The Smithsonian Chamber Music Society celebrates its 36th season with an appropriately eclectic repast, balancing familiar masterworks with undeservedly neglected oeuvres perdues.
The season opens with the return of Dutch violinist Vera Beths, violist Steven Dann, and pianist Pedja Muzijevic, for two charming French piano quartets, plus the second of Beethoven’s Op. 9 trios. In November, Ian Swensen and Kenneth Slowik continue their series of duo presentations, this time with a focus on Bach. The Castle Trio, anchored by Lambert Orkis, returns in late January for a Schubertiade including the rarely heard C Major Fantasy. The Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra performs music of Ravel, Copland, and Shostakovich in the Renwick Gallery’s Grand Salon in March. Later that month, Mark Fewer and Myron Lutzke join Axelrod Quartet members Slowik and James Dunham for an evening of Mozart. The series concludes in May with a trio program bringing back Fewer and Dann, and including the two other members of Beethoven’s Op. 9 set, plus intriguing works of Dohnanyi and Purcell.
One hour prior to each program, Kenneth Slowik, SCMS artistic director and recipient of the 2011 Smithsonian Secretary’s Distinguished Research Lecture Award, continues his popular pre-concert talks, shedding light on the glorious music and the life and times of the featured composers.
QUICK TIX CODE: BPM9
To learn more about the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, click here.
SEASON CALENDAR
Sun., Oct. 7
Beethoven: Trio in D Major, Op. 9, No. 2
Faure: Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 15
Chausson: Piano Quartet in A Major, Op. 30
The Smithsonian Chamber Players
Vera Beths, violin; Steven Dann, viola; Kenneth Slowik, violoncello; Pedja Muzijevic, piano
Hall of Musical Instruments, American History Museum
Sun., Nov. 4
J. S. Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord
The Smithsonian Chamber Players
Ian Swensen, violin; Kenneth Slowik, harpsichord
Newly Assigned: Smithsonian Castle Commons
Sun., Jan. 27
Schubert: Sonatensatz in B-flat Major, D28
Schubert: Fantasy in C Major, D934
Schubert: Trio in B-flat Major, D898
The Castle Trio
Lambert Orkis, fortepiano; Marilyn McDonald, violin; Kenneth Slowik, violoncello
Warner Bros. Theater, American History Museum
Sun., March 3
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Copland: Appalachian Spring
Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony, Op. 73a
The Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra
Kenneth Slowik, conductor; Elisabeth Adkins, concertmaster
Grand Salon of the Renwick Gallery
Sun,, March 24
Mozart: The Piano Quartets
The Smithsonian Chamber Players
Mark Fewer, violin; James Dunham, viola; Myron Lutzke, violoncello; Kenneth Slowik, fortepiano
Updated Venue: Smithsonian Castle Commons
Sun., May 5
Dohnanyi: Serenade, Op. 10
Beethoven: Trio in G Major, Op. 9, No. 1
Purcell: Three Fantazias
Beethoven: Trio in C Minor, Op. 9, No. 3
The Smithsonian Chamber Players
Mark Fewer, violin; Steven Dann, viola; Kenneth Slowik, violoncello
Venue: TBA
Sunday Series (6 concerts)
Programs, locations, and artists subject to change.
