Search Results

September 14, 2025: “SINGERS” FROM THE MET ORCHESTRA WILLIAM SHORT, BASSOON; MUSICIANS FROM THE MET ORCHESTRA; MICHAEL PARLOFF, CONDUCTOR WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Bassoon Concerto in B-flat, K. 191 September 14, 2025: “SINGERS” FROM THE MET ORCHESTRA WILLIAM SHORT, BASSOON; MUSICIANS FROM THE MET ORCHESTRA; MICHAEL PARLOFF, CONDUCTOR Mozart completed his Bassoon Concerto—the first of his existing concertos for wind instruments—in Salzburg on June 4, 1774. The manuscript on which he recorded this date is now lost, but was once in the possession of publisher A. André, who published the work in 1801 and issued another edition in 1805. It is infinitely regrettable that Mozart may have composed as many as four other bassoon concertos, but this is the only one that survives. We have no documentation about a bassoonist for whom he intended the work or about the first performance. Most likely Mozart wrote it for one of the two bassoonists employed by the Archbishop Colloredo of Salzburg—Johann Heinrich Schulz or Melchior Sandmayr. The Concerto admirably displays the lyrical expressiveness, staccato capabilities, and contrasting ranges of the bassoon. The sonata-form first movement begins with the traditional presentation of ideas by the orchestra alone—a shortened version of the main theme, a second theme of notably unusual phrase lengths, and a closing arpeggiated theme, which remains the property of the orchestra only in the course of the movement. Mozart’s treatment of the second theme is especially elegant—when the orchestra plays this theme in the soloist’s exposition Mozart gives the bassoon a countermelody and in the corresponding place in the recapitulation the bassoon and orchestra melodies are reversed. By qualifying the Andante tempo marking with “ma adagio” and by employing muted strings throughout, Mozart infuses a tinge of pathos into the serene atmosphere of the second movement. His writing for the bassoon shows off its singing qualities to great advantage. The opening idea bears a similarity—intended or not?—to the Countess’s aria “Porgi amor” from The Marriage of Figaro , and also appears in a sketchbook Mozart used during his London journey of 1766. For his finale Mozart chose the type of minuet-rondo favored by J. C. Bach, whom he greatly admired; that is, in the style and triple meter of a minuet but with the rondo form of a recurring refrain with intervening episodes. Mozart also ingeniously incorporates elements of variation form by giving the soloist variation material or figuration in the episodes between the orchestra’s statements of the rondo refrain. He offers intriguing variety, though, by entrusting the next to last statement of the refrain to the bassoon while the strings offer contrapuntal interest. By providing places for an “Eingang ” (short cadenza-like passage) in the outer movements, and for cadenzas proper in the first two movements, Mozart allows the soloist ample opportunities for additional display and imagination. —©Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

WEN QIAN, VIOLIN A “ Rare rill”, the Strad magazine review featured Ms. Wen Qian after her recital at Carnegie Hall, critic Dennis Rooney commented “ It was performed with enough insight and panache to thrill a listener while at the same time raising the question of why such results are so rarely achieved.“. Ms. Qian continues to enjoy a multifaceted career as an orchestra musician, soloist, chamber musician, and educator. Wen Qian was appointed as a first violinist in 1997 at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, where she has also served as the acting Assistant Concertmaster for many years. Over the years she has been invited to be a guest concertmaster with the Philharmonia of the Nation, Germany, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, Jupiter Symphony of New York, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Tianjin Symphony Orchestra and Shenzhen Symphony. Ms. Qian has soloed with the Central Philharmonic of China, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Mannes Orchestra, Jupiter Symphony, South Shore Symphony, Centre Symphony and Long Beach Symphony. As a chamber musician, she has performed in music festivals and concert series including the Marlboro, Tanglewood, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and among others. Currently serves on the faculty at the Mannes College of Music, the demands of Ms. Qian’s teaching includes masterclasses and coachings at the New World Symphony in Miami, New York Youth Symphony, NYU, Conservatories throughout China and Taiwan.

