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Join Us For Our 2025-2026 Season! |
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Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players “This was music-making of a very high order” Fred Kirshnit, The New York Sun |
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View Our Printable Calendar and Ticket Order Form (pdf) Take a look at our guest artists for this season. |
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Join us for our next concerts...
Monday, December 15 ♦ 2 PM & 7:30 PM Tickets: $25, $17 ~ Reservations advised Janice Carissa piano Stefan Jackiw violin Ani Aznavoorian cello Vadim Lando clarinet Yoonah Kim clarinet Gina Cuffari bassoon Eleni Katz bassoon Karl Kramer horn Vera Romero horn Johann Sebastian BACH Chaconne BWV 1004 The Chaconne is thought to have been composed in mourning after the death of his wife Barbara Maria. He wrote it while employed at the court in Cöthen, during a period of great freedom and creativity. When Brahms stumbled on the stunning piece in 1877, he told Clara Schumann in a letter, “On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind.” Brahms also transcribed it for piano left-hand. After Bach’s death, the Chaconne lay dormant until 14 February 1840, when the virtuoso violinist Ferdinand David gave its first public performance in Leipzig, with Mendelssohn improvising a piano accompaniment. A review of the event in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung described Mendelssohn’s part as a free realization of the harmony, contrapuntal in design. Schumann, who was present at the 1840 concert, wrote his own piano accompaniment for the Chaconne and for all 6 of the Bach sonatas and partitas (published in 1854). Brahms’s arrangement of the Chaconne was preceded by at least 3 other solo piano arrangements, including one by Joachim Raff. These accompaniments and arrangements shed light on how 19th century composers viewed Bach (i.e. through the lens of Mendelssohn, Schumann, and others) and showed that they approached him with reverence. This contributed to Bach’s revival as well. Johann Christian BACH Sinfonia No. 6 in Bb Major W.Blnc12 From his set of 6 little symphonies for 2 clarinets, 2 horns, and 2 bassoons, the Sinfonia is closer in form to a notturno or serenade. They are among JC’s finest wind music and last published works, and are considered a turning point in the history of early wind literature. “His style, which was largely derived from Italian opera, was the most important single influence on Mozart, and rested on a foundation of excellent craftsmanship, graceful melody and a fine sense of form, texture and colour [New Grove Dictionary].” Born in Leipzig in 1735, JC was the youngest son and the 10th of 12 children born to Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena Bach. He was taught by his father and his brother Carl Philipp Emanuel. In 1754 he went to Italy and studied with Padre Martini in Bologna, converted to Catholicism, and became one of two organists at the Cathedral of Milan in 1760. In 1762 he became composer to the King’s Theatre in London and wrote a number of successful Italian operas for it. He also composed much orchestral, chamber, and keyboard pieces, and a few cantatas. By March 1763 he enjoyed royal favor and patronage as well—he was appointed Music Master to Queen Charlotte. In 1764 he, together with the celebrated viola da gamba virtuoso Carl Friedrich Abel, organized the prestigious “Bach–Abel Concerts” which were important to the development of London’s musical life. The public series of concerts for high society were England’s first subscription concerts and lasted for over two decades. The programs featured a diverse range of works, including those by Bach, Abel, and other composers like Haydn. Among his many commissions, JC was invited to write an opera for the German elector at Mannheim in 1772, and another for the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris in 1778. By 1781, the Bach–Abel concerts had declined in popularity, his music was no longer in demand, and he was in serious financial straits as his housekeeper had forged receipts for over £1000 and absconded with the money. When he died, JC’s debts amounted to £4000. The Queen helped to meet immediate expenses and enable his wife Cecilia Bach to return to her native Italy in the summer of 1782. His death on 1 January 1782 at age 46 was noted by Mozart as “a loss to the musical world.” JC is sometimes referred to as the “London Bach” or the “English Bach” for his time spent living in London, where he came to be known as John Bach. BEETHOVEN Wind Sextet in Eb Major Op 71 Its first performance garnered a glowing review that appeared in the 15 May 1805 issue of Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, Europe’s music journal of record during Beethoven’s day. The critic reported, “Great pleasure was given by a beautiful Sextet in E flat by Beethoven, a composition which shines magnificently by reason of its high-spirited melodies, original harmonies and an abundance of new and surprising ideas.” Beethoven claimed to have written it in a single night; however, the sketches suggest a longer period. The first two movements were probably written before 1796, and the Sextet was published by Breitkopf and Härtel in 1810. In his Beethoven Compendium, Barry Cooper provided some clarification: “Already by 1809 Beethoven could write rather apologetically to Breitkopf & Härtel that ‘the sextet…is one of my early works and, what is more, was composed in one night — All that one can really say about it is that it was written by a composer who has produced at any rate a few better works — Yet some people think that works of that type are the best.’ The work was certainly not written in such a short time but Beethoven’s attempt to belittle it in this way is significant…. Admittedly, the chamber works for winds do not represent Beethoven’s finest or most important music; but…these chamber works provided a safe forum for the development of Beethoven’s personal style.” What Bach meant to Beethoven Beethoven revered Bach and studied his music. To him, Bach was “the immortal god of harmony.” His childhood teacher, Christian Gottlob Neefe, recognized Beethoven’s prodigious talent and introduced him to the works of Bach (particularly the Well-Tempered Clavier), CPE Bach, and Mozart. In a prophetic notice in the March 1783 issue of Cramer’s Magazin der Muzik, Neefe described Beethoven as “a boy of eleven years and of most promising talent. He plays the clavier very skillfully and with power, reads at sight very well, and—to put it in a nutshell—he plays chiefly The Well-Tempered Clavier of Sebastian Bach, which Herr Neefe put into his hands. Whoever knows this collection of preludes and fugues in all the keys—which might almost be called the non plus ultra of our art—will know what this means…. He would surely become the second Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were he to continue as he has begun [The Beethoven Companion].” Shortly after Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792, he was invited to Baron Gottfried van Swieten’s musical gatherings, where he perused his host’s library of early music. It wasn’t long before he began acquiring manuscript copies of Bach’s works and purchased published editions. Bach’s influence is also evident in Beethoven’s compositions—he incorporated fugues and contrapuntal elements in his later sonatas and string quartets, and his Diabelli Variations drew inspiration from Bach’s variations. As his hearing declined, he admitted in his diary that he reflected on the “portraits of Handel, Bach, Gluck, Mozart, and Haydn in my room—they can promote my capacity for endurance.” Robert SCHUMANN Adagio and Allegro in Ab Major Op. 70 Originally written for horn and piano and entitled Romanze, the duet was also issued with an alternative part for cello. Delighted with what he heard at a rehearsal, Schumann admitted enthusiastically that he “had had fun with it.” His wife Clara’s response was euphoric: “The piece is splendid, fresh and passionate, just as I like it!” Clara premiered it with Julius Schlitterlau, first horn in the Dresden Orchestra. What Bach meant to Schumann Bach exerted a profound influence on Schumann throughout his life. He once stated, “What art owes to Bach is to the musical world hardly less than what a religion owes to its founder.” He considered Bach his teacher. In his student days while studying law in Leipzig, he discussed Bach with his friends. He admired Bach’s mastery of counterpoint (the fugues, in particular) and studied his works to improve his own compositional technique. Clara recorded that 9 days after their marriage, they studied together the fugues from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. They also jointly studied Beethoven, Mozart, and Hadyn. Among Schumann’s compositions that reveal Bach’s influence are his 6 organ fugues on the B-A-C-H motif and Piano Quintet in Eb Major in its fugal finale. His Album for the Young also reflects Bach’s Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach in its teaching of musical fundamentals. Felix MENDELSSOHN Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor Op. 49 Schumann, after hearing the Piano Trio, declared it the “master trio of our time,” stating that “Mendelssohn is the Mozart of the nineteenth century, the most illuminating of musicians.” It premiered on 1 February 1840 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus with violinist Ferdinand David, cellist Franz Karl Witmann, and Mendelssohn at the piano. Program annotator James Keller deemed the Trio “as great a masterpiece as Schumann proclaimed it to be. It offers abundant, arching melodies of Italianate, bel canto inspiration, proclaimed with luxuriant sonorities, often introduced in the tenorial tones of the cello. The minor mode provides a sense of depth that can be useful reigning in Mendelssohn’s native exuberance.… As one might expect, the piano part is brilliant.… After the premiere, Mendelssohn revised the piano part somewhat, incorporating certain new keyboard tricks associated with Chopin and Liszt.” What Bach meant to Mendelssohn Among the composers that influenced Felix Mendelssohn was Bach. His love of counterpoint came from Bach and is evident in his disposition toward thick, contrapuntal textures and his inclination to write fugues and canons. The Mendelssohn household’s deep appreciation for Bach’s music was fostered by Sara Levy—Felix’s great-aunt, who was a salonnière, harpsichord virtuoso, and patron of Bach’s sons (she studied with Wilhelm Friedemann and commissioned music from Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emmanuel). Levy was the catalyst in reviving Bach’s music, led by Felix. On 11 March 1829, at the Singakademie in Berlin, Mendelssohn conducted the first performance since Bach’s death of the St. Matthew Passion, which inaugurated the Bach revival of the 19th century. |
