Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)

SOUTHERN HARMONY

For string quartet

I. Soft Summers

II. Reel Time

III. Slow Waltz

Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)

arr. Danny Seidenberg

LA CRÉATION DU MONDE (1922/23)

Intermission

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

PIANO QUINTET IN A, OP. 81

I. Allegro, ma non tanto

II. Dumka: Andante con moto

III. Scherzo (Furiant): Molto vivace

IV. Finale: Allegro.

Artists: Natasha Bazhanov, violin; Timothy Christie, viola; Artur Girsky, violin; Rowena Hammill, cello; Henry Kramer, piano; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Stephen Miahky, violin; Philip Payton, viola; Maria Sampen, violin

Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)

SOUTHERN HARMONY

For string quartet

I. Soft Summers

II. Reel Time

III. Slow Waltz

Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)

arr. Danny Seidenberg

LA CRÉATION DU MONDE (1922/23)

Intermission

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

PIANO QUINTET IN A, OP. 81

I. Allegro, ma non tanto

II. Dumka: Andante con moto

III. Scherzo (Furiant): Molto vivace

IV. Finale: Allegro.

Artists: Natasha Bazhanov, violin; Timothy Christie, viola; Artur Girsky, violin; Rowena Hammill, cello; Henry Kramer, piano; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Stephen Miahky, violin; Philip Payton, viola; Maria Sampen, violin

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

If you are expecting a lull in intensity for Festival Series 3, you are sadly mistaken. On tap is the raucous Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25 by Johannes Brahms. While the work enjoyed a second life as a piece for large orchestra, arranged by Arnold Schönberg, the original delivers well beyond its intimate instrumentation of piano, violin, viola and cello. For the occasion, pianist Winston Choi makes his Walla Walla debut. Festival Series 3 will have you booking passage to Hungary to experience first hand the music that inspired Brahms to compose the concluding Gypsy Rondo Finale.

John David Earnest (1940-)

TROIS MORCEAUX (1977)

I. Bagatelle
II. Elegy
III. Caprice

Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)

LA CRÉATION DU MONDE FOR STRING OCTET (1923), ARR. DANNY SEIDENBERG

Intermission

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

PIANO QUARTET IN G MINOR, OP. 25

I. Allegro
II. Intermezzo: Allegro
III. Andante con moto
IV. Rondo alla Zingarese: Presto

Artists: Winston Choi, piano; Timothy Christie, viola; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; Philip Payton, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; Arianna Warsaw-Fan, violin; and Meta Weiss, cello.

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Richard S. O’Connor.

The year was 1922. Nightclubs all over Harlem pulsed with the exotic rhythms and harmonies of jazz. This was not the dancehall music of midtown hotels and clubs. This was something new. Night after night, a young French composer visiting America for the first time, Darius Milhaud, headed up to Harlem, captivated by this new form of music. It was as if a new world had opened up to him.

The result of Milhaud's Harlem nights became the aptly named ballet, La Création du Monde (the creation of the world). The work, scored for various wind percussion and string instruments, conveys a primal African creation myth. While it received initially mixed reviews, the eventual influence of jazz on classical music was inevitable. Before a decade had passed, La Création du Monde was widely recognized as an important work.

Tonight, we encounter the piece in a brilliant string octet arrangement by jazz violinist and composer Danny Seidenberg of Turtle Island Quartet fame. We’ll take you back nearly a century to Harlem in the 20’s and you won’t even have to take the A Train.

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; Philip Payton; Maria Sampen, violin; Meta Weiss, cello; and Arianna Warsaw-Fan, violin

Kevin Schempf, Clarinet

Clarinetist Kevin Schempf is making his sixth WWCMF appearance. It’s about time we got to know him better. Sure, he seems to make the cover of the Walla Walla Union Bulletin each season, but what drives this incredible performer?

Long Shadows Vintners will open its doors to WWCMF for this final Portrait event of the 2014 Season. Music will include selections by Poulenc, Reich, Villa-Lobos, and Milhaud.

Artists: John Jamison, Sarah Brady, Philip Payton, and Paul Rafanelli.