SHAI WOSNER, PIANO Shai Wosner continues to attract international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity and creative insight. With imaginative programming that communicates his intellectual curiosity, Wosner performs a wide-ranging repertoire from Mozart and Beethoven to Ligeti and composers of his own generation. Hailed by the Financial Times as “an artist to follow keenly”, Wosner’s virtuosity and perceptiveness have made him a favorite among audiences and critics alike. In the 2009-2010 season, Mr. Wosner made his highly acclaimed subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conducted the Los Angeles Chamber orchestra from the keyboard, in a performance broadcast on National Public Radio. He returned to the BBC Scottish Symphony in both subscription concerts and performance at the Proms with Donald Runnicles and appeared with the BBC Philharmonic in a live broadcast from Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. He has also performed in solo recitals throughout the US as well as in duo recitals with Viviane Hagner (at the Kennedy Center), Christian Poltéra (at Wigmore Hall in London) and Jennifer Koh. Other recent highlights include his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra; his return to the Atlanta and Houston symphonies and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia; appearances with the North Carolina and Charlotte symphonies and the Sacramento Philharmonic; and solo recitals at the 92nd St. Y in New York, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and Wigmore Hall. His 2010-2011 season includes subscription concerts with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the release of a solo recording of works by Brahms and Schoenberg on the Onyx label. Wosner will also appear in solo recitals broadcast live on Radio 3 from the Wigmore Hall and Cardiff’s Hoddinott Hall as well as at the Piano Aux Jacobins festival in France. His duo recitals include appearances with Martin Fröst (at Lincoln Center), Dietrich Henschel, and Jennifer Koh. Other recent and upcoming engagements include appearances at the Hay-on-Wye festival, the Stavanger Chamber Music Festival, the Cheltenham Festival, and the City of London Festival. Wosner is the recipient of both an Avery Fisher Career Grant as well as a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, which led to the commission of Michael Hersch’s “Along the Ravines”, a concerto for piano and chamber orchestra. He recently completed a residency as a BBC New Generation Artist, during which he played frequently with the BBC orchestras, including appearances conducting Mozart concertos from the keyboard with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. His performances in recital, chamber music, and orchestral repertoire continue to be broadcast on Radio 3. In recent seasons, he has appeared with numerous major orchestras in North America, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl; the National Arts Centre Orchestra; the Philadelphia Orchestra; the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; the Fresno Philharmonic; and the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Dallas, Milwaukee, Columbus and Memphis. In Europe, he has appeared with the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Symphony, the Barcelona Symphony, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Orchestre National de Belgique and the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, among others. In 2006, he debuted with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Salzburg, during the 250th anniversary celebrations of Mozart’s birth. He has work with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin, Donald Runnicles, Alan Gilbert, Peter Oundjian, Gunther Herbig, James Conlon, Ji_í B_lohlávek and James Judd. Wosner is widely sought after by his colleagues for his versatility and spirit of partnership. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with numerous esteemed artists including Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Ralph Kirshbaum, Christian Tetzlaff and Cho-Liang Lin. He is a former member of Lincoln’s Center’s Chamber Music Society Two and performs regularly at various chamber music festivals, including Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, among others. Other summer festival appearances include the Ravinia Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Mostly Mozart, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. Recent chamber music engagements include a performance with members of The New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall; a performance of the Mozart concerto for three pianos with Joseph Kalichstein and Alon Goldstein and the New York String Orchestra with Jaime Laredo at Carnegie Hall; and collaborations with the Tokyo, Miro and Parker string quartets, and the Georgian Chamber Players at Spivey Hall. For several consecutive summers, Wosner was also involved in the West-Eastern Divan Workshop led by Daniel Barenboim and toured as soloist with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Born in Israel, Mr. Wosner enjoyed a broad musical education from a very early age, studying piano with Emanuel Krasovsky as well as composition, theory and improvisation with André Hajdu. He later studied at The Juilliard School with Emanuel Ax. Shai lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

