The Lenfest Center for the Arts
Marlbrook Chamber Players The American Spirit
Marlbrook Chamber Players present music of America highlighting Café Music by Paul Schoenfield. This vaudevillian piano trio is thought to be inspired by the time Schoenfield spent playing dinner music at a steak house in Minneapolis, and he says of the piece, "My intention was to write a kind of high-class dinner music-music which could be played at a restaurant, but might also (just barely) find its way into a concert hall." The work is playful and fun with inventive melodies and infectious energy-a work that feels familiar somehow, even when heard the first time. The works chosen feature American composers who used the musical language and sound of the new world in their compositions. Enjoy the influence of jazz, the landscapes of the Appalachians and the dance halls of the Northwest in these seldom performed works; check the website for more information. The program is free and open to the public.
The Marlbrook Chamber Players feature Jaime Letourneau, violin; Tim Gaylard, piano; Julia Goudimova, cello; Paula Zimmerman, violin; Cynthia Penne, viola; and Gregory Parker, baritone. Evening works include Paul Schoenfield, “Café Music for Piano Trio” (1986); Elliot Carter, “Three Poems of Robert Frost”; George Gershwin Impromptu in Two Keys (1929) “Jazzbo Brown Blues” from Porgy and Bess (1935) and Mark O’Connor, “String Quartet No. 1.” Three Masters not to miss!
Program:
George Gershwin (1898 - 1937)
Tim Gaylard, piano
Paul Schoenfield b. 1947: Cafe Music for Piano Trio (1986)
Allegro
Andante Moderato
Presto
Jaime Letourneau, violin
Julia Goudimova, cello
Tim Gaylard, piano
Elliot Carter (1908 - 2012): Three Poems of Robert Frost (1975)
Dust of Snow
The Rose Family
The Line Gang
Dr. Gregory Parker, baritone
Tim Gaylard, piano
Mark O'Connor (b. 1961): String Quartet No. 1 (1990)
I Fast and Cheerful
II Slow, tempo rubato
III Slow, tranquil
IV Fast
Jaime Letourneau, violin
Paula Zimmerman, violin
Cynthia Penne, viola
Julia Goudimova, cello