Ludwig van-tastic
Top Fort Worth music series fêtes favorite composer's 250th birthday in a big way
The Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth will mark its 32nd season by keying in on another number — 250 — all year long.
Next year marks the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven's (1770-1827) 250th birthday, and the beloved Fort Worth music society has programmed his works throughout the season, including two all-Beethoven concerts.
The celebration is part of a 2019-2020 season themed "Texture and our Senses," announced March 27, which will bring thrilling artists from around the world to Fort Worth, to play with renowned local musicians.
Artistic director Gary Levinson says the theme explores the way listeners’ ears interpret different textures. "For example," he says in a release, "the October concert will feature Five Melodies for Violin and Piano by Prokoviev, which are based on his original Five Songs for singer Nina Koshetz in the 1920s. On the January concert, Beethoven’s Second Symphony will be presented in piano trio form — a transcription by Beethoven himself."
Musicians new to the CMSFW series include: violists Toby Appel, Dmitry Kustanovich, and Jascha Zats; cellists Inbal Segev and Andrei Ionita; and pianists Asiya Korepanova, Ingrid Fliter, Louis Lortie, Orion Weiss, and Anton Nel.
Two concerts of special note: The November 2 concert will feature Anton Dressner on clarinet. And the season will end with the youthful Rolston String Quartet, whose playing The Toronto Star described as belonging “to a generation of string players performing at a level difficult to imagine in generations past.”
All concerts will take place in the auditorium of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Season tickets ($30-$240) and single tickets ($5-$40) will be available for purchase after June 1 on the Chamber Music Society's website or by calling 817-877-3003.
Here's a closer look at the season:
September 21: Colors of Virtuosity
Sonata for Two Violins in A minor, Ysayë
Serenade for Two Violins And Viola Op.12, Kodaly
Quintet in A minor for Piano and String Quartet, Elgar
Artists: Felix Olschofka, violin; Giora Schmidt, violin; Richard Young, viola; Inbal Segev, cello; Jhye Chang, piano
October 19: Which Instrument Matters?
Mythes for Violin and Piano, Szymanowski
Five Melodies for Violin and Piano Op. 35, Prokoviev
Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1, Dohnányi
Artists: Gary Levinson, violin; Swang Lin, violin; Michael Klotz, viola; Andrei Ionita, cello; Asiya Korepanova, piano
November 2: Winds of Youth
Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Beethoven
Clarinet Trio in B-flat Major, Op 11, Beethoven
Piano Quartet in E flat Major, Op 16, Beethoven
Artists: Anton Dressner, clarinet; Gary Levinson, violin; Clive Greensmith, cello; Ingrid Fliter, piano
January 25, 2020: Beethoven the Craftsman
Piano Trio in D major, Op.70 No.1 "Ghost," Beethoven
2nd Symphony Trio (original arrangement), Beethoven
Cello Sonata, No. 3 in A Major Op. 69, Beethoven
Artists: Gary Levinson, violin; Robert DeMaine, cello; Louis Lortie, piano
February 8, 2020: Regal Passions
Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, Op 97 “Archduke,” Beethoven
Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 67, Turina
Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 87, Dvořák
Artists: Gary Levinson, violin; Toby Appel, viola; Bion Tsang, cello; Orion Weiss, piano
March 7, 2020: Mozart the Maverick
Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello K.502, Mozart
Piano Quartet No 2, in E Flat Major, K.493, Mozart
String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K.516, Mozart
Artists: Francesca De Pasquale, violin; Andrés Cárdenes, violin, viola; Michael Klotz, viola; Dmitry Kustanovich, viola; Andres Díaz, cello; Angela Cheng, piano
April 4, 2020: Youthful Optimism
Serenade in D Major for Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 8, Beethoven
Sonata for Cello No. 3, in A Major, Op. 69, Beethoven
Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. No. 1, Suk
Artists: Gary Levinson, violin; Iakov Zats, viola; Clive Greensmith, cello; Anton Nel, piano
May 9, 2020: Masters of Their Craft
String Quartet, No. 11, in F minor, Op. 95, Beethoven
String Quartet, No. 2, in A Minor, Op. 13, Mendelssohn
String Quartet (TBA), Haydn
Artists: Rolston String Quartet Luri Lee, violin; Emily Kruspe, violin; Hezekiah Leung, viola; Jonathan Lo, cello
