A Living Tribute to Jens Nygaard: Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players... It's Out of This World

A chamber music series to acknowledge and perpetuate the legacy of conductor Jens Nygaard, continuing a marvelous journey through the universe of music that includes works from the standard repertoire and the rarely-performed, and featuring outstanding musicians.

Join Us For Our 2023-2024 Season!

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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Greetings!

    We are delighted to have the opportunity to entertain you for another season of splendid music making by our stellar musicians. This is made possible, in large part, by our generous Patrons and Friends. We thank them over and over again.

    Michael Volpert, our artistic director, is the mastermind of the 20 programs of beloved works as well as rarities by obscure and famous composers. All the pieces have histories and stories behind them, as well as beautiful and interesting melodies. There is much to discover and enjoy, enhanced by our venue’s great acoustics.

    Jupiter will remain vigilant post-pandemic. At this time the wearing of masks is optional. As called for, policies may be tightened or adjusted based on data and expert advice. For up-to-date safety and program details, please visit the website.

You’ll have:

HEPA-filter air purifiers in operation
Ventilation—as much as possible
Spaced-apart seating for better sight lines

   Ticket reservations are advised to avoid disappointment at the door.

Jupiter ticket prices remain a bargain for the best music making. Please give as much as you can to help keep Jupiter thriving. A gift of $100 or more makes you a “Friend.” Your financial support is always needed and appreciated.
   All gifts are tax deductible.
   Thank you so much,
Meiying

Jens Nygaard & pianist William Wolfram
circa late 1990s
Jens Nygaard & pianist William Wolfram
circa late 1990s

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.

View Our Season Calendar

Click on the dates for 2023-2024 program details:

September 11 ~ In Remembrance
September 18 ~ Quite English

October 2 ~ Poles to Extol
October 16 ~ Beethoven’s Circle
October 30 ~ Two Titans
November 13 ~ Country Rambles
November 20 ~ Mendelssohn & Friends
December 4 ~ Swiss Ties
December 18 ~ Romantic Beauties
January 8 ~ Stars & Stripes

January 22 ~ Molto Bello
February 5 ~ Halevy’s Pupils
February 19 ~ Born in Vienna
March 4 ~ Baroque Bliss
March 18 ~ Organ Virtuosos
March 25 ~ German Talent
April 8 ~ Czech Specialities
April 15 ~ Sinfonia Concertantes in chamber renderings
April 29 ~ Folk Roots
May 13 ~ Russian Splendor

more details here...

View Our Printable Calendar and Ticket Order Form (pdf)

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

Join us for our next concerts...

Fei Fei, piano
Stefan Jackiw, violin
Natalie Loughran, viola
Thomas Mesa, cello
Vadim Lando, clarinet


Monday, April 8 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Czech Specialities
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)

Limited Seating

Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ Reservations advised
Call (212) 799-1259 or email admin@jupitersymphony.com
Pay by check or cash (exact change)​​​

Fei Fei piano
Winner of the Concert Artists Guild and a top finalist at the 14th Van Cliburn competitions. Praised by the Plain Dealer for her “bountiful gifts and passionate immersion into the music she touches,” she continues to build a reputation for her poetic interpretations, charming audiences with her “passion, piquancy and tenderness” and “winning stage presence” (Dallas Morning News)

Stefan Jackiw violin
Winner of the 2002 Avery Fisher Career Grant “Talent that’s Off the Scale” Washington Post  ~ “...a legend in the making. He has everything he needs to make an exceptional career for himself – flawless technique, precocious musical understanding, and a sweet, singing tone.” Chicago Tribune

Natalie Loughran viola
Won First Prize and Audience Prize at the Primrose Viola Competition, and awarded a Special Prize at the Lionel Tertis Viola Competition

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

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

Yoonah Kim clarinet
Winner of the 2016 Concert Artists Guild Competition and first prizewinner of the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition
~ hailed by The New York Times for her “inexhaustible virtuosity.”

Bedřich SMETANA  Z domoviny “From the Homeland” JB 1:118
  ~ two divine, intensely personal duos of melancholy as well as joy, laced with infectious folk themes—for violin and piano

“They are genuinely national in character, but with my own melodies,” wrote the Czech composer of the showpieces, while living in pain and poverty. He was already deaf for two years and in failing health from advancing neurosyphilis, and subsisting on a meager and often delayed pension.

Bohuslav MARTINŮ  Serenade H. 334
  ~ in his distinctive sense of traditional Czech classical idioms combined with his exceptionally original harmonic and melodic language—for 2 clarinets, violin, viola, and cello

The Czech composer of Modern classical music was born and raised atop the bell tower of St. Jacob’s Church in the Czech-Moravian Highlands village of Polička, where his father was the fire watchman and tower keeper. There are 193 steps to the room of his birth where he lived till he was 11-and-a-half years old. It is said that for the first 6 years of his life he never came down to street level. No wonder, as he explained later in life, the objectivity of his music from this early experience was from the perspective of seeing people and places only from afar. From the age of 7 he attended school and took violin lessons with the local tailor, making rapid progress. In 1906 Martinů studied at the Prague Conservatory, but he was a hopeless pupil and was eventually dismissed in 1910 for “incorrigible negligence,” after which he continued to study on his own. He did, however, return to the Conservatory to study briefly with Josef Suk before going to Paris in 1923, living there until France capitulated to Nazi Germany in 1940, when he fled, first to the south of France and then to the United States in 1941, settling in New York with his French wife. He taught at Princeton University and also composition at Mannes College from 1948 to 1956, when he returned to Europe—to Paris, then Rome, and finally to Switzerland, where he died of stomach cancer in 1959.

Antonín DVOŘÁK  Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor Op. 65
  ~ epic in emotion and depth, the darkly passionate Trio was written shortly after the death of his mother, to whom he was devoted

While the Trio reveals the influence of Brahms, Dvořák’s Bohemian soul is present nonetheless. The premiere was held on 27 October 1883 in Mladá Boleslav (a city north of Prague), performed by the composer himself, violinist Ferdinand Lachner (his companion on concert tours), and cellist Alois Neruda. Eduard Hanslick, the leading Austrian critic wrote in the Neue Freie Presse on 13 February 1884: “The most valuable gem brought to us amid the plethora of concerts in recent weeks is undeniably Dvořák’s new Piano Trio in F minor. It demonstrates that the composer finds himself at the pinnacle of his career.”

Sahun Sam Hong, piano
Hina Khuong-Huu, violin
Fiona Khuong-Huu, violin
Oliver Neubauer, violin
Clara Neubauer, violin
Natalie Loughran, viola
Ramón Carrero-Martínez, viola
Audrey Chen, cello

Monday, April 15 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Sinfonia Concertantes ~ in chamber renderings
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)

Limited Seating

Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ Reservations advised
Call (212) 799-1259 or email admin@jupitersymphony.com
Pay by check or cash (exact change)​​​

Sahun “Sam” Hong piano
Honors include the 2021 American Pianists Award, 2017 Vendome Prize, and 2nd Prize at the 2017 Beethoven Competition in Vienna ~ praised as an “artist of enormous prowess” in the Verbier Festival Newsletter and as having “lots of clarity, confidence, and wisdom” by the New York Concert Review and a “wide range of rich colors” San Diego Story

Hina Khuong-Huu violin
First-Prize winner of the 2023 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, prizewinner of the 2018 Menuhin Competition held in Geneva, a recipient of the Salon De Virtuosi Career Grant ~Violin Channel’s “Rising Star”

Fiona Khuong-Huu violin
Recipient of the 2022 Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund, along with the prestigious career grant award from Salon De Virtuosi. Additional accolades include first prize at the 2017 Grumiaux Competition; second prize at “Il Piccolo Violino Magico” in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy; and third prize and best virtuoso interpretation at the 2019 Louis Spohr Competition.

Oliver Neubauer violin
Recipient of the Gold Award at the 2018 National YoungArts Competition and winner of the 2017 Young Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Clara Neubauer violin
Silver Medal winner at the 2020 National YoungArts Competition, first prize at the 2019 Symphony of Westchester and 2017 Adelphi Young Artist competitions., and winner of the 2017 Young Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center ~ recently featured on the WQXR Young Musicians Showcase

Natalie Loughran viola
Won First Prize and Audience Prize at the Primrose Viola Competition, and awarded a Special Prize at the Lionel Tertis Viola Competition

Ramón Carrero-Martinez viola
Winner of the Grand Prize at the 2022 Fischoff Competition as a member of the Terra String Quartet, and has won other competitions in the U.S., Italy, and Venezuela

Audrey Chen cello
Member of the Terra String Quartet, second prize at the 2023 Melbourne competition, third prize at the 2023 Osaka competition

The symphonie concertante is defined by the New Grove Dictionary as a “concert genre of the late 18th and early 19th centuries for solo instruments—usually two, three or four, but on occasion as many as seven or even nine—with orchestra. The term implies ‘symphony with important and extended solo parts’, but the form is closer to concerto than symphony.” The earliest composers were from Mannheim and Paris, and the first symphonie concertante publishers were almost all French. The genre was popularized by composers such as Johann Christian Bach and the Mannheimer Carl Stamitz. In the 1780s Pleyel joined the crowded field, writing works in the genre, first for Paris and later for London.

As an appetizer to the 3 symphonies concertantes, a string quartet will play a quartetto concertante from the period contemporaneous with Haydn and Mozart.

Franz ASPLMAYR  Quartetto concertante in D Major Op. 2 No. 2
  ~ delightful Viennese lyricism and brio

Asplmayr, born in Linz in 1728 (4 years before Haydn) and died in Vienna in 1786 (5 years before Mozart), made significant contributions to the early Viennese instrumental style, and wrote the first melodrama in German—Pygmalion. He met Haydn in 1760 and Mozart in the 1780s. Asplmayr’s first job was as Secretarius to Count Morzin in 1759–1761 (the same time as Haydn’s service to Morzin). He later collaborated with the choreographer and dancer Noverre, and his successor Gasparo Angiolini. During the 1770s he wrote at least 10 major dramatic ballets, 9 of which survive; the most famous, Agamemnon vengé achieved international acclaim. He then wrote music for the theater, and played the violin at aristocratic gatherings. For a Christmas Day concert of Haydn quartets in 1781, he played second violin and received a lavish gift for his performance; Haydn’s gift was a gold box with diamonds! His works were known throughout Europe, and as a composer of Singspiels he ranks with early Haydn. Regrettably, his last years were financially tight. Asplmayr’s “chamber works mix elements of the Baroque and Classical styles and trace the gradual independence of chamber music from continuo practice…. Though conventional in melodic development and harmonic progression, it is consistently pleasant and charming” [Encyclopedia Britannica].”

HAYDN  Sinfonia Concertante in Bb Major H. 1/105
  ~ written for 4 solo instruments with ever-changing permutations to create a tuneful and unfailingly inventive symphonie—reimagined by Mordechai Rechtman (the renowned Israeli bassoonist and acclaimed arranger) for string sextet from the original for solo violin, cello, oboe, bassoon, and orchestra

During the first of Haydn’s two visits to London, the symphonies concertantes of Ignaz Pleyel were amassing rave reviews, which prompted the impresario Johann Peter Salomon to ask Haydn to write one for his own subscription series. Not to be upstaged by his former pupil and the rival Professional Concert series, Haydn composed his Sinfonia Concertante between February and March 1792, and premiered it on 9 March with Salomon as the lead violinist. It was highly successful, and was not only encored the following week, it was performed again during Haydn’s second visit to London in 1794 with equal success. The Monday Herald commented, “The last performance at Salomon’s Concert deserves to be mentioned as one of the richest treats which the recent season has afforded. A new concertante from Haydn combined all the excellencies of music; it was profound, airy, affecting, and original, and the performance was in unison with the merit of the composition. Salomon particularly exerted himself…in doing justice to the music of his friend Haydn... The room had a very brilliant attendance.” Although Haydn had told Maria Anna von Genzinger in Vienna that “now a bloody harmonious war will commence between master and pupil,” before long he softened his tone, saying, “it seems to me that there will soon be an armistice, because my reputation is so firmly established. Pleyel behaved so modestly towards me on his arrival that he won my affection again.” Haydn and Pleyel remained friends.

MOZART  Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major K. 297b
  ~ exuding rich lyricism and glowing warmth—transcribed by Robert Stark for 4 strings and piano from the original for 4 winds and orchestra

In presenting his view of the piece, Alfred Einstein wrote, “Now, this Sinfonia Concertante is not a symphony in which four wind instruments have prominent solo parts, nor is it quite a concerto for four wind instruments with orchestral accompaniment. It is between the two; it looks backward to the Salzburg Concertone of 1773, and forward to the Vienna Piano Quintet with winds of 1784. It is planned entirely for brilliance, breadth, and expansiveness….”

In 1778, Mozart was staying in Paris, where Joseph Legros, director of the Concert Spirituels had asked for a work for four of the leading wind players of the time. Mozart relayed to his father on 5 April, “I am about to compose a sinfonie concertante; flute, Wendling; oboe, Ramm; French horn, Punto; and bassoon, Ritter. Punto plays splendidly.” In another letter, he wrote that the 4 soloists were “in love with” the piece and that Legros had kept the score to have it copied. At the last minute, however, it was displaced from the concert program by one written by Giuseppe Cambini (he cranked out more than 80 symphonies concertantes with great rapidity). The Sinfonia Concertante was never performed and somehow got lost. Mozart suspected local intrigue. In 1869 Otto Jahn, who wrote the first scholarly biography of Mozart, obtained a copy of the score in an arrangement with the flute and oboe replaced by the oboe and clarinet; while never validated, it was published in 1886. To this day, there is no agreement as to the authenticity of the extant piece, which to the ears of almost all listeners sounds like Mozart.

Ludwig Wilhelm MAURER  Sinfonia concertante for 4 violins in A Major Op. 55
  ~ effervescent, virtuosic, and a longtime favorite of the legendary violin teacher Dorothy Delay—arranged by the 19th century German composer Friedrich Hermann for 4 solo violins and piano

Among his most successful works, the Concertante was first performed in Paris in 1838 by Maurer, Louis Spohr, Müller, and Wich; and it was often played in his lifetime by leading violinists, including Joseph Joachim. Even at age 13, Joachim’s prodigious talent was acknowledged by the greatest violinists of the day. On 25 November 1844, he played the Concertante with Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, Antonio Bazzini, and Ferdinand David in a Gewandhaus concert in Leipzig for the benefit of the orchestra’s pension fund—the same work he had refused to play in London out of loyalty to Ernst. Alfred Dörffel, the German pianist and music publisher reported, “In the cadenzas, [Ernst and Bazzini] played out their highest trumps; but they were so charmingly and ingeniously out-conjured by Joachim, who had the third part, that Ernst involuntarily burst out with a loud ‘Bravo!’ and David, the fourth player, left out his cadenza completely. That was no doubt a unique occurrence.” This historic incident was not mentioned by the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, which reviewed the performance enthusiastically: “It would not be easy to find a performance by such excellent forces, executed with such perfection, as occurred this time. To see artists such as Ernst, Bazzini, David, and the talented young Joachim, united in one aim—to observe how one strove to surpass the other in tone and handling of the same instrument, and yet all subordinating their individuality to the total effect wherever there was an ensemble, provided a rare and great interest. The ensemble was indeed masterful; it was as if one instrument, one bowstroke set the full chords ringing, and with the alternate emergence of one or the other violinist, the innate individuality of tone and conception fascinated the listener no less than the consummate finish of the whole. Near the end, an elaborate cadenza, which afforded each violinist an opportunity to assert himself in his own way, incited the audience to stormy applause.”

Maurer (1789–1878), born in Potsdam, Germany, began his musical career as a violinist after studies with Karl Haack, Frederick the Great’s Konzertmeister. He left Germany for Russia in 1806 and worked in St. Petersburg and Moscow as a virtuoso violinist and conductor. He gave the Russian premiere of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and toured in Europe before returning to St. Peterburg in 1833, where he became director of the French opera and had various appointments that occupied his musical activities into old age. He composed a substantial body of work, including 4 operas, a symphony, 10 violin concerti and 6 string quartets. “Maurer’s violin style on the evidence of his compositions, was at times extremely virtuoso; although formed before Paganini, his technique included spiccato, multiple stopping and complex bowing [New Grove Dictionary].”

Jupiter 2022 - 2023 Season
20 Mondays at 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

Good Shepherd Church ♦ 152 West 66 Street

View Our Season Calendar

Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ Reservation advised
Call (212) 799-1259 or email admin@jupitersymphony.com
Pay by check or cash (exact change)​​

Please visit our Media Page to hear Audio Recordings from the Jens Nygaard and Jupiter Symphony Archive

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

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church

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

Office Address:
JUPITER SYMPHONY
155 West 68th Street, Suite 319
New York, NY 10023

admin@jupitersymphony.com
(212) 799-1259

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concert information and the latest news


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 New York Times
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...

 

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
  ~ simply delicious piano quintet, alternately titled Rondeau Pastoral and better known in its version for solo piano, Twelve O’clock Rondo, on account of the 12 “chimes” at the end ~ by the creator of the Nocturne, which had a major influence on Chopin

We thank the University of Illinois (Champaign) for a copy of the Divertissement music.

Mackenzie Melemed piano
Abigel Kralik violin
Dechopol Kowintaweewat violin
Sarah Sung viola
Christine Lamprea cello

Sir Hamilton HARTY  Piano Quintet in F Major Op. 12
  ~ in a lyrical Romantic idiom, with a distinct, breezy Irish-salted voice

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
Abigel Kralik violin
Dechopol Kowintaweewat violin
Sarah Sun viola
Christine Lamprea cello

I Allegro 0:00
II Vivace 10:43
III Lento 14:44
IV Allegro con brio 23:59

FEb 8 2021 HAYDN  Sonata No. 1 in G Major
​​​​​​Oliver Neubauer violin, Mihai Marica cello, Zoe Martin-Doike viola

FEb 8 2021 HOFFMEISTER Duo Concertante No. 1 in G Major
Sooyun Kim flute, Zoe Martin-Doike viola

Feb 8 2021 MOZART Piano Quartet No. 2 in Eb Major
Oliver Neubauer violin, Janice Carissa piano
Mihai Marica cello, Zoe Martin-Doike viola

Feb 8 2021 KREUTZER  Quintet in A Major
Sooyun Kim flute, Vadim Lando clarinet, Janice Carissa piano
Mihai Marica cello, Zoe Martin-Doike viola

Video Viewing ~ Classical Treats
February 8, 2021 Jupiter Concert

Greetings! Three months ago, our musicians brought warmth and joy with their wonderful music making on a cold, winter’s day with Classical Treats. The viewing is offered for $25, and we hope to cover the costs of production. Thanks so much for viewing the video of this concert, and for supporting Jupiter with gifts as well! MeiYing

View the video for $25

You will be automatically directed to the video page once payment is made. If not, click on the “return to merchant” link after checkout. Please go through the checkout process only once and do not use the back button or reload the page while making the purchase. If there are any problems, contact jupiternews@jupitersymphony.com.

Viewers comments of previous videos:

“Oh I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Good to see Maxim and his dad. Familiar faces to me. I enjoyed the notes about the players. Till the next time...”

“Great playing and really nice camera work. Probably better than being there!

“We so enjoyed the concert. The pianist was outstanding as was the musical selection.

“It was wonderful. Thank you.

♦ ♦ ♦

Musicians

Janice Carissa piano
Young Scholar of the Lang Lang Foundation, recipient of the 2018 Salon de Virtuosi Grant, winner of the 2014 piano competition at the Aspen Festival, and a top prizewinner of the IBLA Foundation’s 2006 piano competition (at age 8)

Oliver Neubauer violin
Recipient of the Gold Award at the 2018 National YoungArts Competition and winner of the 2017 Young Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Zoë Martin-Doike viola
Member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, top prizewinner of the Primrose and Lenox competitions on viola and violin, respectively and founding violinist of the Aizuri Quartet

