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Press Releases
ASPECT Chamber Music Series Presents Two April Concerts, Plus Newly Added 'Alma Mahler: Muse or Monster?' in May
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katy Salomon | Morahan Arts and Media
katy@morahanartsandmedia.com | 863.660.2214
ASPECT CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES APRIL & MAY 2020 CONCERTS
Personal Diaries in A Major
April 16, 2020 at 7:30pm at Bohemian National Hall
Works by Brahms, Janácek, and Beethoven Performed by
Violinist Kristóf Baráti and pianist Enrico Pace
Sensibility: Gainsborough, Abel & Bach
April 23, 2020 at Italian Academy at Columbia University
Abel and J.C. Bach Performed by Viola da Gamba Player
Richard Boothby and Harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani
Newly Added: Alma Mahler: Muse or Monster?
May 28, 2020 at Bohemian National Hall
Songs by Alma and Gustav Mahler Paired with Works by Zemlinsky and Korngold
Performed by Rebecca Ringle, Bryan Wagorn, Brooke Speltz, Michelle Ross, and Adam Golka
New York, NY (March 9, 2020) — The ASPECT Chamber Music Series concludes its spring 2020 season with three concerts—Personal Diaries in A Major on Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall; Sensibility: Gainsborough, Abel & Bach on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at the Italian Academy at Columbia University; and Alma Mahler: Muse or Monster? on Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall. ASPECT’s concerts feature expertly curated chamber music by the world’s top performers, alongside illustrated talks by leading musicologists and industry experts that reveal fascinating details about the program’s composers, works, and the cultural history of the period.
Personal Diaries in A Major on Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. explores the relationship between love and music, particularly the inspiration that can come from unfulfilled love. The concert features acclaimed Hungarian violinist Kristóf Baráti and pianist Enrico Pace—winner of the International Yamaha Competition—performing Brahms’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 ‘Thun’; Janácek’s Violin Sonata, JW 7/7; and Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 ‘Kreutzer’, all works that had their genesis from the feeling of unrequited passion. The program also includes an illustrated talk by BBC radio host and musicologist Stephen Johnson.
On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at the Italian Academy at Columbia University, ASPECT presents Sensibility: Gainsborough, Abel & Bach. Celebrated viola da gamba player Richard Boothby and international harpsichord sensation Mahan Esfahani perform and give an illustrated talk on how the cult of sensibility—a movement that emphasized spontaneous emotional responses to art, music and literature, a sensitivity to the suffering of others, and a love of nature—rose to popularity in mid-eighteenth-century Britain. Such ideas are apparent in the art of Thomas Gainsborough, who painted two German émigrés to London who were similarly adept at articulating direct emotions in their musical performances and compositions: Johann Christian Bach, J.S Bach’s youngest son who was to become London’s leading composer and musician, and Carl Friedrich Abel, composer and virtuoso viola da gamba player. Together, Abel and Bach set up their own concert series, which was such a success that they went on to build their own concert room, for which Gainsborough provided much of the decoration. The concert will feature Abel’s Sonata in D Major, Three Improvisations, Sonata in G minor, and Sonata in A minor; as well as J.C. Bach’s Sonata in D Major for Keyboard, Op. 5, No. 2 and Sonata in A flat Major for Keyboard.
The Aspect spring 2020 concert series season closes with a newly added concert: Alma Mahler: Muse or Monster? on Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall. The program features songs by Alma and Gustav Mahler, as well as Zemlinsky’s Three Pieces for Cello and Piano and Korngold’s Piano Trio, Op. 1 performed by mezzo-soprano Rebecca Ringle, pianist Bryan Wagorn, cellist Brooke Speltz, violinist Michelle Ross, and pianist Adam Golka. Accompanying talks will be presented by Stephen Johnson and historian, writer and broadcaster Patrick Bade surrounding the existence of the storied “muse of genius” and Alma Mahler’s ability to allure and inspire powerful, artistic men paired with her own gift as a composer.
Program Information
Personal Diaries in A Major
Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Bohemian National Hall | 321 E 73rd St | New York, NY 10021
Tickets: $45, includes wine and refreshments
Link: https://www.aspectmusic.net/
Performers:
Kristóf Baráti, violin
Enrico Pace, piano
Illustrated Lecture by Stephen Johnson
Program:
Brahms – Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 ‘Thun’
Janácek – Violin Sonata, JW 7/7
Beethoven – Sonata for Violin and Piano, No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 ‘Kreutzer’
Sensibility: Gainsborough, Abel & Bach
Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Italian Academy | 1161 Amsterdam Ave | New York, NY 10027
Tickets: $45, includes wine and refreshments
Link: https://www.aspectmusic.net/
Performers:
Richard Boothby, viola da gamba
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
Illustrated talk by musicians
Program:
Abel – Sonata in D Major
J. C. Bach – Sonata in D Major for Keyboard Op. 5, No. 2
Abel – Three Improvisations
Abel – Sonata in G minor
J. C. Bach – Sonata in A ?at Major for Keyboard
Abel – Sonata in A minor
Alma Mahler: Muse or Monster?
Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Bohemian National Hall | 321 E 73rd St | New York, NY 10021
Tickets: $45, includes wine and refreshments
Link: https://www.aspectmusic.net/
Performers:
Rebecca Ringle, mezzo-soprano
Bryan Wagorn, piano
Brook Speltz, cello
Michelle Ross, violin
Adam Golka, piano
Pre-concert talk by Patrick Bade
Illustrated Talk by Stephen Johnson
Program:
Songs by Alma and Gustav Mahler
Zemlinsky – Three Pieces for Cello and Piano
Korngold – Piano Trio, Op. 1
About ASPECT Chamber Music Series
ASPECT Chamber Music Series was founded by Irina Knaster in London in 2011 and relocated to New York City in 2016. ASPECT presents a new concert format – one that transforms the traditional recital into an intimate, engaging, and thought-provoking blend of performance, speech, and image.
The series’ chamber-music events feature some of today’s leading musicians and music experts. For each concert, they set the works on the program in context with presentations supported by visuals. These “illustrated talks” reveal fascinating details about the composer, the music, and the cultural history of the period in question.
ASPECT aims both to support and promote artists, and to welcome audiences old and new to explore new aspects of a classical repertoire of endless riches. It’s more than a concert. To find out more, please visit www.aspectmusic.net.
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