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X-WR-CALNAME:Groupmuses near 
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260516T141956Z
UID:93361ddc-2782-45e9-b260-baeb7eb7b413
DTSTART:20250426T230000Z
DTEND:20250427T013000Z
DESCRIPTION:Hosted by Isabel K.\nMusicians: Louis Arques\n\nQuatuor pour la
  fin du temps (1941)                                                      
  Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)\n\nI. Liturgie de cristal\nII. Vocalise\, po
 ur l’Ange qui annonce la fin du temps\nIII. Abîme des oiseaux\nIV. Inte
 rmède\nV. Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus\nVI. Danse de la fureur\, pou
 r les sept trompettes\nVII. Fouillis d’arcs-en-ciel\, pour l’Ange qui 
 annonce la fin du temps\nVIII. Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus\n \nLou
 is Arques\, clarinet\; Alexander Goldberg\, violin\; Allen Liang\, cello\;
  Joseph Vaz\, piano\n \nProgram Notes\nWhat is the color of reverence? Of 
 sublimity? Today\, we are accustomed to treat the sacred in monochrome. Th
 e dying goes towards a white light\; as Spengler memorably said\, the Goth
 ic cathedral’s ceiling fades to black void when viewed from the pew. But
  the medievals had quite different tastes. Stained glass cast technicolor 
 shadows\; books’ spines were studded with garish stones.\nOlivier Messia
 en’s Quartet for the End of Time feels like a reinjection of color into 
 the monochrome of a modern devotional poise. Written in the deprivation of
  a prison camp\, much of it was penned in a latrine he was able to access 
 secretly and on pages supplied by a sympathetic guard. This piece imbues M
 essiaen’s deep Catholicism with birdsong\, dance\, and his idiosyncratic
  rhythmic and melodic modes.\nThe work is organized into eight movements\,
  paralleling the seven days of creation\, with the “seventh day of this 
 repose extend[ed] into eternity to “become[] the eighth day of eternal l
 ight\, of unalterable peace.” Below are Messiaen’s own notes on the mo
 vements\, as translated by Rebecca Rischin:\n1. “Crystal Liturgy.” Bet
 ween 3 and 4 o’clock in the morning\, the birds awaken: a solo blackbird
  or nightingale improvises\, surrounded by dust whirls of sound\, by a hal
 o of harmonics lost high up in the trees. Transpose this onto a religious 
 plane: you have the harmonious silence of heaven.\n2. “Vocalize\, for th
 e Angel Who Announces the End of Time.” The first and third sections (bo
 th very brief) evoke the power of this mighty angel\, crowned with a rainb
 ow and clothed in a cloud\, who places one foot on the sea and the other o
 n the land. The “middle” [second section] evokes the impalpable harmon
 ies of heaven. In the piano: gentle cascades of blue orange chords\, encir
 cling with their distant carillon the plainchant-like song of the violin a
 nd cello.\n3. “Abyss of the Birds.” Unaccompanied clarinet. The abyss 
 is Time\, with its weariness and gloom. The birds are the opposite of Time
 \; they represent our longing for light\, for stars\, for rainbows\, and f
 or jubilant song!\n4. “Interlude.” Scherzo\, in a more outgoing charac
 ter than the other movements\, yet related to them nevertheless by melodic
  “recalls.”\n5. “Praise to the Eternity of Jesus.” Here\, Jesus is
  considered the Word of God. A long phrase in the cello\, inexorably slow\
 , glorifies\, with adoration and reverence\, the eternity of this mighty y
 et gentle Word\, “of which the ages never tire.” The melody unfolds ma
 jestically\, as if from a regal yet soft-colored horizon. “In the beginn
 ing was the Word\, and the Word was with God\, and the Word was God.”\n6
 . “Dance of Fury\, for the Seven Trumpets.” Rhythmically\, the most ch
 aracteristic movement of this series. The four instruments in unison creat
 e the effect of gongs and trumpets (the first six trumpets of the Apocalyp
 se followed by various calamities\, the trumpet of the seventh angel annou
 ncing the fulfillment of the mystery of God). Use of added values\, augmen
 tation and diminution\, and non-retrogradable rhythms. Music of stone\, tr
 emendous ringing granite\; perpetual motion of steel\, of enormous blocks 
 of purple fury\, of frozen intoxication. Listen\, above all\, to the terri
 fying fortissimo of the theme in augmentation and register alteration towa
 rd the end of the movement.\n7. “Tangle of Rainbows\, for the Angel Who 
 Announces the End of Time.” Certain passages here recall the second move
 ment. The Angel full of might appears\, and in particular the rainbow that
  crowns him (the rainbow\, symbol of peace\, of wisdom\, and of every lumi
 nous sound and vibration). In my dreams\, I hear and see classified chords
  and melodies\, common colors and forms\; then\, after this transitory sta
 ge\, I pass into unreality and lose myself in a rapture to a whirling\, a 
 gyrating fusion of superhuman sound and color. These swords of fire\, thes
 e pools of blue-orange lava\, these shooting stars: this is the tangled sk
 ein\, these are the rainbows!\n8. “Praise to the Immortality of Jesus.
