Kaufman Music Center Presents WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? at Merkin Concert Hall

 

 

 

 

Kaufman Music Center Presents WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? at Merkin Concert Hall

The 2016-17 Season Explores the Music of George & Ira Gershwin, Beethoven's String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135, Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D Major and Dvo?ák’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major

Oct 23 & Dec 11, 2017; Jan 29 & Mar 26, 2018

ROB KAPILOW - conductor, composer, author and NPR and PBS music commentator - unravels and explores great musical masterpieces with audiences and performers on stage, asking what makes great music great? He takes listeners inside the music, unraveling, slowing down and recomposing key passages to hear why a piece is so extraordinary. Next, the piece is performed in its entirety, followed by a Q&A with the audience and performers. Characterized by his unique ability to create an "aha" moment for his audiences and collaborators, whatever their level of musical sophistication, Kapilow's work brings music into people's lives, opening new ears to musical experiences and helping people to listen actively rather than just hear.

This season, Kapilow will team up with the HARLEM QUARTET, MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC CHAMBER SINFONIA and Broadway stars Sally Wilfert & Michael Winther. The series kicks off on Oct 23 with a celebration of the Gershwin brothers' most enduring and groundbreaking songs, and continues with an exploration of Beethoven's final and most enigmatic work on Dec 11. Learn how Haydn singlehandedly invented the Classical Style on Jan 29, and on Mar 26, how Dvo?ák reinvented Haydn's legacy for the 19th century.

2017-18 Performances:

Mon, Oct 23, 7:30 pm

The Songs of George & Ira Gershwin

Featuring Broadway stars Sally Wilfert & Michael Winther

Between 1918 and 1937 the Gershwin brothers produced more than 700 songs together for theater and film that helped invent the modern musical. An enormous number have become classics, performed and recorded by generations of performers. But why? What has made these songs survive? Come hear the stories and explore the music of some of their most enduring and groundbreaking songs including "I Got Rhythm," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "You Can't Take That Away from Me" and "Love is Sweeping the Country."

 

Mon, Dec 11, 7:30 pm

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135

Featuring the HARLEM QUARTET

The F-major Quartet was Beethoven's last completed work, finished only five months before his death. On the manuscript of the last movement, he writes, "The very difficult question" and then above the movement's six key notes, "Must it be?" and "It must be." The meaning of these words as well as the quartet's unique mixture of the serious and the playful, the cosmic and the comic, have made the work one of Beethoven's most enigmatic masterpieces. ROB KAPILOW and the HARLEM QUARTET WILL explore the mysteries of Beethoven's final work.

 

Mon, Jan 29, 7:30 pm

Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D Major

Featuring the MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC CHAMBER SINFONIA

It is no exaggeration to say that Haydn singlehandedly invented the Classical Style. He reached the pinnacle of his career as the first great composer of symphonies with 12 magnificent pieces that were premiered in London. The final symphony in the series, and his final symphony overall - the so-called "London Symphony" - represents everything that is great about Haydn and the classical style he created. Its mixture of sophistication and wit made him the most famous composer alive. ROB KAPILOW and the MSM CHAMBER SINFONIA take audiences inside one of the greatest classical symphonies ever written to show what makes Haydn great.

 

Mon, Mar 26, 7:30 pm

Dvorák's Symphony No. 8 in G Major

Featuring the MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC CHAMBER SINFONIA

An opening night review of Haydn's "London" Symphony said that "for 50 years to come Musical Composers would be little better than imitators of Haydn; and would do little more than pour water on his leaves." Almost 100 years later, Dvo?ák, in his Eighth Symphony, was still pouring water on Haydn's leaves, but doing so in a way that completely reinvented Haydn's legacy for the 19th century. ROB KAPILOW and the MSM CHAMBER SINFONIA explore Dvo?ák's unique blend of Haydn, Brahms and Bohemian folk music in one of the most popular symphonies ever written.

 

Kaufman Music Center is New York's go-to place for music education and performance.

It's where music lovers, from curious fans to renowned performers, come together to explore their musical passions. Founded in 1952 as a community music school, today's Kaufman Music Center is one of the city's most vibrant cultural organizations and home to Merkin Concert Hall; Lucy Moses School, New York's largest community arts school; Special Music School, a K-12 public school for musically gifted children; and the acclaimed youth new music ensemble Face the Music.

Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center

129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023

Tickets at KaufmanMusicCenter.org/MCH or 212-501-3330.

4-concert subscription: $160

Single tickets: $55