Mistral brings its 27th season to a close with a far-flung musical journey that unites winds and strings in a program of high jinks and charm, spanning the globe from Hungary to Italy to America!
Artistic Director Julie Scolnik remarked, “This is a fun, extremely varied program whose works were chosen for their far-ranging instrumentations, nationalities, and styles. A few of the offerings will be single movements from larger works, a format that allows listeners to sample a greater variety during a single concert. A potpourri of sorts that includes a trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, and nonet!
Ernst von Dohnányi’s Sextet, for the unusual combination of clarinet, horn, string trio, and piano, dates from 1935, a period when the composer was riddled with bouts of serious illness. Only the Finale will be performed on this concert —the entire piece is long, 30 minutes of music cast into four very almost Brahmsian movements. But it is full of idiosyncratic twists – Sly wit and boisterous fun are key parts of this music, certain parts sounding like Gershwin, featuring a playful waltz that adds a touch of Mahlerian eccentricity and concludes with a bold and spirited flair.
Richard Strauss‘s tone poem, Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, vividly portrays the mischievous exploits of the legendary German folk hero Till Eulenspiegel, a trickster figure known for his clever and playful antics. Strauss masterfully brings his misadventures to life through whimsical melodies and harmonies in this iconic composition in a beautiful chamber arrangement.
Paul Schoenfield is an American composer known for his eclectic and engaging musical style that blends classical, jazz, and folk influences. The infectiously fun single movement we’ll offer from his Trio for Piano, Clarinet, and Violin is filled with these elements. You’ll be dancing in the aisles!
The program comes to a close with a rarely–played nonet by Samuel Coleridge Taylor, a pioneering Afro-British composer and conductor who achieved international acclaim for his compositions despite facing extreme racial challenges of his time. His Nonet, subtitled by the composer Gradus ad Parnassum, written in 1894 for four winds, four strings, and piano, boasts an almost orchestral richness. While the influence of Dvořák, whom Coleridge-Taylor deeply admired, is discernible, the work sustains a distinctive and individual style throughout. All nine artists return to the stage to bring this gem to life!
The nine-artist roster of performers will include three Boston Symphony members: cellist Owen Young, violist Danny Kim, and hornist Rachel Childers; two Ukrainian artists: violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv and pianist Alexander Polykov; bassoonist Sam Childers, and Mistral members clarinetist Todd Palmer, artistic director/flutist Julie Scolnik, and longtime Mistral bassist Donald Palma.
Dohnanyi: Sextet for winds, strings, & piano IV Allegro vivace, giocoso.
Gambaro: Wind Quartet No. 2
Schoenfield: Trio for clarinet, violin, piano– 1. Freylakh
Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, & bass
Samuel Coleridge Taylor: Nonet for winds & strings
Tickets: $40. Subscription rate: $35. Group and student rush tickets are available. Buy securely online and print–at–home at www.MistralMusic.org or e-mail sales@MistralMusic.org or call 978.474.6222
