The 52nd Season Features an Unprecedented Three-Part Piano Recital Series; Series by Jordi Savall and Orpheus; Appearances by Rolando Villazón, Stephanie Blythe and John Relyea, Emanuel Ax and Richard Stoltzman, and the Regina Carter Quartet;
Young Violinists in Debut; and "Flashback: The Fabulous 40s and 50s"
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents the 52nd season of its acclaimed concert series in 2005-2006, 76 events ranging from a three-part piano recital series, Bach cantatas in the Medieval Sculpture Hall, and Flamenco music and dance, to a master class with Jordi Savall, Beethoven by the Beaux Arts Trio, and an evening of doo-wop from the 1940s and 1950s. The season is the 37th programmed by Concerts & Lectures General Manager Hilde Limondjian.
"At the Metropolitan Museum, as in the arts in general, we celebrate old and new expressions of eternal themes," said the Metropolitan's Director, Philippe de Montebello. "Each season, Hilde Limondjian carries this forward in a concert series that travels imaginatively through its own recent discoveries and established constants within a timeless context of quality. Two successes from last season, the series devoted to Jordi Savall and young pianists, have evolved into exciting sequels in 2005-2006; vocal music, a presence in every season, shines particularly brightly next year; the chamber music tradition, the heartbeat of the Concerts series, nurtures our acclaimed young resident ensemble and debut artists alongside our distinguished roster of guests; and a selective, eclectic mix of jazz, popular, and Latin events returns to the series."
A special highlight of the season is a three-part series of piano recitals, Piano Forte, consisting of nine pianists grouped by the repertoire they will be performing: Bach/Brahms, Chopin/Rachmaninoff, and Beethoven/Schubert. In honor of the series, Steinway & Sons will provide the Museum with three pianos: the "CD-60," which was celebrated during the 150th anniversary of Steinway & Sons New York in 2003; a Hamburg Steinway constructed in honor of the 125th anniversary of Steinway & Sons Hamburg, and the beloved New York Steinway piano that has been in residence at the Metropolitan Museum for the past several years. The pianists performing at the Met during the season will be able to choose among the three instruments.
Additional highlights of 2005-2006 include The Art of Jordi Savall, a sequel to the highly successful Celebrating Jordi Savall series of April 2005, consisting of a concert in the Medieval Sculpture Hall by Mr. Savall and his ensemble Hespèrion XXI; a viola da gamba master class; and a conversation about his life and music with critic David D'Arcy. Vocal music has a major presence in the season, with countertenor Bejun Mehta, tenor Rolando Villazón in a return appearance, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and baritone John Relyea, and Sequentia and Ensemble Dialogos in a chant program, all featured in the annual Great Voices in Dendur series; two programs of Bach cantatas performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and The Bach Choir of New York in the Medieval Sculpture Hall; a program celebrating the power of nature in music by Chanticleer at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing; and the annual Christmas Concerts in the Medieval Sculpture Hall, all of which in 2005 feature singers and vocal ensembles, among them Early Music New York, The Collegiate Chorale, choirs of Grace Church and the Riverside Church, and baritone Jubilant Sykes with guitarist Christopher Parkening.
The chamber music continuum includes the Beaux Arts Trio in the second year of its three-year Beethoven project to perform all of the composer's piano trios and sonatas for violin and piano and sonatas for cello and piano; and the Guarneri String Quartet celebrating Mozart in the 25th anniversary year of the composer's birth with six concerts at which they will be joined by guest artists including Joseph Robinson, Carol Wincenc, and David Shifrin. A special series, Chamber Mix, of eminent musicians in chamber programs includes a program of Western and Asian influences titled East Meets West, headlined by violinist (and Beaux Arts Trio member) Daniel Hope; a duo recital by Emanuel Ax and Richard Stoltzman; and a program by Jonathan Biss and the Mendelssohn Quartet (the quartet's violinist Miriam Fried and Biss are mother and son). And the artist roster of the season's Musicians from Marlboro series features Gilbert Kalish and Peter Wiley.
Richard Goode, who heads an eight-event Perspectives: Richard Goode series at Carnegie Hall in 2005-2006, has a two-part companion series of talks at the Museum, "Richard Goode: In Conversation with Sarah Cahill."
Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert, the Museum's acclaimed young resident ensemble, performs three programs of Schumann paired with new works, all of which will be broadcast live on 96.3 FM WQXR; and the annual Accolades young artist series features three violinists making their New York recital debuts. Two orchestras make their only New York appearances: The Munich Symphony, led by Philippe Entremont, and Camerata Ireland. Dino Anagnost's Little Orchestra Society performs an all-Berlioz program. And Paula Robison continues her annual appearances at The Temple of Dendur with two concerts devoted to The Great Vivaldi with chamber orchestra.
An array of jazz, popular, and Latin music events features Marvin Hamlisch, the Regina Carter Quartet, pianist Henry Butler, Three Mo' Tenors, the Brazilian Guitar Quartet, an evening of Flamenco music and dance, the two guitarists Eliot Fisk and Paco Pena, and a program titled Flashback: The Fabulous 40s and 50s, featuring Loren Schoenberg and His Ensemble, The Classics, The Chantels, and Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra. And the season also includes return appearances by the Blue Hill Troupe and The Salzburg Marionettes.
The programs of the Concerts & Lectures series are held primarily in the Museum's Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium (opened in 1954), which seats 708, as well as in Museum galleries such as the Medieval Sculpture Hall and The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing.
Tickets to the concert series are available by calling the Concerts & Lectures Department at (212) 570-3949. Updated schedules and programs are available on the Museum's website, www.metmuseum.org.
TWO SEQUELS
Two successful spring festivals in 2005, Celebrating Jordi Savall and A Festival of International Piano Competition Winners, have evolved into series in 2005-2006:
Jordi Savall's three-part series in April 2005 concluded with a concert that was hailed as "the concert of the year" by The New Yorker. In 2005-2006, The Art of Jordi Savall continues the tradition initiated in the 50th anniversary season of celebrating the multifaceted artistry of one musician with three events showcasing the renowned viola da gambist and early music pioneer:
- "Jordi Savall Master Class: Music for the Viola da Gamba" – For the first time in New York, Jordi Savall will conduct a master class, sharing his insights into his instrument with three viola da gambists. Wednesday, March 15, at 8:00 p.m.
- "Jordi Savall in Conversation with David D'Arcy"features the founder and leader of Hespèrion XXI, Le Concert des Nations, and La Capella Reial de Catalunya speaking with critic David D'Arcy about his life, his deep connection to the music of the 15th and 16th centuries, and the influence of that time on the music that followed. (This early evening event immediately precedes the final event of the series.) Thursday, March 16, at 6:00 p.m.
- Hespèrion XXI, with Savall as viola da gambist, soprano Montserrat Figueras, singer and harpist Arianna Savall, guitarist and theorbo player Xavier Diaz, and percussionist Pedro Estevan, performs works by Diego Ortiz, Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz, José Marin, Juan Hidalgo, Gaspar Sanz, and Antonio Martin, in the Medieval Sculpture Hall. Thursday, March 16, at 8:00 p.m.
The art of the piano recital is a major part of the history of Metropolitan Museum Concerts, which has presented the greatest pianists of our time, many in debut or early appearances, in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, a space recognized as a prime chamber and recital hall. The most recent exponent of this tradition unfolded in April 2005, when A Festival of International Competition Winners presented six young pianists, all first-prize winners of piano competitions, in four days of recitals, most of them New York debuts. The pianists were given a choice between two Steinway pianos, the "Model D" concert grand that has resided at the Museum for several years, and the "CD-60," a new "Model D" that was built during the 150th anniversary of Steinway & Sons New York.
The 2005-2006 season expands this piano presence with a three-part series titled Piano Forte,, consisting of nine pianists, almost all in their only New York recital appearances of the season, grouped in three sub-series according to the repertoire that they will perform: Bach/Brahms, Chopin/Rachmaninoff, and Beethoven/Schubert.
In honor of the series, Steinway & Sons will provide the Museum with three pianos: the two New York Steinways and a new Hamburg Steinway "Model D" concert grand that was built to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Steinway & Sons Hamburg.
In addition, the audience will be invited to "Toast the Pianists" at a champagne reception immediately following each of the recitals.
Piano Forte: Bach/Brahms:
- Sergey Schepkin, who was hailed by The New York Times as "a formidable Bach pianist," returns to the Museum to perform his only New York recital of the season: Bach's Partita No. 6 in E Minor, BWV 830, and Capriccio "On the Departure of His Most Dearly Beloved Brother"; and Brahms's Four Ballades, Op. 10, and Seven Fantasias, Op. 116. Saturday, October 22, at 8:00 p.m.
