SPRING CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON 20TH CENTUTRY
Office of News and Media Relations
Dawn Dorsey, Special to the Rice News
The Shepherd School’s Chamber Music Festival, scheduled for May 4 through 7, brings about mixed emotions – pride of accomplishment for students and faculty, pleasure for the audience and a certain nostalgia for those who soon will be leaving Rice.
“This is the last performance at Rice for many seniors and graduate students,” said Norman Fischer, Shepherd School professor of cello and coordinator of the festival. “It is a celebration of the energies and talents of the students, particularly those who are leaving for new opportunities. This makes it a bittersweet occasion.” The festival, which includes 11 concerts over the four days, spotlights the richly diverse chamber music styles of the 20th century. Each era – early, middle and late – of the century is represented.
“There is a lot of wonderful music here, “ Fischer said. “Last century gave us many works of great creativity.”
Included on the program is music by Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Britten, Copland and Bartók. Other composers, -- perhaps not as well known, but first-rate nonetheless, include Quincy Porter, Zoltán Kodály, Sándor Veress, Stephen Hartke and John Harbison.
Among the noteworthy performances will be the May 4 evening concert featuring Novus, a trombone quartet, performing a concert of works composed especially for them. Novus, whose name means “new” or “unusual” in Latin, puts a fresh spin on music of the trombone, an instrument that has changed little in the past 500 years.
Fischer, who also coordinated last December’s chamber music festival, hopes the twice-yearly events will become regular components of the school’s schedule. Shepherd School faculty conceived the idea of festivals to consolidate and draw attention to the numerous chamber music concerts staged at the end of each term.
Concerts are free and open to the public. All performances except the first will be in Duncan Recital Hall. For more information, contact the Shepherd School concert office at 713-348-4933 or 713-348-8000.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
Chamber Music Festival Concert I
Spotlight on the 20th Century
Program: A jazz work by Kyle Newmaster; Eric Ewazen - Fantasia for Seven Trumpets; Sándor Veress - Sonatina for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon; Carl Nielsen - Serenata Invano; and Alvin Etler - Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Ensemble.
3:00 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
Chamber Music Festival - Concert II
Spotlight on the 20th Century
Program: Prokofiev - String Quartet in B Minor, Op. 50 No. 1; and Brahms - Sextet in B-flat Major, Op. 18.
5:30 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
Chamber Music Festival - Concert III
Spotlight on the 20th Century
Novus (trombone quartet)
A program entitled "Elements" which combines aural and visual elements to create a program that celebrates the human spirit, its origins and ability to grow, transform and overcome obstacles. The performance includes works commissioned by Rice University for Novus. Music of Chris Brubeck, Damon Zick, Michael Patterson, George Thatcher, Nick Lane, and Michaela Eremiasova.
8:00 p.m., Stude Concert Hall
THURSDAY, MAY 5
Chamber Music Festival Concert IV
Spotlight on the 20th Century
Program: Zoltán Kodály - Serenade for Trio, Op. 12; Ralph Vaughan Williams
- Phantasy Quintet for Strings; Philippe Gaubert - Three Water Colors (for flute, bassoon, and piano); and Francis Poulenc - Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, Op. 43.
3:00 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
Chamber Music Festival - Concert V
Program: Brahms - String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51 No. 2; and Clarke - Piano Trio.
5:30 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
FRIDAY, MAY 6
Chamber Music Festival Concert VI
Spotlight on the 20th Century
Program: Gunther Schuller - Bass Quartet; and Martin Butler - Down-Hollow Winds (for wind quintet).
3:00 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
Chamber Music Festival-Concert VII
Program: Anton Webern - String Trio, Op. Posth; J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variations for String Trio, BWV 988; and Johannes Brahms - String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1.
5:30 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
Chamber Music Festival-Concert VIII
Program: Aaron Copland - Piano Quartet; Stephen Hartke - King of the Sun (for violin, viola, cello, and piano); and John Harbison - Woodwind Quintet.
8:00 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
SATURDAY, MAY 7
Chamber Music Festival Concert IX
Spotlight on the 20th Century
Program: Benjamin Britten - Phantasy Quartet, Op. 2; Johannes Brahms - Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115; Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano Trio No.
2 in E Minor, Op. 67; Sergei Rachmaninoff - Suite for Two Pianos, Op. 17; and Witold Lutoslawski - Variations for Two Pianos.
3:00 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
Chamber Music Festival - Concert X
Program: Quincy Porter - String Quartet No. 3; Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5; and Anton Webern - String Quartet, Op. 28.
5:30 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
Chamber Music Festival - Concert XI
Program: Antonin Dvorák - Terzetto in C Major, Op. 74; Sergei Prokofiev - Quintet in G Minor, Op. 39; and Béla Bartók - String Quartet No. 4.
8:00 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall
