Full Circle, a piano recital by Paul Orgel
|
Saturday, September 21,
“Bach is the foundation of piano playing, Liszt the summit. The two make Beethoven possible.” - Ferruccio Busoni (Rules for Practicing the Piano) In 2000, Paul Orgel performed the first concert ever on Capital City Concerts, and now he returns for the inaugural concert of the 25th season. Louis Moyse, the guiding force behind Capital City Concerts called him "a pianist of depth and warmth with a beautiful pianistic touch." Critics have praised his playing for its “subtlety and attention to nuance” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “rare pathos” (New York Times), and “brilliant technique, sense of humor and fantasy” (Bridgeport Post). Program: Johann Sebastian Bach, Partita No. 1, BWV 825 Ludwig van Beethoven, “Eroica” Variations, Op. 35 Franz Liszt, 3 Transcendental Etudes: (“Eroica”, No. 10 in F Minor, "Harmonies du soir”) “April Preludes", a 1937 work by Vítězslava Kaprálová, a 20th century Czech woman composer |
|
Far-flung French
|
May 18, 2024, Unitarian Church of Montpelier
A diverse program of French music including César Franck's magnificent Sonata in A major for cello and piano performed by cellist Edward Arron and pianist Jeewon Park (husband and wife), and a set Edith Piaf tunes including L'accordeoniste, performed by soprano Sophie Michaux, and her husband baritone and multi-instrumentalist Adam Simon. They will be joined by flutist Karen Kevra in other works including Ravel's sultry Piece en Forme de Habanera, and Duruflé's Prélude, Récitatif et Variations. |
|
|
|
|
The Music of J.S. Bach
|
October 2023
Orchestral and chamber music of J.S. Bach featured soprano Hyunah Yu, pianist Jeewon Park, violinists Jeffrey Multer, and Ari Isaacman-Beck, cellist Edward Arron, flutist Karen Kevra, and a chamber orchestra performed the Bach’s monumental Keyboard Concerto in D minor (BWV 1052), the Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major (BWV 1010), arias with orchestra, and the beloved "Double Concerto" Concerto for Two Violins in D minor (BWV 1043). |
|
Flood-relief Benefit Concert with Jeffrey Chappell
|
September 2023
Internationally renowned pianist Jeffrey Chappell is one of the most beloved and dazzling performers in the history of Capital City Concerts. In this flood–relief benefit concert, he performed a blockbuster program including Mozart's Fantasy and Fugue in C Major, Beethoven's Opus 109, Chopin's Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, and Samuel Barber's Piano Sonata. |
|
Piano Fables - Philip Chiu
|
September 2022
Philip Chiu substituted on short notice for the pianist of Paris Piano Trio when they were here in March of 2020 and instantly won the hearts of the CCC audience. We are delighted to have welcomed him back for this long-anticipated solo piano performance. Lauded for his brilliance, color and sensitivity, pianist Philip Chiu has become one of Canada’s leading musicians. He’ll use his pianistic story-telling abilities in a program including: Liszt - Two Legends, Ravel - Mother Goose Suite, Assiginaak - An Abundance of Insects, and Schubert - Impromptus, Op. 90. |
Philip Chiu
|
The Legacy of Larry Gordon
|
October 2022
Last year, Vermont lost a musical legend. Larry Gordon’s musical influence spanned cultures, generations, and musical styles and his legacy lives on in singing communities across the globe. This musical celebration brought together the musical worlds Larry inhabited, from American shape-note, to Baroque and Renaissance music, to folk songs from Georgia, Corsica, and the Balkans. An ensemble of collaborators and proteges included Sophie Michaux, Adam Simon, Lysander Jaffe, Lexi Ugelow, Karen Kevra, and Megan Henderson. |
|
Oh, For the Love of Bach
|
May 2022
A sublime concert of J.S. Bach sonatas, arias, and the ebullient Brandenburg Concerto #5 in D major. Performers: soprano Hyunah Yu, flutist Karen Kevra, violinists Theodore Arm & Mary Gibson, violist Stefanie Taylor, cellist Edward Arron, bassist Lou Kosma, and pianist Jeewon Park. |
|
Paris Piano Trio
|
Régis Pasquier–violin | Roland Pidoux–cello | Jean-Claude Pennetier–piano
The legendary Paris Piano Trio returned for the first time in nearly a decade. The three extraordinary musicians, who met as students at the Paris Conservatory, went on to teach there until their recent retirements. This concert marked the 30th anniversary of their first US tour. Over two concerts, they performed trios of Ravel, Brahms, Shostakovich, Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven's "Archduke"Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97. Widely considered to be one of the finest chamber ensembles in the world, this is chamber music as good as it gets! Mozart, Piano Trio No. 4 in E major, K. 542 Beethoven, “Archduke” Trio, Op. 97 Ravel, Trio in A minor Shostakovich, Trio in E minor, Op. 67 Brahms, Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87 Schubert, Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 99 |
Photo credit: Guy Vivien
|
Sleepers Awake!
