<p>Program to honor the memory of Raymond Hanson, founder of the Hartford Piano Society. Co-partnered with the Hartt School, this concert features performances by pianists Mia Chung and Hsiu-Hui Wang, with cellist Benjamin Myers. <span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Admission is free but tickets are required. Call the Hartt box office at (860) 768-4228 or obtain them </span><a href="https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=uoh01" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(7, 130, 193); font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&amp;quot;Trebuchet MS&amp;quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">online</a><span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">.&nbsp;</span>Contributions will benefit the <span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Raymond Hanson/Anne Koscielny Scholarship Fund for piano majors studying at Hartt.</span></p>

Raymond Hanson Memorial - Sep 9, 2018

<p>Program to honor the memory of Betty Ohlheiser, long-time Musical Club member, who was instrumental in starting the High School Competitions over 40 years ago. The program will feature the Vocal Ensemble and some winners from the 2018 Competition. Reception follows. Admission free.</p>

Betty Ohlheiser Memorial - Sep 20, 2018

<p>One of Chopin&rsquo;s 24 Préludes, Op. 28 will be played by Victor Nigri, a 2018-2019 E. B. Storrs scholar. These<br />pieces were written for piano between 1835 and 1839. There is one in each of the twenty-four keys,<br />beginning with C Major. Carrie Hammond, soprano, accompanied by *Jonathan Hammond, clarinet, and<br />*Nathaniel Baker, piano, will sing two songs by Mahler, arranged for this instrumentation: The Heavenly<br />Life and St. Anthony&rsquo;s Sermon to the Fish. Completing the program, Lisa Kugelman, violin, Virginia Allen,<br />viola, Fran Bard, cello, and Stacy Cahoon, piano, will perform 3 movements from the Piano Quartet No. 3<br />in C Minor, Opus 60, by Brahms. Because of the brooding quality of this quartet it is called the &ldquo;Werther<br />Quartet&rdquo; after Goethe&rsquo;s novel &ldquo;The Sorrows of Young Werther.&rdquo;<br style=" font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; " />&nbsp;</p><p>Reception follows. Admission free.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Member Program and Open House - Oct 4, 2018

<p>The lives of today&#39;s featured composers span the baroque period to the 21st century. Therefore, there is<br />tremendous variety of compositional styles, techniques, and even instruments. Prokofiev wrote Romeo and<br />Juliet for the ballet, but also published a piano reduction of ten pieces.<br />Linda MacGougan will perform No. 10 (Say Goodbye), which depicts the very painful parting of the two<br />famous young lovers. Finzi&#39;s 5 Bagatelles, performed by Carolyn Bernstein, clarinet, and Linda<br />MacGougan, piano, is lighter in mood and character, as the word &quot;bagatelle&quot; implies.<br />The baroque pieces that follow, Sonata in F Minor by Telemann and Suite in D Major by Marais, are more<br />harmonically and structurally predictable, while still full of complex technicalities. Laura Mazza-Dixon and *Zarina Irkaeva, viola<br />da gamba, Anne Mayo, harpsichord, and Deborah Robin, recorder will present these pieces. Michelle<br />Davis, flute and *Rob Breen, clarinet will then return us to the 20th and 21st centuries for Duos for Flute<br />and Clarinet by Muczynski, featuring a modern weave of rhythms and harmonies, followed by a rollicking<br />dance, and the Presto movement from Tarantella, Op. 6 by Saint-Saens, which will add Bridget de Moura<br />Castro, piano. Though there may not be a single connecting theme in the choices of today&#39;s performers,<br />the program is a wonderful and contrasting display of the infinite variety of styles and moods that reflect life<br />from its lightest to its most painful moments.</p>

