STRATA Sample Programs
Theme and Variations
Jean Francaix Theme and Variations
Olivier Messiaen Theme and Variations
Johannes Brahms Sonata in Eb, op. 120
John Harbison Theme and Variations
In variation form, musical ideas take on a life of their own, leading the composer on previously unimagined adventures. Strata explores the result in four vastly different works, each a great classic of its genre.
Parisian Excursions
Darius Milhaud Suite
Francis Poulenc Clarinet Sonata
Adam Silverman Ricochet
Jean Francaix Trio
The Parisian sound is like no other: enchanting, beguiling, cosmopolitan. On this program, Strata is proud to present Ricochet, a work noted for its Parisian overtones (Tim Page, Washington Post), and written especially for them.
Trio Concertant
Max Bruch Concerto for Viola and Clarinet
Alban Berg Adagio
Stephen Paulus Trio Concertant
Strata is proud to present Trio Concertant by Stephen Paulus, the inaugural work for their new Metaclassical Music Project. Paulus’s work successively casts each instrument in the solo spotlight. It is joined on the program by two great classics also derived from the brilliant concerto genre.
Hungarian Rhapsody
Ernst von Dohnanyi Sonata
Bela Bartok Contrasts
Johannes Brahms Clarinet Trio
Bartok’s Contrasts was written for clarinetist Benny Goodman and violinist Josef Szigeti, first performed by them with the composer at the piano. It is joined on the program by the searing romanticism of Bartok’s classmate Dohnanyi. Rounding out the program is the brooding trio by Brahms, who was deeply influenced by the Hungarian style throughout his life.
Finest Ingredients
Rebecca Clarke Adagio and Allegro for Viola and Clarinet
Kenji Bunch Cookbook
Benjamin Britten Suite for Violin and Piano
Stephen Paulus Trio Concertant
Strata is proud to present Trio Concertant by Stephen Paulus, the inaugural work for their new Metaclassical Music Project. Paulus’s work successively casts each instrument in the solo spotlight. The other three works on the program do the opposite—each work omits one of the three instruments from the ensemble, showing all of Strata’s duo possibilities.
Czech Mix
Antonin Dvorak Four Romantic Pieces
Franz Schubert Rondo in B minor
Karel Husa Sonata e Tre
Schubert’s ancestors came from the same region where Dvorak grew up, a fact reflected in the sounds of this beautiful pairing of the two composers. More music of Czech origin is savored in the Sonata a Tre by Husa.
Framing the 20th Century
Claude Debussy First Rhapsody
Alban Berg Adagio
Claude Debussy Violin Sonata
Robert Maggio Riddle
Don Freund Triomusic
A tasty “Berg sandwich” highlights the
sensuousness and drama of early 20th
Century music. After intermission, Freund’s delightful potpourri provides
a retrospective of 800 years of musical evolution while Maggio’s
quintessentially American essay (written for Strata) closes out the 20th
Century.
Classics and Beyond
Jonathan Leshnoff Seven Glances at a Mirage
Franz Schubert F minor Fantasy
W. A. Mozart “Kegelstatt” Trio
Paul Schoenfield Trio
Stern casts aside violin and viola to join Andrist at the piano for one of Schubert’s greatest late works; Williams joins them for Mozart’s ode to friendship and gemütlichkeit. Schoenfield’s brilliant Trio relies heavily on classical forms while Leshnoff’s work (written for Strata) resonates with the potpourri style of Schubert’s Fantasy.
Grand Duo Concertant
Carl Maria von Weber Grand Duo Concertant (piano and clarinet)
Igor Stravinsky Duo Concertant (piano and violin)
Max Bruch Concerto for Viola and Clarinet
Three brilliant duo combinations highlight the expressive capabilities of Strata. Andrist transforms her piano into an orchestra for the Bruch concerto.
A Night at the Theater
Darius Milhaud Suite
Pablo de Sarasate The Magic Flute Fantasy (violin and piano)
Luigi Bassi Paraphrase on Rigoletto (clarinet and piano)
Igor Stravinsky Story of the Soldier
Two grand operas are represented on this program, along with Stravinsky’s own arrangement of the music for his small theater piece—written at a time when war-ravaged Europe could not afford to put on grand operas. Milhaud’s incidental music to a play by Anouilh rounds out the program.
Bruch Revisited
Max Bruch Eight Pieces (1-3)
Jean Francaix Trio
Max Bruch Eight Pieces (4-5)
Sebastian Currier Verge
Max Bruch Eight Pieces (6-8)
Max Bruch was
a towering figure of 19th
Century German music. His eight pieces, op. 83 offer a wonderfully
cosmopolitan tour of the period, especially when viewed from the
perspective provided by the late 20th
Century offerings of Francaix and Currier.
Metaclassical Music Project - Merkin Concert November 21, 2010
Merkin Concert Program and Program Notes