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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Jupiter 2019 - 2020 Season
20 Mondays at 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

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Concert Venue:
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway), New York

“one of the most refined and intelligent church spaces in New York” ~ The New York Times Built in 1893 by Josiah Cleveland Cady, architect of the old Metropolitan Opera House and the American Museum of Natural History

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JUPITER SYMPHONY
155 West 68th Street, Suite 319
New York, NY 10023
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(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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Jupiter in the News

ConcertoNet
“knocked the socks off this listener...It was wondrous chamber music. And the three artists gave it the deserving excitement, volition and imagination.” 
Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet   more...

“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, October 21, 2pm & 7:30pm 
Formidable
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)

Do-Hyun Kim piano
First Prize winner at the 2017 Young Concert Artists Auditions and Kukmin Daily Piano Competition in South Korea, and a winner at the Vendome competition in Switzerland and Cleveland Institute’s Concerto Competitions ~ he will make his recital debuts in the YCA Series at Merkin Hall and the Kennedy Center this season

Asi Matathias violin
Protégé of Pinchas Zukerman, already recognized as one of the most talented musicians of his generation. He made his debut at the age of fourteen with the Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta, displaying a musical maturity and inspiration far beyond his years.

Vincent d’INDY Sextet in B^b Major Op. 92
  ~ in the form of a Suite, youthful in spirit, bright and gay, and containing some of the most lyrical and sensuous music he ever wrote ~ composed at the age of 76

Although almost forgotten today, d’Indy was a major influence on the generation of French musicians who preceded Impressionism. Born in Paris into a family of rich Catholic aristocrats, the composer-pedagogue could trace his ancestry back to Henry IV. As a child he was passionate about the military, so much so that when the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870, he enlisted in the National Guard at age 19. After the war he entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1872, studying with César Franck, who inspired him. In 1873 he met Liszt and Brahms in Germany; in 1875 he was the prompter for the premiere of Bizet’s Carmen; and in 1884 he was the choirmaster for a production of Wagner’s Lohengrin. In 1894 he, together with organist Alexander Guilmant and conductor Charles Bordes, founded the Schola Cantorum, where he taught until his death in 1931. As a counterbalance to his alma mater, the Paris Conservatoire, and its emphasis on opera, d’Indy’s curriculum focused on the study of the Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and works of the late Baroque and early Classical periods. Among his many students were Isaac Albéniz, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, and, for a few months in 1920, Cole Porter.

Maurice RAVEL  Kaddish
  ~ one of two songs—“Deux mélodies hébraïques”— from part of the Kaddish, a hymn of praises to God in Jewish prayer services commissioned and premiered in June 1914  by Alvina Alvi, a soprano with the St. Petersburg Opera, with Ravel at the piano ~ transcribed for violin and piano by Lucien Garbank

Darius MILHAUD  La Creation du Monde Op. 81b
  ~ based on African folk mythology and influenced by jazz he heard on the streets of Harlem, the piano quintet was transcribed by the composer himself from the original for 18 instruments, at the suggestion of friends

Commissioned by the Ballet suédois, the innovative ballet music in 5 movements is a remarkable example of the utilization of early jazz in Classical music, of the infusion of African roots into French music. In his day, it was a succès de scandale.

Ernest CHAUSSON  Piano Quartet in A Major Op. 30
  ~ the dynamic, luminous masterpiece is cyclic in form, with infectious vitality and undeniable force

Chausson (1855–1899) earned a law degree upon his father’s insistence before he studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where his teachers were Jules Massenet and Cèsar Franck. He also visited Germany to hear Wagner. The New Grove Dictionary states that “Although he absorbed traditional harmony as taught at the Conservatoire, Chausson was clearly influenced by Wagner and ‘Franckism’.... Indeed, Chausson was to become...one of the most prominent and influential members of the Franck circle...[and a] Wagnerian....” He later developed his own sumptuous late-Romantic style, which influenced Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré, among others. His Piano Quartet, written in 5 weeks, was fully appreciated at its premiere on 2 April 1898 at the National Society of Music in Paris. Tragically, he died 18 months later at the age of 44 from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident.

