SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2026 AT 4 PM JONATHAN BISS, PIANO MOZART, JANÁČEK, AND SCHUMANN JONATHAN BISS , PIANO “Biss is known for his deeply insightful approach to the pillars of the repertoire and a desire to forge connections between that canon and the present…” — The Boston Globe, January 2024 ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS Pianist Jonathan Biss is internationally acclaimed for his impeccable taste, formidable technique, and profound musical insight. He has performed as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras and, since 2018, has served as Co-Artistic Director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival alongside Mitsuko Uchida. In his thoughtfully curated program, Jonathan Biss charts an expressive journey through three centuries of piano masterpieces — from Mozart’s stormy Sonata in C minor, K. 457, to Janáček’s early 20th-century nostalgia in On an Overgrown Path , and the sweeping Romantic passion of Schumann’s Fantasy in C , envisioned as a coded love letter to his beloved wife-to-be, Clara Wieck. 2025-2026 SEASON September 14, 2025 “Singers” from the Met Orchestra October 12, 2025 Lawrence Brownlee, tenor November 2, 2025 Benjamin Appl, baritone; James Baillieu, piano December 7, 2025 The Tallis Scholars January 18, 2026 Benjamin Beilman, violin; Jonathan Swenson, cello; Orion Weiss, piano February 22, 2026 Radu Ratoi, accordion March 8, 2026 Jonathan Biss, piano April 26, 2026 Jerusalem String Quartet May 17, 2026 Chee-Yun, violin; Sterling Elliott, cello; Henry Kramer, piano 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 PROGRAM Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata in C minor, K. 457 Program Notes Leoš Janáček: On an Overgrown Path, Series 1, Nos. 1, 6, and 7 Program Notes INTERMISSION Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata in F, K. 533/494 Program Notes Robert Schumann: Fantasy in C, Op. 17 Program Notes Watch pianist Jonathan Biss play Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Op. 12: Watch pianist Jonathan Biss play Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31, Op. 110:

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024 AT 4 PM CARTER BREY, RAFAEL FIGUEROA, EDWARD ARRON, & ZVI PLESSER, CELLOS WITH JEEWON PARK, PIANO CARTER BREY , Principal Cello, New York Philharmonic RAFAEL FIGUEROA , Principal Cello, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra ZVI PLESSER , Cello Professor, The Juilliard School EDWARD ARRON , Cello Professor, Amherst Collage JEEWON PARK , PIANO “Carter Brey opened the Beethoven Sonata with a jaw-droppingly resonant account of the rich low ascending notes…Brey’s natural eloquence was spotlighted time and again…ocher-toned mastery.” — The Washington Post “Edward Arron displayed a satiny tone and a light, elegant touch…He sang out beautifully.” — The Cincinnati Post “The solo part showcased the polished and confident playing of Israeli cellist, Zvi Plesser … The most difficult passages were enjoyable both for the ears and the eyes.” — Zoltán Szabó, Bachtrack ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS 2024-2025 SEASON September 29, 2024 Cellobration! October 20, 2024 Modigliani Quartet November 17, 2024 Paul Lewis Plays Schubert December 15, 2024 The Virtuoso Flutist Denis Bouriakov January 19, 2025 The Virtuoso Organist Paul Jacobs February 9, 2025 The Virtuoso Cellist Steven Isserlis March 9, 2025 Ravel’s 150th Birthday Concert April 13, 2025 Quartetto Di Cremona May 18, 2025 Late Night With Leonard Bernstein 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 Parlance Chamber Concerts’s 17th season will begin with a joyful “Cellobration ” featuring four of the leading cellists of our time. Carter Brey , principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic; Rafael Figueroa , principal cellist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Zvi Plesser , cello professor at The Juilliard School of Music; and renowned solo cellist and chamber musician Edward Arron will be joined by the elegant pianist Jeewon Park . Their program will highlight the cello’s uniquely rich and flexible musical voice in an afternoon of solos, duos, trios, and quartets by Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Rachmaninoff and others. PROGRAM Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, arr. for four cellos by Douglas Moore Program Notes Sergei Rachmaninoff Andante from Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 for cello and piano Zvi Plesser, cello and Jeewon Park, piano Program Notes Jean Barrière Allegro prestissimo from Sonata in G for two cellos Carter Brey and Edward Arron, cellos Program Notes Johann Sebastian Bach Air from Orchestra Suite No. 3 in D arr. for four cellos Program Notes Felix Mendelssohn Song Without Words in D for cello and piano Rafael Figueroa, cello and Jeewon Park, piano Program Notes David Popper Requiem for three cellos and piano Rafael Figueroa, Edward Arron, and Zvi Plesser, cellos; Jeewon Park, piano Program Notes Frederic Chopin Polonaise Brillante in C, Op. 3 for cello and piano Carter Brey, cello and Jeewon Park, piano Program Notes Intermission Johann Sebastian Bach Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit arr. for four cellos by Finckel Cello Quartet Program Notes Ludwig van Beethoven Seven Variations on Bei Männern from Mozart's Magic Flute for cello and piano Edward Arron, cello, and Jeewon Park, piano Program Notes Georg Friedrich Händel Sonata in G minor, Op. 2, No. 8 for two cellos and piano Zvi Plesser and Rafael Figueroa, cellos; Jeewon Park, piano Program Notes Georg Goltermann Serenade Op. 119, No. 2 for four cellos Program Notes Joseph Haydn Allegro molto from Cello Concerto in C major: Hob. VIIb/1 Program Notes Watch Carter Brey perform the Scherzo from Chopin’s Sonata for cello and piano in G minor, Opus 65: Watch Edward Arron perform the 1st movement of Bach’s Prelude to Suite No. 1 in G: Watch Zvi Plesser perform the 1st movement of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto:

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2018 AT 3 PM NEUBAUER-McDERMOTT FAMILY CONCERT BUY TICKETS GILAD COHEN, COMPOSER KERRY McDERMOTT, violin New York Philharmonic PAUL NEUBAUER, VIOLA “A master musician.” — The New York Times ANNE-MARIE McDERMOTT, PIANO Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society CLARA NEUBAUER, VIOLIN “It was a committed, refreshing performance displaying absolute technical security.” — The Epoch Times OLIVER NEUBAUER, VIOLIN (2021) “His was a captivating performance, fully bringing-out the shifting moods, wit, and lyricism of Mozart’s music.” — The Epoch Times FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS On May 6 , the stellar Neubauer-McDermott Family will bring our eleventh season to an exhilarating conclusion. Violist Paul Neubauer (of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society), violinist Kerry McDermott (of the New York Philharmonic), and their children, violinists Oliver and Clara Neubauer , will be joined by Kerry’s sister, CMS pianist Anne-Marie McDermott , in music of Bach, Dvořák, Ravel, and Schumann . The concert will include the World Premiere of Gilad Cohen’s* “Moonrhymes” for three violins, viola, and piano , commissioned by PCC especially for this event. Inspired by the familial theme, Cohen’s work will focus on children’s songs from Israel, America, and Spain. *Gilad Cohen is a Ridgewood resident and a music professor at Ramapo College. A Princeton Ph.D., he is the winner of the 2016 Barlow Prize and the 2010 Israeli Prime Minister Award for Composers. PROGRAM Johann Sebastian Bach Preludio from Partita No. 3 arranged for 3 violins & viola Program Notes Antonín Dvořák Terzetto in C, Op. 74 for 2 violins and viola Program Notes Maurice Ravel Tzigane for violin and piano Program Notes Gilad Cohen “Moonrhymes” (Premiere) for 3 violins, viola and piano Program Notes Robert Schumann Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105 for violin and piano Program Notes Mark O’Connor F.C.’s Jig for violin and viola Program Notes Charles Dancla Variations on Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman for three violins and viola Program Notes Watch Clara Neubauer perform Arensky’s Trio in D minor: Watch Paul Neubauer perform Benjamin Dale’s Romance for Viola and Piano: Watch Anne-Marie McDermott perform Haydn’s Piano Sonata in C:

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.

SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2024 AT 4 PM GOODE PLAYS BEETHOVEN RICHARD GOODE, PIANO “Every time we hear him, he impresses us as better than we remembered, surprising us, surpassing our expectations and communicating perceptions that stay in the mind.” — Gramophone ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS Hailed for music-making of tremendous emotional power, depth and expressiveness, Richard Goode is one of today's most revered artists, drawing capacity audiences and raves the world over. The New York Times, in reviewing his Carnegie Hall performance praised his “majestic, profound readings... Mr. Goode’s playing throughout was organic and inspired, the noble, introspective themes unfolding with a simplicity that rendered them all the more moving.” Widely acknowledged as one of today’s premier Beethoven interpreters, Richard Goode will perform late works including Six Bagatelles from Op. 119, Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109, and the monumental “Diabelli Variations ,” Op. 120, widely considered one of the greatest sets of variations ever composed. 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 Richard Goode , piano PROGRAM Beethoven Program Notes Six Bagatelles from Op. 119 Beethoven Program Notes Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109 Beethoven The Diabelli Variations, Op. 120 Program Notes Watch Richard Goode perform the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110:

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022 AT 4 PM EMERSON STRING QUARTET VALEDICTORY CONCERT BUY TICKETS DAVID FINCKEL, CELLO “His playing has great warmth and expressiveness coupled with a noble, aristocratic restraint.” — Strings Magazine GUILLERMO FIGUEROA, VIOLA EMERSON STRING QUARTET “With musicians like this there must be some hope for humanity.” — The Times (London) FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS The Emerson String Quartet has maintained its status as one of the world’s most illustrious chamber ensembles for more than 45 years. In honor of their final season, this special valedictory concert will bring back two Emersonian laureates — the quartet’s original violist, Guillermo Figueroa, and longtime cellist, David Finckel — for a musical reunion that will conclude with Johannes Brahms’s radiant String Sextet No. 2 in G major. Don’t miss this unforgettable event! PROGRAM Joseph Haydn String Quartet in G, Op. 33, No. 5 Program Notes Dmitri Shostakovich String Quartet No. 12 in D-flat, Op. 133 Program Notes Johannes Brahms String Sextet No. 2 in G, Op. 36 Program Notes Watch the Emerson String Quartet perform Shostakovich’s 8th String Quartet at Parlance Chamber Concerts:

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2025 AT 4 PM THE BEL CANTO TENOR LAWRENCE BROWNLEE, TENOR KEVIN J. MILLER, PIANO LAWRENCE BROWNLEE , TENOR KEVIN J. MILLER , PIANO “With his sweet tone, fastidious pitch, and poetic phrasing, Brownlee made familiar fare sound intriguingly fresh, banishing, for a moment, the ghosts of Caruso and Pavarotti.” — Alex Ross, The New Yorker “Brownlee sang with agility, elegance, and Rossinian style, tossing off high notes and roulades..this was a winning performance for an increasingly important artist.” — The New YorkTimes ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS 2025-2026 SEASON September 14, 2025 “Singers” from the Met Orchestra October 12, 2025 Lawrence Brownlee, tenor November 2, 2025 Benjamin Appl, baritone; James Baillieu, piano December 7, 2025 The Tallis Scholars January 18, 2026 Benjamin Beilman, violin; Jonathan Swenson, cello; Orion Weiss, piano February 22, 2026 Radu Ratoi, accordion March 8, 2026 Jonathan Biss, piano April 26, 2026 Jerusalem String Quartet May 17, 2026 Chee-Yun, violin; Sterling Elliott, cello; Henry Kramer, piano 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 THE BEL CANTO TENOR Tenor Lawrence Brownlee has been hailed by The New York Times as “an international star in the bel canto operatic repertory,” and described by The Boston Classical Review as “perhaps the most agile bel canto tenor on the scene today.” Brownlee is celebrated worldwide for the dazzling technique, expressive warmth, and vocal agility that he brings to the high-flying arias of this virtuosic repertoire. In this special recital appearance, he will perform a signature selection