 ” Long solo for violin\, the counterpart to the cello solo in the fifth 
 movement. Why this second eulogy? It addresses more specifically the secon
 d aspect of Jesus: Jesus the Man\, the Word made flesh\, immortally resurr
 ected\, to impart us his life. This movement is pure love. The progressive
  ascent toward the extremely high register represents the ascension of man
  toward his Lord\, of the son of God toward his Father\, of deified Man to
 ward Paradise.\nThe combination results in a sort of hyperreal version of 
 familiar structures: baroque dances and religious plainchant become illumi
 nated by neon\, instead of candlelight. Notes by A. F. Goldberg\n \nBiogra
 phies\nLouis Arques is a clarinet virtuoso\, saxophonist\, singer\, and co
 nductor. One of the New York city’s most in-demand artists\, he performs
  classical and contemporary music\, Brazilian\, AfroCuban\, jazz and early
  music on period instruments. A strong advocate for contemporary music\, h
 e has facilitated and participated in numerous commissioned works by Ameri
 can and European composers.\nAs an international soloist\, he performs con
 certi with orchestras\, including Mikolaj Gorecki Trio Concerto (Avalanche
  Orchestra)\, Winton Marsalis Blues (Cornell Wind Symphony)\, Mozart Clari
 net Concerto (Empire State Symphony)\, Debussy Clarinet Rhapsody (Camerata
  New York) and Zych Bass Clarinet concerto (Paris Ostinato Orchestra). His
  passion for orchestral playing is showcased as principal clarinet of the 
 Avalanche Orchestra\, Brooklyn Orchestra\, Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra
 \, String Orchestra of Brooklyn and visiting soloist with the Miami New Wo
 rld Symphony. To present in tandem classical and contemporary music to you
 nger audiences\, he founded and conducted the orchestra NewOrch\, co-direc
 ted Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra\, and is currently the founder and dir
 ector of Avalanche Orchestra and the co-director of Brooklyn Orchestra.\nA
  sought-after itinerant chamber music collaborator\, he has performed with
  the internationally acclaimed Quintet of the Americas and select soloists
  from Metropolis Ensemble. He concertizes frequently with pianists Vladimi
 r Rumyantsev (US\, American Ballet Theater) and Nima Sarkechik (France)\, 
 with whom he recorded a CD of the Brahms Sonatas. In 2020\, he joined harp
 ist Bridget Kibbey trio’s touring project entitled Bach to Brazil with L
 atin Grammy awardee percussionist Samuel Torres.\nHis natural affinity for
  Brazilian and Latin rhythms led to the co-founding of Diálogos Duo with 
 guitarist-composer Richard Boukas in 2016. The duo has two independently r
 eleased CDs acclaimed by the Clarinet journal\, Choro Tributes and Homages
  to Brazilian masters\, and Boukas’ works for the Duo represent the larg
 est body of contemporary repertoire for clarinet and guitar. Louis is also
  regular member of the Afro-Cuban band Sonido Costeño and the Palomonte A
 froCuban Big Band.\nCurrently\, pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree a
 t the City University of New York (studying privately with Charles Neidich
 )\, he taught in France for ten years (including Paris Conservatoire)\, jo
 ined the faculty of the Diller-Quaile School of Music to teach clarinet an
 d saxophone in 2019\, and was visiting Clarinet Faculty at Ithaca College 
 and Saxophone Faculty at Cornell University this Spring of 2022. Louis is 
 a Vandoren artist.\n \nAlexander Franco Goldberg is a dynamic American-Ita
 lian violinist praised for his "fierce and sensitive" performances\, with 
 a unique ability to "tie music to larger aesthetic and literary concerns t
 hat illuminate his artistry." Alexander is passionate about linking music 
 with literature\, poetry\, and visual arts.\nHe is currently pursuing his 
 doctorate at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York under the mentorship of 
 Mark Steinberg. His prior studies include training with Salvatore Accardo 
 at the Stauffer Center for Strings in Cremona and the Accademia Chigiana i
 n Siena. He recently completed his Master’s in Violin Performance at the
  Yale School of Music\, studying with Ani Kavafian\, where\, through Yale
 ’s BA/MM dual-degree program\, he also graduated cum laude with a BA in 
 Philosophy.\nAt Yale\, Alexander was awarded both the Head of College Cup 
 for "outstanding scholarly achievement and creative promise\," and the Sel
 den Award for his "verve\, idealism\, and constructive interest in music a