Member Program - Oct 18, 2018

<div><p>The Musical Club of Hartford is so fortunate to be hosting these incredible musicians, including Adam Pearl on harpsichord; the current President of the Viola da Gamba Society of America, Lisa Terry, on viola da gamba; Richard Stone on theorbo; Hartford&#39;s own Emlyn Ngai on violin; and Gwyn Roberts on flute and recorder.</p><p>This group of five musicians is part of the <a href="https://tempestadimare.org/" target="_blank">Tempesta di Mare Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra</a>. They will perform a program of Baroque chamber music gems centering around works composed by Georg Phillip Telemann during his eight-month sojourn in Paris in 1737. These will include Telemann&rsquo;s Concerto No. 1 in G major (TWV 43:G1), Quatuor in G Major (TWV 43:G4) and Quatuor in A minor (TWV 43:a 2). Music by Telemann&rsquo;s Parisian friends and fellow composers Jean-Baptiste Forqueray (Chaconne from Suite N. 3 in D Major), Michel Blavet (Sonata in E minor, Opus 3 No. 3), and Jean-Pierre Guignon (Sonata in C minor, Opus 1 No. 9) will round out the program.</p><p><a href="https://tempestadimare.org/about/" target="_blank"><img src="/files/tempesta.png"/> style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Concerto 2 in D Major, TWV 43:D1</b> (pub. 1730) <b>Georg Philipp Telemann</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">(1681&ndash;1767)</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in">Allegro &mdash; Affettuoso &mdash; Vivace</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>from Suite No. 3 in D Major</b> (pub. 1747)<b> Jean-Baptiste Forqueray</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">(1699-1742)</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in">La Du Vaucel: très tendrement</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Sonata in E minor, Op. 3 No. 3</b> (pub. 1740) <b> Michel Blavet</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">(1700-1768)</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in">Vivace &mdash;&nbsp;Largo poco andante &mdash; Allegro</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>from Sonata in C minor, Op. 1 No. 9 </b>(pub. 1737)<b> Jean-Pierre Guignon</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">(1702-1744)</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in">Andante &mdash;&nbsp;Allegro</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Quatuor in G Major, TWV 43:G4</b> (pub. 1738 ) <b> Telemann</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in">Prélude. Un peu vivement &mdash; Légèrement &mdash; Gracieusement &mdash; Vite</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in">Modéré &mdash; Gai&mdash; Lentement / Vite</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Quatuor in A minor, TWV 43:a2 </b>(pub. 1738 ) <b> Telemann</b></p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in">Allégrement &mdash;&nbsp;Flatteusement &mdash;&nbsp;Légèrement &mdash; Un peu vivement &mdash;&nbsp;Vite &mdash;&nbsp;Coulant</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-before: always"><b>Holiday in Paris</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">In 1737, <b>Georg Philipp Telemann</b> (1681&ndash;1767) finally fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling to Paris. He had a long-standing invitation from some fine French musicians, his gambling and cheating second wife was finally out of the picture, and he wanted to do something about the unauthorized publications of his compositions that had been appearing there. So, that fall, he took an extended leave from his position as Director of Music for the City of Hamburg and went to France, where he stayed for eight months.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Telemann seems to have enjoyed himself enormously during his visit, playing music with the local musicians, attending concerts at the <i>Concert Spirituel</i>, composing, and hobnobbing. He also obtained a 20-year royal publishing privilege and immediately published two collections of music, including his famous &ldquo;Paris Quartets,&rdquo; officially titled <i>Nouveaux Quatuors. </i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">In his 1740 autobiography, Telemann names the musicians who premiered the <i>Nouveaux Quatuors</i>: Michel Blavet, flutist; Jean-Pierre Guignon, violinist; Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, gambist; and a Mr. Edouard, cellist, whose full identity has not been firmly established. Telemann himself presumably played the harpsichord. He described their performance thus:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in">The marvelous way in which these quartets were played deserves mention here, if indeed words can convey any impression. Suffice it to say that the Court and the whole city pricked up their ears most remarkably, and these quartets quickly won for me an almost universal respect which was accompanied with exceeding courtesy.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Paris in 1737 was no longer the controlled artistic environment that it had been during the reign of Louis XIV. The musical style of the times was decidedly international. Italianate elements of instrumental virtuosity and free-form composition rubbing cheeks with the traditional French <i>agréments </i>(ornaments) and dance-based forms. Ever the style-chameleon, Telemann absorbed this heady brew and added his own panache, producing some of his finest works and, in turn, influencing French composers to imitate him.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Telemann&rsquo;s Concerto No. 1 in G major, TWV 43:G1</b> is the first work in his <i>Quadri, </i>a set of six conversational and virtuosic quartets for the distinctive ensemble of flute, violin, obbligato viola da gamba or cello, and continuo, which he originally published in Hamburg in 1730. The set was printed in Paris in 1736 by Charles-Nicolas LeClerc without Telemann&rsquo;s permission&mdash;one of at least seven such pirate editions by that publisher&mdash;so it was already well known there by the time that Telemann arrived.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Jean-Baptiste Forqueray </b>(1699-1742) was the son of viol virtuoso Antoine Forqueray. He learned to play from his father, who eventually became so jealous of his son&rsquo;s abilities that he had him sent to prison and banished from the country. Some influential students pulled strings to get the sentence revoked, and Jean-Baptiste returned to Paris in 1726, taking his father&rsquo;s job at court in 1742. He published his <i>Pièces de viole</i> in 1747, attributing much of the work to his father, a claim that makes little sense given the extremely modern character of the music. The set appeared simultaneously in an idiomatic arrangement for harpsichord, possibly created by Mme. Forqueray, Jean-Baptiste&rsquo;s wife, who was a noted harpsichord virtuoso.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Michel Blavet</b> (1700-1768) was a self-taught flutist and bassoonist who rose quickly to the highest ranks of Parisian musicians after making his debut at the <i>Concert Spirituel </i>at the age of 26. He appeared more frequently on that stage than any other musician over the course of the next 25 years, setting the standard for flute playing and garnering international reknown. He seems also to have been a really nice guy. Contemporary accounts refer to his long and happy marriage, his love of teaching, and his convivial personality. Blavet&rsquo;s Opus 3 Sonatas are written in the modern <i>galant </i>style, with plenty of italianate virtuosity intermingled with French-style ornaments.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Jean-Pierre Guignon</b> (1702-1744) was born Giovanni Pietro Ghignone in Turin. He made his debut in Paris at the <i>Concert Spirituel </i>in 1725, just one year before Blavet, and soon teamed up with Forqueray for a series of concerts. He was lauded as one of the finest virtuosos of his time. However, in contrast to the affable Blavet, Guignon seems to have been a contentious character, who assaulted another musician, lorded his prestigious position at court over his colleagues, brought frequent lawsuits, and stayed married to his wife for less than a year. This sonata comes from a set published in the year of Telemann&rsquo;s visit.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><b>Telemann&rsquo;s Quatuor in G Major, TWV 43:G4</b> and <b>Quatuor in A minor, TWV 43:a 2</b> are the second and third suites from the <i>Nouveaux Quatuors. </i>He used the same instrumentation for this set of quartets as he had for his earlier <i>Quadri, </i>making significant demands on the virtuoso players he assembled in Paris to play them. In keeping with the context in which he wrote them, Telemann titled all of the movements in French for this collection and wrote them in the Italianate-French style. He also drew a very specific musical inspiration from his environment for this quartet: the theme for the set of variations that concludes the A Minor quartet comes from a gavotte by Rameau, published in a set of harpsichord solos in 1728.</p></div>

Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players - Oct 25, 2018

<p>Bridget de Moura Castro, organ, will be playing Bach&rsquo;s Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, which dates from Bach&rsquo;s Leipzig period and is especially highly valued by lovers and connoisseurs of Bach&rsquo;s organ music. Tony Gibbs, saxophone, accompanied by Benita Rose, piano, will be performing movements from the Violin Sonata in A Major by César Frank. This is one of César Frank&rsquo;s best-known sonatas and was transcribed for saxophone by Paul Wehage. In this piece you will hear Tony play notes that normally don&rsquo;t exist on the saxophone. The MuUyas String Trio - *Yu-Hao (Howard) Chang, violin, Po-Chun (Gene) Chen, viola, and *Wen-Hsuan (Vivian) Su, cello) - will perform the String Trio by Gideon Klein. This beautiful string trio was written by the composer while being interned in a WWII concentration camp. And Soohyung (Susan) Yoo will be playing one of Johannes Brahms&rsquo; most popular intermezzi, the Intermezzo Op 118 No. 2 in A major, Gretchen am Spinnrade by Schubert/Liszt, and a Concert Paraphrase on Verdi&rsquo;s Rigoletto by Franz Liszt, a virtuosic concert piece which draws on three themes from Verdi&rsquo;s opera, &ldquo;Rigoletto&rdquo;.</p>

Member Program - Nov 1, 2018

<div>The <a href="https://www.averyensemble.org/" target="_blank">Avery Ensemble Piano Quartet</a> will perform selected movements from its November 17th series concert &quot;Armistice&quot;:</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Rebecca Clarke: Morpheus for viola and piano</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Maurice Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor, Movements I &amp; II</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>David Macbride: &quot;Making a New World&quot; for piano quartet</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The presentation will end with a conversation led by the members of the Avery Ensemble about the process of commissioning, creating, preparing, and performing a new work. Unfortunately, David Macbride died in September. Colin McEnroe (Narrator) and Lief Ellis (composer of the electronic music that is part of We are Making a New World) will participate in the discussion.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Note: Due to an illness in her family, Annie Trepanier will not be able to perform with the Avery Ensemble in this concert, and also on November 17, 2018 when the ensemble performs at&nbsp;</span><span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">St. John&#39;s Episcopal Church (679 Farmington Ave, West Hartford, CT) at 7:30 p.m. Filling in for Ms. Trepanier on both dates will be Jaroslav (Jarek) Lis, violinist and member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.</span></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><a href="https://www.averyensemble.org/" target="_blank"><img src="/files/avery_ensemble.jpg"/>

