JERUSALEM STRING QUARTET Alexander Pavlovsky, 1st violin Sergei Bresler, 2nd violin Ori Kam, viola Kyril Zlotnikov, cello “Passion, precision, warmth, a gold blend: these are the trademarks of this excellent Israeli string quartet.” Such was the Times’ (London) impression of the Jerusalem Quartet. Since the ensemble's founding in 1993 and their debut in 1995, the four Israeli musicians have embarked on a remarkable journey of growth and maturation. Their expansive repertoire and extraordinary depth of expression have firmly established them as a distinctive voice in the string quartet tradition. At the heart of their sound lies a warm, full, and deeply human tone, paired with an egalitarian balance between high and low voices. This approach allows the quartet to combine individual expression with a transparent and faithful presentation of the composer’s work. It also drives their ongoing refinement of interpretations of the classical repertoire, while encouraging explorations of new musical territories. The Jerusalem Quartet is a regular and cherished guest on the world’s most prestigious concert stages. The year 2025 marked the Quartet’s 30th anniversary, which the ensemble celebrated with a special focus on Shostakovich’s 15 quartets, presented across 10 cities worldwide, including St. Paul, MN; Cleveland, OH; Portland, OR; Concertgebouw Amsterdam; Beethovenfest Bonn; Philharmonie Cologne; and Tonhalle Zurich. Highlights of the upcoming 2025/2026 season include two North American tours, as well as extensive performances across Europe, with concerts at renowned venues such as the Konzerthaus Wien and Wigmore Hall in London. Another season milestone for the Quartet will be a series of quintet concerts in Europe in spring 2026 with celebrated pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, taking place at prestigious venues including the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and the Alte Oper in Frankfurt. The Jerusalem Quartet’s recordings have received numerous awards and accolades, including the Diapason d’Or and the BBC Music Magazine Award for Chamber Music. Previous Harmonia Mundi releases include a unique exploration of Jewish music in Central Europe between the wars, featuring a collection of 1920s Yiddish cabaret songs from Warsaw performed with Israeli soprano Hila Baggio, as well as the second volume of their complete Bartók cycle released in 2020. Today, the quartet records exclusively for BIS, with their first release for the label in 2025 featuring Shostakovich Quartets No. 2, 7 & 10.

October 4, 2015 – Richard Goode, piano JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Vier Klavierstücke (Four Piano Pieces), op. 119 October 4, 2015 – Richard Goode, piano Brahms began composing his Opus 119 Piano Pieces before completing the Opus 118 collection and published both sets in 1893. The Opus 119 pieces continue in the same predominantly introspective vein, except for the concluding Rhapsody of Opus 119, which ends Brahms’s solo piano output in heroic style. (Only the 51 Übungen, or Exercises, compiled over many years, were published later.) The three opening pieces of Opus 119 are titled “Intermezzo,” Brahms’s favored designation for a wide range of late piano pieces (see Opus 118 above). The first Intermezzo of Opus 119 is well-known for its characteristic falling thirds, which give it the resigned quality so often associated with Brahms’s works. The Andante of the F minor Two-Piano Sonata, op. 34b, the opening of the Fourth Symphony, and the Four Serious Songs provide notable examples of this characteristic. Brahms gave the first Intermezzo to Clara Schumann as a birthday present in 1893, though it actually marked his birthday by the time he sent it to her. He wrote: I am tempted to have a short piece of music copied for you, as I should very much like to know how you get on with it. It teems with discords. . . . It is exceptionally melancholy, and to say “to be played very slowly” is not sufficient. Every bar and every note must be played as if ritardando were indicated, and one wished to draw the melancholy out of each one of them, and voluptuous joy and comfort out of the discords. My God, how this description will whet your appetite! Clara wrote that “one actually revels in the discords” and also called the Intermezzo “a grey pearl. Do you know them? They look as if they were veiled, and are very precious.” Brahms also used the title “Intermezzo” for the second piece, an agitated piece in E minor that ingeniously employs the variation form. The central “waltz” section in E major provides a wonderful contrast, though it too is a variation. A wisp of the waltz returns at the close. The following quicksilver Intermezzo features the melody at the outset in the lower part of the right hand. Its scherzando character as abetted by the shifting melodic accents. The ebullient E-flat Rhapsody, probably not the last of the pieces in order of composition, is notable for its five-bar phrases, which Clara characterized as “Hungarian.” At the center occurs a lyrical section in A-flat major—perhaps suggesting the salon or café in its arpeggiations and grace notes—that is led up to and away from by a C minor/C major triplet idea. The following occurrence of the main theme is cleverly presented in a hushed staccato variation, lending all the more force to its return in its original guise at the close. This Rhapsody belongs to a small but significant group of works that open heroically in the major but close dramatically and darkly in the minor. Other notable such pieces include Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony and Brahms’s B major Trio. Brahms’s Rhapsody, however, accomplishes this unusual twist in one movement, thereby joining an even more select niche of the repertoire—Schubert’s E-flat Impromptu, op. 90, no. 2 is one of the few other such works that immediately comes to mind. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