of beloved bel canto arias — the very works that have made him one of the most sought-after opera singers of our time. Lawrence Brownlee will be joined by pianist Kevin J. Miller. PROGRAM W.A. Mozart: Un’aura amorosa from Così fan tutte Program Notes Gioacchino Rossini: Two Songs La promessa La danza Program Notes Vincenzo Bellini: Six Songs Dolente imagine di Fille mia Malinconia, ninfa gentile Vanne e rosa fortunata Bella Nice, che d’amore Ma rendi pur contento Vaga luna Program Notes Gaetano Donizetti: Spirto gentil from La Favorita Program Notes INTERMISSION Jules Massenet: Pourquoi me reveiller from Werther Program Notes Paolo Tosti: Marechiare Program Notes Ottorino Respighi: Three Songs Nevicata Pioggia Nebbie Program Notes Friedrich von Flotow: M’appari tutt’amor from Martha Program Notes Pietro Mascagni: Serenata Program Notes Gabriele Sibella: La Girometta Program Notes Luigi Denza: Occhi di fata Program Notes Gaetano Donizetti: Fra poco a me rovero from Lucia di Lammermoor Program Notes Vincenzo Bellini: Nel furor nelle tempeste from Il Pirata Program Notes Watch tenor Lawrence Brownlee sing “Ecco ridente in cielo” from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville: Watch tenor Lawrence Brownlee sing "Oh fiamma soave” from Rossini’s La Donna de Lago:

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 AT 3 PM GALA OPENER VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS BUY TICKETS ISABELLA BIGNASCA, VIOLA Juilliard graduate; Aspen, Kniesel Hall, Heifetz on Tour chamber music series JEANELLE BRIERLEY, VIOLIN Faculty Member, Cleveland Institute of Music DAVID J. GROSSMAN, BASS Principal Bass, LA Chamber Orchestra and member of the New York Philharmonic NATHAN MELTZER, VIOLIN “The only-19-year-old American Nathan Meltzer is already a violinist of great stature with unobtrusive technical brilliance, a very individual musicianship, and a supple tone. — Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten JAMES THOMPSON, VIOLIN “His phrasing was so supple, his sound so vibrant, and his facility so effortless that the music fairly leaped from the stage.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer OLIVER NEUBAUER, VIOLIN (2021) “His was a captivating performance, fully bringing-out the shifting moods, wit, and lyricism of Mozart’s music.” — The Epoch Times ARNAUD SUSSMANN, VIOLIN “Beauty of sound and elegance.” — Nice Matin KEVIN ZHU, VIOLIN “Awesome technical command and maturity” — The Strad PAOLO BORDIGNON, HARPSICHORD “Bordignon’s stylings were right on the mark as he amply showed us his fluid technique and mastery of the instrument.” — Salt Lake Tribune NICHOLAS CANELLAKIS, CELLO “impassioned … the audience seduced by Mr. Canellakis’s rich, alluring tone.” — The New York Times SIHAO HE, CELLO “Shanghai born cellist Sihao is a big scaled splendid cellist who played a very technically demanding program like a magician.” — Live Report, Tokyo JOEL NOYES, CELLO “Light effortless bow strokes, barely grazing the strings, produced feathery pianissimos…Noyes characterized each movement with color and distinction” – Strad Magazine CLARA NEUBAUER, VIOLIN “It was a committed, refreshing performance displaying absolute technical security.” — The Epoch Times PAUL NEUBAUER, VIOLA (2021) “A master musician.” — The New York Times DANBI UM, VIOLIN “Danbi Um’s playing is utterly dazzling…a marvelous show of superb technique” — The Strad FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS GALA OPENER VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS Fifteen outstanding musicians will join forces for PCC’s seasonal Opening Gala. Framed by Vivaldi violin concertos, the program will showcase four prodigiously talented young violinists in Vivaldi’s Concerto in B minor for Four Violins, as well as four seasoned violin soloists in Vivaldi’s ever-popular Four Seasons. The festive afternoon will also include Boccherini’s eloquent Cello Sonata in A and an all-star performance of Bach’s 6th Brandenburg Concerto. Don’t miss this electrifying opening to Parlance Chamber Concerts’s 14th Season! PROGRAM Antonio Vivaldi Violin Soloists: Spring: Danbi Um Summer: Nathan Meltzer Autumn: Arnold Sussmann Winter: Kevin Zhu The Four Seasons Program Notes J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 Viola Soloists: Paul Neubauer and Arnaud Sussmann Program Notes Luigi Boccherini Cello Sonata No. 6 in A, G. 4 Cello Soloist: Nicholas Canellakis Program Notes Antonio Vivaldi Violin Soloists: James Thompson, Oliver Neubauer, Clara Neubauer, Jeanelle Brierley Concerto in B minor for 4 violins Program Notes Watch Arnaud Sussmann perform Autumn from The Four Seasons: Watch Paul Neubauer perform Bach’s 6th Brandenburg:

