METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART ANNOUNCES 2001-2002 SEASON OF CONCERTS & MUSIC LECTURES, INCLUDING TWO COMMISSIONS

– Tenor Robert White will perform the world premiere of a group of songs commissioned for him by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in celebration of the new millennium, by an unparalleled roster of twenty composers, all friends of Mr. White – Mark Adamo, Milton Babbitt, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, David del Tredici, Lukas Foss, Daron Hagen, Sheldon Harnick, Richard Hundley, Dick Hyman, Libby Larsen, Lowell Liebermann, Gian Carlo Menotti, Paul Moravec, Ben Moore, John Musto, Tobias Picker, Ned Rorem, Thomas Z. Shepard, and George Tsontakis. Pianist Brian Zeger will accompany the tenor whose career has embraced a variety of repertoire ranging from medieval to contemporary. In addition, in some of the songs, he will be accompanied by the composers themselves. Sat., November 17, at 8:00 p.m.

– Sir John Tavener's Lamentations and Praises will have its East Coast premiere performed by Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer and the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, both of which joined The Metropolitan Museum of Art to co-commission the work. The spirituality, liturgy, and music of the Russian Orthodox Church, which Sir John Tavener joined in 1977, have had an impact on many of his compositions. This dramatic work, which the composer describes as "a sequence of ikons," will be seen in a semi-staged production. Sat., March 16, at 8:00 p.m.

– Memet, a musical tragedy in three acts by Giovanni Battista Sammartini, will have its U.S. premiere, performed by Augusto Ciavatta leading the Titano Chamber Orchestra of San Marino, Italy, and singers Sandro Naglia, Rosita Frisani, Michel Van Goethem, Daniela Uccello, and Anna Chierichetti, in a semi-staged presentation in the Museum's Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing. Inspired by Voltaire's play Mohammed, all that survives of this opera is the score for the 1732 premiere and the libretto of a performance given the following year. The first contemporary performance since 1733, upon which this production is based, was presented in Bologna's Palazzo d'Accursio in December 2000. As a prelude to the opera, a short play by Francesco Albergati Capacelli (1728-1804) titled The Art of Thinking will set the scene of a palace reception. The surviving vocal music of Sammartini, known largely for his role in refining the classical symphony style, was mostly choral and sacred music, as well as some secular arias and cantatas; this is his only known opera. This event is made possible by the Italian Cultural Institute in New York and the City of Bologna. Sat., October 27, at 7:00 p.m.

Musicians from the Bard Festival will perform three concerts of period music linked to three exhibitions. The centerpiece of each concert will be a segment in which the curator of the exhibition will join Robert Martin and Leon Botstein in a lively discussion of the art, music, and thought of each period:

– Caspar David Friedrich: Moonwatchers (on view Sept. 11 – Nov. 11) – A discussion of "Early German Romanticism" by Mr. Martin, Mr. Botstein, Sabine Rewald, and Gary Tinterow will accompany the program of Beethoven's String Quintet in C Major, Op. 29, and Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20. Fri., November 9, at 7:00 p.m.

– Paul Signac, 1863-1935: Master Neo-Impressionist (on view Oct. 9 – Dec. 30) – A discussion of "Neo-Impressionism and French Cultural Identity" by Mr. Martin, Mr. Botstein, and Kathryn Calley Galitz will accompany the program of Magnard's String Quartet in E Minor and Milhaud's String Quartet No. 1, Op. 5. The exhibition is made possible by The Florence Gould Foundation. The exhibition was organized by the Réunion des musées nationaux/Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Fri., December 21, at 7:00 p.m.

– Benjamin Brecknell Turner: Rural England Through a Victorian Lens (on view Jan. 23 – April 21, 2002) – A discussion of "Nineteenth Century English Naturalism" by Mr. Martin, Mr. Botstein, and Malcolm Daniel will accompany the program of Stanford's String Quartet No. 2, Op. 45, and Elgar's Quintet for Piano and Strings, Op. 84. The exhibition is made possible by The Hite Foundation. Fri., April 5, at 7:00 p.m.

– Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg makes her debut in the Concerts & Lectures series with a two-evening series of collaborations – a concert with some of her closest musician friends of music by Brahms and Mozart, among others, and a performance with guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad of works by Piazzolla, Bartok, Chaplin, and Sérgio Assad.

– Billy Taylor, pianist, composer, educator, broadcaster, and chronicler of the history of jazz, turns 80 years old in 2002. The Metropolitan Museum, where he has been performing in the Concerts & Lectures series since 1969, will mark the occasion with "Billy Taylor's Jazz Journey: An 80th Birthday Celebration," a special four-evening series that traces his own personal journey with the history of jazz. Taylor, along with the members of his Trio, Chip Jackson and Winard Harper, will be joined by guests for evenings of music, talk, interviews, and remembrances: "The Early Years: Up to 1940," "Prebop and Bop: 1940s to the 1950s," "Breaking Out/New Directions: Mid-1950s to the 1970s," and "Reaching New Audiences: 1970s to the Present." Thursdays, February 7, March 14, April 11, and May 16, at 7:00 p.m.

– The Guarneri String Quartet, in the first full season with new cellist Peter Wiley joining violinists Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley and violist Michael Tree, will perform six concerts, each featuring a guest pianist and anchored by a Beethoven string quartet, with additional works by Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Ravel, Smetana, Shostakovich, Lutoslawski, Dohnanyi, Dvorák, Franck, and Mendelssohn. The guest artists are Stephanie Brown, Anne-Marie McDermott, Lee Luvisi, Peter Frankl, Lydia Artymiw, and Philippe Bianconi. The Guarneri has been performing at the Metropolitan Museum since 1965. Saturdays, October 20, December 1, January 12, February 16, April 6, and May 11 at 8:00 p.m.

– The Beaux Arts Trio – pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Young Uck Kim, and cellist Antonio Meneses – makes its only New York appearances of the season with two concerts, featuring works by Copland, Beethoven, Brahms, and Schumann. The Beaux Arts Trio has been performing at the Museum since 1971. Fridays, October 12 and March 22 at 8:00 p.m.

– Musicians from Marlboro – In a tradition that began in 1970, both prominent and recent alumni of this venerable school and festival will offer a series of three concerts, their only New York appearances of the season, of repertoire by Haydn, Schulhoff, Brahms, Debussy, Schubert, Beethoven, Hindemith, and Fauré. Fridays, October 26, February 22, and March 15, at 8:00 p.m.

– Philharmonia Virtuosi, led by founding music director and conductor Richard Kapp, is joined by a guest artist for each of its four concerts: pianist Frederic Chiu, violinist Mela Tenenbaum, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, and cellist Carter Brey. Programs include works by Enescu, Martinu, Mendelssohn, Inghelbrecht, Mozart, Rossini, Haydn, Schumann, Bragato, and Stravinsky, and an all-Bach program. Saturdays, November 10, December 8, February 2, and March 2, at 7:00 p.m.

– Ruth Laredo's 13th season of "Concerts with Commentary" focuses on Beethoven's works for cello and piano. Cellist Paul Watkins joins the pianist for two evenings of sonatas and themes and variations, their only New York recitals of the season. Fridays, December 7 and 14, at 7:00 p.m.

– Flutist Paula Robison returns to the Museum for two evenings of music from Rio and Naples, performed at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing. "Noites Cariocas – Rio Nights" also features guitarist Romero Lubambo, percussionist Cyro Baptisa and the Brazilian Ensemble for choros, chorinhos, bossas, and sambas, as well as music by Villa Lobos and Bach. In "Una Notta a Napoli – A Night in Naples," Ms. Robison is joined by Kenneth Cooper and a chamber orchestra for serenades and saltarellos, as well as sinfonias by Scarlatti, Pergolesi, and Tosti. Saturdays, November 3 and March 9, at 7:00 p.m.

– Pianist Richard Goode, whose New York debut was in the Concerts & Lectures series of 1964-65, makes his only New York recital appearance of the season with a program of Mozart, Debussy, Beethoven, and Schubert. Sat., April 13, at 8:00 p.m.

– Soprano Maria Ewing and pianist Ken Noda launch the season's "Great Singers at Dendur" series at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing with their only New York recital of the season, featuring a performance, aptly, of Berlioz's La Mort de Cleopatre as well as works by Beethoven, Strauss, Debussy, Duparc, Rossini, and Turina. Sun., November 18, at 8:00 p.m.

– Baritone Hakan Hagegard concludes the "Great Singers at Dendur" series with a program featuring Schumann's Dichterliebe. Sun., April 28, at 8:00 p.m.

– The St. Lawrence String Quartet – violinists Geoff Nuttall and Barry Shiffman, violist Lesley Robertson, and cellist Marina Hoover – performs an all-Tchaikovsky program for its only New York appearance of the season. Mon., November 26, at 8:00 p.m.

– Latin jazz giant, soprano saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera and his Quintet offer an overview of the language of music, from classical to jazz to Caribbean and contemporary Latin American works. Fri., October 19, at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.

– Opera Ebony will present "Opera Takes the A Train," a program of works by Handel, Scarlatti, Verdi, Mozart, Gershwin, Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart, Bizet, Gilbert and Sullivan, Fats Waller, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and others. Artistic Director Benjamin Matthews and Music Director Wayne Sanders are two of the founders of the New York company, the oldest surviving African American opera company. Sat., February 23, at 3:00 p.m.

– New York's Blue Hill Troupe, a regular in the Concerts & Lectures series, celebrates its 78th year with a concert of familiar and little-known Gilbert and Sullivan gems. Founded in 1924 in Blue Hill, Maine, the troupe maintains its tradition as a cooperative company, with members donating their time to all aspects of the production. Sun., February 3, at 6:00 p.m.

