THE TEACHER

Music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Edward Elgar, Morton Lauridsen, and Florence Price

Intermission

THE STUDENT

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Maurice Ravel

All selections will be announced from the stage.

Artists: Timothy Christie, violin; Andrew Jennings, violin; Gail Jennings, piano

Weston Sprott, trombone

Weston Sprott plays a lot of opera… I mean A LOT! He is a trombonist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City, one of the premier orchestras in the world.

Operas can be long… I mean REALLY LONG. What do you suppose he’s thinking about down there in the pit? Sometimes trombones might have rests for about 30 minutes, before having to come in “guns blazing.”

How does he stay warmed up? There are so many questions. We have answers, and a terrific recital to boot. Weston brings music by Ravel, Telemann and Tchaikowski, among others. And yes, there will be some opera.

Artists: Weston Sprott, trombone; and Anna Stoytcheva, piano.

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Steve and Dianna Woolley.

Spektral Quartet garnered a 2017 GRAMMY nomination for their recent album, Serious Business. Tonight’s Special Event at Rasa Vineyards assures you that they mean business!

Works will include, but are not limited to:

Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964)

CHI (2017) FOR STRING QUARTET

I: CHI – vital life force

II: AURA – atmospheres, colors, vibrations

III: MERIDIANS – zeniths

IV: CHAKRAS – center of spiritual power in the body

Tomeka Reid (b. 1977)

PROSPECTIVE DWELLERS (2016) FOR STRING QUARTET

INTERMISSION

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

STRING QUARTET IN F (1903)

I. Allegro moderato

II. Assez vif, très rythmé

III. Très lent

IV. Vif et agité

Artists: Spektral Quartet: Doyle Armbrust, viola; Mauve Feinberg, violin; Clara Lyon, violin; and Russell Rolen, cello.

We kick off the Tenth Anniversary Season with the WWCMF debut of pianist, Henry Kramer. From the sparkling classicism of Haydn to the rapturous harmonies of Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso, this recital promises electricity. Henry will also perform works by modern master Gyorgi Ligeti and Spanish hero, Isaac Albéniz. The New York Timeshas called Henry’s performances “triumphant” and “thrilling.” You do not want to miss this opportunity to get to know one of the finest up-and-coming artists of our time. WWCMF Founder and Artistic Director, Timothy Christie, will moderate the evening’s festivities.

WWCMF acknowledges the generous support of the Walla Walla Piano Group in providing the Steinway Model B piano for this performance. Bravo, and thank you!

All selections will be announced from the stage.

Artist: Henry Kramer, piano

Tonight’s performance is made possible by the generosity of Dick and Julie Swenson.

Back to Front: Hugo Wolf’s lone string quartet, Italian Serenade, is most often performed as an encore. Hence, we lead off Festival Series II with this energizing work. At the opposite end of the aesthetic spectrum is the spacial stillness of Arvo Pärt’s 1978 composition Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in the Mirror). Rounding out an eclectic first half is the masterpiece of both economy and virtuosity (a seeming contradiction) in the Ravel Duo, a sonata for violin and cello. At times, you can’t tell which of the two instruments you are hearing, as Ravel weaves melodic lines through shared musical heights. If you don’t know the cello term thumb position, you will. Finally, we present Ernst von Dohnanyi whose masterpiece, the Piano Quintet in C Minor, Op. 1, was his first published work. Rising quickly to the attention of luminaries like Brahms, Dohnanyi left Europe as 20th century gears for war turned, and finished his career in America as a professor of music at Florida State University. This program of interesting reversals lives neither at the beginning nor the end of the 2014 WWCMF Season.

Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)

Italian Serenade (1887) for string quartet

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)

Spiegel im Spiegel for violin and piano

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Duo (Sonata for Violin and Cello) (1922)

I. Allegro

II. Très vif

III. Lent

IV. Vif, avec entrain

E. von Dohnanyi (1877-1960)

Piano Quintet in C minor, Op. 1 (1895)

I. Allegro

II. Scherzo. Allegro

III. Adagio, quasi andante

IV. Finale. Allegro animato

Artists: Jennifer Caine, Timothy Christie, Oksana Ezhokina, Andrew Jennings, Paul Kantor, Norbert Lewandowski, Christina McGann, Stephen Miahky, Maria Sampen, and Sally Singer Tuttle.

Saturday, June 14 — 7:30 p.m — Gesa Power House Theater, 111 N 6th Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362

Tonight’s performance is made possible by the generosity of Richard O’Connor.

In January, we presented the Ravel String Quartet. Festival Series 1 included the Ravel Trio. The countdown comes to an end with this Duo of unmatched economy and lyricism. It requires two virtuoso performers, and we are fortunate to have just the right combo in violinist Maria Sampen and cellist Sally Singer Tuttle. We return to Walla Walla Vintners for this performance. Stunning views of the Walla Walla Valley provide the perfect setting in which to experience the music. We will send our 2014 poster composer out in style!

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Duo (Sonata for Violin and Cello) (1922)

I. Allegro

I. Très vif

III. Lent

IV. Vif, avec entrain

Artists: Maria Sampen and Sally Singer Tuttle.

Inversion Without the Freezing Fog: In the Pacific Northwest, we have our own definition for the term inversion. It has frosty meteorological implications. On Festival Series I, however, the implications are aesthetic. Anton Webern, known as a leading figure of the Second Viennese School of composition, penned some of the most innovative scores of the 20th century. His works are known for their brevity, but also the microscopic detail, density and care with which he deploys a language devoid of tonality or traditional structure. Webern’s reputation for thorny modern works is so firmly established that his lush, romantic Langsamer Satz (Slow Movement) for string quartet from 1905, will come as a complete surprise. Speaking of string quartets, Festival Series I will see the world premiere of Yotam Haber’s quartet Society of the Free and Easy. Instead of the traditional 2 violins, viola and cello, the ensemble is inverted: two cellos, viola and violin. Finally, the Piano Trio of Maurice Ravel, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is an imitate work for three players that deploys each voice in ways that can only be described as symphonic in scope. Opening night of the 2014 Festival Series will be a night to remember.

Yotam Haber (b. 1976)

World Premiere: Society of the Free and Easy, for violin, viola and two cellos

Anton Webern (1883-1945)

Langsamer Satz in E Flat (1905) for string quartet

Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

Terzetto in C for two violins and viola

I. Indtroduzione. Allegro ma non troppo

II. Larghetto

III. Scherzo. Vivace — Trio. Poco meno mosso

IV. Tema con variazioni. Poco Adagio — Molto Allegro — Moderato (quasi Recit.) — Moderato e risoluto — Molto Allegro

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Piano Trio in A minor (1914)

I. Modéré

II. Pantoum. Assez vite

III. Passacaille. Très large

IV. Final. Animé

Artists: Jennifer Caine, Timothy Christie, Oksana Ezhokina, Yotam Haber, Norbert Lewandowski, Christina McGann, Stephen Miahky, Maria Sampen, Sally Singer Tuttle, and Volta Piano Trio.

The 2014 Winter Festival Series performance is a bit like an episode of Sesame Street devoted to the letter F.

Comprised of three radically different quartets, our program explores the classicism of Mozart, the budding modernism of Benjamin Britten, and a musical form of impressionism in the lone string quartet by French master Maurice Ravel. Interestingly, all three pieces were composed while the respective composer was in his 20’s.

P is for Fantasy: The Phantasy for oboe and string trio, Op. 2, by Benjamin Britten, marked the composer’s first major success. Composed in 1932 and premiered in 1933, the piece eventually garnered international attention by its inclusion in a prominent music festival in Florence, Italy, in 1934. Today the work surely gives Britten serious street cred, if only for his penchant for substituting ‘Ph’ for ‘F’ in his spelling of the word fantasy.

Phantasy. Festival in Florence.

F Major: The Oboe Quartet, K. 370, by Mozart was composed in 1781 for the virtuoso oboe soloist of the famed Mannheim Orchestra, Friedrich Ramm. The English word oboe is derived from the French word haubois meaning high wood. Mozart’s quartet, for all its melodic beauty, is known for its using one of the highest notes of the high wood, the high F.

Famed orchestra. Friedrich. High F.

F Major: French composer Maurice Ravel composed his only string quartet between 1902 and 1903. It is dedicated to his teacher, Gabriel Fauré. While Fauré must have been honored to receive the dedication, he declared the quartet’s Finale to be a failure. Time has proven Fauré to be most incorrect on this score. The quartet is cyclical, meaning that music presented in the first movement reappears throughout the four movements. In the Finale, Ravel makes extensive use of an unconventional rhythmic cycle of five beats and asks the performers to go very fast.

French. Fauré. Finale failure? False! In five. Fast.

If you are the sort who likes to give grades, we hope that you will give our exploration of the letter ‘F’ an A+… certainly not an F!

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Phantasy Quartet in F minor, Op.2 for Oboe and String Trio

W. A Mozart (1756-1791)

Quartet in F Major, K. 370 for Oboe and Strings

I. Allegro

II. Adagio

III. Rondeau: Allegro

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

String Quartet in F Major (1903)

I. Allegro moderato. Très doux

II. Assez vif. Très rythmé

III. Très lent

IV. Vif et agité

Artists: Timothy Christie, Maria Sampen, Sally Singer Tuttle, Dan Williams, Harlem Quartet, Jaime Amador, Ilmar Gavilán, Ismar Gomes and Melissa White

Music of Mozart, Ravel, and Kodaly, plus the world premiere of Commedia Gallery for Flute, Harp and Viola by composer John David Earnest

Festival Series I celebrates unique combinations of instruments. As is our custom, the Festival Series will commence with the world premiere of a work commissioned for the occasion. John David Earnest, composer-in-residence at Whitman College, has created a new work for flute, harp and viola, titled Commedia Gallery. For this premiere, what better venue could there be than the gallery at the Walla Walla Foundry? Also on the program are works by Mozart, Ravel and Kodaly. The elegance of Mozart, the impressionist colorings of Ravel, and the passionate Hungarian folk music of Kodaly will set the 2011 Walla Walla Chamber Music ablaze with glorious musical fire.

Artists: Sarah Brady, Timothy Christie, Amy Ley, Philip Payton, Norbert Lewandowski, David Requiro, Maria Sampen and Kevin Schempf

Music of Mozart, Ravel, and Kodaly, plus the world premiere of Commedia Gallery for Flute, Harp and Viola by composer John David Earnest

Festival Series I celebrates unique combinations of instruments. As is our custom, the Festival Series will commence with the world premiere of a work commissioned for the occasion. John David Earnest, composer-in-residence at Whitman College, has created a new work for flute, harp and viola, titled Commedia Gallery. For this premiere, what better venue could there be than the gallery at the Walla Walla Foundry? Also on the program are works by Mozart, Ravel and Kodaly. The elegance of Mozart, the impressionist colorings of Ravel, and the passionate Hungarian folk music of Kodaly will set the 2011 Walla Walla Chamber Music ablaze with glorious musical fire.

Artists: Sarah Brady, Timothy Christie, Amy Ley, Philip Payton, Norbert Lewandowski, David Requiro, Maria Sampen and Kevin Schempf

The Icicle Creek Piano Trio performs music by Turina, Haydn, Bach and Ravel. Plus, a world premiere string quartet by Washington composer, Robert Hutchinson

Opening night of the 2010 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Series! The program begins with the World Premiere of a new String Quartet by Washington composer, Robert Hutchinson. Then, the critically acclaimed Icicle Creek Piano Trio takes to the stage to perform works by Haydn, Turina, Bach and Ravel.

Whether it’s the Baroque poise of Bach’s B Minor Sonata for Violin and Keyboard, the classical charm of Haydn’s Trio in E Major, Hob. XV:28, or the sheer impressionist virtuosity of the Ravel Trio, you will see why the Icicle Creek Piano Trio is one of the rising stars of the classical music world. Their 2009 recording of the Schubert E Flat Trio and the Ravel Trio (Con Brio Recordings) has garnered much praise.

“The playing is warmly considered, meticulous in articulation and blend, and silken in sonority.”

—Gramophone Magazine

This is your one chance to hear the Icicle Creek Piano Trio during the 2010 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival. Don’t miss it!

Glenn: Sculpture Garden

— World Premiere

Ravel: Sonata for violin and Piano

Beethoven: String Quartet in C Major Op. 59 No. 3