March 8, 2026: Jonathan Biss, piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Sonata in F, K. 533/494 March 8, 2026: Jonathan Biss, piano Mozart’s F major Piano Sonata, K. 533 and K. 494, was published by Franz Anton Hoffmeister in 1790, perhaps assuaging part of the composer’s financial debt to his friend. But the work was not newly composed, nor had it all been written at the same time. The Rondo, K. 494, had been completed on June 10, 1786, and the Allegro and Andante, K. 533, on January 3, 1788. When Mozart decided to join these movements to form a complete sonata, he added a twenty-seven-measure “cadenza” toward the end of the Rondo for dramatic weight. Overzealous nineteenth-century editors began publishing the chronologically separated movements independently, fostering a certain reluctance to accept the Sonata as a whole and perhaps inhibiting more frequent performance. Yet the Sonata is regarded by many as a masterpiece and Mozart’s own authority that the components belong together should be trusted. The Allegro’s unpretentious beginning expands into a sonata form on a grand scale. Mozart displays his “late-period” fondness for contrapuntal textures—as in the Jupiter Symphony and other piano sonatas—and takes particular delight in the shift of melodic material between right and left hands. Harmonic adventures such as those in the development become even more pronounced in the expressive Andante, with its chromatic dissonances and bold diminished chords. The lighthearted Rondo refrain provides supreme contrast to the preceding introspection. The movement’s full proportions befit its origin as an independent piece, but it should also be borne in mind that Mozart lengthened rather than shortened the Rondo for inclusion in the Sonata. The music-box effect of the refrain is balanced by its final appearance at the end in the bass register. The “cadenza” that precedes the refrain’s deeper return serves to heighten the drama. —©Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

October 18, 2009 – Rafael Figueroa, cello GASPAR CASSADÓ (1897-1966) Suite for Solo Cello October 18, 2009 – Rafael Figueroa, cello Gaspar Cassadó was one of the foremost cellists of the 20th Century. A musician of great versatility, he appeared regularly as a soloist with the world’s finest conductors and orchestras; performed chamber music with the most renowned musicians of the day; and produced a sizeable body of charming, well-crafted compositions and arrangements designed to showcase his own considerable talents as a cellist. His performance style and compositional oeuvre are often likened to those of the violinist Fritz Kreisler, who also wrote and performed his own concertos, showpieces, and charming recital encores that display the performer’s wit, agility, and lighter side. Born in Barcelona in 1897, Cassadó progressed quickly in his musical studies. In 1906 the emerging 21-year-old cellist Pablo Casals attended a performance by the nine-year-old prodigy and was so impressed that he invited him to become his first fulltime student. Cassadó eventually attained a scholarship from the city of Barcelona to move to Paris, where he studied for many years with Casals. Cassadó considered Casals to be his greatest musical influence and his “spiritual father.” While in Paris, Cassadó also pursued his studies in composition, working closely with such masters as Manuel de Falla and Maurice Ravel. Their stylistic influence can be heard in Cassadó’s 1926 Suite for Solo Cello, which was inspired by Casals’ legendary performances of the Bach cello suites. Up until the early 20th Century, Bach’s six cello suites were not widely known to the listening public; they were regarded as cello teaching material not quite suitable for general consumption. Casals radically altered that perception, performing them often and serving as their staunch advocate. His performances served as a catalyst for a vast outpouring of 20th Century solo cello works by major composers as diverse as Zoltán Kodály, Max Reger, Paul Hindemith, Benjamin Britten, George Crumb, and Gaspar Cassadó. Cassadó’s Suite for Solo Cello combines the Baroque formalism and dance orientation of Bach’s suites with his own native Spanish flair. The first movement begins, á la Bach, with a free preludium that evolves into a zarabanda, a dignified Spanish dance related to the Baroque sarabande. The movement quotes Zoltán Kodaly’s Sonata for Cello Solo and, reflecting Cassadó’s studies with Ravel, makes extensive use of the motive that begins the famous flute solo from the ballet Daphnis et Chloe. The second movement is written in the form of a two-part sardana. Beginning with a characteristicly slow, introductory section (in classic saradanas the first tirada was danced with the arms down), the music soon breaks into an animatedly rustic dance in 2/4 (the second tirada was usually danced with the arms up). The jauntily rhythmic flavor of the movement makes this the most overtly “danceable” of the three. Cassadó continues to honor antique Spanish folkdance styles by basing the final movement largely on the jota, a dance originally performed in colorful costumes and accompanied by castanets. The movement begins slowly with a ruminative intermezzo featuring lyrical, five-beat phrases. The intermezzo gradually gives way to the more vigorous, swinging jota. The movement alternates between the introspection of the intermezzo and the extroverted, flamenco-like jota, bringing the suite to a lively, Spanish-style conclusion. By Michael Parloff Return to Parlance Program Notes

September 29, 2024: Carter Grey and Edward Arron, cellos Jean Barrière (1707-1747) Allegro prestissimo from Sonata in G for two cellos September 29, 2024: Carter Grey and Edward Arron, cellos French cello virtuoso and composer Jean Barrière most likely lived in Bordeaux for some time before moving to Paris, judging by documents that appeared after his death. In 1730 he earned the designation “Musicien ordinaire de notre Académie Royale de Musique” in Paris, and three years later he was granted a privilege to publish “many sonatas and other instrumental musical works.” Two books of his sonatas appeared before Barrière left for Rome in 1736 intending to study with Italian cellist Francesco Alborea, known as Francischello. Barrière seems not to have studied with him, however, and made concert tours in Italy before returning to Paris in 1738. Few descriptions of Barrière’s playing survive, but he was known as one of the greatest cello virtuosos of the first half of the eighteenth century, when the modern cello, already popularized in Italy, began taking over from the viol in France. In 1739 Barrière’s publishing privilege was extended for twelve more years, and he continued to issue cello sonatas (which included a trio sonata for treble instrument and cello and the two-cello sonata), as well as a collection for pardessus de viole (highest member of the viol family) and one for harpsichord. Unfortunately he died at age forty—only four years into his second publishing privilege—but he is considered the first to write specifically idiomatic music for the cello. The Two-Cello Sonata in G major appears as the fourth work in Book 3 (later publications follow different numbering), and in Barrière’s day, when typically there would have been continuo accompaniment (keyboard and reinforcing bass instrument), the work gives no figures with a bass line accompaniment, meaning the two cellos alone carry the whole. After two slow movements, the virtuosic third movement takes off in a rapid-fire conversation between the two protagonists. —©Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

April 19, 2009 – Elmar Oliveira, violin; Rafael Figueroa, cello; John Novacek, piano FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Trio No 2 in C Minor, Op. 66 for violin, cello, and piano April 19, 2009 – Elmar Oliveira, violin; Rafael Figueroa, cello; John Novacek, piano Felix Mendelssohn was born 200 years ago into a wealthy, German Jewish family. His grandfather was the celebrated philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, and his father, Abraham, was a successful banker. Raised in Berlin, Felix and his beloved sister Fanny were both formidable child prodigies, brought up in a rich cultural milieu where their talents could flourish. Mendelssohn’s remarkable musical abilities were encouraged by his loving parents, who enabled him to hear his early pieces performed at home by a private orchestra for their associates, who included the intellectual elite of Berlin. By his middle teens Mendelssohn was composing works of stunning maturity and originality. His Octet for Strings and Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, composed at 16 and 17 respectively, rank among his most celebrated and popular works. In addition to his compositional talent, Mendelssohn was blessed with a warm, benevolent personality and a wide range of extra-musical enthusiasms. His close friend, the conductor/composer Sir Jules Benedict wrote of him, “In society, apart from musical subjects, nothing could be more entertaining or animated than Mendelssohn’s conversation on literary topics. The works of Shakespeare and other eminent British poets were quite as familiar to him as those of his own country; and, although his accent was slightly tinctured by his German origin, he spoke as well as wrote the English language with great facility and purity. He sketched from nature and also painted very well; and, indeed, he might be said to possess every social accomplishment.” Among his many enthusiasms was a lifelong passion for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Mendelssohn made history as a conductor when, at the age of 20, he presided over a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, the first major European revival of Bach’s long-neglected music. Mendelssohn’s love of Bach is reflected in the noble chorale tune that dominates much of the final movement of the Piano Trio in C Minor. His second piano trio, Op. 66, was completed in 1845, two years before the end of his short life. The piece is laid out on a large scale, featuring soaring, lyrical melodies and intricate, virtuosic passagework for the three instruments. Mendelssohn, who played piano in the first performances, was joined by the famous violinist/composer Louis Spohr, to whom the piece is dedicated. The first movement starts in a restless, urgent hush, the mysterious atmosphere propelled by rapidly rising and falling figures in the piano. This section eventually gives way to a sunnier, more rhapsodic duet for violin and cello. The atmosphere vacillates between emotional poles, culminating in a stormy, C minor coda. In contrast to the agitation of the first movement, Mendelssohn offers a warmly reassuring Song Without Words in E-flat major as the basis of the second movement. Throughout his life Mendelssohn composed Lieder ohne Worte for solo piano, often as gifts to his sister Fanny. This movement begins with a glowing piano solo, strongly reminiscent of the style of these intimate works, and continues with a gentle, lilting duet for violin and cello. The adjective “Mendelssohnian,” signifying youthfulness and gossamer, fairyland textures, is well-applied to the third movement, a minor key Scherzo, which Mendelssohn himself described as “a trifle nasty to play.” The brisk, sparkling music provides challenges for all of the instrumentalists but particularly the pianist. Like many of Mendelssohn’s scherzos, the short movement whizzes along at breakneck speed, finally vanishing down a misty, pizzicato-strewn path. The spirited finale strings together a series of contrasting themes, beginning with a sweeping cello melody in C minor. The most striking of the themes is the noble, chorale-like third episode. Although the tune is apparently of Mendelssohn’s own invention, it is similar in atmosphere and harmonization to many of Bach’s chorales. The movement builds to a crowning restatement of the chorale tune in a glorious C major, bringing the piece – and Parlance Chamber Concerts’ second season – to a grand, celebratory conclusion. By Michael Parloff Return to Parlance Program Notes

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023 AT 4 PM LYSANDER PIANO TRIO SCANDINAVIAN INSPIRATIONS ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS The Lysander Piano Trio has developed a reputation for passionate playing and exciting programming. They find creative ways to connect well-known masterworks with music by lesser-known and underrepresented composers, discovering common threads across cultures and 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 Lysander Piano Trio Itamar Zorman, violin Michael Katz, cello Liza Stepanova, piano “…technical assurance and thoughtful musicality…performed with rich sound and nuanced musicianship in the varied works… finely hued collaboration among the three musicians.” —The New York Times “…a passionate single-mindedness that wound up serving all of the score’s varied moods, right through to a finale of exhilarating panache.” — The Washington Post On October 15 they will perform a Scandinavian-themed program including music by the great Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg and 19th-century Swedish violinist-composer, Amanda Maier . The Lysander Trio’s concert will culminate with Schubert’s towering Piano Trio in E-flat, Op. 100 , which features the poignant Swedish folk song “Se solen sjunker” (The Sun Is Setting). PROGRAM Edvard Grieg Program Notes Andante con moto for piano trio Amanda Maier Program Notes Piano Trio in E-flat Franz Schubert Piano Trio in E-flat, Op. 100 Program Notes Watch the Lysander Trio perform the Finale of Ravel’s Piano Trio:

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Founders Michael and Inmo Parloff Artistic Director Michael Parloff Artistic Advisory Board James Galway David Finckel Thomas Hampson Members of the Emerson String Quartet (Emeritus): Philip Setzer Eugene Drucker Lawrence Dutton Paul Watkins Executive Board Donald Reeder , Chairman of the Board Michael Parloff , P resident Warren F. Cooke , Vi ce President Elizabeth Forbes, Secretary Edward Lowentha l Peter Riemer Development Director Inmo Parloff Leadership Council Thomas and Heidi Ahlborn Anne Bosch Catherine Cooke Eugene Cornell and Susan Mayo Paul Gridley Christina Hembree Adrian and Christina Jones Gary Knapp Ronald and Mollie Ledwith Thomas and Carol Martin Dorothy Neff Barry Poskanzer and Mary Krugman Suzanne Taranto Donald and Gigo Taylor