May 6, 2018: Clara Neubauer, violin; Anne-Marie McDermott, piano ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105 for violin and piano May 6, 2018: Clara Neubauer, violin; Anne-Marie McDermott, piano In August 1850 Schumann arrived in Düsseldorf amid great fanfare to take up the position of town music director. By the next season, however, problems had developed with management and musicians alike, augmented by his progressing mental illness. Nevertheless, he strove to improve the town’s musical life by organizing a small select group of singers and a short-lived ensemble of instrumentalists. Thus in the fall of 1851 he had vocal and instrumental chamber music on his mind. The time was now ripe to act on an 1850 request by Ferdinand David, concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig for a violin and piano piece. Schumann composed his first violin sonata—A minor, op. 105—between September 12 and 16, 1851, and after a pause to write the G minor Piano Trio, continued with a second—D minor, op. 121—between October 26 and November 2. Clara Schumann, her husband’s greatest champion and interpreter, immediately learned the piano part and played the first private performance of the A minor Violin Sonata on October 16 with Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski, Robert’s talented young concertmaster. She wrote in her diary: “We were particularly moved by the very elegiac first movement and the lovely second movement.” The third movement, she said, caused them some difficulties, and though they played it through three more times Wasielewski reported that they were unable to convey its “brusque tone” to the composer’s satisfaction. The first public performance took place on March 29 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus with David, who had first suggested such a work, and he received the dedication when Schumann published it in 1852. Clara continued to play the piece after her husband’s death, most often with the rising young star Joseph Joachim. Schumann’s first movement, designated “With passionate expression,” sets a mood of quiet unrest with the main theme beginning in the violin’s low, throaty range. Throughout the piano does not merely “arpeggiate,” but exhibits the distinctive multiple voices and textures that are quintessentially Schumann. A special feature of this movement is the masterful blurring of the border between development and recapitulation that became such a Romantic art. The Allegretto shows the intimate charm of many of Schumann’s piano miniatures. Twice he interrupts with contrasting episodes—the first in the contemplative manner of Eusebius, the introverted fictional character of his prose and musical writings, and the second à la Florestan, his happy, extroverted persona. The finale cavorts like a scherzo, but with a demonic cast, as opposed to the elfin scherzos characteristic of Schumann’s contemporary Mendelssohn. A wonderful major-mode middle episode imparts a lyrical warmth to offset the more “brusque” drive of the main theme. Toward the end Schumann shows his concern for unity across movements by reintroducing the low restless main theme of the first movement before the final fiendish push to the close. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

September 25, 2016: Jason Vieaux, guitar; Escher String Quartet LUIGI BOCCHERINI (1743-1805) Quintet in D for guitar and string September 25, 2016: Jason Vieaux, guitar; Escher String Quartet Boccherini achieved widespread recognition in his day both as a cellist and as an extremely prolific composer, primarily of chamber music. He wrote more than 100 string quintets, close to 100 string quartets, and some 150 other chamber works, including more than thirty cello sonatas. He became especially celebrated for his string quintets in the two-violin, viola, two-cello configuration, contributing more to the genre than any other composer in history. Many of them were written while he served as “virtuoso of the chamber and composer of music” at the Aranjuez court of the Infante Don Luis, younger brother of the king of Spain. The quintets were to be played by a court quartet made up of the Font family, father and three sons, plus Boccherini himself. The renown Boccherini enjoyed in his prime is attested to by the remarks of the typically cautious Charles Burney, famed eighteenth-century historian, who rated him “among the greatest masters