|
October 2019
Richard Riley, Conductor Hyunah Yu–soprano, Steven Paul Spears–tenor, Nathaniel Sullivan–baritone, Karen Kevra–flute, Randall Wolfgang–oboe, Laurie Smukler–violin On the heels of last season's extraordinarily successful Magnificat performance we presented another big Bach concert to Montpelier and Burlington. "Sleepers Awake!” (Wachet Auf, BWV 140) is perhaps the most beloved of Bach's cantatas. World-class singer soloists, a chorus, and a professional orchestra composed of Vermont musicians with players from the New York City Ballet and Opera Orchestras, Mostly Mozart, and the Orchestra of Saint Luke's were directed by Richard Riley. Other works on the program included a selection of arias featuring each vocal soloist and the motet Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden, BWV 230. Violinist Laurie Smukler was the soloist in Bach's resplendent Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041. |
|
Pictures at an Exhibition
Music Inspired by Art
|
January 2020
Jeffrey Chappell-piano, Karen Kevra–flute Washington, D.C., pianist Jeffrey Chappell returned for a unique concert to perform Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. For this multimedia concert, area students created original artwork based on the ten descriptive movements of Mussorgsky's masterpiece. Their images depict movements such as Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells, The Marketplace at Limoges, The Great Gate of Kiev, and Catacombs, which were projected above the stage in sync with the music. Flutist Karen Kevra joined Chappell in works by Koechlin, featuring images from retired National Geographic photographer James Blair's collection Our Threatened Inheritance. |
|
Past Concerts 2018-19
September 2018 - Barre Opera House
We opened our season with a big, bold, beautiful piano concert by beloved pianist Michael Arnowitt. This musical story-telling program included Schumann's Op. 12 Fantasy Pieces, a landmark work of early Romanticism, which included a depiction of Aesop's fable of The Tortoise and the Hare. Prokofiev's dazzling Piano No. 7 Sonata is one of the most exciting pieces of piano music ever written. Chopin's Ballade in F minor is the last and greatest of his four, and is, as its name indicates, a musical story-telling. Michael performed his own arrangement of the poetic "Cavatina" movement of Beethoven's String Quartet in B-flat major for solo piano. (A recording of this piece is the final selection on the "Golden Record" placed on the Voyager spacecraft sent into outer space in 1977.) Lowell Liebermann's 1989 Gargoyles is one of the most talked about piano compositions in recent decades. It brought the concert to an exciting close with its magical colors, spunk, and rambunctious hijinks. We were happy to welcome Michael home!
We opened our season with a big, bold, beautiful piano concert by beloved pianist Michael Arnowitt. This musical story-telling program included Schumann's Op. 12 Fantasy Pieces, a landmark work of early Romanticism, which included a depiction of Aesop's fable of The Tortoise and the Hare. Prokofiev's dazzling Piano No. 7 Sonata is one of the most exciting pieces of piano music ever written. Chopin's Ballade in F minor is the last and greatest of his four, and is, as its name indicates, a musical story-telling. Michael performed his own arrangement of the poetic "Cavatina" movement of Beethoven's String Quartet in B-flat major for solo piano. (A recording of this piece is the final selection on the "Golden Record" placed on the Voyager spacecraft sent into outer space in 1977.) Lowell Liebermann's 1989 Gargoyles is one of the most talked about piano compositions in recent decades. It brought the concert to an exciting close with its magical colors, spunk, and rambunctious hijinks. We were happy to welcome Michael home!
November 2018
This all J.S. Bach concert was an historic event for Capital City Concerts. Johann Sebastian Bach's Magnificat is musical magnificence. It featured world-renowned vocal soloists, a five-part choir, and an unusually large and colorful orchestra, which includes strings plus three trumpets, two flutes, two oboes, strings, timpani, and harpsichord. In total, upwards of sixty musicians were involved. The Magnificat, BWV 243, is music of remarkable imagination, color, and tenderness. Though conceived on a grand scale, the Magnificat is a compact work of just 30 minutes.