VIDEOS PARLANCE PERFORMANCE VIDEOS VIDEO CONCERT PREVIEWS PARLOFF MULTIMEDIA LECTURES AND INTERVIEWS Watch in full screen Go to the video you'd like to watch. Press the red button with white arrow to play video. At the bottom-right of the video player, click full screen icon. An introduction to violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and guitarist Jason Vieaux An Introduction to Met Harpists Emmanuel Ceysson and Mariko Anraku Beethoven’s 9th violin sonata: The Kreutzer or the Bridgetower? Introduction to Brahms’s A-Major Violin Sonata, Op. 100; Stefan Jackiw, violinist Introduction to Brahms’s Klavierstücke, Op. 119; Richard Goode, pianist Introduction to Mozart’s A-minor Piano Sonata; Richard Goode, pianist Introduction to pianist Richard Goode Introduction to Vibraphonist Stefon Harris Preview of Matthew Polenzani & Ken Noda’s March 29, 2015 Concert A Short History of William Walton’s Façade Entertainments

December 7, 2025: The Tallis Scholars THE TALLIS SCHOLARS “MOTHER AND CHILD” December 7, 2025: The Tallis Scholars THE TALLIS SCHOLARS – Programme Notes Programme: ‘Mother & Child’ Tallis: Missa Puer natus - Gloria Byrd: Votive Mass of the Virgin Ave maris stella Rorate Caeli Tollite portas Ave Maria Ecce virgo concipiet Matthew Martin: Salve Regina* ---interval --- Tallis: Missa Puer natus - Sanctus and Agnus Britten: Hymn to the Virgin Taverner: Mater Christi Nesbett: Magnificat *composer’s note to follow in November 2025 One of the most common types of Orthodox icon features the Theotokos , the ‘Godbearer’, and depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary, usually with the Christ-child on her lap (or, occasionally, mystically represented in her womb). This programme likewise focusses on the heavenly duo of Mother and Child, with music in honour of the Virgin Mary interspersed with a grand mass celebrating the birth of her child, Jesus. In fact, it was not only the birth of the Christ being celebrated in Thomas Tallis’ mass, but the expectation of another child King. In 1554, Queen Mary had recently married Philip of Spain, in a union designed to strengthen England's newly-restored bond to Roman Catholicism (after the Protestant dalliances of her brother's short reign). In addition, Mary seemed to most observers to be pregnant. Accordingly, there is a sense of jubilance in Thomas Tallis's grand, seven-voice mass, which was likely first performed at this time. It is based on the plainsong 'Puer natus est nobis' – 'A boy is born to us, and a son is given to us whose government shall be upon his shoulders'. Even though the text of the chant is not used, the allusion encoded into the DNA of the music would have been picked up by those who heard it. It was an expression of hope, that the throne of Catholic England might be granted the security of a male heir. The unusual original scoring of the work – seven voices at low pitch – can probably be attributed to the presence of Philip's Capilla Flamenca, or 'Flemish Chapel Choir', who would have accompanied their King to England. It is conceivable that the mass was envisaged for joint performance by the two royal choirs together. Philip's choir also contained composers of considerable repute, including Philippe de Monte. It's not inconceivable that Tallis saw an occasion to demonstrate the virtues of English music to his continental rival. The English composer rose to the challenge, demonstrating virtuosic skill in the assembly of the mass. The plainchant is slowed down, and runs in long notes in the tenor voice. The composer juxtaposes this (by this time somewhat old-fashioned) technique with more modern features which were associated with 'continental' composition, such as close imitation between the other voices. This allows him to maintain musical interest whilst the chant is deployed in such long notes (in the Agnus Dei, one such note sounds for a nearly unbroken stretch of thirty-one bars!). An unusual, even experimental work, the mass must surely have impressed those who heard it, in its skilful