January 2025
Concert Calendar

SONIC SPECTRUM II
NY Premieres by Joel Thompson and Perry Goldstein
January 23

BEETHOVEN TRILOGY II
Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
January 26 

BEETHOVEN TRILOGY II
Calidore Quartet performs “Razumovsky” Quartets
January 28 

† Indicates that this artist is a current Bowers Program member.
* Indicates a CMS premiere.

Thursday January 23, 2025, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse
SONIC SPECTRUM II
New York Premieres by Joel Thompson and Perry Goldstein
Jamie Barton, Mezzo-Soprano | Randall Scarlatta, Baritone
This Sonic Spectrum evening features two New York premieres for chamber ensemble with vocalist by Joel Thompson and Perry Goldstein. Thompson's On Mars is scored for Mezzo-Soprano, Viola and Piano, with text from Ariana Benson's Black Pastoral. "On Mars employs an Afro-futuristic lens, imagining an alternate reality for Black people," Thompson says in his program note. "Despite its specific cultural context, the text's universal appeal lies in its portrayal of longing for safety, community, family, and wholeness—themes that, while rooted in the Black experience, resonate broadly across different audiences." Goldstein's Birding by Ear for Baritone, Violin, Cello and Piano is based on six poems on the subject of birdsong by Richard Powers (Pulitzer Prize winner for his novel The Overstory). In between the premieres are two works by Carlos Simon, Composer-in-Residence with the Kennedy Center and the inaugural Composer Chair for the Boston Symphony Orchestra: Sleep Well, a 4-minute work for solo piano, and Lickety Split, for cello and piano. Simon says of the latter, "I used the rhythmic syllabic stresses of the phrase (li-ke-ty split) as a main motif for the piece, [with] bouncing pizzicato lines in the cello part over wildly syncopated rhythms played by the piano." 
Event page

Sunday January 26, 2025, 5 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
BEETHOVEN TRILOGY II: HAYDN, MOZART, AND BEETHOVEN
CMS's season-spanning focus on Beethoven’s influence continues with chamber music for strings by Haydn and Mozart -- skillfully crafted at the height of their compositional achievements -- complemented by a Beethoven piano trio. In its elegance and refinement, Beethoven's trio pays tribute to the Classical style of both Haydn and Mozart. The Viano Quartet is one of the most sought-after young performing ensembles today, and is currently in-residence with the CMS Bowers Program. Since soaring to international acclaim as the First Prize winner at the 13th Banff International String Quartet Competition, they have captivated audiences in nearly every major city across the globe. 
Event page

Haydn Quartet in F major for Strings, Hob. III:82, Op. 77, No. 2 (1799)
Mozart Quintet in E-flat major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello, K. 614 (1791)
Beethoven Trio in E-flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 70, No. 2 (1808)

Gilles Vonsattel, PIANO • Arnaud Sussmann, VIOLIN/VIOLA • Paul Watkins, CELLO • Viano Quartet†
 (Lucy Wang, Hao Zhou, VIOLIN • Aiden Kane, VIOLA • Tate Zawadiuk, CELLO)

The Calidore Quartet

"What cannot be denied is the sophistication and sheer polish — in tuning, rhythm and ensemble — of the Calidore's Beethoven..." -Gramophone

Tuesday January 28, 2025, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
BEETHOVEN TRILOGY II: BEETHOVEN QUARTET CYCLE III
The Calidore String Quartet continue the herculean task of performing all 16 of Beethoven's string quartets at CMS this season, following in the footsteps of the Emerson, Orion, Takács and Danish String Quartets. In this concert, the Calidore String Quartet’s survey continues with the great "Razumovsky" Quartets from Beethoven's middle period. “The limitless depth, spectrum of emotion and compositional ingenuity of Beethoven’s music inspires our dedication to performing and, most recently, recording his sixteen string quartets,” says Calidore violinist Ryan Meehan. The Calidore's Beethoven: The Middle Quartets, was released in September on Signum. 
Event page

Beethoven Quartet in F major for Strings, Op. 59, No. 1, “Razumovsky” (1806)
Beethoven Quartet in E minor for Strings, Op. 59, No. 2, “Razumovsky” (1806)
Beethoven Quartet in C major for Strings, Op. 59, No. 3, “Razumovsky” (1806)

Calidore String Quartet (Jeffrey Myers, Ryan Meehan, VIOLIN • Jeremy Berry, VIOLA • Estelle Choi, CELLO)