May 15, 2016: James Morris, bass-baritone; Rafael Figueroa, cello; Ken Noda, piano GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813–1901) Come dal ciel precipita from Macbeth, Ella giammai m’amò from Don Carlo May 15, 2016: James Morris, bass-baritone; Rafael Figueroa, cello; Ken Noda, piano In 1846 Verdi was given free rein by the Teatro della Pergola to choose an opera subject and opted for Shakespeare’s Macbeth when he learned that the cast would include first-class singer-actor baritone Felice Varesi. Francesco Maria Piave wrote the libretto, bullied by Verdi into making certain changes, along with Andrea Maffei, whom Verdi hired to pen some additional material. Verdi closely supervised rehearsals, which resulted in a successful premiere on March 14, 1847, but Verdi was criticized, much to his outrage, for not knowing his Shakespeare. Verdi lavished great care on several revisions and personally oversaw many productions, but Macbeth met with relatively little success during his lifetime. He was especially baffled when the production at Paris’s Théâtre Lyrique, for which he had made substantial revisions in 1864, was largely unsuccessful. Verdi’s annoyance at the opera’s reception, however, did nothing to alter its status in his eyes as the favorite of his early operas, and time has proved its merit. In Act II Macbeth has murdered King Duncan and become king, but plots the murder of Banco and his son Fleance to thwart the prophecy that Banco’s children will rule Scotland. As the assassins lie in wait for Banco outside the castle, Banco sings his famous recitative and aria—unchanged in Verdi’s many revisions—“Studia il passo . . . Come dal ciel precipita” (Watch your step . . . How from the heaven falls), in which he warns his son about his feeling of foreboding. The aria’s noble, rich unfolding comes to an impassioned peak just before the coda, when the assassins strike him down but fail to halt his escaping son. * * * * * In 1865, when Verdi was planning a grand opera for the Paris Opéra, he returned to the idea of Don Carlos, a subject he had rejected in the 1850s, but now fit his conception of a “magnificent drama,” offering the perfect potential for both spectacle and sympathy for the lovers. He closely supervised the preparation of the libretto, which François Joseph Méry loosely adapted from Schiller’s play, and which Camille de Locle completed after Méry’s death. Verdi had completed most of the opera in 1866 before arriving in Paris that July to supervise the long rehearsal period, but found his five-act opera far too long and made substantial cuts. Despite his careful attention to all aspects of the production, the premiere on March 11, 1867, met with only modest success. Verdi made numerous revisions for Italian revivals over twenty years, ending with a four-act version for La Scala in 1884 that cut the entire first act. Since then companies have juggled versions, cuts, and restoration of certain portions, but the opera, typically performed in Italian and called Don Carlo, has now emerged from the filter of history as one of Verdi’s most respected and beloved. Verdi’s unsurpassed dramatic and musical mastery culminates in his depiction of the power struggles, private loves, and tragic consequences of these historic personages. The story is based on the son of Spanish King Philip II, Don Carlos, who plots with Marquis Posa against the tyrannical king. Carlos is betrothed to Elisabeth of Valois, but she instead marries his father, Philip II, as part of a peace treaty. The heartbreak of the two lovers lies at the heart of the opera, but equally tragic is Philip II’s role. Verdi gives him one of the best bass arias in the repertoire, “Ella giammai m’amò” (She never loved me), in which he poignantly laments that his wife has never loved him. A moving cello obbligato interlaces his heartbreaking expression of his loneliness and the powerlessness of his crown to see into others’ hearts. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

April 23, 2017: Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano; Warren Jones, piano ENRIQUE GRANADOS (1867–1916) love songs April 23, 2017: Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano; Warren Jones, piano Enrique Granados received most of his musical training in Barcelona, although he did study in Paris for two years. On his return he began to achieve great acclaim as a pianist, but his intense dislike of travel limited his touring. He founded a concert society in Barcelona in 1900 and a music school, the Academia Granados, the following year. Essentially self-taught as a composer, he began gaining recognition with his colorful Spanish Dances (1892–1911), which were among his first published pieces. He considerably enhanced that reputation with Goyescas (1911), piano pieces inspired by the paintings and etching of Goya. Tragically, travel was at the heart of his untimely death at age forty-nine. Accompanied by his wife, he had reluctantly made the sea voyage to attend the Metropolitan's premiere of his opera Goyescas in 1916, and had postponed his voyage home in order to play for President Woodrow Wilson. Having missed the ship to Spain, they sailed instead to Liverpool where they boarded the Sussex for Dieppe. The Sussex was torpedoed by a German submarine and, although Granados was picked up by a lifeboat, he jumped into the water to save his wife from him and they both drowned. Granados published two important song collections: his Tonadillas and his Canciones amatorias, which show opposite sides of his song-writing art, although both are based on love poetry and both are indebted to his fascination with Goya. The Tonadillas , shorter by definition, link directly with the same eighteenth- and nineteenth-century majas and majos of Goya's paintings through the poetry of Fernando Periquet (1873–1940) and feature relatively spare, guitar-like accompaniments. ( Majas and majos were lower-class people of Spanish society distinguished by their elaborate dress and cheeky manners.) The Canciones amatorias , settings of Renaissance texts, boast longer, imaginatively spun-out melodies and more elaborate accompaniments. They have been somewhat overshadowed by the overt link of the Tonadillas to Goya and to popular Spanish song, but the Canciones amatorios show a distinct affinity with Granados's Goyescas , the piano pieces that brought him so much recognition outside of Spain, and they get to the heart of his expressive capabilities—still incorporating folk idioms but in a highly personal style. The Canciones amatorios received their first performance in Barcelona on April 5, 1915, at the debut of soprano Conchita Badía, accompanied by the composer who dedicated two of the songs to her, “Llorad, corazón” and “Gracia mia.” “Discover the thought ,” like many of the songs in this collection, is striking for its harmonic adventurousness. The song's anonymous poet, in the tradition of courtly love, pines for a woman above his social status. Granados provides “Mañanica era” (It was daybreak) with a delicate setting, befitting its images of blooms and seraphs. He gently shifts to a melancholy expressiveness toward the end for the lover who comes to die. Characteristic “strumming” permeates the accompaniment of “No lloráis, ojuelos” (Don't cry, little eyes), whose melodic lines Granados embellishes gracefully. The middle section provides harmonic interest, and the return to the opening text receives a soaring variation. Granados enhances the bittersweet melancholy of “Llorad, corazón” (Weep, heart) with winding chromaticism. He also creates a special effect with the gently rising leaps in the first section. Today's selections conclude with the delightfully ornamented and flowing “Gracia mia” (My graceful one). Spanish rhythms, mixed meters, triplet embellishments, and mercurial shifts between major and minor provide native color—all with Granados's inspired personal stamp. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

February 20, 2022 – Paul Huang, violin; Danbi Um, violin; Juho Pohjonen, piano MORITZ MOSZKOWSKI (1854–1925) Suite for two violins and piano, Op. 71 February 20, 2022 – Paul Huang, violin; Danbi Um, violin; Juho Pohjonen, piano For a time Moszkowski led the life of a touring piano virtuoso, until a nervous disorder curtailed his performing. He was fortunate, however, to excel in many pursuits. He had been teaching since he was seventeen at the Neue Akademie der Tonkunst in Berlin and continued there for twenty-five years. At some point he became a respectable violinist and often played first violin in the Akademie orchestra. He also achieved success as a composer—his Spanish Dances for piano duet won the public’s favor and made him a fortune, but he also composed orchestral, stage, and chamber works in addition to his large body of piano music. As a conductor he began earning recognition in Germany and in England in the 1880s. When Moszkowski left the Neue Akademie in 1897 it was to settle permanently in Paris with his wife. There he taught such famous pupils as Wanda Landowska and Thomas Beecham. Beginning about 1910, however, he went into as a decline as the result of changing musical tastes, lost investments because of World War I, worsening health, and the deaths of his wife and daughter. He died a recluse, in poverty, though old loyal friends had tried to help with a benefit concert in America. The proceeds arrived the year he died, too late to help him. Moszkowski’s Suite, op. 71, dates from c. 1900, while he was still in his zenith. It might be called a sonata for violin duo and piano except that it does not contain a full-fledged sonata-form movement. Its four movements, however, follow the tradition of “serious,” though not heavy, concert music as opposed to the light, popular salon style that he cultivated in many of his piano pieces. The lush, dramatic first movement comes the closest to sonata form, with its contrast of themes—one full of counterpoint, interplay, and running passages and the other introduced chordally by the piano followed by give and take between the two violins. Moszkowski develops these ideas, but stops short of a full recapitulation, giving just enough to recall the opening. The second movement, Allegro moderato, gives the impression a minuet, romanticized by sweetly resolving tensions and pleasing harmonic excursions. The “trio” appears twice and even maintains a presence in the final return of the “minuet,” which is condensed and altered to give a sense of closure—almost like a farewell scene. The piano introduces the lovely slow movement with a low melody, which gives way to a poignant canon between the two violins. The fact that the dynamic level never rises above an impassioned piano (p) makes the vivacity of the finale particularly pronounced. The last movement barrels along in the manner of a tarantella (a fast dance named for Taranto in southern Italy and not for the tarantula or a dance to cure its bite). A slower “trio” provides contrast before the tarantella returns. A brilliant coda rushes headlong to the end, with the violins in perpetual motion, egged on by the “boom-chick” of the piano. By Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

LUCILLE CHUNG, PIANO Born in Montréal, Canadian pianist Lucille Chung has been acclaimed for her “stylish and refined performances” by Gramophone magazine, “combining vigour and suppleness with natural eloquence and elegance” (Le Soir). She made her debut at the age of ten with the Montréal Symphony Orchestra and Charles Dutoit subsequently invited her to be a featured soloist during the MSO Asian Tour in 1989. Since then, she has performed an extensive concerto repertoire with over 70 leading orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Moscow Virtuosi, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Flemish Radio Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerífe, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, Staatskapelle Weimar, Philharmonie de Lorraine, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Belgrade Philharmonic, the Seoul Philharmonic, KBS Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Dallas Symphony, UNAM Philharmonic (Mexico), Israel Chamber Orchestra as well as all the major Canadian orchestras, including Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Calgary, Winnipeg and Metropolitain, among others. She has appeared with conductors such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Vladimir Spivakov, Vasily Petrenko, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Peter Oundjian, Gerd Albrecht and Charles Dutoit. As a recitalist, she has performed in over 35 countries in prestigious venues such as the Wigmore Hall in London, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional, the Great Hall of the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Festival appearances include the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, MDR Sommer Festival in Dresden, Lübecker Kammermusikfest, Santander International Festival in Spain, Felicja Blumental Festival in Israel, Music@Menlo, Montreal International Festival, Ottawa Chamber Festival, Bard Music Festival in NY, International Keyboard Institute and Festival in NYC, ChangChun Festival in China, and the Bravissimo Festival in Guatemala. In 1989, she was recognized on the international scene as the First Prize winner at the Stravinsky International Piano Competition. She won Second Prize at the 1992 Montreal International Music Competition, at which she also won a Special Prize for the best interpretation of the unpublished work. In 1993, she received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Governor General of Canada and in 1994 won the Second Prize at the First International Franz Liszt Competition in Weimar. In 1999, she was awarded the prestigious Virginia Parker Prize by the Canada Council for the Arts. She graduated from both the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School before she turned twenty. She decided to further her studies in London with Maria Curcio-Diamand, Schnabel’s protégée, at the “Mozarteum” in Salzburg with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and received the Konzertexam Diplom from the Hochschule “Franz Liszt” in Weimar, where she worked with the late Lazar Berman. She also graduated from the Accademia Pianistica in Imola, Italy with the honorary title of “Master” and from Southern Methodist University under Joaquín Achúcarro where she is now a Johnson-Prothro Artist-in-Residence. Ms. Chung is the recipient of the prestigious Honors Diploma at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Lucille Chung has been hailed as “a considerable artist, admirable for her bold choice of music” by The Sunday Times for her recordings of the complete piano works by György Ligeti on the Dynamic label. The first volume was released in 2001 to great critical acclaim, receiving the maximum R10 from Classica-Répertoire in France, 5 Stars from the BBC Music Magazine, and 5 Stars on Fono Forum in Germany. The final volume, which also contains works for two pianos, was recorded with her husband, Alessio Bax and once again received the prestigious R10 from Classica-Répertoire. Her all-Scriabin CD won the “Best Instrumental Recording” prize at the 2003 Prelude Classical Awards in Holland as well as the coveted R10 from Classica-Répertoire in France. She also recorded the two Mendelssohn Piano Concerti on the Richelieu/Radio-Canada label, which was nominated for the Prix Opus in Canada. In August 2005, Bax and Chung recorded Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals with the Fort Worth Symphony under Maestro Miguel Harth-Bedoya, which was released in 2006. In 2007 she released a solo album for the Fazioli Concert Hall Series. Lucille then embarked on an exclusive contract with Disques XXI/Universal. So far, she has released two CDs, Piano Transcriptions of Camille Saint-Saëns and Mozart & Me. Both CDs continue earning critical praise and have been broadcast internationally. 2013 marked the release of a piano duo disc with Alessio Bax, presenting Stravinsky’s original four-hand version of the ballet Petrouchka as well as music by Brahms and Piazzolla for Signum Records. In 2015, she released an all Poulenc album which was chosen as the “Recording of the Month” on MusicWeb and most recently in April 2018, a Liszt solo recital album for Signum Records. Lucille is fluent in French, English, Korean, Italian, German, and Russian. She and husband, pianist Alessio Bax make their home in New York City with their daughter, Mila, and are artistic co-directors of the Joaquín Achúcarro Foundation. www.lucillechung.com

CHIARA STRING QUARTET Renowned for bringing fresh excitement to traditional string quartet repertoire as well as for creating insightful interpretations of new music, the Chiara String Quartet (Rebecca Fischer and Hyeyung Julie Yoon, violins; Jonah Sirota, viola; Gregory Beaver, cello) captivates its audiences throughout the country. The Chiara has established itself as among America’s most respected ensembles, lauded for its “highly virtuosic, edge-of-the-seat playing” (The Boston Globe). They are currently Hixson-Lied Artists-in-Residence at the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and were the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University from 2008-2014. For the 2015-2016 season, the Chiara was the quartet-in-residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Chiara Quartet has been playing string quartets and asking probing questions since 2000. Always interested in engaging with the music at its core as well as reaching audiences, the quartet has dedicated itself to finding ways to make the musical experience meaningful for all involved. In this pursuit the quartet has performed in venues from major concert halls to clubs, created interactive programs for all ages, and most recently taken to performing and recording from memory, or “by heart.” Described by an audience member as “a 3-D experience for the listener,” playing by heart is deeply rewarding for the Chiara as well; memorizing the score helps them to closely relate to the composer’s compositional process. The Chiara’s latest recording is Bartók by Heart, a 2-CD set featuring Bartók’s six string quartets, played entirely from memory, released in August 2016 on Azica. The quartet’s previous album, Brahms by Heart, was released on Azica in March 2014. In addition to the Chiara Quartet’s regular performances in major concert halls across the country, including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the National Gallery in Washington DC, the ensemble was one of the first string quartets to perform in alternative venues for chamber music performance. Recent highlights of the Chiara Quartet’s international performances include extensive tours of China, Korea, and Sweden. In addition to Bartók by Heart and Brahms by Heart, the complete Chiara discography includes a Grammy-nominated recording of Jefferson Friedman’s String Quartets Nos. 2 and 3 on New Amsterdam Records, the Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets for SMS Classical, and the world premiere recordings of Robert Sirota’s Triptych and Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout on the Quartet’s own New Voice Singles label. The Chiara has been committed to the creation of new music for string quartet since its inception, and has commissioned composers including Gabriela Lena Frank, Jefferson Friedman, Nico Muhly, Daniel Ott, Robert Sirota, among others. Recent collaborators in performance include The Juilliard and St. Lawrence String Quartets, Joel Krosnick, Roger Tapping, Todd Palmer, Robert Levin, Simone Dinnerstein, Norman Fischer, Nadia Sirota, and Paul Katz, as well as members of the Orion, Ying, Cavani, and Pacifica Quartets. In the summer, the Chiara Quartet is in residence at Greenwood Music Camp as well as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Chamber Music Institute. The Chiara trained and taught at The Juilliard School, mentoring for two years with the Juilliard Quartet, as recipients of the Lisa Arnhold Quartet Residency. Chiara (key-ARE-uh) is an Italian word, meaning “clear, pure, or light.”

ERIK RALSKE, FRENCH HORN On July 6, 2010, Erik Ralske was featured on the front page of The New York Times, for having won principal horn positions with both the Metropolitan Opera and Los Angeles Philharmonic during the same week. Ultimately, he chose to remain in New York and accepted Maestro James Levine’s invitation to play Principal Horn at the MET. Prior to joining the MET Orchestra, Mr. Ralske was a member of the New York Philharmonic for 17 seasons—12 years as Third Horn and later, approximately 5 years as Acting Associate Principal. Other previous positions include Associate Principal with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and Principal Horn with the Vancouver Symphony, Florida Symphony, and Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestras. During his tenure with the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Ralske has been a soloist withthe orchestra over a dozen times with Music Directors Kurt Masur and Lorin Maazel, in New York as well as on tour in Europe and South America. Mr. Ralske is a very active as a chamber musician. He has performed with The MET Chamber Players at Carnegie Hall, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic Ensembles, the Music Academy of the West, as well as the La Jolla, Seattle, Vancouver, and Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festivals. Currently, he is on the faculty of the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, andMannes College of Music. He received both his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School.

PHILIP SETZER, VIOLIN Violinist Philip Setzer, a founding member of the Emerson String Quartet, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and began studying violin at the age of five with his parents, both former violinists in the Cleveland Orchestra. He continued his studies with Josef Gingold and Rafael Druian, and later at the Juilliard School with Oscar Shumsky. In 1967, Mr. Setzer won second prize at the Marjorie Merriweather Post Competition in Washington, DC, and in 1976 received a Bronze Medal at the Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Brussels. He has appeared with the National Symphony, Aspen Chamber Symphony (David Robertson, conductor), Memphis Symphony (Michael Stern), New Mexico and Puerto Rico Symphonies (Guillermo Figueroa), Omaha and Anchorage Symphonies (David Loebel) and on several occasions with the Cleveland Orchestra (Louis Lane). He has also participated in the Marlboro Music Festival. Mr. Setzer has been a regular faculty member of the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshops at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. His article about those workshops appeared in The New York Times on the occasion of Isaac Stern’s 80th birthday celebration. He also teaches as Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at SUNY Stony Brook and has given master classes at schools around the world, including The Curtis Institute, London’s Royal Academy of Music, The San Francisco Conservatory, UCLA, The Cleveland Institute of Music and The Mannes School. The Noise of Time, a groundbreaking theater collaboration between the Emerson Quartet and Simon McBurney–about the life of Shostakovich–was based on an original idea of Mr. Setzer’s. In April of 1989, Mr. Setzer premiered Paul Epstein’s Matinee Concerto. This piece, dedicated to and written for Mr. Setzer, has since been performed by him in Hartford, New York, Cleveland, Boston and Aspen. Recently, Mr. Setzer has also been touring and recording the piano trios of Schubert and Mendelssohn with David Finckel and Wu Han.

