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< Back Rentarō Taki “Kojo No Tsuki” (“The Moon over the Ruined Castle”) arr. Anne Akiko Meyers Program Notes Previous Next

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 AT 3 PM BEETHOVEN: EARLY, MIDDLE, & LATE QUARTETS BUY TICKETS THE DANISH STRING QUARTET “That mixture of casualness and control that comes out when they perform makes them the quartet I would most want to hear play just about anything. Chords all have a diamond edge, tunes pour like molten silver, staccato passages skip like stones across a lake.” — Justin Davidson, New York Magazine FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS On April 8 , it will be a thrill to introduce the sizzling Danish String Quartet to our community. The Danes’s rare combination of rock star charisma, ensemble perfection, and consummate artistry have made them one of the most in-demand quartets of our time. Their All-Beethoven concert will feature three masterpieces from his early, middle and late periods. PROGRAM Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in D, Op. 18, No. 3 Program Notes Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in F, Op. 59, No. 1 Program Notes Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in C# minor, Op. 131 Program Notes Watch the Danish String Quartet perform Beethoven’s Quartet No. 15, Op. 131: Watch the Danish String Quartet perform Beethoven’s Quartet No. 10 (The Harp), Op. 74:

SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2026 AT 4 PM JERUSALEM STRING QUARTET ALEXANDER PAVLOVSKY, VIOLIN SERGEI BRESLER, VIOLIN MATHIS ROCHAT, VIOLA KYRIL ZLOTNIKOV, CELLO JERUSALEM STRING QUARTET “Consummately brilliant playing throughout, combining amazing technical finesse with overwhelming musical insight….” — BBC Music Magazine ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS Renowned for their “amazing technical finesse and overwhelming musical insight” (BBC Music Magazine ), the Jerusalem String Quartet returns to Parlance Chamber Concerts for an expressively far-ranging program featuring works by Haydn, Beethoven , and Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Shulamit Ran . Celebrated for their warm, balanced sound and eloquent ensemble unity, the Quartet brings a rare blend of tradition, individuality, and emotional depth to both classical masterworks and contemporary voices. Their program will culminate with Beethoven’s Quartet in B-flat, Op. 130 , including the boundary-pushing Grosse Fuge . This great quartet —by turns rustic, playful, introspective, and adventurous —showcases the full range of Beethoven’s extraordinary late-life inventiveness and mastery.” 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 Joseph Haydn: Quartet in B-flat, Op. 76, No. 4 (“Sunrise”) Program Notes Shulamit Ran: New Work composed for the Jerusalem Quartet Program Notes INTERMISSION Ludwig van Beethoven: Quartet in B-flat, Op. 130 (with the Grosse Fuge) Program Notes Watch the Jerusalem Quartet perform the Haydn’s String Quartet in D, Op. 64, No. 5 (The Lark): Watch the Jerusalem Quartet perform the third movement of Brahms's String Quartet No.3, Op.67:

< Back Johannes Brahms Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35, Book 1 Program Notes Previous Next

SUNDAY, MARCH 24 2019 AT 3 PM BACH’S BIRTHDAY CONCERT BUY TICKETS TIMOTHY COBB, BASS Principal Bass New York Philharmonic DOV SCHEINDLIN, VIOLA EDWARD ARRON, CELLO PAUL HUANG, VIOLIN GILLES VONSATTEL, PIANO KRISTIN LEE, VIOLIN “Kristin Lee gave a sterling performance…the performance was beautifully integrated and seamless.” — Oberon’s Grove MING-FENG HSIN, VIOLIN JOEL NOYES, CELLO DANBI UM, VIOLIN “Danbi Um’s playing is utterly dazzling…a marvelous show of superb technique” — The Strad MAURYCY BANASZEK, VIOLA PIERRE LAPOINTE, VIOLA SARAH CROCKER VONSATTEL, VIOLIN MIHAI MARICA, CELLO “Stunning Performance” — New York Times WEN QIAN, VIOLIN FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS Celebrate Bach’s 334th Birthday with fourteen outstanding artists performing six irresistible Bachian classics. PROGRAM J.S. Bach Prelude from Suite for Cello in D, BWV 1012 Edward Aaron, cello Program Notes J.S. Bach Double Violin Concerto in D Minor BWV 1043 Paul Huang and Danbi Um, solo violins Program Notes J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, BWV 1048 Program Notes J.S. Bach Prelude from Violin Partita in E, BWV 1006 Kristin Lee, violin Program Notes J.S. Bach Violin and Piano Sonata in E, BWV 1016 Sarah Crocker Vonsattel, violin; Gilles Vonsattel, piano Program Notes J.S. Bach Piano Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052 Gilles Vonsattel, solo piano Program Notes

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SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2023 AT 4 PM INSPIRED BY FRIENDSHIP BUY TICKETS MICHAEL PARLOFF, lecturer ALBERT CANO SMIT, PIANO “He established himself as an artist to watch.” — Montreal Gazette ZLATOMIR FUNG, CELLO The first American in four decades and youngest musician ever to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition Cello Division. KEVIN ZHU, VIOLIN “Awesome Technical Command and Maturity.” — The Strad FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS Great music has often been inspired by friendships between like-minded artists. In this multimedia event, Artistic Director Michael Parloff will illuminate the relationships that inspired a trio of masterpieces by Brahms, Bartók, and Rachmaninoff to be performed by three of today’s fastest-rising young musicians: violinist Keven Zhu, cellist Zlatomir Fung, and pianist Albert Cano Smit. Preview: In the summer of 1886, the 53-year-old Johannes Brahms fell under the spell of the young contralto Hermine Spies. Inspired by her artistry and beauty, he composed songs for them to perform together at the idyllic Swiss resort of Thun. Later that summer, he wove themes from ‘her’ songs into the fabric of his radiant Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100. Béla Bartók maintained a lifelong friendship with his esteemed violinist colleague Joseph Szigeti. Their fruitful partnership yielded many remarkable works, including Bartók’s First Violin Rhapsody, dedicated to his friend and compatriot Szigeti. At the onset of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s career, the renowned Peter Tchaikovsky was one his most encouraging supporters. When the 53-year-old Tchaikovsky died unexpectedly in 1893, the shocked 20-year-old composer mourned and memorialized his lost mentor in his eloquent Trio élégiaque No. 2, dedicated “In Memory of a Great Artist.” PROGRAM Johannes Brahms Sonata in A, Op. 100 for violin and piano Kevin Zhu, violin; Albert Cano Smit, piano Program Notes Béla Bartók Rhapsody No. 1, Sz 86 for cello and piano Zlatomir Fung, cello; Albert Cano Smit, piano Program Notes Sergei Rachmaninoff Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9 Kevin Zhu, violin; Zlatomir Fung, cello; Albert Cano Smit, piano Program Notes Watch Zlatomir Fung play perform Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme: Watch Kevin Zhu play Weiniawski’s Fantasy on Themes from Gounod’s Faust: Watch pianist Albert Cano Smit perform Beethoven’s Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 (“Tempest”) at the 2022 Van Cliburn Competition:

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023 AT 4 PM ANGEL BLUE, SOPRANO BRYAN WAGORN, PIANO SONGS, ARIAS, AND SPIRITUALS Angel Blue , soprano Bryan Wagorn , piano ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS Angel Blue has emerged in recent seasons as one of the most influential sopranos before the public today. The two-time Grammy Award winner, 2020 Beverly Sills Award recipient, and 2022 Richard Tucker Award winner is celebrated worldwide for her honeyed soprano and affecting deliveries of many of the most beloved roles in the operatic repertory. Angel Blue has been praised for performances in nearly every major opera house in the world, including Teatro alla Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera where she has triumphed in roles as diverse as Violetta in La Traviata, Mimi in La Boheme, Bess in Porgy and Bess , and Destiny/Loneliness/Greta in Terrence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones . For her much-anticipated Parlance debut, Angel Blue and pianist Bryan Wagorn will perform a diverse program cherished songs, arias, and spirituals . 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 “Luminous soprano voice and unforced charisma.” — New York Times PROGRAM Gabriel Fauré Clair de lune Mandoline Fleur jetée Program Notes Claude Debussy Clair de Lune for piano Program Notes Richard Strauss Heimliche Aufforderung Allerseelen Befreit Morgen Cäcilie Program Notes Gershwin Two Preludes for piano Allegro ben ritmato e deciso Andante con moto e poco rubato Program Notes American Songbook Arlen: I Wonder What Became of Me Gershwin: Our Love is Here to Stay Weill: Youkali Program Notes Three Arias by Giacomo Puccini Chi il bel Sogno Vissi d’Arte O Mio Babbino Caro Program Notes Spirituals Good News You Can Tell the World Deep River Ride on King Jesus Program Notes Watch Angel Blue perform Mi chiamano Mimi from Puccini’s La Boheme:

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015 AT 3 PM Jeremy Denk, piano, and Stefan Jackiw, violin BUY TICKETS JEREMY DENK, PIANO Winner of 2013 MacArthur (“Genius”) Fellowship “Mr. Denk, clearly, is a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs, in whatever combination – both for his penetrating intellectual engagement with the music and for the generosity of his playing.” – The New York Times STEFAN JACKIW, VIOLIN “It took all of one phrase to realize we were in for a performance of uncommon musical substance…. it’s clear he has thought more deeply than many of his peers about an essential koan of interpretation: how to wed genuine devotion to a composer’s vision with playing of interior participation and personal freedom.” – Boston Globe FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS Jeremy Denk is one of America’s most thought-provoking, multifaceted, and compelling artists. The pianist is the winner of a 2013 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, the 2014 Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s 2014 Instrumentalist of the Year award. Equally accomplished as a performer and a raconteur, Denk peppers his recitals with inimitably insightful commentary. The New Yorker’s music journalist, Alex Ross, has praised him for his “arresting sensitivity and wit,” calling him “the liveliest writer-pianist since Glenn Gould.” Violinist Stefan Jackiw had been hailed for playing of “uncommon musical substance…striking for its intelligence and sensitivity.” He is recognized as one of his generation’s most exciting violinists, captivating audiences with playing that combines poetry and purity with an impeccable technique. An excerpt from Jeremy Denk’s January, 2012, New Yorker article about the music of Charles Ives: Click here to read the entire article. “[In the Ives sonata], I was puzzled about where this phrase was going. I’d been taught that phrases were supposed to go somewhere, yet this musical moment seemed serenely determined to wander nowhere. One afternoon, the violinist of the group and I were driving off campus and happened to cross the Connecticut River. Looking out of the window, he said, “You should play it like that.” From the bridge the river seemed impossibly wide, and instead of a single current there seemed to be a million intersecting currents — urgent and lazy rivers within the river, magical pockets of no motion at all. The late-afternoon light colored the water pink and orange and gold. It was the most beautiful, patient, meandering multiplicity. Instantly, I knew how to play the passage. Even better, Ives’s music made me see rivers differently; centuries of classical music had prettified them, ignoring their reality in order to turn them into musical objects. Schubert uses tuneful flowing brooks to murmur comfort to suicidal lovers; Wagner has maidens and fateful rings at the bottom of a heroically surging Rhine. Ives is different. He gives you crosscurrents, dirt, haze — the disorder of a zillion particles crawling downstream. His rivers aren’t constrained by human desires and stories; they sing the beauty of their own randomness and drift.” Read Jeremy Denk’s award-winning New Yorker magazine article about a lifetime of piano study: Click here to read the article. PROGRAM Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 100 Program Notes Charles Ives Sonata No. 1, S. 60 Program Notes Charles Ives Sonata No. 4 (Children’s Day at the Camp Meeting), S. 63 Program Notes César Franck Sonata in A Program Notes An introduction to Brahms’s A-Major Violin Sonata, Op. 100: Meet Pianist/Writer Jeremy Denk: 2013 MacArthur Fellowship winner: Stefan Jackiw - Beethoven Romance in F, Op. 50 (Seoul Arts Center):

February 8, 2015 – David Finckel, cello; Wu Han, piano SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873–1943) Sonata for Cello and Piano in g minor, Op. 19 February 8, 2015 – David Finckel, cello; Wu Han, piano In the wake of the successful completion of his Second Piano Concerto, Rachmaninov spent the summer of 1901 on the family’s country estate Ivanovka in the Tambov region, several days’ travel to the south of Moscow. To judge by his letters, it was only after he returned to Moscow in late September that he began to work on the sonata, the performance of which was already planned. The Sonata for Cello and Piano, op. 19, was composed in the fall and early winter of 1901 for the cellist Anatoly Brandukov. Towards the end of the last movement, Rachmaninov wrote the date “November 20th”. At the very end he wrote “December 12th”, showing that he revised the ending immediately after the first performance. The work debuted in Moscow, on December 2nd 1901, by Anatoly Brandukov, with the composer at the piano. By mid-November he was crying off social engagements, complaining that “my work’s going badly, and there’s not much time left. I’m depressed…” On November 30th however he sent a message to the composer Taneyev inviting him to a rehearsal at 11.30 that morning. By the following January 15th he was hard at work on the final proofs of the piece: ‘I’ve found almost no mistakes’. In later years Rachmaninov remembered his cello sonata as one of a series of pieces through which, with the help of Dr. Nikolai Dahl, after a long period of depression and inability to create, he was born again as a composer: ‘I felt that Dr. Dahl’s treatment had strengthened my nervous system to a miraculous degree… The joy of creating lasted the next two years, and I wrote a number of large and small pieces including the Sonata for Cello…’ © Gerard McBurney Return to Parlance Program Notes

< Back Erich Korngold Suite for two violins, cello, and piano left-hand Program Notes Previous Next