92Y APRIL/MAY CONCERTS

Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 7:30 PM
92Y – Kaufmann Concert Hall
Jennifer Koh, violin
Shai Wosner, piano

Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 8 PM
92Y – Kaufmann Concert Hall
Yamandu Costa, seven-stringed guitar

Monday, April 11, 2016 at 8:30PM
92Y – Buttenwieser Hall
Daedalus String Quartet
with members of SPEAKMusic:
Deborah Bradley-Kramer, Artistic Director and piano,
Joseph Morag, violin;
and Narek Arutyunian, clarinet 

Monday, April 18, 2016 at 8:30 PM
92Y – Buttenwieser Hall
St. Lawrence String Quartet

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at 7:30PM
92Y – Kaufmann Concert Hall
St. Lawrence String Quartet
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute
Pedja Muzijevic, piano

Monday, May 2, 2016 at 8:30 PM
92Y – Buttenwieser Hall
Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula, piano (US Debut)

Monday, May 23, 2016 at 8:30 PM
92Y – Buttenwieser Hall
JACK Quartet

The “brilliant, perceptive, and stunningly fresh” (New York Times) pianist Kirill Gerstein returns to the 92nd St. Y with a program which juxtaposes two different compositional forms: the sonata and the fantasia.  With assistance from his 2010 Gilmore Artist Award, Mr. Gerstein commissioned Alexander Goehr’s Variations (Homage to Haydn), Op. 93, which makes its New York debut at 92Y and brings a new perspective to the sonatas of Beethoven and Liszt.  Schooled as both a jazz and classical pianist, the “alarmingly gifted” (Chicago Classical Review) Mr. Gerstein is renowned for his “blistering technique” (Time Out NY) as well as his musical curiosity and intelligently curated programming.

BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 13 in E flat, Op. 27, No. 1, “Quasi una fantasia”
ALEXANDER GOEHR: Variations (Homage to Haydn), Op. 93 (New York premiere); Commissioned by Kirill Gerstein, with assistance from his 2010 Gilmore Artist Award)
LISZT: Dante Sonata (After a Reading of Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata)
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, “Moonlight”
LISZT: Sonata in B minor

Tickets:  $25 (35 and under), 35, 50, 60
Artist Website: Kirill Gerstein

Over 180 years after his death, Beethoven remains one of the most frequently performed composers in classical music concerts across the globe. It is no surprise that his music has continued to influence and inspire generations of composers and musicians, including the leading composers of today. Named Musical America’s 2016 Instrumentalist of the Year, violinist Jennifer Koh illustrates the composer’s lasting influence with her four-concert residency “Bridge to Beethoven,” in which she and pianist Shai Wosner perform all of Beethoven’s violin sonatas, along with new works by contemporary composers from a variety of cultural and stylistic backgrounds. Ms. Koh asked composers Vijay Iyer, Andrew Norman, and Anthony Cheung, all of whom she has worked with before, to write new pieces that would serve as companions to Beethoven’s existing violin sonatas. The April 7 concert features the New York premiere of Andrew Norman’s Bridging I, II, III.

ANDREW NORMAN: Bridging I (New York premiere)
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata in A major, Op. 30, No. 1
NORMAN: Bridging II (New York premiere)
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 30, No. 3
NORMAN: Bridging III  (New York premiere)
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2

Tickets: $25 (35 and under), 35, 45, 55
Artist Websites: Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner

The young Brazilian guitarist and composer Yamandu Costa is already considered among the guitar world to be a giant of the seven-stringed instrument, the violão de sete cordas.  He returns to 92Y with a program which highlights South American composers, as well as many of his own compositions.  Mr. Costa, revered in many styles of guitar repertoire, is especially praised for his command of the choro, a Brazilian style known for its virtuosity, fast tempo, and modulations.  Now in its fifteenth season, 92nd Street Y’s acclaimed Art of the Guitar series has become one of the most esteemed concert series in New York to champion classical guitar repertoire and the instrument’s foremost artists.

YAMANDU COSTA: Choreco; Sarará; El Negro del Blanco; Samba pro Rafa; Menino Baden; Mangore; Entidade; Bachbaridade; Mexidão; Sambeco
MONTAÑA: “Porro” from Suite colombiana No. 2
TRAD. RUSKA ROMANI: Sokolov’s Polka (arr. by Sergei Orekhov)
Other works to be announced

Admission includes pre-concert talk with Art of the Guitar artistic director Benjamin Verdery of Yale University one hour before the performance.

Tickets: $25 (35 and under), 35, 45, 55
Artist Website: Yamandu Costa

Columbia University’s Quartet-in-Residence, the Daedalus String Quartet, has performed in many of the world’s most important venues in their 14 years in formation.  The “fresh and vital” (New Yorker) ensemble return to the 92Y performing a program which recalls the musical traditions and composers of Russian-Jewish heritage at the turn of the century.  Through the Society for Jewish Folk Music, the “strikingly unique” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) ensemble, well-versed in Russian classical music traditions, combine elements of old and new to give the folk music elements a creative perspective. The Quartet performs works of Society members Achron, Krein and Weinberg; and, 19-year-old Chason Goldschmitz’s piece Brooklyn Crucifixion makes its world debut, unifying the musical legacy and honoring past and present.  The Daedalus Quartet is joined by members of SPEAKmusic, a collective of Columbia and Juilliard musicians and composers.

ACHRON: Hebrew Melody, Op. 33
J. WEINBERG: String Quartet, Op. 55
CHASON GOLDSCHMITZ: Brooklyn Crucifixion (World Premiere)
KREIN: Caprice hébraïque, Op. 24
J. WEINBERG: Canzonetta
J. WEINBERG: The Maypole

A post-concert discussion will be led by SPEAKMusic’s Deborah Bradley-Kramer and Ellen Mausner Weinberg, granddaughter of Jacob Weinberg.

Tickets: $25 (35 and under), 30
Artist Websites: Daedalus String Quartet, SPEAKmusic

The St. Lawrence String Quartet is well-established among the great chamber ensembles of its generation. Its mission is to bring every piece of music to the audience in vivid color, with pronounced communication and teamwork, and with great respect to the composer. Since winning both the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1992, the quartet has impressed audiences and critics with its spontaneous, passionate, and dynamic performances. Alex Ross of The New Yorker observed, “the St. Lawrence are remarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take in the act of connection.”  With a special penchant for Haydn, often regarded as the father of the string quartet, St. Lawrence aims to enhance the listening experience with commentary by Geoff Nuttall, “chamber music’s Jon Stewart” (New York Times), which serves to uncover the humor in “The Joke.”

HAYDN: String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 33, No. 2, “The Joke,” with live commentary by Geoff Nuttall

This performance is part of a mini-residency by the quartet that focuses on Haydn, with a special class on Sunday, April 17 at 2:30pm led by 92Y School of Music’s Louis Rosen.

Tickets: $25 (35 and under), 30
Artist Website: St. Lawrence String Quartet

The St. Lawrence String Quartet is described by The Washington Post as “fearless musicians whose spontaneity stretches past conventional interpretation and probes the music’s imaginative limits.” The ensemble’s 92Y performance features the 92Y commissioned world premiere of Tango alla Zingarese, a parody of the minuet from Haydn’s Op. 20 No. 4, by Jonathan Berger.  Also included on the program is Janáček’s “Kreutzer Sonata,” inspired not by the similarly-named Beethoven sonata, but by Leo Tolstoy’s novella, The Kreutzer Sonata, as well as two Haydn pieces. Op. 71, No. 2, is one of the six “Apponyi” Quartets, dedicated to a count for the sole reason that he paid for the honor. Arguably the peak of Haydn’s popularity was his “London” symphonies, arranged for chamber music settings by the agent responsible for bringing Haydn to London.  A pre-talk with composer Jonathan Berger will be held at 6:30pm.

