Sunday, November 16, 3:00 pm, Sweeney Hall, Smith College
John Ferillo, oboe; Elizabeth Klein, flute; Rachel Childers, horn; Chistopher Del Chico, clarinet; Samuel Watson, bassoon; Jiayan Sun, piano; Richard Ranti, bassoon
Concert Program:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Quintet in E♭ Major for Piano and Winds, Op. 16 (1796)
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Kleine Kammermusik, Op.24 No.2 (1922)
Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) Trio in B♭ Major for Clarinet, Horn and Piano, Op. 274 (1905)
Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) Sextet for Piano and Winds, H. 174 (1929)
Valley Classical Concerts welcomes a bracing mix of instruments to Sweeney Hall on November 16th. The program features Smith College’s star pianist Jiayan Sun and a veritable “Dream Team” of wind soloists drawn from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Elizabeth Klein is a flutist who went straight from the Curtis Institute of Music into the BSO, and has established herself as an artist of exquisite refinement and technical wizardry. Oboist John Ferrillo is unparalleled for his beauty of tone, the quality most admired by composers of every genre when writing for the plaintive voice of the oboe. Christopher Del Chico first excelled on the saxophone, then chose the clarinet for his orchestral career where he brings a glorious, moving sense of mastery and poetry. Rachel Childers, French horn, has the “chops” and keen sensibilities to fulfill all the roles required of a horn player in ensembles large and small. Samuel Watson is prized by his colleagues for his ability to move seamlessly from the contrabassoon position he holds in the BSO to that of valued collaborator playing the full repertoire for bassoon. They will be joined by Richard Ranti, recently retired BSO Associate Principal Bassoon and a member of the VCC Board.
And now to the music on offer — also a bracing mix of worthy gems. The Beethoven Quintet for Piano and Winds (1796), a showpiece for the pianist, is replete with beautifully balanced and blended lines of wind passagework. Jiayan Sun also joins the winds for a rarely performed work by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů. This 1966 piece is unusual for the composer’s decision to write 2 bassoon parts and omit the French Horn part, resulting in a warmly toned sextet, modern, occasionally jazzy, tonal, and utterly original. Opening the program is a favorite of all wind players, Paul Hindemith’s Kleine Kammermusik for Wind Quintet, 1922. The 5 movements are crafted to perfection with efficient and expressive choices that leverage the distinct attributes of each wind instrument. The other “jewel” in this jewel box of a program is Carl Reinecke’s 1905 Trio for Clarinet, Horn, and Piano. Firmly in the romantic style, listeners will detect evidence of Reinecke’s profound admiration for Johannes Brahms (in fact, as conductor of Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra for 3 decades, Reinecke conducted the premiere of Brahms’ Requiem). Come prepared for a feast of sounds, styles, and revelations as the Boston Symphony Winds take to the stage!
(Program subject to change.)