Olympic Music Festival: La Belle Époque
Free
Ernest Chausson — Piano Quartet in A major Op. 30
Gabriel Fauré — Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor Op. 15
Jennifer Frautschi, violin
Sophia Stoyanovich, violin
Bethany Hargreaves, viola
Dimitri Murrath, viola
Kelcey Howell, cello
Matthew Zalkind, cello
Julio Elizalde, piano
Chelsea Wang, piano
Maurice Ravel, arr. Graban – La valse
Ernest Chausson – Piano Quartet in A major, Op. 30
Gabriel Fauré – Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15
La Belle Époque was a period of time in late 19th century and early 20th century France overflowing with optimism, prosperity, and astonishing artistic beauty. These three works capture that spirit beginning with Maurice Ravel’s exploration of the Viennese waltz as seen through an impressionistic lens in La valse. Ernest Chausson is most famous for his ravishing Poeme for violin and orchestra but his piano quartet is a hidden gem in French chamber music with intoxicating lyricism. Gabriel Fauré is seen as a critical link between the elegant romanticism of Camille Saint-Saëns and the groundbreaking explorations of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. His first piano quartet is a perfect snapshot in time as French composers were beginning to experiment with more exotic colors and a wider range of emotion.
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 5pm 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/la-belle-epoque
Link to donate: https://www.olympicmusicfestival.org/support-omf