composition and fervour. Around fifty years later, Tallis’ colleague William Byrd embarked on a monumental project: a complete set of compositions for use in the ceremonies of the Catholic Church. The following selection of motets, drawn from the Gradualia collection, mostly belong to the celebration of a Votive Mass for the Blessed Virgin. The strophic, intimate Ave maris stella is for only three voices, providing an immediate textural contrast with Tallis’ mass. Rorate caeli , featuring the powerful imagery of the heavens coming down to earth and raining righteousness upon it finds a match in Byrd’s fervent setting. Ever alive to the nuance of the words, the composer characterises each section carefully, leading to a doxology of awesome solidity. Tollite portas is notable for its frequent rising melodic phrases to musically depict the lifting up of the gates, while Ecce virgo concipiet builds towards ringing repetitions of the name by which the child shall be called: Emmanuel. For A Hymn to the Virgin , the youthful Benjamin Britten turned to a macaronic carol – that is, one in which the text is in both Latin and the vernacular – originally dating from the 13th-century. In an early example of the astonishing compositional fecundity he was to display throughout his life, the eighteen-year old composer divides the choir, allocating the Latin exclamations to a semi-chorus, as if in an angelic, hieratic commentary on the earthly Incarnation. Such hymns to the Virgin Mary have a long history. When John Taverner was employed at the new Cardinal College in the early sixteenth century, its statutes included a direction that antiphons to her be sung daily. Mater Christi sanctissima is a confident work of polyphony, making full use of the five-voice texture by alternating statements for upper and lower voices. In this case, the opening invocation to Mary is really a sort of preamble to the true prayer. In the first part, Mary is asked to pray her son to listen to our pleas. This done, in the second part we may pray directly to Jesus for the gift of grace and his Holy Spirit. Of John Nesbett’s life we know little, save that he worked for a time at Canterbury Cathedral. His Magnificat , an attractive and useful setting, is found in the Eton Choirbook, one of the most important sources of early Tudor polyphony to have survived. The piece alternates chanted verses of the canticle with full polyphony, exhibiting the unhurried and virtuosic style common to the pieces in this collection, and concludes with a ringing final ‘Amen’. © James M. Potter, 2025. Return to Parlance Program Notes

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 AT 4 PM MODIGLIANI QUARTET ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS The Paris-based Modigliani Quartet occupies the upper echelon of today’s string quartets. In addition to their annual tours in the United States and in Asia, the quartet’s European tours have brought inspired acclaim in the major concert halls of London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Saint Petersburg. 2024-2025 SEASON September 29, 2024 Cellobration! October 20, 2024 Modigliani Quartet November 17, 2024 Paul Lewis Plays Schubert December 15, 2024 The Virtuoso Flutist Denis Bouriakov January 19, 2025 The Virtuoso Organist Paul Jacobs February 9, 2025 The Virtuoso Cellist Steven Isserlis March 9, 2025 Ravel’s 150th Birthday Concert April 13, 2025 Quartetto Di Cremona May 18, 2025 Late Night With Leonard Bernstein 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 MODIGLIANI QUARTET Amaury Coeytaux, violin; Loïc Rio, violin; Laurent Marfaing, viola; François Kieffer, cello “ The Modigliani quartet clearly belongs to the world’s greatest “ — Le Monde (Paris) “ A gripping and persuasive performance, played with awesome individual and communal brilliance ” — The Strad (London) “One of today’s best quartets in the world...Balance, transparency, symphonic comprehension, confident style, their performance reached a very high and inspiring level ” — Süddeutsche Zeitung (Munich) The elite French ensemble will perform a wide-ranging program that will include Joaquín’s Turina’s lushly impressionistic La oración de torero (The Bullfighter’s Prayer), Brahms’s tenderhearted Quartet in B-flat, Op. 67, and Beethoven’s sublime Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2 . His student, Carl Czerny, wrote that the second movement “occurred to Beethoven while he was contemplating the starry sky and thinking of the music of the spheres.” PROGRAM Joaquín’s Turina Program Notes La oración de torero (The Bullfighter’s Prayer) Johannes Brahms Program Notes String Quartet in B-flat, Op. 67 Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2 Program Notes Watch the Modigliani Quartet play Mendelssohn’s Quartet in A minor, Op. 13, Presto