- Fazil Say, a 1994 winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, performs his only New York recital of the season: Bach's Italian Concerto, BWV 971, and French Suite No. 6 in E Major; the Bach/Busoni Chaconne; the Bach/Liszt Prelude and Fugue, BWV 543; and the Bach/Say Passacaglia; as well as Brahms' Intermezzi, Op. 117. Friday, April 14, at 8:00 p.m.
- Frederic Chiu, a regular guest at the Museum, performs his only New York recital of the season: Bach's Prelude and Fugue in A-flat Major (from The Well Tempered Clavier, Book II), and Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826; the Vivaldi/Bach Concerto in C Major; and Brahms' Sonata in C Major, Op. 1. Thursday, May 25, at 8:00 p.m.
Piano Forte: Chopin/Rachmaninoff:
- Marc Laforet, whose awards include a 1985 Young Concert Artists International Auditions win and a silver medal at the Chopin Competition that same year, performs an all-Chopin program for his only New York recital of the season. Thursday, February 2, at 8:00 p.m.
- Alexei Grynyuk, who made his U.S. debut performing in A Festival of International Competition Winners (2001 Shanghai International Youth Piano Competition and 1999 International Competition in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz), performs Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy in A-flat Major, Op. 61; Three Mazurkas, Op. 56; Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 39; and Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brilliante; Rachmaninoff's Five Pieces, Op. 3, and Sonata No. 2, Op. 36, for his only New York recital of the season. Thursday, March 23, at 8:00 p.m.
Piano Forte: Beethoven/Schubert:
- Antti Siirala, who performed in A Festival of International Competition Winners (2000 Int'l Piano Competition in London, 2003 Leeds and Dublin Int'l Piano Competitions), performs Beethoven's Sonatas Nos. 24, 25, 26 ("Les Adieux"), and 27 for his only New York recital of the season. Friday, November 18, at 8:00 p.m.
- Stephen Kovacevich performs his only New York recital of the season: Beethoven's Bagatelles, Op. 126, Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6; and Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101; Schubert's Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960; and Berg's Sonata, Op. 1. Thursday, January 19, at 8:00 p.m.
- John O'Conor performs Beethoven's Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111; Schubert's Impromptus; and Haydn's Sonata in B Minor, Hob. 16, No. 32, for his only New York recital of the season. Thursday, February 23, at 8:00 p.m.
- Martin Kasik, a 1999 winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, returns to the Museum to perform Beethoven's Sonata in D Major, Op. 10; Variations in F Major; Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 26; and Schubert's Four Impromptus, Op. 90, for his only New York recital of the season. Thursday, April 27, at 8:00 p.m.
VOICES – SOLO, IN CHORUS, AND THE CHOIRS OF CHRISTMAS
Vocal recitals at The Temple of Dendur, visits from the vocal ensemble Chanticleer, and Christmas Concerts are all annual features of Metropolitan Museum Concerts, but in 2005-2006 the variety of choral events at Christmas, a special Bach cantata series, and an extended series at The Temple of Dendur make vocal music one of the highlights of the season:
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, joined by The Bach Choir of New York, presents its first-ever Bach cantata series in the Museum's Medieval Sculpture Hall, whose acoustics have been described as similar to the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) in Leipzig, for which these works were composed. On October 31, soprano Kathy Theil, alto Meg Bragle, tenor Jonathan Goodman, and bass Peter Stewart are featured in performances of Cantata No. 48, Ich elender mensch, wer wird mich erlösen; Cantata No. 78, Jesu, der du meine Seele; Cantata No. 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben ; and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. And on March 13, soprano Jennie Ellis, alto Meg Bragle, tenor Jonathan Goodman, and bass Peter Stewart are featured in performance of Cantata No. 18, Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fält; Cantata No. 193, Ihr Tore zu Zion; and Cantata No. 157, Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn. Mondays, October 31 and March 13, at 8:00 p.m.
Chanticleer, in its 15th season at the Museum, presents "Earthsongs," a program conceived to express the beauty and power of nature by music that "pairs poets' words with music to celebrate the grace of earth's creatures, the voices of the seasons, and the rhythms of our planet" for its annual program at The Temple of Dendur. To be performed are selections by Palestrina, Hindemith, Saint-Saëns, Monteverdi, Janequin, Sarah Hopkins, Chen Yi, and Jackson Hill, as well as folk songs. Saturday, April 22, at 8:00 p.m.
Great Voices in Dendur:
- A program titled "Chant Wars," featuring Sequentia and Ensemble Dialogos, two of today's leading early music vocal ensembles, illuminates the legendary ninth-century confrontation between Charlemagne's Frankish cantors and those of the pope in Rome. The program presents the diversity of chant styles of medieval Europe at a time when chant traditions were competing for ascendancy in the vigorous young empire of Pepin, Charlemagne, and their successors. Sunday, November 6, at 8:00 p.m.
- Countertenor Bejun Mehta and pianist Kevin Murphy perform their only New York recital of the season: songs of Mozart, Schubert, Handel, Scarlatti, Wolf, and Vaughan Williams. Friday, December 9, at 8:00 p.m.
- Tenor Rolando Villazón, who made his U.S. recital debut at the Museum in 2004, returns with a program of Lizst's Tre Sonetti di Petrarca and songs of Beethoven, de Falla, Duparc, Schumann, and Obradors for his only New York recital of the season. Friday, Febraury 3, at 8:00 p.m.
- Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, baritone John Relyea, and pianist Warren Jones perform their only New York recital of the season: duets from Thomas's Mignon, Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri, and songs by Strauss and Tchaikovsky. Friday, March 17, at 8:00 p.m.
These concerts are supported by the estate of Kathryn Walter Stein.
Christmas Concerts:
Metropolitan Museum Concerts has long been one of New York's prominent presenters of early music, highlighted by the annual series of Christmas concerts in the unique setting of the Medieval Sculpture Hall, in front of the Museum's Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque crèche. In 2005, all six programs (each of which has multiple performances) feature singers and vocal ensembles:
- Chanticleer's annual Christmas program features traditional carols, medieval and Renaissance sacred works, and spirituals. Thursday, December 1, and Sunday, December 4, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
- Early Music New York, under the director of Frederick Renz, features its men's vocal ensemble, accompanied by Renaissance period instruments, in a program of 14th- and early-15th-century motets honoring Bohemia's Good King Wenceslas, monophonic songs of the time of Jan Hus, carols from the Codex Specialnik, and Machaut's Messe de Notre Dame. Sunday, December 11, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
- Baritone Jubilant Sykes and guitarist Christopher Parkening perform a program of traditional songs and carols. Monday, December 12, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
- The Collegiate Chorale, directed by Robert Bass, with organist Kenneth Brown, performs two of Vivaldi's major choral works, the Gloria and the Magnificat. Wednesday, December 14, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
- The Choral Society of Grace Church in New York, led by John Maclay, is joined by a brass quintet for a program of sacred music of central Europe – works for double chorus by Schütz, Zielinski, Mendelssohn, Bruckner, Rheinberger, and others, and traditional songs and carols. Sunday, December 18, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
- The Riverside Church Inspirational Choir performs a program of celebration featuring gospel songs, spirituals, and seasonal music. Wednesday, December 21, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
CHAMBER MUSIC ACROSS GENERATIONS
Six chamber music series embody Metropolitan Museum Concerts' commitment to the presentation of both celebrated stars and young artists early in their careers. Longstanding resident ensembles the Beaux Arts Trio and Guarneri String Quartet celebrate Beethoven and Mozart, respectively; a Chamber Mix series features such stars as Emanuel Ax, Richard Stoltzman, and Sergio and Odair Assad; Musicians from Marlboro mixes the music festival's established and recent alumni; and Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert, the Museum's newest resident group, and three New York debuts in the Accoladesyoung artist series look to the future.
The Beaux Arts Trio – pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Daniel Hope, and cellist Antonio Meneses – continues in the second year of its three-year Beethoven project that spotlights its members in performance of all of the composer's trios, sonatas for violin and piano, and sonatas for cello and piano, with one work of each kind in each of the series' three programs, the trio's only New York concerts of the season, as well as works by Müller-Wieland, Turnage, and Kurtág. The 2005-2006 season marks the Trio's 33rd season at the Museum. Fridays, October 14, December 2, and April 21, at 8:00 p.m.
The Guarneri String Quartet – violinists Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley, violist Michael Tree, and cellist Peter Wiley – devote their six-concert series to Mozart in 2005-2006, the 250th anniversary season of the composer's birth year. Each program will feature a Mozart work for strings and additional instrument, as well as works by composers including Arriaga, Brahms, Danielpour, Debussy, Dvorák, Haydn, Kodaly, Ravel, Schumann, Sibelius, and Smetana. Scott St. John joins the GSQ for the Viola Quintet in C Major, Joseph Robinson for the Oboe Quartet in F Major, Julie Landsman for the Horn Quintet in E-flat Major, Carol Wincenc for the Flute Quartet in D Major, double-bassist Timothy Cobb for Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and David Shifrin for the Clarinet Quintet in A Major.
The Guarneri String Quartet made its first appearance in the Metropolitan Museum Concerts series in 1965 and has been performing there annually ever since. The spring series of the Guarneri String Quartet is supported by the Grace Jarcho Ross and Daniel G. Ross Concert Fund. Saturdays, October 8, November 5, December 3, January 21, February 25, and April 8, at 8:00 p.m.
Chamber Mix:
- "East Meets West" is the name of this program devised by violinist Daniel Hope (of the Beaux Arts Trio), for which he is joined by Sebastian Knauer on keyboards, Gaurav Mazumdar on sitar, and Shahbaz Hussain on tabla. They will perform works by de Falla, Takemitsu, Ravel, Bartók, and Raga Tilang. Saturday, October 1, at 8:00 p.m.
- Pianist Emanuel Ax and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman perform their only New York appearance together, a program consisting of Debussy's Premiere Rhapsody; Brahms' Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120; Bernstein's Sonata; Lukas Foss's Three American Pieces; and Gershwin's Three Preludes. Friday, December 16, at 8:00 p.m.
- The Artemis Quartet – violinists Natalia Prischepenko and Heime Muller, violist Volker Jacobsen, and cellist Eckart Runge – perform string quartets by Mozart and Bartók as well as Schubert's String Quartet No. 13, "Rosamunde," in the quartet's only New York concert of the season. Saturday, February 11, at 8:00 p.m.
- Pianist Jonathan Biss and the Mendelssohn Quartet – violinists Miriam Fried and Nicholas Mann, violist Daniel Panner, and cellist Marcy Rosen – perform works by Mendelssohn, and Beethoven, and the Dvorák Piano Quintet in A Major for their only New York concert together. Fried and Biss are mother and son. Saturday, March 10, at 8:00 p.m.
- Guitarists Sérgio and Odair Assad perform works by Rameau, Albéniz, Ravel, C. Assad, Gismonti, Dyens, and Brouwer. Sunday, April 2, at 8:00 p.m.
Musicians from Marlboro: In a tradition that began in 1970, both prominent past and recent young alumni of this venerable school and festival will offer a series of three concerts of repertoire by Beethoven, Berg, Carter, Dvorák, Mozart, Nielsen, Schoenberg, Schubert, and Schumann, performed by violinists Ida Levin, Soovin Kim, Susie Park, and Harumi Rhodes; violists Maurycy Banaszek, Burchard Tang, and Jonathan Vinocur; cellists Soo Bae, Priscilla Lee, and Peter Wiley; pianists Gilbert Kalish and Ieva Jokubaviciute; soprano Hyunah Yu; baritone Charles Mays; flutist Valérie Tessa Chermiset; oboist Rudy Vrbsky; clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein; hornist Paul S. LaFollette III; and bassoonist Shinyee Na. Fridays, November 4, March 3, and May 12, at 8:00 p.m.
Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert was created in Metropolitan Museum Concerts' 50th anniversary season as a young resident ensemble, and it is the first ensemble to bear the Museum's name. The ensemble's series, praised by Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times as "all that chamber music enthusiasts could hope for," continues into its third season with three programs, each featuring two contemporary works mirrored in classic repertoire – in the 2005-2006 season, works of Schumann– with commentary from the musicians. The three Friday evening programs will be introduced onstage by WQXR Midday Host Jeff Spurgeon and will be broadcast live on 96.3 FM WQXR as well as streamed online on www.WQXR.com.
Cellist Edward Arron, the artistic coordinator of the series, is joined by violinists Jennifer Frautschi, Laura Frautschi, Colin Jacobsen, and Yosuke Kawasaki; violists Nicholas Cords and Max Mandel; cellist Nina Lee; pianists Andrew Armstrong and Jeremy Denk; and hornist Eric Ruske. The series' programs include Cage's String Quartet in Four Parts; Henry Cowell's Hymn and Fuguing Tune No. 2 for Strings; Kancheli's Rag-Gidon-Time for String Trio; Schnittke's String Quartet No. 3; and Webern's String Trio, Op. 20; in addition to works by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorák, and Schoenberg, as well as Schumann. Fridays, October 21, February 17, and March 24, at 8:00 p.m.
To complement the series, Edward Arron will present "A Talk about the Chamber Music of Robert Schumann," which will explore aspects of the multi-faceted and often enigmatic chamber works of Schumann – particularly those to be performed in the series – and the events in his life that surrounded these compositions. Short musical examples will be performed by members of Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert. Thursday, October 6, at 2:30 p.m.
For the second year in a row, the Accolades young artists series is devoted to the violin, in 2005-2006 featuring three young artists in their New York recital debuts. This series has been made possible by the Xerox Foundation.
- Kristin Lee makes her New York recital debut with a program of sonatas by Beethoven and Brahms; Bolcom's Duo Fantasy; Chausson's Poème, Op. 25; and Wieniawski's Polonaise Brilliante No. 2. Thursday, January 26, at 8:00 p.m.
- Joan Kwuon's New York recital debut program features Mozart's Adagio in E Major and Rondo in C Major; Enesco's Sonata No. 3 and Moderato malinconico; Bach's Sonata No. 3 in C Major for Solo Violin; and Previn's Tango Song and Dance. Thursday, February 9, at 8:00 p.m.
- Vadim Gluzman, joined by pianist Angela Yoffe, makes his New York recital debut with a program of sonatas by Mozart and Shostakovich; Shostakovich's Jazz Suite No. 2 (transcription, N.Y. premiere); Bartok's Six Roumanian Folk Dances; and Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Figaro. Thursday, April 6, at 8:00 p.m.
WITH ORCHESTRA
Flutist Paula Robison continues in her third year of celebrating The Great Vivaldiat The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing, with two programs with chamber orchestra of concertos and Italian folk songs and serenades. Saturdays, November 19 and March 18, at 7:00 p.m.
The Orchestras series presents three guest ensembles:
- The Munich Symphony is led by Philippe Entrement, who is also the piano soloist in the program of Weber's Overture to Oberon; Mozart's Piano Concerto in C Major, K. 467; and Brahms' Symphony No. 2, the orchestra's only New York concert of the season. Sunday, October 23, at 8:00 p.m.
- Camerata Ireland, for its only New York concert of the season, features pianist Barry Douglas as the guest soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major; also on the program are works by Penderecki and Kinsella, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Wednesday, November 9, at 8:00 p.m.
- Dino Anagnost leads the Little Orchestra Society and the Orpheon Chorale in two works by Berlioz, the Te Deum, a work written for vast reverberating spaces, and Tristia, at The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing. Saturday, April 29, at 8:00 p.m.
JAZZ, POP, AND LATIN
Two series feature a variety of eight events:
Jazz Meets Pop:
- Marvin Hamlisch, joined by vocalist J. Mark McVey, performs music from his own film scores and shows including The Swimmer, Ice Castles, A Chorus Line, and The Way We Were, as well as Scott Joplin rags and tributes to Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers. Friday, October 7, at 8:00 p.m.
- Jazz violinist Regina Carter leads the Regina Carter Quintet in a program of her music as well as material from her Paganini: After a Dream project. Ms. Carter was the first jazz artist to be chosen to perform on Paganini's famed Guarneri "Cannon" violin. Thursday, December 15, at 8:00 p.m.
- New Orleans pianist Henry Butler performs a mix of jazz, Caribbean, classical, pop, blues, and R&B, introduced by WNYC's Sara Fishko. Friday, January 20, at 8:00 p.m.
- "Flashback: The Fabulous 40s and 50s" features a look back at an era of great change in American popular music that began with the big swing bands and ended with doo-wop. Loren Schoenberg and His Ensemble are joined by three additional groups, The Classics, The Chantels, and Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks Orchestra, for their first New York concert together. Thursday, March 9, at 8:00 p.m.
