Sarasota Concert Association presents
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
With Cellist David Finckel in
“Folk Inspirations”
January 26 < Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
A tribute to the influence of culture and folk melodies on three master composers, Kodaly, Brahms and Dvořák, as performed by artists from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
(Sarasota, Florida) The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) continues its 70th season with cellist David Finckel and musicians from the acclaimed Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing “Folk Inspirations,” a program of folk-influenced works by Kodaly, Brahms and Dvořák, on Monday, January 26, 8 p.m. The concert, part of SCA’s “Great Performers Series,” is at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, in Sarasota. Individual tickets are $40, $50, $60, and $70. Tickets and information for the Great Performers Series are available by calling 941-225-6500 or online at www.scasarasota.org.
Called a “New York powerhouse” by Chicago Magazine, and “one of the world’s most distinguished chamber ensembles” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Chamber Music Society (CMS), is one of 11 constituents of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts venue in the world. Founded in the 1960s, when live performance of chamber music was dominated by the string quartet, the CMS drew together a small repertory company of nine of the world’s finest string, wind, and keyboard artists, and began performing repertoire not often heard on the concert stages of New York City. CMS now presents annual series of concerts and educational events for listeners ranging from connoisseurs to chamber music newcomers of all ages. The performing artists of CMS, a multi-generational and international selection of the world’s finest chamber musicians, constitute an evolving repertory company capable of presenting chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and historical period.
Cellist David Finckel, and his wife, pianist Wu Han, have served as artistic directors of the CMS since 2004. Finckel and Han were named Musical America’s 2012 Musicians of the Year and Finckel has been hailed as a “world class soloist” (Denver Post) and “one of the top 10, if not top five, cellists in the world today” (Nordwest Zeitung, Germany).
Finckel joins four other CMS artists, violinists Benjamin Beilman and Ani Kavafian, and violists Paul Neubauer and Yura Lee, for “Folk Inspirations,” a program of compositions celebrating the influence of culture and folk tunes on three major composers, Kodaly, Brahms and Dvořák. The concert opens with Kodaly’s Trio Serenade, Opus 12, filled with references to the folk songs of the composer’s native Hungary, followed by Brahms’ lush String Quintet No. 2 in G Major. The evening concludes with Dvořák’s cinematic String Quintet in E-Flat Major, also known as the “American Quintet,” a favorite of audiences and musicians alike for its detailed and nuanced music evocative of the sounds the composer experienced during his 1893 travels from New York to Iowa.
“The name Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center has become synonymous with superb virtuosity, flawless collaboration and an incredibly rich repertoire,” says SCA president Joy McIntyre. “We’re delighted to welcome five of its artists here, including artistic director David Finckel, to perform this captivating trio of works.”
The 2015 Great Performers Series season continues on March 1, at 4 p.m., with the historic Dresden Philharmonic, conducted by Michael Sanderling, with young virtuoso cellist Johannes Moser. The next concert, on March 17, at 8 p.m., features the Takács Quartet, recognized as one of the worlds’ great ensembles, with guest pianist Joyce Yang. The 2015 season concludes on March 25, at 8 p.m., with the eminent pianist Murray Perahia. In the more than 40 years that he has been performing on the concert stage, Perahia has become one of the most sought-after and cherished pianists of our time.
All concerts are at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Individual tickets are $40, $50, $60, and $70. For subscription information, call 941-225-6500. Tickets and subscriptions are also available online at www.scasarasota.org.
SCA is also celebrating its 70th anniversary with a special performance by renowned pianist and composer Dick Hyman, February 11, 5 p.m., at the Historic Asolo Theater, followed by dinner at Treviso restaurant. Tickets for the concert and dinner are $125. For reservations, call 941-225-6500 or email [email protected]. Tickets for the concert only are $45 and are available by calling the Historic Asolo Theater box office at 941-360-7399.
SCA also presents “Munchtime Musicales,” a series of free concerts featuring performances by high-caliber, area-based artists. The series is designed to offer a wide variety of musical genres, including classical, folk, and jazz, featuring both vocal and instrumental performers. The 2014-15 concert season continues with Heqing Huang and Emily Charlson, two young Floridian pianists who took first and second place at the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota’s 2014 Competition for Piano (January 21, 2015); Sarasota Mandolin Orchestra conducted by Paul Wolfe, co-founder of the Sarasota Music Festival (February 18, 2015); Studio Artists from the Sarasota Opera, Sarasota’s ambassadors of opera who bring this musical form to stages beyond the walls of the Sarasota Opera House (March 18, 2105); and the State College of Florida Chamber Choir, an 18-person vocal ensemble that performs repertoire spanning from Renaissance madrigals to contemporary jazz (April 8, 2015). All performances are at noon at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. The series is free and open to the public. Seating is open; no reservations taken. For more information about Munchtime Musicales, call 941-351-7467 or visit www.scasarasota.org.
About the Sarasota Concert Association
The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) exists to foster the development of an appreciation for the musical arts by sponsoring professional presentations that are not otherwise available in the community, through a not-for-profit, organized-audience plan. SCA aims to set reasonable fees for all performances. The organization is not designed to make a profit but does intend to be self-supporting. It provides outreach to all members of the regional community by offering a series of free concerts, Munchtime Musicales, held every year. For more information about SCA, visit www.scasarasota.org.