who have ever written for the violin or violoncello,” placing him second only to Haydn. The taste for Boccherini’s elegant, galant style waned, however, and he died in Madrid in poverty. Many gaps exist in our knowledge of Boccherini’s life and works, made worse by the destruction of many of his manuscripts and his own thematic catalog in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War. The latter half of the twentieth century witnessed a periodic resurgence of interest in his music: Gérard’s thematic catalog was published in 1969, and hence the “G.” in the listings of the composer’s works. A complete edition was begun in the 1970s, and a manuscript containing eighteen cello sonatas—three not known since Boccerini’s time—was discovered in 1982; yet most of his music awaits rediscovery. Boccherini mentioned in a letter to the publisher Pleyel in December 1798 that he had just completed six guitar quintets—guitar with string quartet—for the Marquis de Bénavent, for which the guitar-playing Marquis apparently paid the composer 100 francs apiece. These Quintets were most likely those that survive in a copy made in the 1820s by François de Fossa, a military man who was also a talented guitarist and composer. The present D major Quintet, which is fourth in that collection, is the only one of the six that also survives in another manuscript. It was published together with two other guitar quintets (different than those for the Marquis) in 1925 in Leipzig. The Marquis’s Quintets were not published until 1973, after the enterprising Ruggero Chiesa located them in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Following a common practice of the period, Boccherini adapted material from earlier sources to fulfill the Marquis’s commission. Thus he transcribed the Pastorale and the Allegro maestoso of the D major Guitar Quintet from the first two movements of a 1771 String Quintet in the same key (G. 270, op. 12, no. 6); the Grave assai and the colorful Fandango he borrowed from the opening of another D major String Quintet (G. 341, op. 50, no. 2), written in 1788. Together these movements make a stellar guitar quintet—the last movement, the Fandango, is perhaps even more fitting with guitar as one of the instruments rather than a second cello as in the original. The Pastorale is a lovely movement, with the sweetness of parallel thirds and the lilting rhythms in 6/8 meter that one would expect from the genre. Characteristic of all Boccherini’s guitar quintets, the guitar alternates between passages in which it takes a leading role and passages in which it accompanies the bowed strings. The cello is particularly featured in the Allegro maestoso, at the outset and later in its highest register, reminding us of Boccherini’s prowess as a cellist. The Grave assai serves as the slow introduction to the crowning Fandango, which begins softly enough, but erupts into a high-spirited affair. Boccherini even adds actual castanets to the accompaniment as in the folk-dance models of his adopted country of Spain. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

January 4, 2015 – Emerson String Quartet WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) String Quartet in G major, K. 387 January 4, 2015 – Emerson String Quartet One of Mozart’s most earthshaking developments musically upon his move from his native Salzburg to Vienna in 1781 was meeting Joseph Haydn for the first time and hearing the older composer’s Opus 33 Quartets. The profound influence of these works on the younger composer resulted in his composing six Quartets—the first three between December 1782 and July 1783 and the second three between November 1784 and January 1785. He dedicated these “fruits of a long and arduous labor” to his esteemed friend saying, “During your last stay in this capital you yourself, my dear friend, expressed to me your approval of these compositions. Your good opinion encourages me to offer them to you and leads me to hope that you will not consider them wholly unworthy of your favor.” In fact, on that occasion in 1785 when Haydn had heard Wolfgang, his father Leopold, and two friends play these Quartets, Haydn had told Leopold: “I tell you before God as an honest man that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by reputation. He has taste, and what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition.” Haydn’s Opus 33 Quartets, which he himself had said were written “in an entirely new manner,” influenced Mozart particularly in their new equality of part-writing for the four individual instruments and their treatment of thematic elaboration as a integral part of a whole work rather than belonging only to traditional development sections. Mozart’s Haydn Quartets show these elements in abundance along with his own inspired brand of grace and inventiveness. Mozart completed the G major Quartet, K. 387, the first of the Haydn Quartets, on December 31, 1782. The stunning variety of the four movements and their combined effusive optimism have made this perhaps the most popular quartet of the six. The first movement revels in contrasts—soft and loud, determined and tender, ascending and descending, diatonic and