Berkeley Symphony Presents SPIRITED IMPRESSIONS

Berkeley Symphony continues its Chamber Series with Spirited Impressions on Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 4 p.m. at Piedmont Center for the Arts.

The vibrant and romantic concert will feature piano trios exploring a wide range of French music, including Gabriel Fauré's Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Arthur Honegger'sSonatine for Violin and Cello, Bay Area composer Jean Ahn's A Flashback of Ravel, and Claude Debussy's Piano Trio in G major. Musicians Alison Lee, piano; Sarah Elert, violin; and Douglas Machiz, cello, will present Faurè's marvel of color, energy, and contrast with his Piano Trio in D minor, followed by the vivacity of Honegger's Sonatine for Violin and Cello.

Audiences will find themselves immersed in a Parisian landscape, with the striking melodies of Jean Ahn's homage to Ravel's Impressionist works, with a contemporary twist. The musical Tour de France will be complete with one of Debussy's earliest works, the sweet and sentimental Piano Trio in G Major. 

“There's something special about experiencing lush and immersive music when musicians are playing so close that audiences can hear every nuance and breath, and feel every vibration and phrase," said Ming Luke, Interim Executive Director of Berkeley Symphony. “Berkeley Symphony's next chamber concert, Spirited Impressions, brings us to France, perfect for a romantic February, with piano trios of Debussy, Fauré, Honegger, and Berkeley composer Jean Ahn.” 

Spirited Impressions provides a perfect pairing with Berkeley Symphony's next Symphonic Series concert, French Reverie, on Sunday, February 25, 2024, at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley. The symphonic concert will feature Dr. Robert Young—Music Director Joseph Young's brother—  collaborating on  A Kind of Trane, a riveting saxophone concerto by Guillaume Connesson, as well as one of the most famous impressionist works, Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.