Recital appearances by five pianists and a young contralto continue the Concerts & Lectures series tradition of showcasing stellar young artists on the rise:

– Czech pianist Martin Kasik, first-prize winner of the 1999 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, performs a program of Bach, Chopin, Novak, Janácek, and Rachmaninoff in his only New York recital of the season. Fri., February 15, at 8:00 p.m.

– Sergey Schepkin, a St. Petersburg native who has been praised as a "major Bach pianist," performs a program of Scarlatti and Book I of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier for his only New York recital of the season. Thurs., March 21, at 8:00 p.m.

– Pianist Fazil Say, born in Turkey in 1970, won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1995, and has performed worldwide, including collaborations with Yuri Bashmet and Shlomo Mintz. This marks his only New York recital of the season. Fri., May 3, at 8:00 p.m.

– Israeli pianist Alon Goldstein is featured under the rubric of "Introductions" in the Concerts & Lectures series. A student of Leon Fleisher, he made his orchestral debut at the age of 18, playing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Israel Philharmonic led by Zubin Mehta. For his only New York recital of the season, he has chosen a program of Janácek, Debussy, Yedidia, and Brahms. Fri., January 11, at 8:00 p.m.

– A special program celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition – established in 1951 by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium and awarding prizes for piano, violin, and voice –spotlights two recent winners: contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, first prize winner in May 2000, who will be accompanied by pianist and 1983 fourth-prize winner Daniel Blumenthal for her program of French and German songs; and pianist Shai Wosner, 1999 fourth-prize winner, who will perform Schumann's Carnaval. Fri., November 30, at 8:00 p.m.

– Chanticleer will perform a program spanning five centuries of holiday music from medieval sacred works to spirituals and traditional carols. Sun., December 9, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

– New York Big Brass performs holiday favorites including selections from Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, and the "Hallelujah" Chorus from Handel's Messiah. Wed., December 12, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

– Trinity Boys Choir, R. Walden Moore, music director, will perform Britten's A Ceremony of Carols and other works. Sun., December 16, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

– The Ensemble for Early Music, Frederick Renz, director, performs "A Baroque Christmas" program of Scots carols, English ballads, and German lieder. Tues., December 18, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

– The Aulos Ensemble is joined by countertenor Derek Lee Ragin for a program of works by Bach, Vivaldi, Couperin, and Rameau as well as Christmas carols. Weds., December 19, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

– The Four Nations Ensemble performs a program of "Enchanted Nights" – works by Corrette, Purcell, Byrd, Biber, Couperin, and Merula. Thurs., December 20, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

– "Giuseppe Verdi's Masterful Choices: Great Literature to Grand Opera," a two-event series, features host Nimet Habachy of WQXR on Verdi's genius for melding music with poetry. Actress Joanne Woodward will join Nimet for both lectures, reading from the works of Shakespeare, Hugo, Dumas, and Schiller that inspired Verdi. Tuesdays, October 16 and 23, at 2:30 p.m.

– "The Sound of Broadway: America's Classical Music," a three-lecture series hosted by June LeBell of WQXR, features conversation and performance of the sounds of Broadway with such guests as Skitch Henderson, F. Murray Abraham, and Eileen Farrell:
"The Fantastic Fantasticks: A Tribute to the World's Longest-Running Musical" Tuesday, November 13, at 2:30 p.m.
"Kids Onstage: Great Performers of Stage and Screen from Age Nine to Ninety" Tuesday, November 20, at 2:30 p.m.
"In the Pit: Illustrious Broadway Conductors Talk about Their View of the Great White Way from Down Under the Stage" Tuesday, November 27, at 2:30 p.m.

– "The World of Mahler's Second Symphony" is led by Gilbert Kaplan, the founder of Institutional Investor and a Mahler scholar. Kaplan has made an in-depth study of Mahler's Second Symphony, which he has conducted in performance and recording, and he will relate the story of the creation of this masterpiece, one of the most fascinating tales in music, and how it intimately connected with Mahler's life. Tuesday, February 5, at 6:00 p.m.

– "Beethoven: Music for Violin" is a two-afternoon series of conversation and music with violinist Mela Tenenbaum and conductor/pianist Richard Kapp. Beethoven's "Spring" and "Kreutzer" sonatas, the Violin Concerto, and the Romances will be revealed in new and surprising ways. Wednesdays, October 10 and 17, at 2:30 p.m.

– "Notes and Bolts: How Music Gets Written" is four afternoons of insight into the language of music with composer/author Bruce Adolphe, who will address the rudiments and the mysteries of musical composition in a mix of fact, philosophy, humor, and scholarship. At the keyboard he will play examples of repertoire by a wide range of composers, from Gesualdo and Bach to Brahms and Gershwin, as well as living composers, including himself. The individual focuses of the four lectures are "Harmony: Chords and Discords," "Motifs, Modes, and Modulations," "Rhythm: Finding the Time," and "Organic, All Natural Procedures." Wednesdays, November 7, 14, 28, and December 5, at 2:30 p.m.