chromatic. The opening gesture’s forthrightness followed by its gentle tag immediately demonstrates this, as does the contrast between the entire first theme and the gently marching second theme with its repeated notes. Not only is the development remarkable for Mozart’s ingenious spinning out of these ideas, but the recapitulation delights in further elaboration. The Menuetto takes dynamic contrast to a new level of detail when, following two graceful downward leaps, his chromatic lines alternate soft and loud with every note. As a counterbalance Mozart introduces a second theme—as part of this section’s miniature sonata form—now featuring repeated notes followed by chromatic descents. Drama explodes in the trio in minor-key unison where one might often find more pastoral repose. By now we expect dynamic contrast, which certainly abounds in the slow movement, though with a preponderance of quiet that is especially striking at the close of the first phrase. What becomes more salient as the movement unfolds is the contrast in textures between slow-moving lines and the fast notes of Mozart’s filigree, which is not always confined to the first violin part. A striking harmonic surprise prepares the second theme of this slow-movement sonata form (that is, exposition and recapitulation without a development section). In the recap’s brief delicate extension, Mozart emphasizes the triplet motion that had made an appearance toward the end of the first theme and become a defining feature of the second. The last movement gives us a wonderful preview of the composer’s crowning Jupiter Symphony, both in its four-note theme and in its fugal (imitative) treatment. The miracle of Mozart’s fugal style here comes in the ease with which he switches back and forth between contrapuntal and homophonic texture (melody and accompaniment). Thus his fugal writing becomes an enticing propellant rather than an academic exercise. These effortless shifts of style correspond to structural divisions in which the fugal texture presents the main thematic material of sonata form, and the homophonic texture the transitional and cadential material. Mozart takes his leave with a nice Haydnesque touch—forceful, seemingly conclusive chords that then give way to the quiet “true” ending. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

November 2, 2014 – Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano; Sharon Isbin, guitar JOAQUÍN RODRIGO (1901–1999) Aranjuez, ma pensée November 2, 2014 – Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano; Sharon Isbin, guitar Rodrigo, blind since the age of three, showed great musical talent and was sent to Paris to study, where he became a student of Paul Dukas. In the 1930s he traveled extensively in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, returning to Spain with the outbreak of war in 1939, the year he composed his famous guitar concerto, Concierto de Aranjuez. Although he was highly regarded by Dukas and also by his friend Manuel de Falla, he did not receive public recognition until the premiere of the Concierto in November 1940 by Regino Sainz de la Maza. Rodrigo became famous overnight. In addition to composing over the next six decades, Rodrigo wrote many articles about music, toured and lectured, gave piano recitals, and received numerous awards. His musical style was conservative yet imaginative—he called it “faithful to a tradition.” The successful combination of Classical influences with nationalist idioms was enhanced by his ability to write inspired melodies. One of these, from the slow movement of his famous Concierto, became the basis of “Aranjuez, ma pensée,” arranged in 1988 by the composer himself with lyrics in French by his beloved wife Victoria Kamhi. She frequently translated or adapted anonymous texts for many of his songs in addition to contributing her own poetry. They invited Sharon Isbin to meet them in 1979 after she won the Queen Sofia Competition playing the Concierto, and they maintained a warm friendship for two decades—Kamhi died in 1997 and Rodrigo two years later. Ms. Isbin writes that Rodrigo composed this melody “during the sleepless nights spent grieving over the stillborn birth of his first child and his wife’s ensuing illness. He wrote it as they reminisced about their honeymoon in the majestic gardens of Aranjuez, the magnificent eighteenth-century sight of kings and courtiers. It is both a love song and a song of painful yearning.” After many unauthorized arrangements of this ultra-popular theme appeared, some instrumental and some supplied with texts, the Rodrigos tried to reclaim the rights in court in 1967, but lost. Finally in 1987, Cecilia Rodrigo, their daughter, won the rights and it was she who encouraged Kamhi to pen the lyrics. TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

Parlance Chamber Concerts. New Jersey Symphony and Classical Orchestra Style Concerts 2026-2027 SEASON August 1, 2026 Welcome to the 19th Season of Parlance Chamber Concerts! Join us for a richly varied musical journey across three centuries of chamber music's greatest masterpieces. More than forty of today's most distinguished artists will scale the musical peaks of Mozart, Schubert, Bach, Beethoven, and Dvořák while exploring the beguiling musical byways created by such twentieth-century masters as Bohuslav Martinů, Francis Poulenc, Astor Piazzolla, and Paul Schoenfeld . Whether rediscovering beloved masterpieces or venturing down less-traveled musical paths, we hope you'll join us for another season of inspiring performances, exceptional artistry, and the shared joy of live music. I look forward to welcoming you throughout the season. Michael Parloff Artistic Director CONCERTS 2026 – 2027 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026 AT 4 PM CAFÉ MUSIC KEVIN ZHU, VIOLIN TOMMY MESA, CELLO ALBERT CANO SMIT, PIANO ANTON RIST, CLARINET WILLIAM SHORT, BASSOON BILLY R. HUNTER, JR., TRUMPET RUPERT BOYD, GUITAR From Martinů's delightfully zany ballet The Kitchen Review and Rossini's whimsical piano miniature Anchovies to James Grant's Triple Mocha Indulgence for bassoon and piano and Paul Schoenfeld's exuberant piano trio Café Music , this mouthwatering program serves up a delicious menu of musical delicacies. Performed by an all-star ensemble of internationally acclaimed soloists, rising young virtuosos, and principal musicians of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Café Music promises a sparkling afternoon of musical wit, dazzling virtuosity, and culinary panache. LEARN MORE Bohuslav Martinů: Suite from La revue de cuisine Gioachino Rossini: Anchovies for solo piano  Francis Poulenc: Cello Sonata  Astor Piazzolla: L'Histoire du Tango (violin and guitar)  James Grant: Triple Mocha Indulgence (bassoon and piano)  Paul Schoenfeld: Café Music (piano trio)  SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2027 AT 4 PM RICHARD GOODE & ITAMAR ZORMAN FOUR MASTERPIECES • TWO MASTER MUSICIANS RICHARD GOODE, PIANO ITAMAR ZORMAN, VIOLIN Widely acknowledged for more than half a century as one of the world's most distinguished pianists, Richard Goode has been praised for performances of "tremendous emotional power, depth, and expressiveness." Violinist Itamar Zorman has been hailed as one of the most soulful and compelling artists of the younger generation. Together, they bring their complementary musical insight to one of chamber music's most rewarding artistic partnerships. Their thoughtfully curated program spans three centuries, from the graceful elegance of Mozart and the timeless architecture of Bach to the luminous poetry of Debussy , culminating in Beethoven's radiant final Violin Sonata, Op. 96—a fitting showcase for two consummate musicians at the height of their interpretive powers LEARN MORE Mozart: Violin Sonata in E-flat major, K. 481  Bach: Sonata No. 3 in C major for Solo Violin, BWV 1005 Debussy: Selected Preludes for Piano  Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 96 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2027 AT 4 PM BENJAMIN APPL & JAMES BAILLIEU SCHUBERT'S WINTERREISE BENJAMIN APPL, BARITONE JAMES BAILLIEU, PIANO Regarded by many as the greatest song cycle ever composed, Schubert's Winterreise is a profound journey through a human landscape of love, loss, and the search for meaning. Written toward the end of the composer's short life, it stands among the supreme achievements of Western music. Hailed as one of today's foremost interpreters of German art song, baritone Benjamin Appl returns to Parlance Chamber Concerts with his longtime artistic collaborator, pianist James Baillieu . Artistic Director Michael Parloff will offer an introductory talk exploring the history, poetry, and enduring power of this incomparable masterpiece. LEARN MORE “Benjamin Appl sounds as if singing is his most natural mode of expression… he has an extraordinarily beautiful voice,” — BBC Music Magazine “James Baillieu is in a class of his own. He is in the Gerald Moore/Graham Johnson bracket, a remarkable pianist.” — The Daily Telegraph SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2027 AT 4 PM PAUL JACOBS, ORGAN CELEBRATING BACH ON HIS 342nd BIRTHDAY PAUL JACOBS, ORGAN A perennial Parlance favorite, organist Paul Jacobs returns with the breathtaking artistry, dazzling virtuosity, and narrative charisma that have made his appearances among the highlights of PCC’s recent seasons. To celebrate J. S. Bach's 342nd birthday, Jacobs recreates Felix Mendelssohn's legendary 1840 all-Bach recital in Leipzig —a landmark event in the nineteenth-century Bach Revival. Featuring six of Bach's greatest organ masterpieces, this remarkable program honors the enduring legacy of two visionary composers whose music became forever intertwined. LEARN MORE “Paul Jacobs is one of the great living virtuosos.” — The Washington Post SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2027 AT 4 PM ZUKERMAN TRIO CELEBRATING BEETHOVEN IN HIS 250th ANNIVERSARY YEAR PINCHAS ZUKERMAN, VIOLIN AMANDA FORSYTH, CELLO SHAI WOSNER, PIANO A legendary presence on the world's concert stages for more than five decades, violinist Pinchas Zukerman joins celebrated cellist Amanda Forsyth and pianist Shai Wosne r for an afternoon of chamber music that brings together three consummate artists at the height of their interpretive powers. To celebrate Beethoven in his 250th anniversary year , the Zukerman Trio performs three masterpieces spanning the composer's creative life—from the youthful brilliance of the A-minor Violin Sonata, Op. 23, and the radiant lyricism of the A-major Cello Sonata, Op. 69, to the mystery and drama of the beloved "Ghost" Trio. Together, these works trace Beethoven's colossal artistic journey from youthful brilliance to the full flowering of his creative genius. LEARN MORE Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 23 Ludwig van Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A major, Op. 69 Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost") SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2027 AT 4 PM THE CHEN-LIPMAN-CHO STRING TRIO WITH PIANIST MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN STELLA CHEN, VIOLIN MATTHEW LIPMAN, VIOLA BRANNON CHO, CELLO MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN, PIANO Four of today's most acclaimed young chamber musicians—Queen Elisabeth Competition Gold Medalist Stella Chen, Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Matthew Lipman, Naumburg International Cello Competition Gold Medalist Brannon Cho, and distinguished pianist-composer Michael Stephen Brown —join forces for an afternoon of inspired artistry and scintillating musical collaboration. Their program pairs Mozart's symphonic-scale Divertimento in E-flat major, K. 563 , widely regarded as the greatest string trio ever composed, with Dvořák's radiant Piano Quartet No. 2 , a masterpiece overflowing with lyrical warmth, Bohemian spirit, and exuberant joy LEARN MORE Mozart: Divertimento in E-flat major for String Trio, K. 563 Dvořák: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 87 SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2027 AT 4 PM EMI FERGUSON & RUCKUS FLY THE COOP EMI FERGUSON, BAROQUE FLUTE with RUCKUS, PERIOD-INSTRUMENT ENSEMBLE Virtuosic and charismatic baroque flutist Emi Ferguso n joins the adventurous period-instrument ensemble Ruckus for Fly the Coop , a joyous, kaleidoscopic romp through some of Bach's most joyful and transcendent music. Their imaginative arrangements transform Bach's flute sonatas and keyboard prelude s into vibrant new soundscapes for baroque flute and a colorful continuo ensemble of theorbos, baroque guitars, bassoon, cello, bass, harpsichord, organ—even the occasional banjo. Praised by The New York Times as "a fizzing, daring display of personality and imagination," this inventive collaboration invites Bach's timeless music to spread its wings in performances overflowing with dazzling virtuosity, irresistible rhythmic energy, and infectious musical joy. LEARN MORE Emi Ferguson: “Elegant and sensitive phrasing, brilliant fingerwork, and incisive attack." — Musical America Ruckus: "...the world's only period-instrument rock band." — San Francisco Classical Voice PAST CONCERTS 2026 – 2027 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026 AT 4 PM VIANO QUARTET — Four of a Kind Praised for their "virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention" (The Boston Globe), the Viano Quartet has rapidly emerged as one of the world's most exciting young chamber ensembles, earning the prestigious 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant and appearing in many of the world's leading concert halls. Their Parlance debut traces the remarkable evolution of the string quartet through four landmark masterpieces. From Haydn's eloquent classicism to the lyrical Romanticism of Mendelssohn and Dvořák and the searing modernism of Janáček's Kreutzer Sonata , the program celebrates the string quartet's remarkable expressive range from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries. LEARN MORE Hao Zhou, violin Lucy Wang, violin Aiden Kane, viola Tate Zawadiuk, cello SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2026 AT 4 PM MOZART AND SCHUBERT AT 19 BENJAMIN BOWMAN, VIOLIN with MUSICIANS FROM THE MET ORCHESTRA MICHAEL PARLOFF, CONDUCTOR As Parlance Chamber Concerts launches its 19th season, we celebrate with two early masterpieces written by Mozart and Schubert when they were just 19 years old: Mozart's beloved "Turkish" Violin Concerto and Schubert's Mozart-inspired Symphony No. 5. Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Concertmaster Benjamin Bowman , praised by The New York Times for his "beautifully singing eloquence," joins colleagues from the Met Orchestra under the direction of Artistic Director Michael Parloff . Together, they reveal the youthful freshness, lyricism, and astonishing artistic maturity that announced the arrival of two of music's greatest creative voices. LEARN MORE ABOUT PARLANCE CHAMBER CONCERTS VIDEO INTRO TO PARLANCE CHAMBER CONCERTS Michael Parloff introduces the mission and history of PCC. Audience members share their experiences. LEARN MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM PCC’S 17TH SEASON Enjoy this 5-minute video recap of memorable moments from 2024-25, including performances by pianist Paul Lewis, cellist Steven Isserlis, flutist Denis Bouriakov, and others. MEET THE ARTISTS ABOUT THE SEASON 19 YEARS OF GREAT MUSIC MAKING COVID-19 Info for Parlance Chamber Concerts attendees: Read more here.

SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2017 AT 3 PM Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano; Warren Jones, piano BUY TICKETS WARREN JONES, PIANO “His playing was a marvel, as always.” – San Francisco Chronicle ISABEL LEONARD, MEZZO-SOPRANO “Isabel Leonard sings with beguiling tenderness in moments of composure, but her voice throbs with penetrating intensity.’ – The New York Times FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS On April 23 , Parlance’s 10th-anniversary season will arrive at a celebratory conclusion with the return of the Met’s ravishing mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard , one of the most charismatic and fast-rising vocal stars of our time. Her sold-out Parlance debut in 2014-15 was one of the highlights of our past seasons. Isabel will be joined by the masterful collaborative pianist Warren Jones , a great favorite of our audience since his debut appearance in the winter of 2008. Don’t miss this glittering final event of Parlance Chamber Concert’s 10th-Anniversary season! PROGRAM Hector Berlioz Les nuits d’été Program Notes Jules Massenet The Letter Scene from Werther Program Notes Jules Massenet Va! Laisse couler mes larmes from Werther Program Notes Frédéric Chopin Four Mazurkas, Op. 67 for piano Program Notes Enrique Granados Canciones amatorias Program Notes Gioachino Rossini Canzonetta spagnuola Program Notes Isabel Leonard performs Rosina’s aria from Rossini’s Barber of Seville: Isabel Leonard performs Cherubino’s aria from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro: Isabel Leonard performs Falla’s Polo on Parlance Chamber Concerts:

BRENDAN KANE, BASS Double Bassist Brendan Kane has performed extensively throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Originally from Stillwater, Minnesota, Mr. Kane joined the bass section of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in the Fall of 2014. Prior to his appointment at the Met, Mr. Kane held the positions of Assistant Principal Bass of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Principal Bass of the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra in Brazil. He also regularly tours around the world as Principal Bass of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra as well as annual appearances at the Verbier Festival (Switzerland), Schloss Elmau (Germany) and the St. Barts Music Festival in the Caribbean. Mr. Kane has also performed with the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Detroit Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa), Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra (London), Pittsburgh Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and as Guest Principal Bass with the Hong Kong and Israel Philharmonics. As a chamber musician, he has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, toured with the International Sejong Soloists and appeared alongside Pinchas Zukerman, Maxim Vengerov, Leonidas Kavakos, Tabea Zimmerman, Mischa Maisky and Sir András Schiff among others. Mr. Kane is on sabbatical from the MET for the 22-23 season upon being appointed Principal Bass of the Israel Philharmonic.

GARRETT FISCHBACH, VIOLA Garrett Fischbach has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1998. He was a member of the San Francisco Symphony from 1996-98 and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. from 1995-96. His 2CD recording of the complete works for solo violin by J.S. Bach was released to critical acclaim in 2004. He was a college division faculty member at Mannes School of Music from 2008-2015, and has been a guest adjudicator at Juilliard Pre-College and Manhattan School of Music. He has performed and taught at the Sun Valley Artist Series, the Sid & Mary Foulger International Music Festival, and International Workshops in Graz, Austria. Garrett earned a Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, from Boston University where he studied with George Neikrug and Yuri Mazurkevich, and a Master of Music degree from Northern Illinois University as a student of Shmuel Ashkenasi. Garrett is an active chamber musician and recitalist, and is sought after in New York City as a teacher for advanced violinists and violists.