Mihai Marica cello
Winner of the Irving Klein, Viña del Mar, Salon de Virtuosi and Dotzauer competitions ~ “Mihai is a brilliant cellist and interpreter of music. His playing is spellbinding.” Mitchell Sardou Klein

Sooyun Kim flute
Winner of the Georg Solti Foundation Career Grant and a top prize at the ARD flute competition, she has been praised for her “vivid tone colors” by the Oregonian and as a “rare virtuoso of the flute” by Libération

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

♦ ♦ ♦

Program

HAYDN  Sonata No. 1 in G Major Hob XVI:40 ▪ 1784
  ~ sophisticated and subtly wrought, the Sonata is from a set of 3, arranged for string trio from the original for keyboard and published by Johann André in 1790

The sonatas were written for Princess Marie, the new bride of Prince Nicholas Esterházy, grandson of Haydn’s employer, Prince Nicholas I. Cramer’s Magazin der Musik, in its review in 1785, observed that they were “more difficult to perform than one initially believes. They demand the utmost precision, and much delicacy in performance.” In 2 contrasting movements, the pastoral Allegretto innocente is followed by a gleeful zany romp.

Conradin KREUTZER  Quintet in A Major ▪ between 1810 and 1820
  ~ in the late Classical–early Romantic style, the charming Quintet is written for the unusual combination of piano, flute, clarinet, viola, and cello with the piano as primus inter pares, first among equals—each movement a winner bearing a variety of melodic gifts and revealing a lively feeling for rhythm and color

Born in Messkirch to a respected Swabian burgher, Kreutzer (1780–1849) is considered a minor master of the Biedermeier epoch. He studied law in Freiburg before turning entirely to music after his father died in 1800. In 1804 he went to Vienna, where he met Haydn and probably studied with Albrechtsberger, one of Beethoven’s teachers. His active career included tours in Europe and several posts in Vienna, Stuttgart, Cologne, and other German cities, all the while composing numerous operas. Some of his music is not entirely forgotten—his settings for male chorus to Ludwig Uhland’s poems long remained popular with German and Austrian choirs; Das Nachtlager in Granada used to be revived occasionally in Germany; and his score for Der Verschwender continues to be performed in Austria.

Franz Anton HOFFMEISTER  Duo Concertante No. 1 in G Major ▪ [1790]
flute and viola

1st movement ~ Allegro
  ~ by Mozart’s friend and his principal publisher

MOZART  Piano Quartet No. 2 in Eb Major K. 493 ▪ 1786
  ~ a flawless masterpiece of utmost lightness and charm, with heavenly melodies

Mozart was under contract with the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister to write 3 piano quartets, a virtually new genre of his own invention. When the first (K. 478 in G minor) did not sell because of its difficulty for amateurs, Mozart was released from his obligation. Nine months later, which was two months after the completion of Le Nozze di Figaro, the second piano quartet (K. 493 in Eb Major) was published by Artaria. A little easier than the first, Alfred Einstein viewed it as “bright in color, but iridescent, with hints of darker shades.”

♦ ♦ ♦

Harry Munz audio engineer
Marc Basch videographer

For more about the musicians: guest artistsplayers
For further notes on the music: calendar

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
Prelude

Stephen Beus piano
Stefan Milenkovich violin
David Requiro cello

 

More video from this performance can be viewed on our media page

Jupiter on YouTube
featured in a short documentary on artist Michael McNamara

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 page

Emmy Award-winning “LIFE ON JUPITER - The Story of Jens Nygaard, Musician” available on DVD with bonus music. More Info...

If you wish to purchase your own copy to remember Jens by or for more information visit www.lifeonjupiter.com

The New York Sun Review
by Adam Baer
--The Jupiters Play On--

“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.

Please send any correspondence to

office address:
JUPITER SYMPHONY
155 West 68th Street, Suite 319, New York, NY 10023
admin@jupitersymphony.com
For information or to order tickets, please call:
(212) 799-1259

MeiYing Manager
Michael Volpert Artistic Director

All performances, except where otherwise noted, are held at:
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway) New York, NY 10023
The Box Office at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
will be open 20 minutes prior to each concert.

Copyright © 1999-2024 Jupiter Symphony. All rights reserved.