Jupiter Players on this program:

Lisa Shihoten violin
Honored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and winner of the Menuhin and Paganini violin competitions

Ayane Kozasa viola
Winner of the 2011 Primrose, 2012 Astral & Irving Klein competitions ~ hailed for her “magnetic, wide-ranging tone” and “rock solid technique” Philadelphia Inquirer

Charles Galante viola
Recipient of the 2018 Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award and the 2017 Maurice Schwarz Viola Prize ~ He has collaborated in concert with the Silk Road Ensemble, Frans Helmerson, Colin Carr, and others ~ “absolute beauty, musicianship and integrity” yourobservor

Christine Lamprea cello
First Prize winner of the Sphinx and Schadt competitions, winner of the 2013 Astral Artists’ Auditions and recipient of an award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts ~ praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for her “supreme panache and charmingly effortless phrasing”

Anne Richardson cello
Won first prize in both the Juilliard and Pre-College Concerto competitions, the Strings Music Festival, Louisville Orchestra, and BAMSO competitions ~ featured twice on NPR’s From the Top

Monday, October 28, 2pm & 7:30pm 
Fame in Spain
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)

Michael Brown piano
Recipient of the 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, winner of the Concert Artists Guild, Gina Bachauer, and Juilliard Concerto competitions ~ “a young piano visionary” The New York Times

Elizabeth Fayette violin
Prizewinner in the 2013 Ima Hogg Competition ~ Second Prize winner in the Young Concert Artists Auditions, awarded the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia Career Grant ~ praised by The New York Times for her “alluring, lustrous sound and seasoned virtuosity”

Juan Crisóstomo ARRIAGA  String Quartet No. 2 in A Major
  ~ reveals his inventiveness and artistry in counterpoint ~ his teacher François-Joseph Fétis called him a genius and declared of his 3 String Quartets, written at age 16, “It is impossible to find anything more original, nor purer, or more correctly written”

Known as the “Spanish Mozart,” the precocious Basque composer was born in Bilbao in 1806 and soon became renowned in the city’s musical circles. By age 10, he was playing 2nd violin in a professional string quartet and had written an Octet for string quartet, bass, trumpet, guitar, and piano. His first opera, Los Esclavos Felices (“The Happy Slaves”), was written at age 13 and received considerable local success. Recognizing his extraordinary talent, his parents sent him to the Paris Conservatoire in 1821 at age 16. He studied violin with Baillot and composition with Fétis, the well-known music historian. Fétis later reported that Arriaga mastered harmony in three months and counterpoint in under two years. By 1824, at age 18, Arriaga was appointed to teach harmony and counterpoint at the Conservatoire. Ten days before his 20th birthday he died from exhaustion and a pulmonary infection.

Louise Pauline Marie HÉRITTE-VIARDOT  “Spanish” Piano Quartet No. 2 Op. 11
  ~ filled with brilliantly intricate Spanish rhythms and themes, each of its 4 movements reflecting the mood of its title—a sparkling Paseo (a classical Spanish dance characterized by a walking step), Caña (a sad song), Serenada (a romantic and lovely melody), and a whirling Divertimento to end the colorful quartet in a fiery manner

Louise (1841–1918), born in Paris, was the daughter of the famous French mezzo-soprano of Spanish origin, Pauline Viardot; her aunt (Pauline’s sister) was the even more famous contralto and soprano singer Maria Malibran. Louise’s sister, Marianne, was for a time engaged to Gabriel Fauré. Pauline taught her to sing, but her less than robust health prevented her from having a big career. The family home drew every musician of distinction in its day, and Louise probably rubbed shoulders with the likes of Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Franck, and Lalo, to name a few. She was an outstanding pianist, became a teacher and composer, and taught singing in Saint Petersburg, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, and Heidelberg. As a composer, she wrote in virtually every genre, including some four string quartets, three piano quartets, two piano trios, and several instrumental sonatas.

Joaquín TURINA  Scene Andalouse
  ~ infused with the rhythms of Andalusia and capturing the moods of the Spanish countryside, the solo viola plays the role of the lover meeting his beloved ~ with string quartet and piano

Ernesto HALFFTER  Trois Homenajes Op. 49
  ~ his last work, comprising 3 pieces for solo piano paying tribute to the Spanish composers Joaquín Turina, Federico Mompou, and Rodolfo Halffter (his brother)

Halffter, one of Spain’s leading 20th-century composers, was born in Madrid in 1905 and studied at the city’s German school. When he was a small boy, he composed pieces for the piano and later studied harmony with Francisco Esbrí and piano with Fernando Ember. His style is refined and clearly neoclassical. At age 13, he started to compose music for the piano. When a critic sent a copy of his string trio “Homenajes” to Manuel de Falla, this gesture began a long relationship that included composition lessons from Falla. His Sinfonietta (1927) is one of his earliest and best works, showing the influence of Domenico Scarlatti. In 1924 he took over the Bética de Cámara Orchestra in Seville, which was founded by Falla; and he was named Director of the Music Conservatory of Seville in 1934. During the 1960s he wrote music for movies, including Todo es posible en Granada “Everything’s Possible in Granada.” He remained active until almost 1989, the year he died.

Enrique GRANADOS  Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 49
  ~ the Catalan composer’s highly expressive, impetuous, virtuosic quintet, with hints of Moorish, gypsy, and folkloric elements

Jupiter Players on this program:

Rannveig Marta Sarc violin
A prizewinner in numerous competitions such as the Iceland Symphony Young Soloist Competition, Young Artist Competition in Zagreb and TEMSIG Slovenian Music Competition

Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt viola
Winnings include First Prize at the 2013 Banff Competition, Gold Medal and Grand Prize at the 2010 Fischoff Competition, First Prize at the Lionel Tertis Viola Competition, and top prizes at the Tokyo and Sphinx competitions ~ “she should have a great future” Tully Potter ~ Wigmore Hall ~ “lyricism that stood out...a silky tone and beautiful, supple lines” Strad Magazine

Natalie Loughran viola
A member of the Kila Quartet—a part of the Honors Program at Juilliard—and has performed extensively with the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland

Thomas Mesa cello
Winner of the 2017 Astral Artists Auditions, the 2016 Sphinx Competition, 2013 Thaviu Competition, and the 2006 Alhambra Orchestra Concerto Competition

Monday, November 11, 2pm & 7:30pm 
Artisti a Venezia
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)

Music Without Words by Italian Opera Composers

Maxim Lando piano
2020 Gilmore Young Artist, winner in the 2018 Young Concert Artists Auditions, Gold Medal at the 2017 Berliner International Competition, Gold Medal at the 2015 International Television Contest for Young Musicians in Moscow, 2nd prize at the Kissinger Klavier Olymp in Germany, winner of the 2014 Juilliard Pre-College Concerto Competition ~ “He has an ever so clear approach to the keyboard, and the molding and shaping of phrases straight from the musical angels.” Berkshire Fine Arts ~ “Lando boasts technical skill” Anthony Tommasini ~ The New York Times ~ “He was simply brilliant” Cleveland Classical

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

Cynthia Phelps viola
Principal Violist of the New York Philharmonic ~ first prizewinner of the Lionel Tertis and Washington International String competitions, and the Pro Musicis Award ~ “Not only does Cynthia Phelps produce one of the richest, deepest viola timbres in the world, she is also a superb musician.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Note: Abigel Kralik replaces Itamar Zorman for this concert

The first operas of both Rossini and Wolf-Ferrari premiered in Venice (La cambiale di matrimono at the Teatro San Moisè and Cenerentola at La Fenice, respectively); Verdi’s Ernani, Attila, Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Simon Boccanegra also premiered in Venice, all at La Fenice.

Gioachino ROSSINI  Sonata à quattro No. 1 in F Major
  ~ written at age 12, the sparkling quartet (from a set of 6, originally for strings) is a miraculous confection in glittering wrapping, revealing a child of manifest talent

Rossini, however, disparaged his juvenilia: “Six dreadful sonatas composed by me at the country estate of my friend Agostino Triossi, when I was at a most infantile age, not even having taken a lesson in accompaniment, the whole composed and copied out in three days.” Penned for his host’s instrument, the double bass, Triossi played the bass part, with his cousins on first violin and cello, and Rossini on second violin. He recalled that everyone played “like dogs.” His transcriptions for flute, clarinet, bassoon, and horn, done in 1828, enhance especially the timbres of their sunny disposition and precocious, enchanting melodies.

Giuseppe VERDI  String Quartet in E minor
  ~ After the premiere of his only piece of chamber music, Verdi said, “I don’t know whether the quartet is beautiful or ugly” and continued to fret over it for many years ~ New York Times critic Vivien Schweitzer, nonetheless, thought it to be “grandly operatic, full of soaring melodies, triumphant climaxes, lyrical interludes and rigorous contrapuntal writing”

Ermanno WOLF-FERRARI  Sinfonia da camera in B^b Major Op. 8
  ~ out of the Mendelssohn-Schumann-Brahms tradition, the unusual chamber symphony is loose-jointed, free, playful, and wonderfully rhapsodic—held together by the composer’s melodic imagination ~ for the odd scoring of piano, wind quintet, string quartet, and double bass

Born and raised in Venice, Wolf-Ferrari was throughout his life torn between the serious culture of his German father and the sunny bel canto nature of his mother, a Venetian noblewoman. He studied painting and music in Rome and Munich, then returned to Venice in 1895 without completing his final exam, and soon after met Verdi in Milan. The Sinfonia was written in 1901 at age 25, at the height of his first surge of creativity. The year before, his first published opera, Cenerentola, which premiered at the Teatro La Fenice, was a fiasco. After he revised it back in Munich, it became a hit in Bremen in 1902, and his cantata La vita nuova brought him international fame in 1903. The enthusiasm for his succeeding comic operas continued until World War I and were the most performed in the world. Before the 1930s, Wolf-Ferrari’s music, including his orchestral and chamber works, was frequently programmed and championed by Mahler and Toscanini. His popularity has since plunged drastically.

Jupiter Players on this program:

Lisa Shihoten violin
Honored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and winner of the Menuhin and Paganini violin competitions

David Requiro cello
Winner of the Naumburg, Irving Klein and Washington String competitions ~ “Requiro has everything—musicianship, poise, dazzling technique, and even that great indefinable, star quality” San Francisco Classical Voice

Nina Bernat double bass
First prize winner at the 2019 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition; recipient of the 2019 Keston MAX Fellowship

Barry Crawford flute
He plays “with steely accuracy and a superb singing tone.” Fred Kirshnit ~ New York Sun

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

Robert Nunes oboe

Gina Cuffari bassoon
Praised for her “sound that is by turns sensuous, lyric, and fast moving” Palm Beach Daily News

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

Dear Friends and Music Lovers,    As many of you already know, Jupiter is a paradise for melomaniacs. It’s a haven to wallow in beautiful melodies, superb musicians and music making, and interesting programs. There’s nary a dull moment, thanks to our brilliant artistic director, Michael Volpert.    Indeed, “The playing is top notch; the programs are full of exotica.” Richard Morrison ~ The London Times “excellent musicians in unusual programs” Anthony Tommasini ~ The New York Times “this was truly impressive music making” “One of the Best Deals in Town” “Those in the know keep coming back.” Fred Kirshnit ~ The New York Sun “bringing classical music to people in a powerful way” Cole Grissom ~ Broadway World    So do come as often as you can. And please give as much as you can to help keep Jupiter spinning its musical magic. Your financial support is truly needed.    All gifts are tax deductible.    Thank you so much,

Pencil drawing of Jens Nygaard by Michael McNamara

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.

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