January 14, 2024: Goldmund Quartet ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) String Quartet No. 3 in A, Op. 41/3 January 14, 2024: Goldmund Quartet In reviewing a prizewinning quartet by Julius Schapler in 1842, Schumann observed that “the quartet has come to a standstill. Who does not know the quartets of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and who would wish to say anything against them? . . . the later generation, after all this time, has not been able to produce anything comparable. [Georges] Onslow alone met with success, and later Mendelssohn.” The canonization of the quartets of the great Classical masters left the composers of Schumann’s age feeling inadequate. Schumann and Brahms were each to publish three string quartets but only after suppressing several earlier ventures in the genre. Schumann apparently began one quartet in 1838 and three more the following year; none of these survives, unless certain ideas from them reappeared in the Opus 41 quartets of 1842. Schumann’s method of approaching the level of the Classical masters was to study their quartets intensely, as recorded in his household diary in the spring of 1842. The diary also reveals his depressed mood at the time, associated with his wife Clara’s extended concert tour; he mentions drinking too much and his inability to compose. Suddenly, however, his creative powers took over with such force that five shorts weeks after beginning the first of the Opus 41 quartets on June 4, all three were completed. He announced them to his wife Clara as “three children, barely born, and already completed and beautiful,” and arranged for a private performance of all three for Clara’s twenty-third birthday on September 13. The individuality of these quartets is remarkable in light of their having been composed one on top of the other. The Third Quartet takes up the key in which the First Quartet ended. The descending interval of a fifth that opens the A major Quartet’s brief slow introduction is often associated with Clara, but also may owe something to the opening of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata, op. 31, no. 3. The falling fifth also introduces the main theme of the Allegro molto moderato and makes an appearance in the second theme. This interval (or its inversion as a rising fourth) assumes a prominent role throughout the work. The F-sharp minor second movement, instead of a scherzo, takes the form of a theme and variations, though the theme is not revealed until after three variations. The theme when finally presented, appears as a canon between the first violin and the viola, at a slower tempo. This and other contrapuntal sections in the Opus 41 Quartets reflect Schumann’s self-prescribed study of fugal techniques during the gloomy period of Clara’s absence. The passionate slow movement gives off a restless quality owing to its frequent changes of key. The dotted rhythm so prominent in the second violin part is then featured in the last movement. Schumann’s inspired finale combines the form of a rondo with that of a scherzo and trio, and includes certain elements of sonata form. Its scherzo-like features are welcome as Schumann had earlier used a theme and variation movement instead of a scherzo. The movement particularly contrasts the two keys of A major and F major, again taking up the discussion of these two keys that concerns the entire Opus 41 “cycle.” The key of A major is positively affirmed in a brilliant coda. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

ABOUT THE 2008-2009 SEASON 2008-2009 SEASON 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

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2019 AT 3 PM QUARTETTO DI CREMONA AN ITALIAN JOURNEY BUY TICKETS QUARTETTO DI CREMONA “It’s a rare blend: breadth of sound and capriciousness combined with perfect tuning and ensemble has the players sounding absolutely of one voice… Nothing less than life-affirming.” — Grammophone FEATURING ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BUY TICKETS The inaugural concert of the 2019 – 2020 season will showcase one of the most exciting chamber ensembles on the international stage. The Quartetto di Cremona received the 2019 Franco Buitoni Award in recognition of their exceptional contribution to promoting Italian chamber music throughout the world. Their musical journey will feature string quartets by four of Italy’s greatest composers. PROGRAM Luigi Boccherini Quartet in C, Op. 2, No. 6 Program Notes Giuseppe Verdi Quartet in E minor Program Notes Giacomo Puccini Crisantemi Program Notes Ottorino Respighi Quartet in D Program Notes Watch the Quartetto Di Cremona perform the first movement of Giuseppe Verdi’s Quartet in E minor:

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