1. Musical Mimicry

Presented by Dr. Yoel Greenberg

Joseph Haydn Quartet Op. 33 No. 2 “The Bird”

Carlo Farina Capriccio Stravagante

Maurice Ravel Quartet in F Major

Does music represent nothing but music? We explore this question from the early baroque until the end of the nineteenth century, following instrumental music’s sources of inspiration and the associations it invoked – from instruments mimicking birds and animals to instruments mimicking one another.

2. Musica Britannica

Presented by Dr. Yoel Greenberg

Joseph Haydn Quartet Op. 71 No. 2

John Dowland If Angel’s Sighs

Henry Purcell Chacony

Benjamin Britten Quartet No. 2 Op. 36

England was always an important musical center, but after its golden era in the 16th and 17th centuries, produced virtually no significant composers for nearly two centuries, relying instead on imported talent. In this concert we present a concise portrait of English music, from its early days of glory, to its revival by Elgar and Britten.

3. From Vienna to Budapest (Without spoken presentation)

Shuli Waterman viola

Franz Schubert Quartet D. 87

György Kurtág 6 Moments Musicaux Op. 44

Johannes Brahms String Quintet No. 1 Op. 88

An Austro-Hungarian musical experience, in which we perform György Kurtág’s brilliant brief Moments Musicaux in between Schubert’s youthful masterpiece and Brahms’s nostalgic homage to masters of the past.

4. Theatrical-Musical Cooperation

Tchaikovsky’s Women

A play by Victor Gordon

Cast TBA

Music from Tchaikovsky’s chamber music ​

Despite being homosexual, women not only played a definitive role in Tchaikovsky’s career, but were often reflected in his music.  The play focuses on three women in particular who were destined to have a major influence on the course of his life.   The fictional Tatiana, heroine of Alexander Pushkin’s novel, “Eugene Onegin”; Antonina Milukova his wife in a tragic marriage; and Nadejda von Meck, his patron, spiritual love and emotional support. The play, based on Tchaikovsky’s correspondence, is a reflection of the influence exerted by each one of these women.

5. Musical and Cinematic Notes

Presented by Dr. Yoel Greenberg

Beethoven Quartet Op. 132

Beethoven’s monumental quartet is one of the most celebrated works of all time. How did it inspire composers, poets, authors and film directors in later times, and how does it continue to accompany us until the present?