Other works on the program included the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047, for flute, oboe, trumpet, and violin, and arias including Süsser Trost, Mein Jesus Kömmt, BWV 151, Benedictus from the Mass in B-minor, BWV 232, and Erbarme dich from the Saint Matthew Passion, BWV 244. The professional orchestra combines Vermont musicians with players from the New York City Ballet and Opera Orchestras and the Orchestra of Saint Luke's.
This all J.S. Bach concert was an historic event for Capital City Concerts. Johann Sebastian Bach's Magnificat is musical magnificence. It featured world-renowned vocal soloists, a five-part choir, and an unusually large and colorful orchestra, which includes strings plus three trumpets, two flutes, two oboes, strings, timpani, and harpsichord. In total, upwards of sixty musicians were involved. The Magnificat, BWV 243, is music of remarkable imagination, color, and tenderness. Though conceived on a grand scale, the Magnificat is a compact work of just 30 minutes.
Other works on the program included the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047, for flute, oboe, trumpet, and violin, and arias including Süsser Trost, Mein Jesus Kömmt, BWV 151, Benedictus from the Mass in B-minor, BWV 232, and Erbarme dich from the Saint Matthew Passion, BWV 244. The professional orchestra combines Vermont musicians with players from the New York City Ballet and Opera Orchestras and the Orchestra of Saint Luke's.
February 2019 - After bringing down the house in our 2017-18 season with his moving and powerful performance of the Bach Cello Suite in G major, Edward Arron returned with wife, pianist Jeewon Park, violinist Theodore Arm, and flutist Karen Kevra just in time for "Valentine's weekend." The program included one of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla's greatest works, his Grand Tango for cello and piano. This is sensual music, with daring harmonies, angular rhythms, and spiky syncopations. The sublime music included Massenet's Meditation from Thaïs for violin and piano, and Camille Saint-Saëns' Romance for flute and piano. Friedrich Kuhlau's, Grand Trio, Op. 119, for flute, cello, and piano was delightfully spring-like while Johannes Brahms, Trio No. 1, Op. 8 in B major was the main course.
Past Concerts 2017-18
February 2018
After an enthralling performance of Ligeti's Quartet #1 String Metamorphoses Nocturnes last season, the Formosa Quartet returns to perform a folk-influenced program including Dana Wilson's Hungarian Folk Songs, Mark O'Connor's Appalachia Waltz, Dvorak's American Quartet, Wei-Chieh Lin's Spring Breeze from Five Taiwanese Folk Songs and Alberto Ginastera's Impressiones de la Puna with flutist Karen Kevra.
After an enthralling performance of Ligeti's Quartet #1 String Metamorphoses Nocturnes last season, the Formosa Quartet returns to perform a folk-influenced program including Dana Wilson's Hungarian Folk Songs, Mark O'Connor's Appalachia Waltz, Dvorak's American Quartet, Wei-Chieh Lin's Spring Breeze from Five Taiwanese Folk Songs and Alberto Ginastera's Impressiones de la Puna with flutist Karen Kevra.
January 2018
This tribute concert to Louis Moyse, the guiding force behind Capital City Concerts, features Moyse's leading protégée, Vermonter and Grammy-nominated flutist Karen Kevra, with her longtime collaborator Washington, DC pianist Jeffrey Chappell, performing works of Blavet, Poulenc, and four virtuoso works from the most widely-published collection of flute music, Flute Music by French Composers. Jeffrey Chappell will also perform Ravel's exquisite Jeux d'Eau for solo piano.
At intermission a menu/ballot of the ten works from Flute Music by French Composers will be distributed. Known as the "Paris Conservatory Commissions" these compositions were graduation final examination pieces from the famed Paris Conservatory. These pieces put the flute on the map as a solo instrument! Choose your favorite piece or pick one based on written descriptions provided in the program, then cast your ballot to determine the second half of the program.
This tribute concert to Louis Moyse, the guiding force behind Capital City Concerts, features Moyse's leading protégée, Vermonter and Grammy-nominated flutist Karen Kevra, with her longtime collaborator Washington, DC pianist Jeffrey Chappell, performing works of Blavet, Poulenc, and four virtuoso works from the most widely-published collection of flute music, Flute Music by French Composers. Jeffrey Chappell will also perform Ravel's exquisite Jeux d'Eau for solo piano.
At intermission a menu/ballot of the ten works from Flute Music by French Composers will be distributed. Known as the "Paris Conservatory Commissions" these compositions were graduation final examination pieces from the famed Paris Conservatory. These pieces put the flute on the map as a solo instrument! Choose your favorite piece or pick one based on written descriptions provided in the program, then cast your ballot to determine the second half of the program.
November 2017
Our perennial J. S. Bach concert remain a favorite of the Capital City Concerts audience. Beloved soprano Hyunah Yu returns with a stellar small ensemble including violinist Theodore Arm, cellist Edward Arron, pianist Jeewon Park, and flutist Karen Kevra. In addition to soprano arias from four different cantatas, the group will mix and match in chamber music of Bach including the Prelude and Fugue in F sharp, Book 2 for solo keyboard-BWV 883, Violin sonata in E major-BWV 1016, the Trio Sonata for flute, violin, cello, and keyboard in G major-BWV 1038, and featuring Bach's masterpiece for solo cello, the Suite No. 1 in G major-BWV 1007.
Our perennial J. S. Bach concert remain a favorite of the Capital City Concerts audience. Beloved soprano Hyunah Yu returns with a stellar small ensemble including violinist Theodore Arm, cellist Edward Arron, pianist Jeewon Park, and flutist Karen Kevra. In addition to soprano arias from four different cantatas, the group will mix and match in chamber music of Bach including the Prelude and Fugue in F sharp, Book 2 for solo keyboard-BWV 883, Violin sonata in E major-BWV 1016, the Trio Sonata for flute, violin, cello, and keyboard in G major-BWV 1038, and featuring Bach's masterpiece for solo cello, the Suite No. 1 in G major-BWV 1007.
September 2017
An all-star ensemble of Vermont's finest musicians including violinist Mary Rowell, violist Stefanie Taylor, cellist Emily Taubl, harpist Rebecca Kauffman, and flutist Karen Kevra performs new and beloved sumptuous music. The program includes Debussy's magical Sonata for flute, viola and harp; harp-king Carlos Salzedo's "Scintillation" for solo harp; and Caroline Shaw's "Limestone and Felt" for violin and cello. The entire ensemble joins forces for Roussel's other-worldly Serenade for flute, harp, and string trio. The concert will be repeated on Sunday, October 1 at 3PM at the Paramount Theater in Rutland.
An all-star ensemble of Vermont's finest musicians including violinist Mary Rowell, violist Stefanie Taylor, cellist Emily Taubl, harpist Rebecca Kauffman, and flutist Karen Kevra performs new and beloved sumptuous music. The program includes Debussy's magical Sonata for flute, viola and harp; harp-king Carlos Salzedo's "Scintillation" for solo harp; and Caroline Shaw's "Limestone and Felt" for violin and cello. The entire ensemble joins forces for Roussel's other-worldly Serenade for flute, harp, and string trio. The concert will be repeated on Sunday, October 1 at 3PM at the Paramount Theater in Rutland.
April 2018
Three grand masterpieces of chamber music masterfully played by six of the country's finest artists featuring Metropolitan Opera Orchestra French hornist Brad Gemeinhardt, with violinists Laurie Smukler and Emily Smith, violist Marka Gustavsson, cellist Natasha Brofsky and pianist Robert McDonald. They will perform Brahms' Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op. 40, Schumann's Piano Quintet, and Haydn's String Quartet, Op. 77, No.2. These musicians hold faculty positions at the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, and New England Conservatory, and have performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Mostly Mozart, the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, and WQXR’s Showcase Concerts
Three grand masterpieces of chamber music masterfully played by six of the country's finest artists featuring Metropolitan Opera Orchestra French hornist Brad Gemeinhardt, with violinists Laurie Smukler and Emily Smith, violist Marka Gustavsson, cellist Natasha Brofsky and pianist Robert McDonald. They will perform Brahms' Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op. 40, Schumann's Piano Quintet, and Haydn's String Quartet, Op. 77, No.2. These musicians hold faculty positions at the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, and New England Conservatory, and have performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Mostly Mozart, the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, and WQXR’s Showcase Concerts
Past Concerts 2016-17
The Dove and the Hawk
|
September 2016
Throughout history great art has been born out of war. This is a concert of music created in response to war: Barber's exquisite and beloved Adagio for Strings was premiered when the U.S. was struggling to recover from the Great Depression while the threat of Nazi power was forcing Europe into another world war. Schumann's bittersweet and nostalgic Fantasy Pieces for cello and piano was composed soon after he fled with his family from Dresden when rebellion exploded in the streets on May 3, 1849. Mohammed Fairouz's Teta for flute and string quartet was commissioned in 2012 by Capital City Concerts. Its overt Arab style is a reminder of the hope of Egypt’s Arab Spring. The program will be performed by six musicians and features the return of violinist Theodore Arm, cellist Edward Arron, pianist Jeewon Park, joined by Vermont musicians Letitia Quante (violin), Stefanie Taylor (viola), and Karen Kevra (flute).
|
|
A Feast of Suites
|
November 2016
Lou Kosma conducts a professional orchestra of extraordinary musicians from Vermont and beyond in three satisfying "Vermonty" suites by Holst, Telemann, and featuring Schoenberg's irresistible Suite in the Old Style. All three works are evocative of landscape with a strong sense of place, just in time for the annual celebration of Vermont's fall bounty this Thanksgiving season.
|
|
Night
|
March 2017
David Soyer, former cellist of the Guarneri Quartet called The Formosa Quartet “one of the very best quartets of their generation.” Winners of the First Prize and the Amadeus Prize at the London International String Quartet Competition in 2006, they will be joined by flutist Karen Kevra and pianist Paul Orgel in music inspired by the night featuring György Ligeti's spell-binding String Quartet #1 Métamorphoses Nocturnes, and Schubert's deeply-touching Notturno in E flat major, D 897 as well as works by Couperin, Benjamin Britten, and Chopin.
|
|
Poem Music
Photo by Peter Miller
April 2017
Pianist Jeffrey Chappell is joined by soprano Mary Bonhag, bassist Evan Premo, and flutist Karen Kevra in a program that celebrates poetry set to music. In addition to poetry-inspired works by Debussy, Liszt, and Handel, this concert will mark the world-premiere of a song cycle by Evan Premo set to poems by the beloved Vermont poet David Budbill, who died in 2016.
Pianist Jeffrey Chappell is joined by soprano Mary Bonhag, bassist Evan Premo, and flutist Karen Kevra in a program that celebrates poetry set to music. In addition to poetry-inspired works by Debussy, Liszt, and Handel, this concert will mark the world-premiere of a song cycle by Evan Premo set to poems by the beloved Vermont poet David Budbill, who died in 2016.
- Frank Martin, Ballade for flute and piano
- George Frideric Handel, Harmonious Blacksmith Variations for solo piano
- Franz Liszt, Concert Paraphrase of the Waltz from Gounod's "Faust" for solo piano
- Claude Debussy, Fêtes galantes for soprano and piano
- Gabriel Fauré, Élégie for bass and piano
- Evan Premo, "Songs From a Mountain Recluse"— A song cycle set to poetry of David Budbill, used with the permission by Copper Canyon Press. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Sublime and the Mellifluous
May 2017
Violinist Laurie Smukler returned with outstanding musicians from up and down the East coast to perform Brahms' epic Sextet No. 2, Op. 36, and Schoenberg's tonal masterpiece Transfigured Night. Longtime cellist of the Juliard string quartet Joel Krosnick will be joined by his daughter, cellist Gwen Krosnick, violist Doris Lederer, violinist Nicholas DiEugenio, and violist Jesse Morrison. Flutist Karen Kevra joined them for the best of all of Mozart's flute quartets, his Quartet for flute and strings in D major, K. 285.
Violinist Laurie Smukler returned with outstanding musicians from up and down the East coast to perform Brahms' epic Sextet No. 2, Op. 36, and Schoenberg's tonal masterpiece Transfigured Night. Longtime cellist of the Juliard string quartet Joel Krosnick will be joined by his daughter, cellist Gwen Krosnick, violist Doris Lederer, violinist Nicholas DiEugenio, and violist Jesse Morrison. Flutist Karen Kevra joined them for the best of all of Mozart's flute quartets, his Quartet for flute and strings in D major, K. 285.
- Arnold Schoenberg, Verklärte Nacht
- Johannes Brahms, Sextet No. 2, Op. 36
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Flute Quartet in D major, K. 285