Three perfect afternoons. While you sip coffee and savor decadent desserts, your gifted host, curator, and pianist Orli Shaham guides you on a journey exploring how composers influenced each other and changed the course of chamber music.
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This series consists of 3 performances.
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Dynamic Contrasts
October 27, 2024
PROGRAMAVNER DORMAN: Sextet
BRAHMS: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel
- Intermission -
BRAHMS: String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat Major
Orli Shaham, pianist and host
Dennis Kim, violin
Madalyn Parnas Möller, violin
Meredith Crawford, viola
Victor de Almeida, viola
Warren Hagerty, cello
Benjamin Lash, cello
Richard Cassarino, bass
Tony Ellis, trumpet
The concert opens with Avner Dorman's Sextet, a dynamic blend of textures and timbres featuring trumpet, strings, and piano. The first half closes with the intricate Handel Variations of Brahms performed solo on piano, showcasing the depth of Brahms' compositional prowess. After intermission, the richness continues with Brahms' lush B-flat Sextet for strings, a masterpiece of interwoven melodies and harmonies. This program is a powerful exploration of classical and contemporary chamber music.
Fresh Premieres & Timeless Dvořák
January 26, 2025
PROGRAMROBERTSON: String Trio (world premiere)
SEYFRIED: Violin Sonata (world premiere)
~Intermission~
DVOŔÁK: Piano Quintet in A Major
ARTISTS
Orli Shaham, piano & host
Dennis Kim, violin
Yoomin Seo, violin
Madalyn Parnas Möller, violin
Meredith Crawford, viola
Benjamin Lash, cello
Experience the expressive lyricism of Dvořák's A Major Piano Quintet, a tour de force that blends elements from Czech folk music with original melodies. This quintet is considered to be one of the masterpieces in the form, along with those of Schumann, Brahms, and Shostakovich. The program includes David Robertson's String Trio and Sheridan Seyfried's Violin Sonata, promising innovative and dynamic performances of two exciting world premieres. This unique concert showcases the virtuosity of Pacific Symphony musicians in a program that pairs modern creativity with a timeless classic.
Echoes of Times
May 04, 2025
PROGRAMREENA ESMAIL: The Light is The Same
DEBUSSY: Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp
- Intermission -
MESSIAEN: Quartet for the End of Time
ARTISTS
Orli Shaham, piano
Dennis Kim, violin
Meredith Crawford, viola
Warren Hagerty, cello
Benjamin Smolen, flute
Jessica Pearlman, oboe
Michelle Temple, harp
Experience three compelling and complementary pieces: Indian-American composer Reena Esmail's The Light is The Same, is a beautiful exploration of cross-cultural dialogue that The Washington Post described as “the musical equivalent of translucent silk, rustling in a gentle breeze.” Claude Debussy's ethereal Trio Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp paints an impressionistic soundscape. Messiaen's transcendent Quartet for the End of Time, composed in captivity during World War II, offers a moving reflection on eternity and hope. This concert promises timeless music that resonates across history.
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