December 16, 2018: Emerson Quartet DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906–1975) String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, op. 110 December 16, 2018: Emerson Quartet The Eighth is probably the best known of Shostakovich’s string quartets because of its compact drama, its quotations from his own earlier works, and its pervasive use of the motto D.SCH, drawn from the initials of his first and last names. (He used Dimitri Schostakowitsch, the German transliteration, which in German musical notation equates to D, E-flat, C, and B-natural.) This “autobiographical” Quartet was composed in only three days, July 12–14, 1960, while the composer was in Dresden supposedly working on the score for a World War II film entitled Five Days, Five Nights. The Quartet that occupied him instead was officially dedicated “to the memory of the victims of fascism and war,” but it masked an inner dedication—to the composer himself. Shostakovich had just been coerced to join the Communist Party and he viewed his submission with self-loathing. His deep depression prompted the contemplation of his own mortality; one scholar and friend of Shostakovich suggested that the composer thought of the Eighth Quartet not only as autobiographical but at the time as his final work. He had in essence written his own Requiem. On July 19, 1960, Shostakovich wrote to his friend Isaak Glikman: “I have been considering that when I die, scarcely anyone will write a work in my memory. Therefore I have decided to write one myself. Then on the cover they can print: ‘Dedicated to the author of this Quartet.’ The main theme of the Quartet is the notes D-S-C-H, my initials. The Quartet contains themes from my works and the revolutionary song ‘Zamuchon tyazholoy nevoley’ [Tormented by Heavy Captivity]. My themes are the following: from the First Symphony, the Eighth Symphony, the [Second Piano] Trio, the [First] Cello Concerto and from Lady Macbeth. I have made allusions to Wagner (Funeral March from Götterdämmerung) and Tchaikovsky (second theme from the first movement of the Sixth Symphony). Oh yes, I forgot my Tenth Symphony. A nice mish-mash.” His continuation described how much he had wept during and after the Quartet’s completion, but in terms of a pseudo-tragedy. Shostakovich was already able to distance himself enough from the emotional content to admire the form of the work as a whole. The Quartet consists of five movements played without pause, unified by the D-S-C-H motto. The motto also announces the various quotations throughout the work—first played by the cello then imitated by the other instruments, it introduces his first self-quotation, from the First Symphony. The second movement provides contrast by means of speed, texture, and constant loud dynamics. After the prominent intoning of the motto by viola and cello, Shostakovich quotes what he calls “the Jewish theme” from his Second Piano Trio. The main theme of the third movement transforms the motto into a kind of grotesque waltz. Shostakovich quotes from his First Cello Concerto in one of the episodes, and the extension of this quotation becomes the first theme of the fourth movement. Music from his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is quoted both in this and the fifth movement, but the most poignant quotation, again introduced by the motto, is the revolutionary funeral march for prisoners “Tormented by Heavy Captivity.” The fifth movement, a recapitulation-reminiscence of the first movement, closes the work in the tragic mood that pervades the entire Quartet. Even without knowing the sources of the quotations or that Shostakovich was recalling works of special significance in his life, the listener is struck by the dark seriousness of the work and the soul-searching quality it conveys—a characteristic often associated with the late Beethoven quartets. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes