Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players

“This was music-making of a very high order”
“at the Jupiter concerts, there is always so much about which to be enthusiastic.”
“the rarities glittered like jewels”

Fred Kirshnit, The New York Sun
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Summer 2018
3 Mondays ~ 7:30 PM

To purchase tickets ~ $25, $17, $10 
please call (212) 799-1259 or buy at the door
or e-mail admin@jupitersymphony.com

View Our Season Calendar

Concert Venue:
Christ and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Air-Conditioned ~ Handicap Accessible
120 West 69th Street (east of Broadway)
New York, NY 10023

Christ and St. Stephen’s was formed by a consolidation, in 1975, of 2 Episcopal congregations: Christ Church, organized in 1793, and St. Stephen’s, founded in 1805. In 1897 St. Stephen’s purchased the present church that had been built in 1876 as the suburban chapel of the Church of Transfiguation (“The Little Church Around the Corner”). William H. Day designed the picturesque church with its low roofline and small tower. Architect J. D. Fouquet remodeled the church at the time of acquisition. In May 2004, a portion of the ceiling collapsed, revealing evidence of the stenciling that once decorated the original walls, inspiring the church vestry to commit to a complete restoration of the interior.

Office Address:
JUPITER SYMPHONY
155 West 68th Street, Suite 319
New York, NY 10023
admin@jupitersymphony.com
(212) 799-1259

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Listen to a live recording of the Jupiter Symphony
Chamber Players from September 23, 2013
Recorded by Joseph Patrych

Roman Rabinovich piano
Xiao-Dong Wang violin
Mihai Marica cello

Antonín DVORÁK  Piano Trio No. 1 in B^b Major Op. 21
i. Allegro molto
ii. Adagio molto e mesto
iii. Allegretto scherzando
iv. Finale

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Monday, June 4 at 7:30pm 
Austro-German Gems I
Christ and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church
120 West 69th Street (east of Broadway)

Nigel Armstrong violin
Won 2nd Prize, the Ole Bull Prize, and Nordheim Award at the 2010 Menuhin Competition, Senior Division in Oslo, Norway, and 4th Prize plus the Commissioned Work Prize at the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition ~ “one of many violinists with technique to burn... but to find that depth of musicianship in a young person is very unusual.” Jeffrey Kahane ~ Los Angeles Times

Joseph KREUTZER  Grand Trio in A Major Op. 16
   ~ flute, clarinet, and guitar ~ a delightful Classical trio by the German composer— among the obscurest of the obscure

Very little is known about Kreutzer, who wrote mostly chamber music and instructive pieces for bowed strings and guitar. He was also a conductor, violinist, and guitarist. Kreutzer was born in Aachen in 1790 to a music teacher. Moving to Düsseldorf around 1805, he established himself among the leading musicians of the city. Records indicate that he taught the composer Norbert Burgmüller and was concertmaster at the local theater. He died in Düsseldorf in 1840. Although he was born 20 years after Beethoven, his music harks back to the Classical era, having the easy fluency of Mozart’s music.

SCHUBERT  String Quartet No. 11 in E Major D. 353
   ~ written at age 19, the Quartet was the eleventh and last of his early quartets and represents something of a new departure in his preference for innovative harmonies and key relationships

Franz LACHNER  String Quintet in C minor Op. 121
   ~ by Schubert’s most intimate friend in Vienna, and the most successful composer of the Schubert circle —the only one of his younger musical friends to become a musical celebrity outside Vienna

The Bavarian composer’s work was much admired: Mendelssohn was fascinated by it and Schumann called Lachner the most talented composer in southern Germany; Tchaikovsky also felt that Lachner had to be placed near the pinnacle of fine composers. Wilhelm Altmann, in his Handbook for Chamber Music Players, commented on the Quintet with 2 cellos, stating that “It cannot be denied that there is a certain greatness about it. The main theme to the opening movement...has a pleading, almost tragic quality to it. The music is superbly developed and even at one point has a magnificent fugal section. The whole thing is quite effective.” Among his pupils was Josef Rheinberger, who completed his music education with a course under Lachner at the conservatory in Munich, and who later taught Ferdinand Thieriot.