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2024 AT 4 PM MOZART’S DOUBLE CONCERTOS MARIKO ANRAKU, HARP SETH MORRIS, FLUTE OLIVER NEUBAUER, VIOLIN PAUL NEUBAUER, VIOLA SOLOISTS Mariko Anraku , Associate Principal Harp, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra “A manifestation of grace and elegance” — Jerusalem Post Seth Morris , Principal Flute Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Oliver Neubauer , violin “His was a captivating performance” — The Epoch Times Paul Neubauer , viola “A master musician.” — The New York Times 2023-2024 SEASON October 15, 202 3 Lysander Piano Trio November 12, 2023 Angel Blue, soprano Bryan Wagorn, piano December 3, 2023 Brentano String Quartet Antioch Chamber Choir January 14, 2024 Goldmund String Quartet February 18, 2024 Candlelit Music of The Spirit March 10, 2024 Richard Goode, Piano Late Beethoven April 7, 2024 Jordi Savall, Conductor Hespèrion XXI May 12, 2024 Mothers Day Concert June 2, 2024 Mozart’s Double Concertos Artist Roster Parlance Program Notes LOCATION At West Side Presbyterian Church 6 South Monroe Street Ridgewood, NJ 07450 For map and directions, click here . CONCERT AMENITIES Whee lchair Accessible Fr e e Parking for all concerts FEATURING BUY TICKETS MEMBERS OF THE MET ORCHESTRA Michael Parloff, conductor Kari Docter, cello Elaine Douvas, oboe Bruno Eicher violin Garrett Fischbach, viola Katherine Fong, violin Brad Gemeinhardt, horn Ming-Feng Hsin, violin Joseph Jordan, oboe Alberto Parrini, cello Wen Qian, violin Anne Scharer, horn Dov Scheindlin, viola Sarah Vonsattel, violin Nancy Wu, violin ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS The festive conclusion of Parlance Chamber Concerts’s 16th season will feature two of Mozart’s most joyous works, the Concerto for Flute and Harp, K. 299 and Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, K. 364 . Composed when Mozart was in his early 20s, these uniquely-scored double concertos reveal the young genius reveling in the unbounded creativity and budding profundity of his early maturity. The Four charismatic soloists will be supported by fifteen members of the MET Orchestra, conducted by PCC’s Artistic Director, Michael Parloff. PROGRAM Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp, K. 299 Program Notes Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, K. 364 Program Notes Watch violist Paul Neubauer as Strolling Gypsy Violist at Parlance Chamber Concerts: Watch flutist Seth Morris play onstage in the Met’s Magic Flute: Watch harpist Mariko Anraku perform Debussy’s Sacred and Profane Dances Watch violinist Oliver Neubauer perform Grieg’s Violin Sonata No. 3 This program has been made possible in part by a grant administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs from funds granted by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

May 21, 2023: Kevin Zhu, violin; Albert Cano Smit, piano JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Sonata in A, Op. 100 for violin and piano May 21, 2023: Kevin Zhu, violin; Albert Cano Smit, piano Brahms composed the A major Violin Sonata during the summer of 1886 in idyllic Hofstetten, Switzerland. That summer he eagerly anticipated the visit of Hermine Spies, the young contralto for whom he wrote many of his late songs. He noted that the Sonata’s second theme quotes one of the songs he wrote with her in mind, “Wie Melodien zieht es mir” (As if melodies were moving), op. 105, no. 1. Commentators have also linked “Komm bald” (Come soon), op. 97, no. 6, with this movement and found references in the finale to two other Opus 105 songs, “Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer” (My slumber grows more and more peaceful)—which climaxes with the same words, “Komm’, O komme bald”—and “Auf dem Kirchhofe” (In the churchyard). Brahms’s friend Elisabet von Herzogenberg was moved to characterize the entire A major Sonata as “a caress.” As was his custom, Brahms himself participated in the premiere of the Sonata on December 2, 1886, with violinist Joseph Hellmesberger, leader of the Hellmesberger Quartet and enthusiastic supporter of the composer. The performance occurred a little over a week after Brahms had accompanied Hermine in her Viennese debut recital. The first movement breathes the kind of lyricism associated with Brahms’s songs whether or not one hears the specific allusions. It is the second theme in this sonata form that recalls his lovely “Wie Melodien,” borrowing the first phrase only, which Brahms varies rhythmically and gives a new continuation. The tune reappears in the recapitulation and furnishes the violin’s last utterance to close the coda. The second movement combines a slow movement and scherzo in alternating sections, in a manner similar to the middle movement of the F major Quintet. Each returning section brings a subtle variation of its former appearance. Brahms marked the finale “Allegretto grazioso quasi Andante” in order to achieve a non-hurried, graceful atmosphere. The climactic phrase “Come, o come soon” (from “Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer”) can be detected in the rondo theme. The first contrasting episode introduces a haze of arpeggiated chords rather than a “tune” before the rondo refrain returns, but the second episode sounds more traditionally songful. A variation of the first theme returns in the coda, extended by warm double stops in the home key. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes