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Join Us For Our 2023-2024 Season! |
Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players “This was music-making of a very high order” Fred Kirshnit, The New York Sun |
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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 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, April 8 ♦ 2 PM & 7:30 PM Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ Reservations advised Fei Fei piano Stefan Jackiw violin Natalie Loughran viola Thomas Mesa cello Vadim Lando clarinet Yoonah Kim clarinet Bedřich SMETANA Z domoviny “From the Homeland” JB 1:118 “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 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 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.” |
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Monday, April 15 ♦ 2 PM & 7:30 PM Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ Reservations advised Sahun “Sam” Hong piano Hina Khuong-Huu violin Fiona Khuong-Huu violin Oliver Neubauer violin Clara Neubauer violin Natalie Loughran viola Ramón Carrero-Martinez viola Audrey Chen cello 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 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 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 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 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].” |
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Jupiter 2022 - 2023 Season Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ Reservation advised Please visit our Media Page to hear Audio Recordings from the Jens Nygaard and Jupiter Symphony Archive Concert Venue:
Office Address: Like our Facebook page to see photos, videos, Jupiter in the News ConcertoNet
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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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The
New York Sun Review “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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office address: |
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MeiYing Manager All
performances, except where otherwise noted, are held at: Copyright © 1999-2024 Jupiter Symphony. All rights reserved. |