Jupiter Players on this program:

Eunae Koh violin
Second prize and chamber music prizewinner of the 2015 Michael Hill competition

Maurycy Banaszek viola
Winner of numerous violin, viola & chamber music awards

Zlatomir Fung cello
Won first prize at the 2016 Enescu and 2015 Johansen competitions, and gold medals in the 2014 Stulberg and Irving Klein Competitions

Nicholas Finch cello
Principal Cello of the Louisville Orchestra

Jordan Dodson guitar
Winner of the 2013 Astral Artists National Auditions, 2011 Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition, 2010 Indiana International Guitar Competition, and 2008 American String Teachers Association Competition ~ “One of the top young guitarists of his generation” Performance Today

Barry Crawford flute
“He is a superb flutist with a silvery tone, exquisite phrasing, and a fluid deftness in his fingering.” Southampton Press

Vadim Lando clarinet
Winner of the CMC Canada, Yale and Stonybrook competitions ~ “consistently distinguished...vibrant, precise, virtuosic playing” The New York Times

Jupiter in the News

“the performers were top notch”
“The homey church where these concerts take place, nestled on West 66th Street in the shadow of Lincoln Center, is an intimate and acoustically vibrant place for chamber music.”
Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times   more...

Strad Magazine
“A finely forthright, fluent and expressive account of Haydn's Divertimento in E-flat major opened this programme of miscellaneous chamber music in a series known for adventurous programming.”
Dennis Rooney, Strad Magazine   more...

ConcertoNet
“Mr. Nygaard’s cadenza flowed down Mozart lanes and paths, each with beautiful backgrounds. And at the very end, Mr. Nygaard brought forth that martial major theme, like an unexpected gift.” 
Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet   more...

“...the group’s efforts proved illuminating ...Brown played a lovely, subtly virtuosic cadenza for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 by Jens Nygaard, the ensemble’s founder, who died in 2001, but whose fascination with rarities continues to drive its programming”
Allan Kozinn, The New York Times   more...

Monday, July 16 at 7:30pm 
Austro-German Gems II
Christ and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church
120 West 69th Street (east of Broadway)

Danbi Um violin
Winner of the 2015 Astral Auditions and top prizewinner of the Menuhin and Michael Hill competitions

Sigismond NEUKOMM  “Schöne Minka” Quintet Op. 8
   ~ Classical in style, the clarinet quintet’s Finale comprises a set of variations on the Ukrainian folk tune “Schöne Minka,” which The Chamber Music Journal contends is better than Beethoven’s and Hummel’s

Famous during the first half of the 19th century, Neukomm’s importance is as a transitional figure between Classicism and Romanticism. He was a prolific composer, his oeuvre comprising some 1300 works. Born in Salzburg, Neukomm studied with Joseph Haydn for 7 years in Vienna, beginning in March 1797. His arrangements of numerous works by Haydn were for the most part sanctioned by the composer. They included The Creation, Il Ritorno di Tobia, The Seasons, and Arianna a Naxos. Between mid-November 1808 and February 1809 he visited Haydn every day.

Ferdinand THIERIOT  (1838-1919) String Sextet in D Major
   ~ a splendid work of great charm and Brahmsian warmth and richness

The North German composer, cellist, teacher, and choral conductor was a pupil of Eduard Marxsen, who also taught Brahms in Hamburg, and of Josef Rheinberger in Munich. He performed as a soloist and as a member of several prominent string quartets. Brahms became a friend and recommended him for the position of Artistic Director of the Steiermärkischer Musikverein in Graz (1870-1885). After World War II, Thieriot’s archive (including the manuscripts) was taken to Leningrad, where the String Sextet was rescued when it was found floating in a flooded basement.

BRAHMS  String Quintet No. 1 in F Major “Spring” Op. 88
   ~ “he described this joyous “Viola Quintet” to Clara Schumann as “one of my finest works” and told his publisher, “You have never before had such a beautiful work from me.”