GRANTS Partial funding is provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts through Grant Funds administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.

March 24, 2019: Kristin Lee, violin; Paul Huang, violin; Danbi Um, violin; Pierre Lapointe, viola; Dov Scheindlin, viola; Maurycy Banszek, viola; Edward Arron, cello; Mihai Marica, cello; Joel Noyes, cello; Tim Cobb, bass; Gilles Vonsattel, harpsichord JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750) Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, BWV 1048 March 24, 2019: Kristin Lee, violin; Paul Huang, violin; Danbi Um, violin; Pierre Lapointe, viola; Dov Scheindlin, viola; Maurycy Banszek, viola; Edward Arron, cello; Mihai Marica, cello; Joel Noyes, cello; Tim Cobb, bass; Gilles Vonsattel, harpsichord In March 1719, when Bach was in Berlin to collect the new harpsichord made for Cöthen by court instrument maker Michael Mietke, he had occasion to play for Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg. The meeting spurred an invitation from the Margrave for Bach to send him some compositions. The works that he sent probably originated in Weimar even before Bach’s move to Cöthen in 1717, but it took yet another two years for him to complete, compile, and submit his “Six concerts avec plusieurs instruments” (Six concertos with several instruments). He dedicated the 1721 manuscript to the Margrave, saying: As I had a couple of years ago the pleasure of appearing before Your Royal Highness . . . and as I noticed then that Your Highness took some pleasure in the small talents that Heaven has given me for Music, and as in taking leave of Your Royal Highness, Your Highness deigned to honor me with the command to send Your Highness some pieces of my composition: I have then in accordance with Your Highness’s most gracious orders taken the liberty of rendering my most humble duty to Your Royal Highness with the present Concertos, which I have adapted to several instruments. No record exists of the Margrave of Brandenburg ever using the scores, ever sending Bach a fee, or ever thanking him. Legend has it that a lack of acknowledgment may have stemmed from the Margrave’s instrumental resources not matching those of Cöthen or Weimar, thus rendering the pieces unperformable at his establishment. It certainly is true that Bach used unprecedented and different scoring in each of the individual works, treating the collection like an “Art of the Concerto Grosso” and thus was not aiming to match any specific establishment’s resources. The manuscript eventually became the property of the state library in Berlin, remaining unpublished until the Bach revival in the nineteenth century. In 1880 Philipp Spitta, Bach’s famous biographer, coined the term “Brandenburg Concertos,” which has been used ever since for the beloved works. Bach employed the simple yet flexible plan for the concerto grosso developed by Torelli and Corelli and standardized by Vivaldi—a small solo group (concertino) alternating with the full ensemble (ripieno or tutti), typically in three movements: fast slow, fast. The Brandenburg Concertos offer a wide spectrum of innovative instrumental schemes and combinations and a great variety in treatment of form. Nos. 1, 3, and 6 use instrumental forces that are fairly balanced in number, with No. 1 containing some violino piccolo solos and No. 6 featuring two violas. Nos. 2, 4, and 5 contrast a small concertino with a large ripieno throughout, with different instruments featured in each case. Though the Third Brandenburg Concerto is scored only for strings and continuo (bass line instrument and keyboard), the texture is kaleidoscopic, with constant shifts between combinations of instruments. Bach’s love of symmetry is apparent in his balancing of the three groups of strings—violins, violas, and cellos—and the three instrumental parts within each group. It is highly unusual that Bach did not provide a slow movement for this Concerto. In between the two fast movements Bach left a one-measure Adagio consisting of two cadential chords, out of which some keyboard players might have improvised a slow movement. The first movement’s opening three-note gesture provides motivic material for much of the remainder of the movement. The finale adopts the form of a gigue, a traditional dance movement in two-part form—here the second section of the gigue is three times as long as the first. Fast notes in perpetual motion, first presented with one instrumental part imitating the other, drive the movement irresistibly forward. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes