Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

From 12 Trio Sonatas, Op. 1

Sonata No. 12 in D minor, RV 63, La Follia

André Caplet (1878-1925)

Conte Fantastique d’après La Masque de la Mort Rouge (1924)

For harp and string quartet

Intermission

Molly Herron (b. 1982)

Stellar Atmospheres (2015/2024)

For treble vocal quartet and string quartet

Co-commissioned by Quince Vocal Ensemble and WWCMF

With additional support from Bud & Phyllis Wulliman

Michael Miller

“Going down that road” from Guthrie Songs (2018)

Carrie Henneman Shaw

The Smallest Gap (2019)

Laura Steenberge

The Four Winds (2015)

V. Red Giant, White Dwarf

Artists: Stephanie Aston, voice; Timothy Christie, viola; Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, voice; Elizabeth Landis, harp; Vanessa Moss, violin; Liz Pearse, voice; Maria Sampen, violin; Carrie Henneman Shaw, voice; Sally Singer Tuttle, cello

André Caplet (1878-1925)

Conte Fantastique d’après La Masque de la Mort Rouge

For harp and string quartet

“Merci, Edgar!” said French composer, André Caplet, upon reading the words above from Poe’s Masque of the Red Death. Maybe he said that, maybe he didn’t. Doesn’t matter! These are the qualities Caplet brings to life in his work for harp and string quartet, Conte Fantastique d’après La Masque de la Mort Rouge (1924). Glare. Glitter. Piquancy. Phantasm.

A pandemic rages. An eccentric aristocrat invites hundreds of nobles to ride out the storm in his castle, enjoying opulent parties and masked balls. There are seven chambers, each decorated to the point of embodiment of a different color: Blue, Purple, Green, Orange, White, Violet and Black. In the outer rooms, the vibe is light and merry. As the action progresses deeper into the castle, things take a decidedly morbid turn. Vincent Price makes a cameo (I think). 

Are you intrigued? We visit Echolands Winery for this performance sure to echo in the annals of WWCMF lore for years to come.

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Elizabeth Landis, harp; Vanessa Moss, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Sally Singer Tuttle, cello

Forbidden love. That’s the quickest synopsis of the Arthurian-era legend of Tristan and Isolde. Fleshing it out a bit, Tristan is charged with escorting Isolde, an Irish princess, from Ireland to Cornwall by boat so that she can marry King Mark of Cornwall. On the way the two somehow accidentally drink a love potion. It works. Tristan is doomed to suffer death at the hands of King Mark’s henchmen. Isolde follows suit, owing to the potency of her love for Tristan and her heartbreak upon his death.

The most famous retelling of the story is Richard Wagner’s 1865 opera, Tristan und Isolde. “Mild und leise…” For Wagner fans, these words are like a clubhouse secret password. Loosely translated, they mean “softly and gently.” But,what could that possibly mean? In the context of Wagner’s opera (music drama), they represent the commingling of love and death. It’s Act III. Isolde looks upon the dead body of her (illicit/accidental) true love, Tristan. She contemplates the tranquility of his state, savoring a new beauty even as she savors the pain of his loss. She proceeds to sing herself to an ecstatic death, overcome by his strange perfection — a Liebestod or ‘Love Death.’

Which brings us to tonight’s work, love fail, by David Lang. This masterpiece is a reexamining of the medieval romance of Tristan and Isolde from different sources. “Mild und Leise” becomes “mild, light” in movement 12 of Lang’s retelling. Scored for four treble voices and percussion, Quince Ensemble brings the work to life like no other group on the world stage today. And we have them all to ourselves. This is a special night in the now 18-year arc of WWCMF. We return to Foundry Vineyards, site of so many wonderful performances over the years.

All selections will be announced from the stage.

Artists: Stephanie Aston, voice; Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, voice; Liz Pearse, voice; Carrie Henneman Shaw, voice

The harp is associated with many things, all of them good: heaven, cupid, Ireland and in particular, Irish beer. And the harp is one of the most ancient instruments with many appearances in classical Greek history and mythology. But in modern Western culture, perhaps the readiest association with the harp is the wedding ceremony. Our featured Artist, Elizabeth Landis, played her first wedding at the age of twelve. I wonder if the happy couple is still together. I bet they are! Because Liz is an artist of the highest pedigree.

From early studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy to the University of Toronto, Temple University, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and the Aspen Music Festival, Liz has traveled extensively in the music world. But she also brings a love of traveling in the wider world, and is a respected travel and food blogger. Epicure, traveler and purveyor of 47 strings and seven pedals, Liz approaches music in much the same way as she looks at the world — her oyster!

All selections will be announced from the stage.

Artists: Elizabeth Landis, harp

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Susan Monahan and Mark Brucks.

David Glenn (b. 1951)

Sculpture Garden (2009) For piano quintet

I. Styx

II. Three Stories

III. Carnival

IV. Pirouette

V. Soaring Stones

Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)

String Quartet in E flat (1834)

I. Adagio ma non troppo

II. Allegreto

III. Romanze

IV. Allegro molto vivace

Intermission

Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Piano Quintet in F# minor, Op. 67 (1907)

I. Adagio - Allegro moderato

II. Adagio espressivo

III. Allegro agitato - Adagio come prima - Presto

Artists: Winston Choi, piano; Timothy Christie, viola, Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Maria Sampen, violin; MingHuan Xu, violin

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Michael Haight and Cathy Lee-Haight.

Born in New Hampshire in 1867, Amy Marcy Cheney, displayed musical gifts almost from the start. She first studied piano with her mother, then with two prominent German expats in Boston, eventually adding courses in counterpoint with a German-trained Bostonian. She established herself as a concert soloist, performing with the most esteemed arts organizations in the US, notably the Boston Symphony.

At the age of 18, Amy married Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach, a 42-year old surgeon. Much about this union seems strange to our modern sensibilities, perhaps nowhere more so than in the prenuptial agreement curtailing Amy’s musical activities, limiting her public piano performances to two per year, and then only for charity. But composition was deemed a suitable pursuit for a married woman, and Mrs. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach would compose and publish musical works throughout her self-reported happy marriage, and continue to do so under the same name long after Henry’s passing in 1910.

And yet, and I say this objectively, Amy was a far superior musician than Henry was a surgeon! While he poked about with blunt instruments of the Civil War era, she performed Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven and Bach to international acclaim, and became the first American woman to compose and publish a symphony (E minor, The Gaelic, Op. 32), a work which received rave reviews in the US and Europe, a coup for any American composer, let alone a woman. Henry may still have been using leeches.

Tonight, we perform the lyrical masterpiece, the Piano Quintet in F# minor, Op. 67, by Amy Beach, as she is now known.

Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Piano Quintet in F# minor, Op. 67 (1907)

I. Adagio - Allegro moderato

II. Adagio espressivo

III. Allegro agitato - Adagio come prima - Presto

Artists: Winston Choi, piano; Timothy Christie, viola; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Maria Sampen, violin; MingHuan Xu, violin

Tonight’s performance is made possible by the generosity of Kris and Tim Barry.

At first, you think you’re in for a wonderful recital by an extremely talented violinist. (Don’t worry. You are!) Then the question is posed to said violinist, in this case MingHuan Xu, “Have you ever been part of a sting operation?” And things shift a bit. What lurks beneath MingHuan’s polished exterior? Pure intrigue. She’s tough on crime by night, a virtuoso violinist by day.

Sounds more like a movie than a Portrait recital, right? And that’s fitting. Joined by pianist Winston Choi, MingHuan has a program of music featured on the big screen by composers John Corigliano, Dmitri Shostakovich, Carlos Gardel and more.

All works will be announced from the stage.

Artists: MingHuan Xu, violin; Winston Choi, piano

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Cecile and Rick Ervin.

We are delighted to welcome PUBLIQuartet in their WWCMF debut. This program features selections from the quartet's ongoing What Is American project, which inspired a GRAMMY®-nominated album of the same name. This wide-ranging set of works will explore the resonances between contemporary, blues, jazz, free and rock-inflected music — all of which trace their roots back to the Black and Native American music that inspired Antonin Dvorak’s “American” String Quartet.

The program will include re-imaginations of music by Ornette Coleman, Ida Cox, Alice Coltrane, Betty Davis, Duke Ellington, Tina Turner, and Fats Waller alongside recent works by Vijay Iyer and Henry Threadgill; also on the program is a new work by Jeff Scott, commissioned with the support of a 2024 Chamber Music America Artistic Projects grant. Interrogating these traditions of our nation’s complex history, PQ attempts to connect the dots, illuminating the past, present, and future of American concert music.

All works will be announced from the stage.

Artists: PUBLIQuartet: Hamilton Berry, cello; Rubén Rengel, violin; Nick Revel, viola; Curtis Stewart, violin

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Karl Eckhardt and Pamela Mittelstadt.

Schubert Fantasia in F minor, D. 940 (1828) For piano four hands

I. Allegro molto moderato

II. Largo

III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace

IV. Finale. Allegro molto moderato

John Mackey

Breakdown Tango (2000) For piano, clarinet, violin and cello

Intermission

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1765-1791)

Quintet in A for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581

I. Allegro

II. Larghetto

III. Menuetto

IV. Allegretto con variazioni

Tonight’s performance is dedicated to Bryan Ford. We miss you, Bryan.

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Vanessa Moss, violin; Ronaldo Rolim, piano; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; Xiaohui Yang, piano

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor in memory of Tim Brown — gentle soul, enquiring mind, devoted to chamber music.

Tonight’s Tasting Music performance features one of Mozart’s great chamber works. The legacy of this work is not just the invention of a musical form, the clarinet quintet, but perhaps the establishment of the clarinet itself as an indispensable part of the corps of classical instruments. The sonority of late Mozart leans into the clarinet, even displacing the more standard pair of oboes in the orchestra of the time. And behind this epiphany on Mozart’s part was one man, Anton Stadler. Stadler was a virtuoso of the instrument whose playing inspired Mozart to compose both this quintet and ultimately his final completed work, the Clarinet Concerto, K. 622. Oh, and that famous incomplete final piece? The Requiem is scored for two clarinets and no oboes. OK, ok… you know your history. Technically, the clarinets of the Concerto and the Requiem are basset horns, a variant of the clarinet with access to additional low notes. But it was Stadler who figured prominently in the invention and perfection of the basset horn, too. Tonight, our Stadler is named Schempf.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1765-1791)

Quintet in A for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581

I. Allegro

II. Larghetto

III. Menuetto

IV. Allegretto con variazioni

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Vanessa Moss, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Ron Van Yserloo, in honor of Barb, who loved playing the clarinet.

Kevin is not wrong in his musings about WWCMF and Brahms. So, it is only fitting that he brings us the first Festival performance of a Brahms clarinet sonata movement. What else might he have in mind for tonight’s Portrait recital? I went ahead and took a look through my extensive scrapbook of Kevin’s various musings to get a better idea.

“…a military march in reference to my military service.”

Sounds good. What’s next?

“…a reference to [the film] ‘Maestro.”

I’m intrigued. And?

“…a beautiful new piece, [then] one with a nice frilly fun ending.”

At WWCMF, we love nice fun frilly endings. Kevin makes his return to WWCMF after a season’s absence filled with solo sea voyages and much more. This evening’s performance provides a window into one of WWCMF’s most beloved performers.

All works will be announced from the stage.

Artists: Kevin Schempf, clarinet; Xiaohui Yang, piano

WWCMF’s Collage performances have been made possible by the generosity of Darcie Furlan.

It is the 17th Season of WWCMF. It’s only fitting that we have a cast of 17 musicians performing in our annual musical kaleidoscope. Darkness, Shadow, Light, Life. These are the musical themes that will surround you. From lush impressionistic harmonies to Lebanese folk music to a touch of Wham!, Collage keeps you guessing while keeping you delighted.

What’s more, the exquisite grounds of the Inn at Abeja will open 2.5hrs before showtime so you can come enjoy wood-fired pizzas, salads and an array of world-class wines before heading into the barn for the performance. No pre-order necessary for food or drink. Pre-order necessary for tickets… they go fast!

Reserve your meal in advance. Abeja will offer farm salads, wood-fired pizzas, charcuterie, cheese, and freshly baked cookies.

Artists: Garrett Arney, percussion; Charlotte Christie, soprano; Timothy Christie, viola; John Corkill, percussion; James Doyle, percussion; Tracy Doyle, flute; Katri Ervamaa, cello; Jennifer Goltz-Taylor, soprano; Sijia Huang, percussion; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Patty Mathieu, lighting design; Nonoka Mizukami, percussion; Vanessa Moss, violin; Ronaldo Rolim, piano; Adam Rosenblatt, percussion; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; Kurt Walls, lighting design; Xiaohui Yang, piano

WWCMF’s Collage performances have been made possible by the generosity of Darcie Furlan.

It is the 17th Season of WWCMF. It’s only fitting that we have a cast of 17 musicians performing in our annual musical kaleidoscope. Darkness, Shadow, Light, Life. These are the musical themes that will surround you. From lush impressionistic harmonies to Lebanese folk music to a touch of Wham!, Collage keeps you guessing while keeping you delighted.

What’s more, the exquisite grounds of the Inn at Abeja will open 2.5hrs before showtime so you can come enjoy wood-fired pizzas, salads and an array of world-class wines before heading into the barn for the performance. No pre-order necessary for food or drink. Pre-order necessary for tickets… they go fast!

Reserve your meal in advance. Abeja will offer farm salads, wood-fired pizzas, charcuterie, cheese, and freshly baked cookies.

Artists: Garrett Arney, percussion; Charlotte Christie, soprano; Timothy Christie, viola; John Corkill, percussion; James Doyle, percussion; Tracy Doyle, flute; Katri Ervamaa, cello; Jennifer Goltz-Taylor, soprano; Sijia Huang, percussion; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Patty Mathieu, lighting design; Nonoka Mizukami, percussion; Vanessa Moss, violin; Ronaldo Rolim, piano; Adam Rosenblatt, percussion; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; Kurt Walls, lighting design; Xiaohui Yang, piano

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Brad Anderson and Kay Mead.

WWCMF welcomes groundbreaking percussion ensemble, Beyond This Point, for an immersive Special Event. Timber by composer Michael Gordon, is a work for six pieces of wood. I suppose in a way, a string sextet by Brahms could also be considered a work for six pieces of wood. But Timber is more elemental.

What was the very first musical sound ever made intentionally by a human? My guess is that it was a percussion sound, probably produced by a concussion idiophone, fancy talk for clacking a pair of rocks together. Next, maybe, came the percussion idiophone, striking a log or a rock or a seashell with a stick of some kind. And here we are tonight, only two steps into the invention of music. And yet the ancient, futuristic and infinite become fused in this magnificent work. Add in a little tech in the form of some contact mics, an integrated light display and the magnificent acoustics of The Walls Winery production space and you have something deep, pulsing, meditative and beautiful.

Like the world’s first musicians, we looked around our immediate environs for something to hit with a stick. We came up with six staves from a decommissioned wine puncheon. Turns out there’s this whole wine industry around these parts. Enjoy a glass from The Walls Vineyards and settle in for an epic journey through time and space.

Artists: Garrett Arney, percussion; John Corkill, percussion; James Doyle, percussion; Sijia Huang, percussion; Nonoka Mizukami, percussion; Adam Rosenblatt, percussion

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Mike and Sue Gillespie.

Joaquín Turina (1882-1949)

Las Musas de Andalucía, Op. 93 (1942)

I. Clío. Andante, piano

(las puertas de la Rábida)

II. Euterpe. Tiempo alegre de Sevillanas, violin and piano

(plena celebración)

III. Talía. Allegretto, string quartet

(naranjos y olivos)

IV. Polimnia. Lento, cello and piano

(nocturno)

V. Melpómene. Allegretto quasi andantino, voice and piano

(reflexiones)

VI. Erato. Andante, voice and string quartet

(trovos y saetas)

VII. Urania. Allegro moderato quasi allegretto, piano

(farruca fugada)

VIII. Terpsícore. Allegretto, piano

(minué)

IX. Caliope. Andante, piano and string quartet

(himno)

Intermission

Bright Sheng (b. 1955)

Three Chinese Love Songs (1988) For voice, viola and piano

I. Blue Flower

II. At the Hillside Where Horses Are Running

III. The Stream Flows

Miguel del Aguila (b. 1957)

Charango Capriccioso, Op. 90 (2006) For piano 4 hands and string quintet

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

5 Fantasiestücke, Op. 5 (1895) For string quartet

I. Prelude

II. Serenade

III. Humoresque

IV. Minuet

V. Dance

Artists: Brittany Boulding Breeden, violin; Timothy Christie, viola; Katri Ervamaa, cello; Jennifer Goltz-Taylor, soprano; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Ronaldo Rolim, piano; Maria Sampen, violin; Xiaohui Yang, piano

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Beth Barbre and John Mangan.

All humans the world over have two things in common. We share both the capacity to suffer and the right to be happy. Nowhere are these two states more perfectly encapsulated than in the Love Song.

In Verdi’s La Traviata, Violetta and Alfredo sing a great duet. He sings about his love for her, “the torment and delight of his heart.” He feels suffering and happiness simultaneously. She sings back that she just wants to be friends. Of course, she’s in love with him, too, but she is from a lower class. Turns out Alfredo’s meddling father— who just loves his son, and wants his daughter to have prospects— has coerced Violetta into professing a false sentiment. The lovers just want to be happy, but they suffer instead. By the time everyone comes around (and back onstage), convinced of and happy in the purity and goodness of the love between Violetta and Alfredo, Violetta’s pesky tuberculosis flares up one final time, bringing the whole affair to a tragic conclusion, brief happiness supplanted by ultimate suffering.

In a nutshell.

And that is what a Love Song is, the human condition of suffering and happiness in a nutshell. Of course, we are not an opera festival, but a chamber music festival. Therefore, we look to smaller forms, in this case, love songs in Chinese and Spanish by Bright Sheng and Joaquin Turina.

Artists: Brittany Boulding Breeden, violin; Timothy Christie, viola; Katri Ervamaa, cello; Jennifer Goltz-Taylor, soprano; Ronaldo Rolim, piano; Maria Sampen, violin; Xiaohui Yang, piano

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Anne Haley and Jim Shepherd.

Instrumentalists — who are all jealous of singers, by the way— tend to tease singers about their counting abilities. Well, instrumentalists, you didn’t count on soprano, Jennifer Goltz-Taylor. The PhD in Music Theory should make you a little nervous. And then you learn she’s a multi-instrumentalist, at ease with an accordion, ukulele or seated at the piano. And then you hear hear voice. Was that a Schubert art song? Followed by cabaret? Followed by the crunchiest of atonal modernism? Eerie sprechstimme? Klezmer? French grand opera? Yes to all of the above.

There’s not much to tease, here. So best to embrace it and save your jokes for the viola. Tonight, Jennifer brings a recital of her favorite songs from the 20th century with pianist Ronaldo Rolim, featuring music of Rachmaninov, Barber, Poulenc, Debussy, Respighi, and more.

All works will announced from the stage.

Artists: Jennifer Goltz-Taylor, soprano; Ronaldo Rolim, piano

Tonight’s performance and the residency of Henry Kramer have been made possible by the generosity of Dr. Steven Maxood.

Korine Fujiwara

BeSpoke, Unspoken (2024) for four violins, World Premiere

The commission of a new work for the 2024 June Festival and the residency of composer, Korine Fujiwara, have been made possible by the generosity of John Jamison and Kathy Wildermuth

Johnannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in G, Op. 78

I. Vivace, ma non troppo

II. Adagio

III. Allegro molto moderato

Intermission

Johnannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in A, Op. 100

I. Allegro amabile

II. Andante tranquillo — Vivace

III. Allegretto grazioso, quasi Andante

Johnannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op. 108

I. Allegro

II. Adagio

III. Un poco presto e con sentimento

IV. Presto agitato

Artists: Timothy Christie, violin; Korine Fujiwara, composer; Henry Kramer, piano; Stephen Miahky, violin; Philip Payton, violin; Maria Sampen, violin

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Iain and Stephanida Christie.

Form is funny. It tells us the shape of thing, and on first glance might seem like a limitation. But when we look at poetry, from the ephemeral haiku to the workaday limerick (Nantucket aside) to the ever tightening restrictions of the sestina, sonnet or pantoum, form itself seems to unlock boundless creativity. Form gives art a sense of timelessness, permanence and purpose. Tonight we explore three ‘first movements’ by Brahms, all for the same pair of instruments, all cast in the same form. If “beauty is truth, truth beauty,” form is the Urn itself, practically speaking. Though, to quibble with Keats on one point, “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard/ Are sweeter…” Not tonight! Lastly, enjoy wines from Reininger, available by the urn or cup, poetically speaking.

Johnannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op. 108

I. Allegro

Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in A, Op. 100

I. Allegro amabile

Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in G, Op. 78

I. Vivace, ma non troppo

Artists: Timothy Christie, violin; Henry Kramer, piano; Stephen Miahky, violin; Philip Payton, violin; Maria Sampen, violin

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Margo and Tom Scribner.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. These are the prerequisites for a successful marriage, or at least wedding. And as we’ve learned before, there is perhaps no more perfect sonic marriage than that of the saxophone quartet.

Tonight, the something old is also the something borrowed, music originally written for string instruments by Edvard Grieg. As it happens, Grieg was born three years prior to the invention of the saxophone.

Something new? A huge portion of instrumental music composed in the 20th century was written for the saxophone. And that continues into our present time. There’s a reason. Saxophonists are both cool, and have voracious appetites for new music. Simply put, composers want to hear their works played and saxophonists are down. A work by composer, Karalyn Schubring, written in 2023 will do the trick nicely.

What about blue? Is there an instrument more associated with jazz than the sax? Jazz is all about the language of blue notes. Tonight, the blue notes are scented with pimentón, a smokey Spanish spice, in music by Pedro Iturralde.

Cerus Quartet are the 2024 WWCMF Emerging Artist Fellowship Quartet. They will appear throughout the Valley during their residency, performing for more than 1000 youngsters while presenting bilingually in English and Spanish.

All works will be announced from the stage.

Artists: Cerus Quartet: Roberto Campa, soprano saxophone; Brian Kachur, baritone saxophone; Philip Kleutgens, tenor saxophone; Laura Ramsay, alto saxophone

Featuring Benjamin Hochman and the Girsky String Quartet

Ned Rorem (1923-2022)

String Quartet No. 4 (1994)

I. Ugly and relentless

II. Infinitely tender

III. Very fast

IV. Absolutely strict

V. Wistful

VI. Massive

VII. Very Fast

VIII. Cold and hot

IX. Like the wind

X. Infinitely tender

Intermission

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34

I. Allegro non troppo

II. Andante, un poco adagio

III. Scherzo: Allegro

IV. Finale: Poco sostenuto – Allegro non troppo – Presto, non troppo

Artists: Girsky String Quartet; Natasha Bazhanov, violin; Timothy Christie, viola; Artur Girsky, violin; Rowena Hammill, cello; Benjamin Hochman, piano

Featuring the Girsky String Quartet and images by Pablo Picasso

The Arts, capital ‘A.’ In our line of work, we refer to this broad category early and often. If a STEM curriculum is good, a STEAM one is better (this is a fact!). But chamber music itself occupies a rather specific corner of the Arts. We favor small rooms, small combinations of instruments, and perhaps go so far to consider our music ‘absolute,’ i.e., having no specific meaning other than sound itself. The listener can make of it what they will. Performers, too.

But what happens when chamber music emerges from its corner into the Arts more broadly. The 4th String Quartet of American composer Ned Rorem presents a fascinating opportunity to explore whether or not a piece of chamber music is necessarily absolute. Initially, Rorem based each of the 10 movements of this quartet on a different work by Picasso, and gave each movement the title of the painting or drawing that inspired it. Within a few years of the premiere, however, Rorem became dissatisfied with the idea of his music being perceived as representational, and he removed the titles from the movements. The third movement, originally titled Acrobat on a Ball, became ‘III: Very fast’— English for ‘III: Allegro molto,’ a tempo indication common to canonical classical works, at once specific and vague, therefore versatile, and ultimately “meaningless.”

What to do. Honor the original intention, and include the Picasso titles? Or honor the later revision and suppress them? Because you deserve a full festival experience we’ll do both. And we’ll even show the Picasso drawings and paintings at the center of all the fuss. We’ll have you guessing “was that the Minotaur or the Basket of Flowers? The Head of a Boy or the Death of a Harlequin?” Or was it simply, Very fast? The answer to all of these questions is unequivocally, ‘Yes!’ Helping us engage all your senses is The Walls Winery, whose selection of wines will make sure your senses of taste and smell don’t feel left out.

Ned Rorem (1923-2022)

String Quartet No. 4 (1994)

I. Minotaur

II. Child Holding a Dove

III. Acrobat on a Ball

IV. Still Life

V. Seated Harlequin

VI. Head of a Boy

VII. Basket of Flowers

VIII. Self Portrait

IX. Three Nudes

X. Death of a Harlequin

Artists: Girsky String Quartet — Natasha Bazhanov, violin; Timothy Christie, viola & moderator; Artur Girsky, violin; Rowena Hammill, cello

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

Late Beethoven evokes strong feelings among musicians, first and foremost, that of reverence. To the string player, the quartets leap to mind (Op. 127, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135), Beethoven’s final works of any kind. To the orchestral musician or vocalist (or multitude of New Year’s Eve revelers) the 9th Symphony, Op. 125, and Missa Solemnis, Op. 123 dominate (as does the overture Consecration of the House, Op. 124 among the enlightened). But what of practitioners of Beethoven’s primary instrument, the pianoforte? Pianists look to the final five of 32 solo sonatas (Op. 101, 106, 109, 110 & 111), Bagatelles numbering 17 in all (Op. 119, 126), and the massive “Diabelli” Variations, Op. 120, each an expressive universe unto itself.

All of these late works, whether massive or miniature — and without exception — share a common thread. Each manages the feat of looking backward, forward, inward and outward simultaneously. There are public declarations of private sentiments, private rebuttals of commonly held truths, and ultimately, an attempt to touch, hold and comprehend the infinite. In his final creative period, Beethoven offers a musical theory of everything.

Tonight, we encounter Late Beethoven (capital ‘L’) in the form of his Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109. The music does not confound as it does in the preceding Große Sonate für das Hammerklavier, Op. 106, a 45-minute beast that stretches the very instrument let alone the player to technical and musical extremes. It is music of a more slender proportion, and is therefore perhaps more inclusive, an invitation to participate in the final journey of Beethoven’s musical life.

Seizing upon the idea of music that looks back as it looks ahead, pianist Benjamin Hochman, making his WWCMF debut, has conceived a program that frames Beethoven’s Op. 109 with music both ancient and modern.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Sonata for Piano, No. 30 in E major, Op. 109

I. Vivace ma non troppo, sempre legato - Adagio espressivo

II. Prestissimo

III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo

Additional works to be announced from the stage.

Artists: Benjamin Hochman, piano; Timothy Christie, moderator

Violinist Artur Girsky has led a fascinating life. It started in Riga, Latvia, in those days an SSR of the USSR (long since proudly restored to independence). He continued to Moscow where he trained at the renowned conservatory. Soon, Artur was a part of the Moscow Soloists, traveling Europe with leader and violist, Yuri Bashmet. On tour, Artur’s taste for adventure kicked in and he circuitously wound up in the USA, unbeknownst to the Moscow Soloists. Stints in New York, New Jersey and Florida followed. Eventually, he found his forever home with fellow violinist and WWCMF regular, Natasha Bazhanov, in Seattle, where both are members of the Seattle Symphony and the Girsky String Quartet. (ahem… about that name.)

Artur’s sense of adventure hasn’t waned in the least. And who knows, with a ravenous affinity for certain local brisket tacos, a “defection” to Walla Walla wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise. You’ll get to know Artur, find out where to get those tacos, and hear works by Arvo Pärt, Alfred Schnittke and JS Bach. Pianist Benjamin Hochman joins Artur for this special program. All works will be announced from the stage.

Artists: Artur Girsky, violin; Benjamin Hochman, piano; Timothy Christie, moderator

This event has been made possible by the generosity of David Meeker in memory of Dallas Eugene Meeker.

Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986)

Deux Mouvements

for cello quartet

I. Adagio cantabile

II. Allegro molto risoluto

Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Feierliches Stück from “Lohengrin”

for cello quartet, arr. Friedrich Grützmacher (1832-1903)

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

Partita No. 2 in D minor for solo violin (BWV. 1004)

for cello duo, arr. Requiro/Weiss

V. Chaconne

Intermission

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25

I. Allegro

II. Intermezzo. Allegro ma non troppo — Trio. Animato

III. Andante con moto

IV. Rondo all Zingarese. Presto

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; David Requiro, cello; Ronaldo Rolim, cello; David Sabee, cello; Maria Sampen, violin; Meta Weiss, cello

This event has been made possible by the generosity of Elizabeth Carr in memory of Rosalie Chantiny, chamber music mentor.

Cellist David Requiro has played at WWCMF for many years. He gave a Portrait of an Artist recital back in the days before the Walla Walla Piano Group provided a beautiful Steinway and the means to transport it around the valley.

In fact, a lot of things were different last time David played on the PoA series. He wasn’t married then, for example. He wasn’t a dad. Therefore, we are overdue for a check-in. We will find out what new musical revelations have shaped this, his middle period.

One thing is for sure. When David plays, it will a be heel-stomping good time. WWCMF Founder and Artistic Director Timothy Christie moderates the conversation.

Artists: Timothy Christie, moderator; David Requiro, cello; Ronaldo Rolim, piano

This event has been made possible by the generosity of John Sampen & Marilyn Shrude.

A WWCMF first, tonight’s event explores heavy metal music. The string quartet Seven)Suns provides the perfect introduction if you’re new to the genre, or the perfect fix if you are already a disciple. Much of the harmonic language of heavy metal is informed by baroque music, as are the florid individually virtuosic instrumental lines.

An example of early heavy metal, for example, is the harpsichord cadenza from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. It is, for lack of a better word, extreme. And that is what is at the core— the hardcore as it were— of heavy metal music. Enjoy wines by appropriately named House of Bones.

Artists: Seven)Suns: Jennifer DeVore, cello; Fung Chern Hwei, viola; Adda Kridler, violin; Earl Maneein, violin

This event has been made possible by the generosity of Brad Anderson & Kay Mead.

When the four members of Seven)Suns play together, they explore dystopian music rooted in the language of avant-metal and hardcore. You’ll find out what that means on Thursday, June 22. But what happens when you take the quartet apart and hear each musician individually? Metal or Mendelssohn? Hardcore or Handel? Dystopia or Debussy? Each musician brings a unique perspective, and hopefully rejects the concept of alliteration.

The members of Seven)Suns, Jennifer DeVore, Fung Chern Hwei, Adda Kridler, and Earl Maneein are joined by pianist Ronaldo Rolim for this recital. WWCMF Founder & Artistic Director Timothy Christie moderates.

Artists: Jennifer DeVore, cello; Fung Chern Hwei, viola; Adda Kridler, violin; Earl Maneein, violin; Ronaldo Rolim, piano

This event has been made possible by the generosity of Kris & Tim Barry.

Eric Ewazen (b. 1954)

Trio in E Flat for Trumpet, Violin and Piano (1992)

I. Andante

II. Allegro Molto

III. Adagio

IV. Allegro Molto

Intermission

Ernő Dohnányi (1877-1960)

Serenade in C (1902)

for string trio

I. Marcia (Allegro)

II. Romanza (Adagio non troppo)

III. Scherzo (Vivace)

IV. Tema con variazioni (Andante con moto)

V. Rondo

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

Septet for Trumpet, Strings and Piano (Op. 65)

I. Préambule

II. Menuet

III. Intermède

IV. Gavotte et Final

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Tom Hicks, piano; Billy Ray Hunter, trumpet; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Philip Payton, violin; Joshua Skinner, double bass

This event has been made possible by the generosity of Cecile & Rick Ervin.

There is such a thing as the perfect chamber ensemble. It is balanced, unified in expression and awash in a vast array of musical colors. The string quartet? No siree! I am talking about the saxophone quartet. Only once before has the saxophone quartet made an appearance on the WWCMF stage. This is by design, an effort to mitigate jealousy among the practitioners of all the other instruments. But we must from time to time open the Pulp Fiction briefcase and gaze at the beauty within.

masso, the Chicago-based saxophone quartet, make their WWCMF debut as the 2nd annual Emerging Artist Quartet Fellows. During their residency in Walla Walla, masso has been hard at work presenting community outreach performances in English and Spanish around the Walla Walla Valley.

Their work in the community during the festival has been made possible by a generous grant from the Wildhorse Foundation.

Artists: masso: Sam Alvarez, tenor saxophone; Isaac Boone, baritone saxophone; Kurt Cox, soprano saxophone; Ila Gupta, alto saxophone