Monday, June 25 at 7:30pm 
Vive la France
Christ and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church
120 West 69th Street (east of Broadway)

Abigel Kralik violin
Won the first and grand prize at the 2010 Koncz János competition and first prize at the 2012 Talents for Europe competition in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia

André-Frédéric ELER  Horn Quartet Op. 1
   ~ dedicated to Frédéric Duvernoy, the innovative leading horn player of his day

Born in Alsace in 1764, Eler moved to Paris early in his career. When the Paris Conservatoire was formed in 1795, he served as its first librarian for two years, and subsequently taught at different times accompaniment, solfège, vocal training, and counterpoint and fugue until his death in 1821. During this period, he wrote numerous pieces which were performed by the students there. The New Grove Dictionary notes, “Eler’s music demonstrates a solid technique characterized by pure and ‘correct’ harmonies...somewhat Classical melodies, and an interest in counterpoint unusually great among his French contemporaries.... Though he was interested in opera, and wrote well-orchestrated stage works with a good sense of drama, he had little success in the genre.... He also wrote much interesting chamber music, at a time when the genre was little cultivated in France, as well as orchestral pieces, vocal canons and a few works for the Revolutionary cause.”

George ONSLOW  String Quintet No. 30 in E minor Op. 74
   ~ rich in melodies, the Quintet with 2 cellos straddles Classical and Romantic conventions

Franglais son of the English Lord Edward Onslow and noble French woman Marie-Rosalie de Bourdeilles, Onslow lived his entire life in France. He won the prestigious directorship of the Académie des Beaux-Arts over Berlioz, who remarked, “Since Beethoven’s death, he wields the scepter of instrumental music.” Indeed, Onslow’s work was admired by Beethoven and Schubert, and Schumann and Mendelssohn regarded his chamber music on a par with that of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. His 36 string quartets and 34 string quintets were, during his own lifetime and up to the end of the 19th century, held in the highest regard, particularly in Germany, Austria, and England, where he was regularly placed in the front rank of composers. Publishers such as Breitkopf & Härtel and Kistner were among many that competed to market his music.

Camille SAINT-SAËNS  String Quartet No. 1 in E minor Op. 112
   ~ described as “almost otherworldly” and “poetical,” this masterpiece exudes wisdom, melancholy, and grandeur, and includes a lively scherzo with variations on a Breton folk song

Late in life, at the age of 64, Saint-Saëns wrote his first String Quartet, which he dedicated to the violin virtuoso, Eugène Ysaÿe, who premiered it at the Concerts Colonne on 21 December 1899.

Jupiter Players on this program:

Adelya Nartadjieva violin
“outstanding enough to grace the stages of the world’s great orchestras” Singapore Straits Times ~ she has performed extensively throughout Asia, Europe, Russia, and the U.S.

Maurycy Banaszek viola
Winner of numerous violin, viola & chamber music awards

Zlatomir Fung cello
Won first prize at the 2016 Enescu and 2015 Johansen competitions, and gold medals in the 2014 Stulberg and Irving Klein Competitions

Karl Kramer horn
Winner of the 1997 and 1999 American Horn competitions ~ “a prominent, perilously chromatic horn line, which Karl Kramer played beautifully.” The New York Times

see our calendar for more information...

Dear Friends and Music Lovers,

   Why not make stargazing a habit at Jupiter—a stellar lineup awaits you.
   Violinist Vadim Gluzman will launch the season with a Big Bang. Our other Stars will shine brightly, too, both familiar and new.
   Marvels galore are in the wings by famous composers—Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms—as well as the neglected and obscure who had huge reputations in their day—Eduard Franck, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Johann Kalliwoda, Karol Kurpinski, and others. They have not faded in our galaxy and will create quite a spectacle.
   We’ll keep you starstruck all season long ~
    Now, what happens when an asteroid hits Planet Jupiter? It probably explodes, likely without leaving a scar. Jupiter on Earth has no “protective” layer around it, but depends on Your Support to survive. So please help if you can can. Your gifts are greatly appreciated. All gifts are tax deductible.

Thank you so much,

Why the name Jupiter: When Jens Nygaard named his orchestra Jupiter, he had the beautiful, gaseous planet in mind—unattainable but worth the effort, like reaching musical perfection. Many, indeed, were privileged and fortunate to hear his music making that was truly Out of This World. Our Players today seek to attain that stellar quality.

Take a look at our guest artists for this season.
Find out more about the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.