Scharoun Ensemble to Perform at Jorgensen, 3/13

The Scharoun Ensemble, a leading chamber music octet made up of members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, will play a program of Mozart, Dvorák and Beethoven on Thursday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. at Jorgensen. Glenn Stanley, a music historian in the UConn Music Department, will discuss musical points of interest at 6:45 p.m.

The program will open with Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581, and move to Dvorák's Czech Suite in D Major, Op. 39. The second half will feature the Beethoven Septet in E-Flat Major for Strings and Winds, Op. 20, a cornerstone of Scharoun's repertoire.

Founded in 1983 by members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Scharoun Ensemble showcases innovative programming, a refined tonal culture and spirited interpretations performed in a variety of instrumental combinations.

The March 13 program to be performed at UConn is no exception. In the Mozart quintet, according to program notes, "The clarinet is treated with the honor due to a distinguished guest without solely dominating the work." The composer wrote the work for his friend and freemason, Anton Stadler, the principal clarinetist of the court orchestra of Vienna. The five-movement Dvorák suite owes its "Czech" name to its strong Bohemian folk music influence. And the Beethoven septet, one of the composer's most popular works, combines violin, viola, violincello, double bass, clarinet, horn and bassoon in a display of spontaneity.

The Scharoun Ensemble has worked under the direction of Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim and Pierre Boulez. It has also performed with singers including Thomas Quasthoff, Annette Dasch, Simon Keenlyside and Barbara Hannigan, and, for interdisciplinary projects, the ensemble has engaged such artists as Fanny Ardant, Loriot and Dominique Horwitz.

Jorgensen was named Best College/University Performing Arts Center in the Hartford Advocate Best of Hartford Readers' Poll for both 2012 and 2013.

Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Tickets are $30 and $26, with some discounts. For tickets and information, call the Box Office 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri at 860.486.4226, or order online at: jorgensen.uconn.edu. Free, convenient parking is available across the street in the North Garage.

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