Top of the World concert

Claudius Ptolemy (2008/17) - Marc Sabat
Lamentations (ca. 1605) - Tobias Hume
Duo for Violin and Cello (2015) - Jessie Montgomery
Sonata for Violin and Cello (1920-22) - Maurice Ravel

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About the Program:

“It may have an air of nothingness, this machine for two instruments: there is nearly a year and a half of toil in it.”

And so we quote Ravel, in a remark he made regarding his masterpiece "Sonata for Violin and Cello". Undoubtedly, the particular demands of the instrumentation presented special difficulties to the composer; compared to the string quartet or duo with piano, the string duo being rather sparse in comparison. Yet, with the economy of resources presented to him, Ravel draws out an incredible range of sonorities, textures, and colors that defies the assumed limitations of the ensemble, amplifying it beyond its apparent size, pushing the instruments to their very limits. The sparseness becomes an advantage rather than a liability, as textures and effects are presented with absolute clarity and balance between the two instruments.

An air of nothingness--Dvorak once declared that composition was “[the ability] to make a great deal – a very great deal – out of nothing much.”

And so this frames the common theme for the program. Marc Sabat's music uses Just Intonation, precisely tuned notes that emphasizes the overall sonority, amplifying the total sound far beyond the individual tones. Hume and Montgomery's music are akin to Ravel's, involving an exploration and interplay of instrumental resources and interactions between the two players; a dynamic of social energy and interaction that gives the music its larger-than-life quality.

Therein lies the magic of chamber music; although it is only two instruments that sound in the moment, what we get is much greater than the sum of its parts. It is intrinsically a social act that connects us and brings us together.

Please join us in this lovely Sunday afternoon, as we share this music and experience, together!