Olympic Music Festival: Russian Treasures
Free
Anton Arensky — String Quartet No. 2 in A minor for violin viola & 2 cellos Op. 35
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Souvenir de Florence Op. 70
Jennifer Frautschi, violin
Sophia Stoyanovich, violin
Bethany Hargreaves, viola
Dimitri Murrath, viola
Kelcey Howell, cello
Matthew Zalkind, cello
Alfred Schnittke – Moz-Art à la Haydn for 2 violins
Anton Arensky – String Quartet No. 2 in A minor for violin, viola, and 2 cellos, Op. 35
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – String Sextet in D minor, Op. 70 "Souvenir de Florence"
From six instruments down to just two, Russian composers have had an unusual ability to create dimension and power resembling an orchestra while confined to the personnel of a chamber music setting. Alfred Schnittke’s Moz-Art from 1976 is a Picasso-like pastiche on themes by Mozart with some unexpected directions to the performers. With darker colors similar to Franz Schubert’s String Quintet with two cellos, Arensky’s unconventional work explores themes from the Russian orthodox church with unforgettable sounds. Tchaikovsky’s "Souvenir de Florence" is one of the great masterworks of Russian chamber music with melodies reminiscent of his most famous ballets and symphonies. Violinist Jennifer Frautschi makes her festival debut.
Enjoy commentary from the festival artists and 2021 Olympic Chamber Music Fellows about the compositions on the program and the behind-the-scenes insights about rehearsing these incredible compositions.
The livestream will take place at 7:30pm Pacific.
Virtual concerts continue to be offered free online. Link provided on concert date. Check here for updates: https://www.olympicmusicfestival.org/2021-summer-season/russian-treasures
Link to donate: https://www.olympicmusicfestival.org/support-omf