The Avery Ensemble - Nov 15, 2018

<p>From Russian Romantic to Russian Contemporary and German Romantic to American jazz, our program<br />will fill the hall with exciting varieties of style and mood. Fran Bard, cello, and Carolyn Woodard, piano will<br />perform Nocturne in D Minor, Op. 19, No. 4 by Tchaikovsky, followed by the last two movements from<br />Prokofiev&rsquo;s Sonata in C Major, Op. 119. Two movements from Doppelkonzert in E minor, Op. 88, by Max<br />Bruch, will be played by Carolyn Bernstein, clarinet, Virginia Allen, viola, and Michelle Duffy, piano.<br />Lastly, The Meeting House Trio with Walter Mayo, bass, *David Sergio, piano, and David Woodard,<br />drums will perform Standards from The Great American Songbook.&nbsp;</p><h4>PROGRAM</h4><p>Nocturne in D minor, Op. 19, No. 4 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)</p><p>Sonata in C Major, Op. 119 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)</p><p>Moderato</p><p>Allegro ma non troppo</p><p>Fran Bard, Cello</p><p>Carolyn Woodard, Piano</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Doppelkonzert in E minor, Op. 88 by Max Bruch (1838-1920)</p><p>Andante con moto</p><p>Allegro moderato</p><p>Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 83 by Max Bruch</p><p>No. 2. Allegro con moto</p><p>Carolyn Bernstein, Clarinet</p><p>Virginia Allen, Viola</p><p>Michelle Duffy, Piano</p><p>Opus 88 offers an intimate conversation between two alto instruments. This tunefully rich and opulently romantic composition quotes from Bruch&rsquo;s earlier melodies and folk structures drawn from his early suites.&nbsp;Bruch actively resisted the Lisztian/Wagnerian musical trends of time, and modeled his works on those of Mendelssohn and Schumann.&nbsp;Written when he was 73, Bruch dedicated this work to&nbsp;his son Max, who was a clarinetist and who premiered the work in 1912.</p><p>Opus 83 was also written with his son in mind in 1909, and was first published in 1910. These high romantic 8 pieces are intended as a set of independent miniatures of various styles. All but the seventh are in minor keys - designed to draw a mellow sound from the instruments.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Standards from The Great American Songbook (1920s &ndash; 1950s)</p><p>Walter Mayo, Bass</p><p>*David Sergio, Piano</p><p>David Woodard, Drums</p><p>The Meeting House Jazz Trio&ndash;&ndash;Walter Mayo, bass; David Sergio, piano; and David Woodard, drums&ndash;&ndash; will play a selection of standards from The Great American Song Book, with an interlude of original poetry performed by Alexandrina Sergio. The Great American Songbook, a distinct body of musical works exemplifying popular songwriting at its best, comprises tunes written in the 20th century, including Tin Pan Alley hits and enduring songs from Broadway and Hollywood musicals.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>*Indicates guest performer</p>

Member Program - Nov 29, 2018

<div>This holiday-season program features the&nbsp;<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Musical Club of Hartford Vocal Ensemble, soprano Adrienne Milics, and an unusual work of chamber music.</span></div><div>&nbsp;</div><h4>PROGRAM</h4><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Musical Club of Hartford Vocal Ensemble</strong><br />Gail Tanguay, director<br />Dorothy Bognar, accompanist</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Velvet Shoes&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Randall Thompson, 1899-1984<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Suzanne Hertel, organist&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />This is a stunning setting of the famous winter poem by Elinor Wylie. The text reveals several metaphors for purity and delicacy, while the music suggests an awesome purpose of preserving that beauty.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>She Sings&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy F. Bernon<br />&nbsp;<br />The haunting, yet whimsical quality of this piece, almost folk-like, is truly refreshing. The lyrics center on a child who loves to sing, and who is saddened by those who do not know that joy. Amy Bernon is a contemporary Connecticut composer and a graduate of the Yale School of Music and the Hartt School. She is the founding director of the Amanda Women&#39;s choir.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal&nbsp;&nbsp;traditional American; text, F.R. Warren, arr. Mark Hayes&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;accompanists, Dorothy Bognar &amp; Colette Switaj<br />&nbsp;<br />This piece is a song of celebration and joy. The four handed accompaniment enhances the busy vocal arrangement, and is an extra treat for the audience.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Carol of The Bells&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;music by M. Leontovich (1877- 1921), arr. P. Wilhousky</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Mykola Leontovich&#39;s &quot;Shchedryk&quot; contains one of the most famous four note ostinati in the world. The composition was given English lyrics and is known as Carol of the Bells. (Coincidentally, the Ukrainian composer, Mykola Leontovych, was born on this day, December 13, in the year 1877.)</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Nativity Carol&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;music &amp; lyrics by John Rutter<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Suzanne Hertel, organist<br />&nbsp;<br />Nativity Carol is one of John Rutter&#39;s earliest acknowledged pieces. It exhibits much of what became a Rutter staple: a predictable structure made richer by complex harmonies and contemporary approaches. This carol uses the centuries-old form of verse followed by a communal chorus. The four topics are traditional: the stable of the incarnation, the mother of God, the wise men, and universal love born in a stable.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>A&#39;Soalin&#39;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Paul Stookey, Tracy Batteast, Elena Mezzetti</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>According to Paul Stookey, A&#39;Soalin&#39; was not originally a Christmas song. He said he melded the old wassailing tune with the Celtic tradition of soul/soal-ing and then added God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen at the end. The Celts didn&#39;t like their ghosts hanging around, so they served a banquet for all the year&#39;s deceased, to encourage the ghosts to depart. That tradition merged with All Souls Day, and eventually into the Christmas holidays. In spite of the characters in the lyrics being in times of crisis it is a hopeful tune, not bleak, and lifts your spirits.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Hymn to Freedom&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;music by Oscar Peterson, lyrics by Harriette Hamilton</div><div><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ms. Bognar is joined by Walter Mayo on string bass, and Dave Woodward on drums</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Recognized as one of Oscar Peterson&#39;s most significant compositions, Hymn to Freedom was written in 1962 and was swiftly embraced by people around the world as the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. For inspiration, Peterson drew upon various church renderings of Negro spirituals recalled from his childhood in Montreal. He maintained the unadorned yet poignant melody of the early Baptist hymns. The added lyrics express in a very simple language the hope for unity, peace, and dignity for mankind.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>***</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Öt Magyar Népdal (Five Hungarian Folk Songs) by Béla Bartók (1881-1945)</strong><br />[from Hungarian Folksongs, for voice and piano (1906), BB 42 (Sz 33 / W 13)]</div><div>Adrienne Milics, mezzo-soprano<br />Lean-Cheng Tan, piano</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>1. Elindultam szép hazámból (&quot;I left my beautiful country&quot;)</div><div>2. Által mennék én a Tiszán ladikon (&quot;I would cross the Tisza in a boat&quot;)</div><div>3. A gyulai kert alatt (&quot;In the summer fields&quot;)</div><div>4. Nem messze van ide (&quot;Not far from here&quot; - The Horseman)</div><div>5. Végig mentem a tárkányi sej, haj, nagy uccán (&quot;Walking through the town&quot;)</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>We think of Béla Bartók primarily as a composer, but he was also a brilliant pianist and a serious ethnomusicologist. Through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became ethnomusicology. Bartók wrote the Ten Hungarian Songs for voice and piano 1906. These were originally intended to be a second series to follow the first publication, Hungarian Folk Songs, in collaboration with Zoltán Kodály and later titled Twenty Hungarian Folk Songs. Bartók subsequently determined that some of the items were not folk songs.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In 1908, Bartók and Kodály traveled into the countryside to collect and research old Magyar folk melodies. Their growing interest in folk music coincided with a contemporary social interest in traditional national culture. They made some surprising discoveries. Magyar folk music had previously been categorized as Gypsy music. The classic example is Franz Liszt&#39;s famous Hungarian Rhapsodies for piano, which he based on popular art songs performed by Romani bands of the time. In contrast, Bartók and Kodály discovered that the old Magyar folk melodies were based on pentatonic scales, similar to those in Asian folk traditions, such as those of Central Asia, Anatolia and Siberia. <em>(from Wikipedia)&nbsp;</em></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>***</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Trio in E-flat major Op. 43 for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Pianoforte, KWV 5105 by Conradin Kreutzer (1780-1849)</strong></div><div>David Schonfeld, clarinet<br />Fred Fenn, bassoon<br /><a href="https://www.neymanarts.com/yucel" target="_blank">Cihan Yücel, piano</a><br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp; I. Maestoso - Romanze: Allegro moderato<br />&nbsp;II. Andante grazioso<br />III. Rondo: Allegro</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Conradin Kreutzer was a German composer and conductor. His works include the opera Das Nachtlager in Granada, and Der Verschwender (Incidental music), both produced in 1834 in Vienna. He spent 1811&ndash;12 in Stuttgart, where at least three of his operas were staged, and where he was awarded the post of Hofkapellmeister. From 1812 to 1816, he was Kapellmeister to the king of Württemberg. He became a prolific composer, and wrote a number of operas for the Theater am Kärntnertor, Theater in der Josefstadt, and Theater an der Wien, in Vienna. In 1840 he became conductor of the opera at Cologne. His daughters, Cecilia and Marie Kreutzer, were sopranos of some renown.</div><div>Kreutzer owes his fame almost exclusively to <em>Das Nachtlager in Granada</em> (1834), which kept the stage for half a century in spite of changes in musical taste. It was written in the style of Carl Maria von Weber. The same qualities are found in Kreutzer&#39;s part-songs for men&#39;s voices, which at one time were extremely popular in Germany. His Septet for winds and strings, Op. 62, remains in the chamber music repertory. He was one of the 50 composers who wrote a Variation on a waltz of Anton Diabelli for Part II of the &quot;Vaterländischer Künstlerverein&quot; (published 1824).<em> (from Wikipedia)</em></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Note: Although Conradin Kreutzer&#39;s time in Vienna overlapped with Beethoven&#39;s, he was <em>not</em> the Kreutzer to whom Beethoven dedicated his 1803 Violin Sonata, Op. 47. (That was the French violinist and composer, Rodolphe Kreutzer).</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The Trio in E-flat major Op. 43 is a charming work in three movements full of catchy tunes and virtuosic piano writing, probably intended as salon music for talented amateurs.</div><div>&nbsp;</div>

Member Program - Dec 13, 2018

<div>With music composed by German, Austrian, Spanish, and American composers from the 1700&rsquo;s to the twentieth century, this program has something for everyone. Schubert&rsquo;s Lied, <em>Der Hirt auf dem Felsen</em>, which tells the story of a young shepherd who misses his lover, will be performed by Barbara Pond, soprano, Carolyn Bernstein, clarinet, and Stacy Cahoon, piano. MacDowell&rsquo;s <em>First Modern Suite</em> was composed in 1883. With hints of Liszt, Chopin, and baroque music, you would not think of it as having been written by an American. Maryjane Peluso will perform selections from this work. David Cohen, clarinet, and Stacy Cahoon, piano, will present the first movement of the Concerto for Clarinet in B-flat Major, Op.107, K.622 by Mozart, and selections from Bach&rsquo;s Suite in G major for Unaccompanied Cello will be performed by Karen Benjamin. We will hear one more German composition, the second movement of Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op.49, by Mendelssohn, played by Lisa Kugelman, violin, Karen Benjamin, cello, and Linda MacGougan, piano. The program will end with Spanish and American songs presented by Alice Matteson, soprano, and David Garrido-Cid, piano: selections from <em>Canciones Amatorias</em>, by Granados, and from <em>Songfest</em>, by Leonard Bernstein.</div>

Member Program - Jan 10, 2019

<p>This previously scheduled event has been <strong>CANCELLED</strong> due to the adverse weather prediction.</p>

Classical Competition Winners Concert - Jan 20, 2019

<p>Come early for refreshments at 9:45 a.m. and then find a seat at one of the round tables that will be set up in the Fireside Room. The meeting will begin shortly after 10:00 a.m. Enjoy the camaraderie of fellow Musical Club members while sampling coffee, tea, fruit, and pastries provided by the Club&rsquo;s Hospitality Committee. Tables and chairs will be available so you can leisurely enjoy your conversations and refreshments. Board members and Committee Chairs will be happy to answer any questions you might have about volunteering to help plan, organize, and support Club activities. To sign up, please contact co-Treasurers Michelle Duffy or Anita Wilson before Monday, February 4 to add your name to the list of attendees.</p><p>Note: Admission is free but is restriced to <em>Club members only</em>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4>Meeting Agenda</h4><ul><li>Refreshments</li><li>Welcome</li><li>Highlights: September 2018 - January 2019</li><li>Committees: Chair recognition, committee descriptions and promotion</li><li>Round-table Discussions</li><li>Social Time</li><li>Dollar Donation Day</li></ul><p>Bring for donation to the Club up to 6 used books of, about, or related to, music. You may also donate CDs, vinyl records, pictures, scores, etc. For $1 each, claim any item you would like. Please bring a bag in which to take home your purchases. Remainders will be donated to a library or charity. Proceeds go to the Musical Club.</p>

Mid-Year Meeting - Feb 7, 2019

<p>Violinist Peter Winograd and pianist and Hartt faculty member David Westfall will perform the three Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano.</p><p>Admission is free but tickets are required. Call the <span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">University of Hartford Box Office</span> at (860) 768-4228 or obtain them&nbsp;in person. The Box Office located in the lobby of Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford.&nbsp; Box Office hours are Tuesday &mdash; Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. You may also <a href="https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=96682" target="_blank">purchase tickets online</a>.</p><p><span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: text; font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.8px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">All free-will contributions will benefit the Betty and Arthur Winograd Scholarship, for students studying chamber music at the Hartt Community Division. </span></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Winograd Scholarship Benefit - Feb 10, 2019

<p>Saint-Saëns&rsquo; composition <em>Une flûte invisible</em> is based on a poem by Victor Hugo. This piece will be performed by Betty Knorr, mezzo-soprano, Susan Allen, flute, and Annette Shapiro, piano. The epigraph added at the end of <em>Trio pathétique</em> by Glinka reads &quot;I knew the love only by the sorrows which it causes.&quot; The instruments sing out a torrid love affair in the first movement and declarations of agony in the third movement, engaging in a playful Scherzo in the middle and a rush to completion at the end. We&rsquo;ll hear Carolyn Bernstein, clarinet, Fran Bard, cello, and Michelle Duffy, piano. Selections from Granados&#39;s <em>Tonadillas</em> will be performed by Betty Knorr, mezzo-soprano and Nancy Robbins, piano. The songs were inspired by scenes in royal tapestries created by Francisco de Goya. Susan Allen, flute, and Carolyn Woodard, piano, will perform the first two movements from <em>Sonate pour flûte et piano</em> by the twentieth century French composer Pierre Max Dubois, and the first movement of Brahms&rsquo; Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major will be played by Lisa Kugelman, violin and Annette Shapiro, piano. Finally, John Church and 10 club members will perform an a cappella performance of Amendments 1, 8, 9, and 10 from the Bill of Rights, composed and conducted by *Neely Bruce. The elegant language of our American founders is, fittingly, set in a variety of styles that emulate the music of contemporaneous composer William Billings.</p>

Member Program - Feb 21, 2019

<p>Today&rsquo;s program will feature fiddle tunes from Appalachia performed by Ami Montstream, hammered dulcimer, *Sydney Montstream-Quas, fiddle and vocal, Andy Mayo, guitar, and Walter Mayo, bass.&nbsp; Music from Spain and South America will be played for us by Judith Handler and Mark Levesque, guitar and mandolin, and Swedish tunes are being offered by Rob Lindauer, nyckelharpa.&nbsp; Bizet composed <em>Jeux d&rsquo;enfants</em> in 1871 as a suite of miniature piano duets depicting various activities of very young children.&nbsp; Selections from this work will be performed by Colette Switaj and Diane Day.&nbsp; <em>Suite for Cello, Piano and Flute</em>, composed by Ami Montstream, will be presented by Nancy Skeele, flute, Karen Benjamin, cello, and Diane Day, piano.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Member Program - Mar 7, 2019

<p>In 1990, Evelyn Bonar Storrs made a bequest to Musical Club to establish a piano scholarship. Her will stated in part, &ldquo;I have tried to express my appreciation for the enjoyment and pleasure in having been a member of the Musical Club of Hartford...With this in mind, I have established the Evelyn Bonar Storrs Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships for talented and advanced students of piano...&rdquo;</p><p>Each year selected Storrs Scholarship recipients--college level pianists with traditional classical training--present a recital for members of the Musical Club and the general public. Come to hear these piano stars of the future.</p><p>Admission free.</p>

Storrs Scholars Piano Recital - Mar 21, 2019

<p>Piano Ensemble Day&#39;s date this year is March 24th, not the March 17th as listed in the Yearbook. Among the teams performing are Allison Platt and Maryjane Peluso performing the first movement of Mozart&#39;s D Major Sonata for Two Pianos. Houry and Jacqueline Lucine Schmeizl, a mother-daughter duo, are playing <em>Libertango</em> by Astor Piazzolla, <em>Armenian Rhapsody for Two Pianos</em> by Arno Babajanyan and Alexander Harutyunyan, as well as <em>Sabre Dance</em> by Khachaturian. The team of Dorothy Bognar and Constance Hegarty are playing Liszt&#39;s Paraphrase of &quot;Hochzeitmarsch und Elfenreigen,&quot; from Mendelssohn&#39;s <em>Midsummer Night&#39;s Dream</em>. Constance Hegarty arranged the two-piano piece from Liszt&#39;s version for one piano. Stacy Cahoon and Diane Day will be performing <em>Elégie</em> by Francis Poulenc as well as &quot;Ballet of the Unhatched Chickens&quot; and &quot;The Great Gate of Kiev&quot; from Modest Mussorgsky&#39;s <em>Pictures at an Exhibition</em>. Other teams will be joining these duo piano partners for a great afternoon of music.</p>

Piano Ensemble - Mar 24, 2019

<p>Marika Bournaki, who performs on April 11 in a Jolidon Concert Series program, is the subject of an engaging <a href="http://www.marikabournaki.com/?page_id=368" target="_blank">documentary</a> following her young student years to age 20, and her development into a brilliant performer and mature artist. Note that this film screening will take place <em>not</em> in the Sanctuary but in Fellowship Hall.</p><p><a href="http://www.marikabournaki.com/?page_id=368" target="_blank"><img src="/files/i_am_not_a_rock_star_cover.jpg"/>

Marika Bournaki Documentary: "I Am Not a Rock Star" - Apr 4, 2019

<p><a href="http://www.marikabournaki.com/" target="_blank">Marika Bournaki</a> is the subject and star of the documentary film, <a href="http://www.marikabournaki.com/?page_id=368" target="_blank"><em>I Am Not a Rock Star</em></a>, to be screened at the Club&#39;s Musical Exploration program on April 4, 2019. On April 11, she will perform a recital of works that inspired her during her development as a pianist, as well as other works. Marika will also answer questions about the documentary. She performed last year for the Club with cellist Julian Schwarz; they were very warmly received by our audience.</p><p>With unparalleled technical, musical and communication skills, Marika Bournaki is at once, a world class performer, outstanding pianist, vivacious young woman&hellip; and the freshest face on the classical music scene. Marika&rsquo;s innovative approach to her art and performance is reflected in her recent collaboration, &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s Play&rdquo;, with cutting-edge and world-renowned multimedia creative shop, Moment Factory. Her role as Ambassador to the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal&rsquo;s summer event, &ldquo;A Cool Classical Journey&rdquo; was an exceptional opportunity to explore new and exciting ways to share her music with the public. Marika not only brings distinctive interpretations to favourite standards, she also extends her passion for music by commissioning works by younger composers and collaborating with artists from various fields.</p><p><a href="http://www.marikabournaki.com/" target="_blank"><img src="/files/marika_bournaki.jpg"/>

Marika Bournaki, piano - Apr 11, 2019

<p style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in">Les Nouveaux quatours en Six Suites &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Georg Philipp Telemann <span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -48px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">(1681-1767)</span><br />Sixieme Quatuor<br /><br />1. Prélude: A discretion<br />2. Gai<br />3. Vîte<br />5. Distrait<br />6. Modéré&ndash; A Chaconne</p><p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 160px;">Susan Allen, flute Laura Mazza-Dixon, viola da gamba</p><p style="text-indent: -0.5in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 160px;">*Monika Kinstler, violin Anne Mayo, harpischord<br /><br />&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-top: 0.08in; margin-bottom: 0in">Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K.331/300i &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; W. A. Mozart&nbsp;<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">(1756-1791)</span><br />Adapted For Two Clarinets by Jay Arnold</p><p style="margin-top: 0.08in; margin-bottom: 0in">1. Andante Grazioso<br />Variations</p><p style="margin-top: 0.08in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 120px;">Alan Kennedy, clarinet David Cohen, clarinet</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Liederkreis<i>,</i> Opus 24, nos. 1 to 5 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Robert Schumann&nbsp;<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">(1810-1856)</span><br /><br />Morgens steh&rsquo; ich auf und frage<br />Es treibt mich hin<br />Ich wandelte unter den Bäumen<br />Lieb&rsquo; Liebchen<br />Schöne Wiege meiner Leide</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 120px;">Laura Cook, mezzo-soprano Mei-Tsen Chen, Piano</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Frédéric Chopin&nbsp;<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: sans-serif,Arial,Verdana,&quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 48px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">(1810-1849)</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 120px;">Sandra Ann Craig, Piano</p>

Member Program - Apr 25, 2019

<p>Sign up at the April programs or reserve by mail. Details in the Spring Bulletin</p>

Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon - May 2, 2019

<p>Most (but not all) Musical Club of Hartford events take place at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT (between Ridgewood and Mountain Roads). Location information is given at the bottom of each event description.</p><p>​<a target="_blank" href="http://musicalclubhartford.org/files/performance_index_2022.pdf" alt="Current Performance Index" class="on">Current Performance Index</a>​<br></p>

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