The Seventeenth Season: Incredible Decades July 12–August 3, 2019 David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors Experience the Soothing Melody STAY with US
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Seventeenth Season: Incredible Decades July 12–August 3, 2019 David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors Experience the Soothing Melody STAY WITH US Stay Productive and Meet Eat and Drink Our Guest Rooms • 20,000 sq. ft. of flexible, • Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner • Guest rooms designed for renovated meeting space at 4290 Bistro productivity and relaxation • Comfortable common areas with • Power through with grab and go • Luxurious bedding and eclectic décor bites from The Market eclectic décor • Always-open business center • Continue the conversation and • Aromatherapy sleep kits and fitness center productivity at our bar • Keurig coffee maker and • Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi and lounge spa bath amenities • Audio Visual company on site • In-room dining from 6:30 am to • Personal refrigerator 11:00 pm • Unwind in our outdoor pool and • 11 suites, 91 kings, and 93 Jacuzzi • Sunday champagne brunch double queens Crowne Plaza® Palo Alto offers flexible meeting spaces, comfortable CROWNE PLAZA PALO ALTO accommodations, delicious drink and dining options, on-site amenities 4290 El Camino Real and all the personalized services needed to ensure your event is a Palo Alto, CA 94306 success. Whether you’re looking to host a meeting, private dinner or celebrate a special occasion, our friendly and knowledgeable Event 650-628-0138 Planners are ready to assist you. Not to mention, we’re conveniently [email protected] situated right in the heart of Silicon Valley. www.cabanapaloalto.com Music@Menlo Incredible Decades the seventeenth season July 12–August 3, 2019 DAVID FINCKEL AND WU HAN, ARTISTIC DIRECTORS Contents 2 Season Dedication 3 A Message from the Artistic Directors 4 Welcome from the Executive Director 4 Board, Administration, and Mission Statement 5 Incredible Decades Program Overview 6 E ssay: “Who Needs Classical Music?” by Julian Johnson 9 Encounters I–IV 12 Concert Programs I–VII 39 Carte Blanche Concerts I–IV 55 Overture Concert 56 Chamber Music Institute 59 Prelude Performances 65 Koret Young Performers Concerts 68 Master Classes 69 Café Conversations 70 2019 Visual Artist: Klari Reis 71 Music@Menlo LIVE 72 Music@Menlo:Focus 2019–2020 74 Artist and Faculty Biographies 88 Internship Program 90 Musical Glossary 94 Join Music@Menlo 96 Acknowledgments 101 Ticket and Performance Information 103 Map and Directions 104 Calendar Cover artwork: Klari Reis. 150 Hypo Exploding, epoxy polymer within petri dishes, steel rods www.musicatmenlo.org 1 2019 Season Dedication Music@Menlo’s seventeenth season is dedicated to the following individuals and organizations that share the festival’s vision and whose tremendous support continues to make the realization of Music@Menlo’s mission possible. Bank of America Private Bank Ann S. Bowers Jim and Mical Brenzel Terri Bullock Crowne Plaza Palo Alto Jeffrey Dean and Heidi Hopper Family Chandler B. and Oliver A. Evans Paul and Marcia Ginsburg The David B. and Edward C. Goodstein Foundation Jerome Guillen and Jeremy Gallaher The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Leslie Hsu and Rick Lenon Michael Jacobson and Trine Sorensen Koret Foundation Funds Margulf Foundation The Martin Family Foundation Laurose Richter George and Camilla Smith Marcia Wagner Marilyn Wolper Brenda and Wade Woodson 2 Music@Menlo 2019 A Message from the Artistic Directors Dear Friends, Thank you for joining us for Incredible Decades. Last summer, Music@Menlo focused on seven cities that produced immortal music throughout their histories; we are therefore particularly fascinated by the journey we’ll take this summer, which shines a light on our beloved repertoire from another angle. Our focus last summer was place; this summer it’s time. And when we began to research the programming possibilities that seven decades offered, we turned up a treasure trove of chamber music that weaves itself inextricably into the centuries-long story of our art. This festival’s experience will remind longtime Music@Menlo attendees of our signature Unfolding of Music festivals. Since Music@Menlo’s earliest days, we have strongly believed that engagement with the art of chamber music through its evolution would create a solid footing in the midst of a vast and multifaceted art form. Music—like nature on earth or the cosmos beyond—has inarguably evolved in many ways that make both scientific and artistic sense. The physics of music, researched by the ancient Greeks, provided us with our scales, modes, intervals, and concepts of consonance and disso- nance. Changes in society over the centuries influenced how music was consumed, what was expected of it, and ultimately how it was composed. During Music@Menlo 2019, as we immerse ourselves in ten-year slices of history, we’ll time travel to those eras to experience them artistically, historically, and socially. This summer’s music will be heard within rich and fascinat- ing contexts—a signature Music@Menlo tradition. To get the most from our festival, please partake of the multidimensional offerings that make Music@Menlo so much more than just a concert series. With this program book and our season brochure as your guides, we recommend selecting a healthy balance of festival components (if not all of them!) to enrich your experience and deepen your appreciation of chamber music. Finally, we know that as the festival progresses, we’ll be asked the question, “Why these seven decades?” That’s a valid question indeed, one that we believe will be answered as you experience the rich musical and historical content of each decade. Another answer might simply be that after we explore these seven decades, we are left with some twenty more from which to choose for summers hence! Enjoy the festival! We look forward to seeing you at the concerts and events. Best wishes, David Finckel and Wu Han Artistic Directors Martin Family Artistic Directorship www.musicatmenlo.org 3 Welcome from the Music@Menlo Executive Director Board Welcome to Music@Menlo! Ann S. Bowers, Chair This summer we will explore the classical rep- Terri Bullock ertoire through seven decades, each of which Paul M. Ginsburg represents a moment in time when the arc of Jerome Guillen music history made an important shift. With our Amy Hsieh historical perspective, it is fascinating to focus on Allen I. Lantor, ex officio (through June 2019) these “pivot points.” Eff W. Martin In much the same way, organizations occa- Betsy Morgenthaler sionally experience key points in their histories William R. Silver, ex officio (from July 2019) when they can shift and move in new directions. Camilla Smith I am thrilled to let you know that Music@Menlo is Trine Sorensen on the cusp of just such a moment. Brenda Woodson As you attend events this summer, you will once again notice the sounds David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors of construction. These sounds mark the long-awaited coming of a world-class Edward P. Sweeney, Executive Director, ex officio performing arts center, right here on the Menlo School campus! Originally conceived over ten years ago, this long-dormant project has been brought back to life by a generous lead gift from Ned and Carol Spieker. With the Administration support of other Menlo School families, and from the Music@Menlo board, the David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors project is now underway. Edward P. Sweeney, Executive Director Needless to say, this will be a transformative moment for Music@Menlo. For Patrick Castillo, Audience Engagement Director the first time ever, we will have our very own concert hall here on campus. This Claire Graham, Communications Director will give us an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine the programming during Matthew Gray, Development Associate the festival, as well as to explore additional offerings throughout the year, serving Marianne R. LaCrosse, General Manager and Education both the school and the broader community. Programs Director But there is still much work to do to bring this project to fruition. We need Nathan Paer, Artistic Administrator (through June 2019) to raise significant additional funds to complete the performing arts center. Lee Ramsey, Development Director Therefore, as you so generously support Music@Menlo’s programs, we ask you Libby Seidner, Artistic Administrator (from July 2019) to consider an additional capital gift this season to help complete this special Taylor Smith, Patron Engagement Manager project. Daphne Wong, Director of Artistic Operations With your help, we look forward to this new era for Music@Menlo. Like the incredible decades of this summer’s festival, this is our moment to turn a new Mission Statement page! The mission of Music@Menlo is to engage and sustain an Thank you, and enjoy the music! audience for chamber music that is programmed, presented, and performed at the highest level of artistic excellence and With warm regards, to provide deserving young musicians with comprehensive, festival-based educational opportunities. Edward P. Sweeney Executive Director 4 Music@Menlo 2019 INCREDIBLE DECADES Bottom left clock quadrant: Paolo Uccello (1397–1475). Canonical Clock, 1443, fresco. Scala/Art Resource, NY. Other clock images: iStock Program Overview CONCERT PROGRAMS OVERTURE CONCERT Concert Program I: 1710–1720: Bach Ascending (p. 12) International Program Performers with Soovin Kim, Sat., July 13, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Richard O’Neill, and Keith Robinson (p. 55) Concert Program II: 1790–1800: Beethoven Launched (p. 17) Fri., August 2, 7:30 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Wed., July 17, 7:30 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Concert Program III: 1820–1830: Classical Twilight (p. 21) Fri., July 19, 7:30 p.m., Stent Family Hall Artists Sun., July 21, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Piano Escher String Quartet Concert Program IV: 1840–1850: Romantic Revolution (p.