scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, and a recent graduate of The Juilliard School's Master's program, where he studied with Milton Babbitt.

The concert is part of the 92nd Street Y's New Horizons series, and also features works by Rameau, Mozart, and Milhaud that have connections to either Freemasonry or Kabbalah. The concert is preceded by a pre-concert interview with composer Jonathan Keren at 7pm.

The second Great Ensembles concert, on January 20, 2009, welcomes the Borodin Quartet. The group, originally formed in 1945 by four students from the Moscow Conservatory, now comprises Andrei Abramenkov, Ruben Aharonian, Igor Naidin and Vladimir Balshin. The Borodin has worked for more than 60 years to command a special position of respect in the chamber music world, preserving a performance tradition focusing on the masterpieces at the very heart of the quartet repertoire. Its interpretations are celebrated for their intensity and focus, a style in which individualism dedicates itself to the collaborative spirit of chamber music and total service of the composer's wishes. The concert is also part of the Y's Russian Evolution series, an exploration of Russian repertoire at the turn of the twentieth century. The Borodin Quartet's particular affinity for Russian repertoire was stimulated by a close relationship with Shostakovich, who personally supervised its study of each of his quartets. The evening's program includes the composer's String Quartet No. 3, as well as works by Borodin and Stravinsky.

Great Ensembles' next concert, on March 28, 2009, features the Nash Ensemble of London, recognized as one of the UK's best and most adventurous chamber ensembles. Following its critically acclaimed New York debut at the Y in 2007, the Y promptly re-invited artistic director Amelia Freedman and this group of talented players back to offer New York audiences another taste of the Nash's electrifying music making. The Nash Ensemble presents works from Haydn to the avant-garde, and is a major contributor towards the recognition and promotion of contemporary composers; by the end of this season the group will have performed over 260 premieres, of which 145 have been specially commissioned. The ensemble's 92nd Street Y concert comprises works by Mozart, Vaughan Williams, Stravinsky, and Dvorák.

The final concert, April 21, 2009, welcomes the Zehetmair Quartet for Elliott Carter & Heinz Holliger: A Musical Friendship. Many institutions have celebrated composer Elliott Carter and his centennial birthday, and the 92nd Street Y has decided to focus on the close friendship and musical collaboration between Carter and oboist/composer Heinz Holliger. Elliott Carter & Heinz Holliger: A Musical Friendship not only celebrates Carter's 100th and Holliger's 70th birthdays, it allows these two amazing musicians to come together for a remarkable two-concert series that highlights their long-time relationship. The Zehetmair's concert features the premiere of a new work by Holliger, Carter's Fragment for String Quartet, and additional works by Bruckner and Beethoven. The concert is also part of the 92nd Street Y's New Horizons series. A second concert, April 22, will be part of the Distinguished Artists Series.

The concert will be preceded by an interview with both Carter and Holliger at 7pm.

A series subscription is available for $155/$120 ($80 for ages 35 and under), single tickets $48/$38 ($25 for ages 35 and under). Tickets may be purchased by calling 212.415.5500, visiting www.92Y.org/concerts, or at the box office. The 92nd Street Y is located at 1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street.


Thursday, December 11, 2008, 8pm
Great Ensembles | New Horizons
Suedama Ensemble
David Greilsammer, artistic director, piano, conductor
Guy Feder, guest conductor | Gilad Harel, clarinet | Ethan Herschenfeld, narrator

Pre-concert interview at 7pm with composer Jonathan Keren

JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU (1683-1764): Overture to Zoroastre (1749)
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791): Masonic Funeral Music in C minor,K. 477 (1785)
JONATHAN KEREN (b. 1978): On the Bridge of Words: a Triple Concerto for Clarinet, Piano, Narrator & Ensemble (2008) (world premiere, 92nd Street Y commission)
DARIUS MILHAUD (1892-1974): La création du monde (1923)
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482 (1785)

Tuesday, January, 20, 2010, 8pm
Borodin Quartet
Andrei Abramenkov, Ruben Aharonian, Igor Naidin and Vladimir Balshin

BORODIN (1833-1887): String Quartet No. 1 in A Major (1874-79)
STRAVINSKY (1882-1971): Concertino for String Quartet (1920)
SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975): String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73 (1946)

Saturday, March 28, 2009, 8pm
The Nash Ensemble of London

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791): Trio for Piano, Clarinet & Viola, K.
498 (1786)
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958): Quintet for Clarinet, Horn, Piano &
Strings (1898)
IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971): Suite from L'histoire du Soldat for Clarinet, Violin
& Piano (1918-19)
ANTONÍN DVORÁK (1841-1904): Quartet for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major, Op.
87 (1889)

Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 8pm
Great Ensembles | New Horizons
Zehetmair Quartet
Elliott Carter & Heinz Holliger: A Musical Friendship
Thomas Zehetmair, violin | Kuba Jakowicz, violin | Ruth Killius, viola | Ursula Smith, cello
Pre-concert interview at 7pm with Elliott Carter and Heinz Holliger

ANTON BRUCKNER (1824-1896): String Quartet in C minor (1862)
HEINZ HOLLIGER (b. 1939): String Quartet No. 2 (written for the Zehetmair Quartet,
dedicated to Elliott Carter) (2007) (U.S. premiere)
ELLIOTT CARTER (b. 1908): Fragment for String Quartet (1994)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827): String Quartet in F Major, Op. 135 (1826)

MEDIA LINKS (DECEMBER 11):

Suedama Ensemble bio | photo
David Greilsammer website
Jonathan Keren website
Guy Feder bio | photo
Gilad Harel website
Ethan Herschenfeld bio | photo