 nd the humanities." His dedication to blending musical performance with ac
 ademic inquiry\, recognized by a Fulbright Research Fellowship\, continues
  through his work as an Assistant Researcher at the University of Padua’
 s Centro di Sonologia Computazionale.\nAlexander won first place at the Wi
 lliam Waite Concerto Competition at Yale\, where he performed Brahms' Viol
 in Concerto with the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He has also earned first pri
 zes in a number of concerto competitions\, allowing him to perform as a so
 loist with various Boston orchestras in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto\, Pr
 okofiev's Second Violin Concerto\, and Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy. Addition
 ally\, Alex won first prize at the Maria Labia\, Vittorio Vitti\, Città D
 'Alessandria violin competitions\, as well as the Reate Festival Internati
 onal Contemporary Music competition\, and second place at the inaugural Gr
 unewald International Competition in Berlin.\nChamber music forms a core p
 art of Alexander’s musical identity. He has studied and performed at the
  Taos School of Music\, Geneva International String Academy\, Aspen Music 
 Festival\, and Music@Menlo. His collaborative projects have included perfo
 rmances with members of the Borromeo\, Aviv\, and Alban Berg string quarte
 ts\, as well as Peter Bruns\, Patrick Gallois\, Giuseppe Ettorre\, Ivo Nil
 sson\, and Franco Petracchi. He is also a member of the Accademia Chigiana
 ’s Chigiana Chamber Ensemble and was honored to return to Taos to perfor
 m quartets alongside Nina Lee of the Brentano Quartet during an outreach t
 our of New Mexico.\nCommitted to exploring contemporary music\, Alexander 
 was a member of the Lucerne Festival’s Contemporary Academy and has play
 ed with Gilles Apap on the stage of the Kronberg Academy’s Casals Forum.
  As the winner of the Reate Festival International Contemporary Music Comp
 etition\, he performed a program of Bach and Berio in their 2023 concert s
 eries\, in addition to lecturing at their educational outreach event\, Pro
 getto Scuole.\nRecent performance highlights include soloist performances 
 at the Berliner Philharmonie with the Geringas Chamber Orchestra\, at Wool
 sey Hall with the Yale Philharmonia and the Yale Symphony Orchestra\; cham
 ber music engagements at Santa Fe Pro Musica\; and recitals at Stanford Un
 iversity’s CCRMALive concert series\, Venice’s Prigioni palace\, and a
 t Boston’s Jordan Hall for NPR.\nHe was selected by the Fondazione Accad
 emia Musicale Chigiana di Siena to be part of the Giovani Talenti Musicali
  Italiani nel Mondo project\, an initiative established in collaboration w
 ith Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale and 
 CIDIM - Comitato Nazionale Italiano Musica\, and in 2024 to be a founding 
 member of the Chigiana Chamber Ensemble.\n \nTaiwanese cellist Allen Liang
  has established a dynamic and multifaceted musical career in Taiwan and t
 he United States\, captivating audiences as a soloist\, chamber musician\,
  and ensemble player. Beyond performance\, his passion for Concert Music e
 xtends to composition and arrangement\, showcasing his versatility and art
 istic depth. Allen premiered The Heart is Deeper than the Ocean by Silkroa
 d Ensemble member Angel Lam at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival\, sharin
 g the stage with pipa virtuoso Wu Man and pianist Melvin Chen. In addition
 \, Allen has expressed his creative voice through his compositions such as
  the Suite for Cello and Piano (2023)\, Three Pieces for Solo Cello (2024)
 \, Morning Music (2025)\, and his arrangements for 12 cellos\, including B
 ruch’s Kol Nidrei\, Dvorak’s Silent Woods\, and Debussy’s La Mer.\nA
 s a soloist\, Allen has performed Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor wit
 h the Eastman Philharmonia and Boccherini’s Cello Concerto in G major\, 
 G. 480 with the Colburn Music Academy Virtuosi Orchestra. His versatility 
 across musical styles earned him a finalist spot in the 2022 Lillian and M
 aurice Barbash J.S. Bach String Competition. As an orchestral cellist\, he
  has made an appearance in the cello sections of the Chicago Symphony Orch
 estra\, the New York Classical Players\, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra\
 , and the Taiwan Connection Chamber Orchestra.\nA passionate chamber music
 ian\, Allen received the bronze medal in the Junior Division of the Fischo
 ff National Chamber Music Competition as a member of the Aurielle Quartet.