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Monday, January 5 ♦ 2 PM & 7:30 PM Tickets: $25, $17 ~ Reservations advised William Wolfram piano Geneva Lewis violin Hina Khuong-Huu violin Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt viola Gaeun Kim cello Vadim Lando clarinet TCHAIKOVSKY Valse–Scherzo Op. 34 Originally for violin and orchestra, the Valse–Scherzo was composed for and dedicated to violinist Yosif Kotek, whom Tchaikovsky had taught at the Moscow Conservatory and with whom he had an intimate relationship. Kotek noted that “this shall be a piece to impress everybody.” It has, and continues to do so. France hosted its first performance in conjunction with the Paris World Exposition on 20 September 1878 at a Russian Symphony Concert in Trocadero Hall, with the Polish violinist Stanisław Barcewicz as soloist and conductor Nikolai Rubinstein. The arrangement for violin and piano is by Tchaikovsky. Aram KHACHATURIAN Trio An early work, the Trio was written at age 29 while at the Moscow Conservatory studying with Nikolai Myaskovsky. As it so happened, Prokofiev heard it in Myaskovsky’s composition class. He had rented an apartment in Moscow while still living in Paris, and was in the city to look for promising new compositions in the Soviet Union. In the interest of fostering cultural exchange between the Soviet Union and France, Prokofiev was given the task of promoting recent work of young Soviet composers abroad. Thus, through Prokofiev’s recommendation, the first performance of the Trio took place at the Société Triton in Paris. The Triton, dedicated to performances of new chamber music, was founded by the composer Pierre-Octave Ferroud in 1932. Prokofiev was one of the executive committee members, and the European premiere of his own Sonata for Two Violins was presented by Triton as well. Khachaturian was one of the 3 top composers of the Soviet Union, and won 4 Stalin prizes, one Lenin prize, a USSR State Prize, and the title of “Hero of Socialist Labor.” Born in 1903 in Tbilisi, Georgia to an Armenian family, his first musical experiences were the folk songs of his mother and of his hometown—“I was brought up surrounded by rich folklore. This is how my way of thinking was born.” A late starter, his music education began at the age of 22 at the Gnessin State Musical and Pedagogical Institute and continued at the Moscow Conservatory, where he excelled in his studies (from 1951 he became a professor at both schools). As a young composer, he was influenced by Ravel, and later by the folk traditions of Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. In 1948, along with Prokofiev and Shostakovich, Khachaturian was denounced under the Zhdanov Doctrine for bourgeois tendencies in his music. Forced to apologize publicly, his guilt was merely by association as his nationally-tinged musical idiom was a far cry from any modernistic excess. After Stalin’s death in 1953, he was the first among prominent musicians to appeal for fewer bureaucratic restraints and greater creative freedom. In 1954 he was named People’s Artist of the USSR. He composed in almost all genres and forms: ballets, concertos, symphonies, orchestral works, songs, film and incidental music, and pedagogical works. His most popular hit is the “Sabre Dance” from the ballet Gayane—recognizable worldwide. The New Grove Dictionary states that “Khachaturian’s successful career represents the fulfillment of a basic Soviet arts policy: the interpenetration of regional folklorism and the great Russian tradition. His native Armenian (and, in a wider sense, trans-Caucasian) heritage is reflected in his languid melodies, stirring rhythms and the pulsating vitality of his musical idiom; but his imagination was disciplined by an academicism based on Rimsky-Korsakov…. Whenever he used folklore he reshaped it in a personal way…. He represented socialist realism at its best.” Khachaturian died in Moscow in 1978, but is buried in Yerevan, Armenia. Sergei PROKOFIEV Sonata in C Major for Two Violins Op. 56 Upon hearing a poorly written work for two violins, Prokofiev produced his own Sonata as a commission piece to conclude the inaugural concert of Triton, a society in Paris dedicated to presenting new chamber music. The Sonata, in four movements of two-part counterpoint, is a mercurial mix of lyricism and sharp-edged rhythmic and harmonic piquancy, less dissonant than most of his works of the 1920s. Sergey TANEYEV Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 30 The resplendent Quintet, as described by Cobbett’s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, is “The crowning glory of Taneyev’s chamber works with piano, permeated with profound thought and inward pathos.” Dark and densely textured, there is an abundance of soaring melodies and impassioned lyricism. Taneyev (1856–1915) came from a cultured family with aristocratic connections. He was given his first piano lessons at age 5, and from the age of 9 to 18, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory. Among his teachers were Tchaikovsky (in composition) and Nikolai Rubinstein (in piano). He became a brilliant pianist, graduating in 1875 with a gold medal in composition and performance—the first in the history of the Conservatory to achieve this honor. Taneyev became close friends with Tchaikovsky and was held in such high regard that Tchaikovsky sought and appreciated his opinions and musical suggestions. He was trusted with giving the first Russian performance of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto as well as performing as soloist for the Russian premieres of Tchaikovsky’s other works for piano and orchestra. In 1878, upon Tchaikovsky’s resignation, Taneyev was persuaded to take his teacher’s place, but he consented only to teach the harmony and orchestration classes. In 1885 he reluctantly became the Conservatory’s director. Among his pupils were Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Glière, Medtner, and Grechaninov. At his death from a heart attack in 1915, he left a large body of work including 4 symphonies, keyboard and choral works, and many chamber pieces. Taneyev has been called the “Russian Brahms” and he may also be a “Russian Bruckner.” Tchaikovsky had even dubbed him the “Russian Bach” (Bach was one of his early inspirations). |
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Jupiter 2025 - 2026 Season Tickets: $25, $17 ~ Reservation advised Please visit our Media Page to hear Audio Recordings from the Jens Nygaard and Jupiter Symphony Archive Concert Venue:
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As promised, here are the videos of John Field’s Divertissement No. 1 and Sir Hamilton Harty’s Piano Quintet. Fortuitously, our Jupiter musicians had the good sense to record the rehearsal in an impromptu decision, literally minutes before pressing the record button. Pianist Mackenzie Melemed (replacing Roman Rabinovich at the last minute) learned the music in 2 days! Bravo to him. Both works are Irish rarities that were scheduled for the March 16 performances which had to be canceled because of the coronavirus epidemic. Even though the entire program could not be recorded because of technical issues, we are pleased to be able to share with you the 2 musical gems. Enjoy. John FIELD Divertissement No. 1 H. 13 We thank the University of Illinois (Champaign) for a copy of the Divertissement music. Mackenzie Melemed piano
Sir Hamilton HARTY Piano Quintet in F Major Op. 12 Andrew Clements of the Guardian proclaimed the beautiful Quintet “a real discovery: a big, bold statement full of striking melodic ideas and intriguing harmonic shifts, which adds Brahms and Dvořák into Harty’s stylistic mix, together with Tchaikovsky in some passages.” There’s folk music charm as well, reminiscent of Percy Grainger—notably in the Scherzo (Vivace) with its folksy quirks and nonchalance, and the winding, pentatonic melody in the Lento. Our gratitude to the Queen’s University Library in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for a copy of the autograph manuscript of the music. Much thanks, too, to Connor Brown for speedily creating a printed score and parts from Harty’s manuscript. Mackenzie Melemed piano I Allegro 0:00 | |||||||
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Jupiter featured on Our Net News American program opener on March 18, with grateful thanks to Michael Shaffer of OurNetNews.com for recording the matinee concert, and making available the Horatio Parker Suite video for our viewing pleasure. Horatio Parker Suite in A Major, Op. 35, composed in 1893 Stephen Beus piano
More video from this performance can be viewed on our media page |
Jupiter on YouTube NEW YORK CANVAS : The Art of Michael McNamara is a video portrait of the artist who has painted iconic images of New York City for more than a decade, capturing the changing urban landscape of his adopted city. Our Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players provide the music from Brahms’s Piano Quartet in G Minor, underscoring the inspiration the artist has drawn from Jens Nygaard and the musicians. Michael was also our Jupiter volunteer from 2002 to 2010. Here is a video of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players performance of the Rondo alla Zingarese movement:
The producer-director, Martin Spinelli, also made the EMMY Award-winning “Life On Jupiter: The Story of Jens Nygaard, Musician.” For more information, visit our media
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“Some great musicians get a statue when they pass away. Some get their name imprinted on the roof of a well-known concert hall. But the late conductor Jens Nygaard has a living tribute: an entire ensemble of musicians and a concert series to go along with it... It is one of the city’s cultural jewels... In the end, if Mr. Nygaard was known for anything, it was unmitigated verve. That’s what the audience regularly returned for, and that’s what they got Monday afternoon. To have a grassroots community of musicians continue to celebrate Mr. Nygaard with indomitable performances like these week after week, even without the power of world-famous guest soloists, is proper tribute. And with more large orchestras and ensembles needing more corporate sponsorship year after year, I, for one, hope the Jupiter’s individual subscriber-base remains strong. New York’s musical life needs the spirit of Jens Nygaard, and Mei Ying should be proud she’s keeping it alive.” Read the complete article on our reviews page. |
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performances, except where otherwise noted, are held at: Copyright © 1999-2025 Jupiter Symphony. All rights reserved. |
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