JANÁČEK: String Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer Sonata”
HAYDN: String Quartet in D major, Op. 71, No. 2
JONATHAN BERGER:  Tango alla Zingarese (92Y commission, world premiere)
HAYDN: Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major (arr. by Salomon for flute, string quartet & piano)

This performance is part of a mini-residency by the quartet that focuses on Haydn, with a special class on Sunday, April 17 at 2:30pm led by 92Y School of Music’s Louis Rosen.

Tickets: $25 (35 and under), 35, 45, 55
Artist Websites: St. Lawrence String Quartet, Tara Helen O’Connor, Pedja Muzijevi

Now in its second season, “Sir András Schiff Selects: Young Pianists” reflects both 92Y and Sir András’s dedication to championing the next generation of performers by inviting promising young pianists, who have already garnered critical acclaim overseas, to make their US debuts at 92Y in programs of their choosing. This season concludes with Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula in a program that features his own work, along with those of Bach, Debussy, Chopin, and Schubert. These 92Y performances are part of an international initiative of Sir András’s to nurture these young artists, as the three pianists have yet to perform in the US.  In regard to last season’s concert with the young pianist Roman Rabinovich, The New York Times concluded that “this winning recital made [it] clear, Mr. Schiff is a discerning judge of young pianists.”

J.S. BACH: Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Minor, BWV 853, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
DEBUSSY: Images (Book 2)
JEAN-SÉLIM ABDELMOULA: Variations Fantômes
CHOPIN: Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52
SCHUBERT: Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

Tickets: $15 (35 and under), 25, 30
Artist Website: Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula

As part of the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL, New York-based JACK Quartet makes their 92Y debut.  True to form, these trailblazers of new music offer a widely varied program  of exclusively premieres. Grammy-nominated American composer Derek Bermel’s new piece, commissioned by 92nd Street Y, draws its inspiration from the innately musical qualities and functions of the human voice, such  as breathing, singing, rapping, and  laughing.  Mr. Bermel remarks that this string quartet “is a transformation from the vernacular to the concert hall.”  Turkish composer Cenk Ergün’s Sonare and Celare receive their New York Premieres, and examines two contrasting approaches to the string quartet: “You want to do everything because the string quartet can do everything. But you can’t do anything because the string quartet has done everything,” writes Ergün. Canadian Marc Sabat’s Euler Lattice Spirals Scenery, a five-part microtonal piece, recalls many of the same styles and concepts as Claude Vivier and Ben Johnston, also experimental composers.  Mr. Sabat explains that “the title refers to [18th-century mathematician] Leonhard Euler’s discovery of a two-dimensional diagram representing the harmonic space subset.”

CENK ERGÜN: Sonare (CMA commission; New York Premiere)
DEREK BERMEL: New work (92Y commission; World Premiere)
CENK ERGÜN: Celare (CMA commission; New York Premiere)
MARC SABAT: Euler Lattice Spirals Scenery (New York Premiere)

Tickets: $25 (35 and under), 30
Artist Website: JACK Quartet, New York Philharmonic

This event is part of the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL

For additional press inquiries, please contact Kirshbaum Associates:
212-222-4843 | [email protected]

ABOUT 92Y

92nd Street Y is a center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. Founded in 1874, it seeks to create, provide and disseminate programs of distinction that foster the physical and mental growth of people throughout their lives. From its New York headquarters, 92Y offers thousands of programs, including talks with leaders in every field; outstanding performing, visual and literary arts presentations and classes; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families.  92Y also creates community far beyond its four walls, bringing people from all over the world together through innovations like the award-winning #GivingTuesday and the Social Good Summit. Along with live webcasts and a growing online archive of free talks and performances, it’s transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world.  All of 92Y’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions and ethnicities.

For more information, visit www.92Y.org.