  He has participated in numerous prestigious festivals\, including Music@M
 enlo’s International Program\, where he worked intensively with artists 
 such as David Finckel\, Wu Han\, Gilbert Kalish\, and Kristin Lee. Allen
 ’s chamber musicianship has also flourished at the Norfolk Chamber Music
  Festival\, Taos School of Music\, Heifetz International Music Institute\,
  Taipei Music Academy & Festival\, Sarasota Music Festival\, Meadowmount S
 chool of Music\, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. He has worked w
 ith esteemed members of quartets including the Borromeo\, Brentano\, Calid
 ore\, Dover\, Emerson\, Shanghai\, St. Lawrence\, and Ying Quartets.\nA tw
 o-time recipient of the Chimei Arts Award\, Allen is currently pursuing hi
 s DMA at the CUNY Graduate Center under the tutelage of Mark Steinberg. He
  earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music\, where he studi
 ed with Paul Watkins\, and a bachelor’s degree with High Distinction fro
 m the Eastman School of Music\, where he trained with Steven Doane and Ros
 emary Elliott and minored in Linguistics. Prior to that\, he studied with 
 Clive Greensmith at the Colburn Academy. Allen’s diverse interests and c
 uriosity continue to inspire his growth as a versatile and thoughtful arti
 st.\n \nPianist Joseph Vaz has performed internationally as a soloist and 
 chamber musician across North America and Europe\, in venues from Carnegie
  Hall to the Arnold Schönberg Center in Vienna.\nBorn in Faro\, Portugal\
 , Joseph now lives in New York City\, where he is completing a doctorate a
 t the CUNY Graduate Center. Vaz has studied with renowned performers and p
 edagogues\, including Julian Martin\, Ran Dank\, and Emile Naoumoff. He is
  a laureate of several national and international competitions\, with rece
 nt appearances at the Pacific Stars International (2nd Prize)\, James Mott
 ram International Piano Competition\, and the Wideman Piano Concerto Compe
 tition.\nJoseph frequently performs at international festivals\, including
  recent appearances at the Gilmore Piano Festival\, Sarasota Music Festiva
 l\, Lucerne Festival Academy\, and Aspen Music Festival. Joseph has perfor
 med for several acclaimed artists and pedagogues\, including Byron Janis\,
  Gabriela Montero\, Jerome Lowenthal\, Jon Nakamatsu\, and Ursula Oppens. 
 His orchestral debut came with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in 2015\, and
  he has also performed as soloist with Harmonia Orchestra Seattle\, the Se
 ven Hills Sinfonietta and other orchestral ensembles.\nJoseph is an avid c
 hamber musician and has performed with multiple orchestras and choirs for 
 operas and concert programs. He is a proponent of new music\, working clos
 ely with several composers on pieces for world premieres. Interested in ma
 ny genres of music-making\, Joseph enjoys working in contemporary music en
 sembles\, musical theater\, and popular music. Outside of music\, he holds
  a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in French from Indiana U
 niversity\, and loves reading modernist literature.\n
LOCATION:Midtown South
SUMMARY:Quartet for the End of Time
URL:https://www.groupmuse.com/events/15221-quartet-for-the-end-of-time
END:VEVENT
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