Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

String Sextet, Op. 85, TrV 279a, From Capriccio (1941)

Andante con moto

Jessie Montgomery (b. 1980)

Voodoo Dolls (2008)

for String Quartet

Jessie Montgomery (b. 1980)

Strum (2006)

for String Quartet

Carlos Simon (b. 1986)

Loop (2021)

for String Trio

— Intermission —

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 66 (1845)

I. Allegro energico e con fuoco

II. Andante espressivo

III. Scherzo: Molto allegro quasi presto

IV. Finale: Allegro appassionato

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Puget Sound Piano Trio: Alistair MacRae, cello; Ronaldo Rolim, piano; Maria Sampen, violin; Vital Quartet: William Frampton, viola; Alberto Parrini, cello; Philip Payton, violin; Orlando Wells, violin

In 1945, World War II had turned decidedly in favor of the Allied Forces. United States GIs moved freely through war-torn Germany, eventually ending up on the front lawn of composer Richard Strauss. It was in this period that Strauss completed his paean to old Europe, Metamorphosen. Alex Ross, writing for The New Yorker, points out that Strauss, born in 1864 and dying in 1949, straddled impossibly disparate worlds, predating the German Empire and outlasting the Third Reich.

Metamorphosen, originally scored for 23 string players, is here condensed into the more intimate ensemble of string septet. Drawing heavily on the influence of Beethoven, Strauss actually quotes the famous Funeral March of Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony and cryptically places the words “In Memoriam!” in the score above the quotation.

This Special Event will explore the deeply moving post-Romantic score, and revel in the lush sorrow of one of this great composer’s final works.

For the second performance on the Festival Series, the piano goes silent. In its place are intimate works for strings, clarinet and voice.

The six “Brentano” songs of Richard Strauss, Op. 68, represent a return from the opera house to the concert stage. Each song expresses an aspect of Strauss’ undying love for his wife, Pauline, who was a soprano. Tonight’s vocalist, Jennifer Goltz, has supplied a lovingly arranged setting of three of the six songs for soprano and string quartet.

Next up is the Adagio for clarinet and strings by Heinrich Baermann, a tender expression of affection in which the clarinet sings like the human voice.

The program concludes with the bracing and affecting String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80 by Felix Mendelssohn. If the first half of the program concentrates on love, the second half explores loss. In this case, Mendelssohn, inconsolable at the loss of his beloved sister, Fanny, expresses his grief through music. No lament, this quartet shakes its fists at God, and the result is a virtuosic masterpiece you won’t want to miss.

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Jennifer Goltz, soprano; Andrew Jennings, violin; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; and Sally Singer Tuttle, cello.

Brahms G minor Piano Quartet with music of Marilyn Shrude and Richard Strauss

The 2011 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival concludes with what can be described as the ultimate festival piece, the Brahms G minor Piano Quartet. For the occasion, WWCMF welcomes pianist of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet and Professor of Piano at Cornell University, Xak Bjerken. Brahms’ work is known for its searing gypsy rondo Finale, and will leave you marking your calendars for the 2012 Festival.

Also on the program are two works by non-Italians who have chosen Italian titles for their works. Memorie diLuoghi (Memories of Places) is a sonata for violin and piano by composer, Marilyn Shrude. It is dedicated to the violinist Maria Sampen, her daughter, and fittingly, it is Maria who performs the work this evening. Richard Strauss’ final opera, Capriccio, opens with a string sextet of phenomenal beauty. It is presented here without the rest of the opera… and affords us the rare opportunity to perform chamber music from a composer known for his immense orchestrations.

Artists: Xak Bjerken, Timothy Christie, Kevin Krentz, Norbert Lewandowski, Christina McGann, Stephen Miahky, Philip Payton, Julia Salerno and Maria Sampen.