March concert setIn the next set of concerts by the CMW Players, we have two special guest musicians joining us for three concerts of varying repertoire. Pianist Knut Erik Jensen, who comes from Norway, is in Providence for a two-week residency at CMW. He studied at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim and spent a number of years as a freelance musician in Norway engaged in musical project ranging from opera to klezmer before relocating to Palm Springs, CA. I met him at Banff during my sabbatical in 2010. Knut Erik joins us to play a program of two sonatas for strings and piano—the Schubert A Major Sonata for violin and piano (with Minna), and the Grieg A Minor Sonata for cello and piano (with Heath); and a program of chamber music for strings and piano featuring the one-movement Mahler piano quartet and Shostakovich's piano quintet. Also on this program are a string trio by William Stalnaker, the grandfather of CMW resident cellist Sara Stalnaker, and Bartok's Sonata for Solo Violin, played on the viola by Dimitri Murrath. Originally from Belgium, Dimitri is a rising star of the viola world, a first prize winner at the Primrose International Viola Competition, and winner of a special prize for performance of a contemporary work at the ARD Munich Competition. A former student of CMW adviser Kim Kashkashian, he serves on the faculty of the New England Conservatory and the Longy School of Music. Several intersecting themes are represented on this concert. First of all, the four pieces represent various perspectives on the 20th century, the Mahler piano quartet being the only piece written just prior, early in the composer's life. Another is that across the world, musicians are celebrating the centennial of Mahler’s death, and this piece represents one of the few chamber music pieces he composed. The Bartok sonata performance is part of a year-long CMW exploration of music by Bartok, including performances of all 44 violin duos. And finally, the Stalnaker represents a connection to CMW’s history of featuring local composers’ music on its concerts. Although the composer actually lives in Portland, Oregon, we feel that his granddaughter’s long tenure at CMW make him an honorary Providencian! Find the details for these three concerts here. -Sebastian Ruth, Founder & Artistic Director |
