St. Luke's First Concert in 'Continental Connections' Series Set for This Month

In Orchestra of St. Luke's 2015/2016 Chamber Music Series, Continental Connections, each program will showcase a pair of countries, highlighting contrasts in musical style and often revealing influences among native composers. First in the three-part series is a concert of music from France & Russia, October 18, 21, and 23, at The Morgan Library & Museum and Brooklyn Museum. St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble will perform works by Prokofiev, Debussy, Chausson, and Copland.

The preeminent Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Overture on Hebrew Themes during his time in the United States, after befriending and receiving a commission from the members of a Russian klezmer ensemble. Drawing upon Jewish folksongs and themes the musicians had collected in a notebook, Prokofiev captured the spirit of klezmer music with alternations between festive, vivacious tunes and haunting, plaintive melodies.

Though Aaron Copland is known as the quintessential American composer, his teacher Nadia Boulanger provides the French connection. Copland described his time studying with Boulanger in Paris during the 1920s as the "most important musical event of his life." After his return to the U.S., Copland made his first attempt at a symphonic-scale work with his Short Symphony in 1933. However, the piece was so difficult that it was deemed unplayable by Leopold Stokowski and Serge Koussevitzky, who canceled planned performances. The piece was eventually performed-even under Stokowski-but in the meantime, Copland reworked it into a Sextet for clarinet, piano, and string quartet. It is now considered one of his finest accomplishments, with a remarkable sense of flow despite its relentless rhythms, complex textures, and dissonant harmonies.

Ernest Chausson's Concert in D Major, with its unusual name and instrumentation, is also unique in its treatment of the solo violin, piano, and string quartet as equals. Its lyrical, self-generating themes are passed among the six instruments, developed, and knit together in striking ways.

Claude Debussy composed the Première rhapsodie for clarinet and piano on a commission from Gabriel Fauré, who at the time was director of the Paris Conservatory. The piece was written to be used for conservatory examinations, but is far from a pedantic exercise, with flowing melodic writing for the clarinet that recalls Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and a luxuriant accompaniment that evokes the moods and harmonies of Debussy's beloved works for solo piano.

The public is invited to learn more about the Première rhapsodie and its fascinating history, and hear a sneak-peek performance, at a Live-Streamed Preview & Chat on Tuesday, October 13, hosted by WQXR's Doug Balliett. Clarinetist Jon Manasse and pianist Natasha Paremski will share their insights, discuss their personal experience with the work, and answer questions from the audience.

This event, presented as part of Orchestra of St. Luke's OSL@DMC series, will be live-streamed from The DiMenna Center for Classical Music. A limited number of seats are available in the live audience, free by reservation; visit OSLmusic.org/RSVP. The live-stream will be accessible the evening of the event at OSLmusic.org/OSLatDMC. Participants may submit questions for the discussion with the artists at any time to AskOSL@OSLmusic.org or may post questions via Facebook (Facebook.com/OSLmusic) or Twitter (@OSLmusic) using the hashtag #OSLatDMC.