- "Three Mo' Tenors" features three classically trained singers performing a program of opera, jazz, gospel, soul, spirituals, Broadway, and the blues. Wednesday, March 29, at 8:00 p.m.
Latin Magic:
- The Brazilian Guitar Quartet, consisting of members Everton Gloeden, Luis Carlos Mantovani, Tadeu do Amaral, and Edson Lopes, performs Villa Lobos's Quarteto Popular, as well as Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian dances by Guarnieri, Mignone, and others, for its only New York concert of the season. Thursday, November 3, at 8:00 p.m.
- "Flamenco"features music and dance performed in its most traditional form by members of the Fundación Cristina Heeren de Arte Flamenco, including singers Calixto Sanchez, Javier Hidalgo, and Sonia Miranda; guitarists Manolo Franco and Pedro Sanchez; and dancers Rafel Campello and Choni Perez. Only New York concert of the season. Thursday, February 16, at 8:00 p.m.
- Guitarists Eliot Fisk and Paco Peña join for their only New York concert of the season, a program of works by Albéniz, de Falla, Rodrigo, Granados, Paganini, Scarlatti, Mendelssohn, and Bach, as well as arrangements and original compositions by the flamenco specialist Paco Peña. Monday, April 10, at 8:00 p.m.
AND RETURNING…
The Salzburg Marionettes, established in 1913, is famed for its sophisticated marionette stagings of classical masterworks for audiences of all ages. The troupe, which presents 160 performances annually in Salzburg and tours internationally, returns to the Metropolitan Museum after its first appearances there in 2003, for six performances featuring its productions of Mozart's The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni and Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream, as well as presentations for young audiences of The Magic Flute and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel geared to young audiences. These performances are made possible by Leon B. Polsky and Cynthia Hazen Polsky. Thursday – Saturday, November 10-12, at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, November 12, at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday, November 13, at 2:00 and 5:00 p.m.
The Blue Hill Troupe, a beloved Gilbert & Sullivan regular, returns to the Museum for its 12th annual performance, a program of G&S favorites and little-known gems, including selections from Iolanthe, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, and The Gondoliers, as well as a song or two by Gilbert without Sullivan and vice versa. Sunday, February 12, at 5:00 p.m.
MUSIC LECTURES
Over the years, the Museum has supported its concert series with a series of lectures, which in the 2005-2006 season will include:
- "A History of the American Theater" – WQXR Overnight Host Nimet Habachy and actress Joanne Woodward explore the role of the stage in the shaping of America; how the theater conferred status and connoted wealth in communities and social classes, and playwrights such as Augustin Daly, Charles Frohman, and David Belasco supplied plays that acted as moral and cautionary tales of vice and virtue. The two talks on how the American theater developed its own unique style and traditions will be illustrated with slides, film, and audio. Wednesdays, October 5 and 12, at 2:30 p.m.
- "A Talk about the Chamber Music of Robert Schumann," led by Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert Artistic Coordinator Edward Arron, is a companion event to the young ensemble's three-concert series. Mr. Arron will explore aspects of the multi-faceted and often enigmatic chamber works of Schumann – particularly those to be performed in the series – and the events in his life that surrounded these compositions. Short musical examples will be performed by members of Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert. Thursday, October 6, at 2:30 p.m.
- "The Broadway of Rodgers and Hart" – Broadcaster and American musical theater aficionado June LeBell explores the beloved music and lyrics of the great teams Rodgers and Hart and Rodgers and Hammerstein in two informal, lively conversations with performers that will include live musical demonstrations and film clips. This series is made possible by Mrs. Vivian Milstein. Tuesdays, October 11 and 18, at 2:30 p.m.
- "First Nights at the Opera: Monteverdi's Orfeo" – Thomas Forrest Kelly, the Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music at Harvard and the author of First Night and First Night at the Opera, explores the art, poetry, and music at the time of the 1607 premiere of the first great opera, Monteverdi's Orfeo, and the significance of its subject, the myth of Orpheus. The talk will focus on the event itself by evoking the premiere's location, the ducal palace in Mantua, and the musicians who performed. Tuesday, October 18, at 8:00 p.m.
- "Richard Goode in Conversation with Sarah Cahill" – The eminent pianist Richard Goode, who has a long history of performing at the Museum, appears in the eight-event Perspectives: Richard Goode series at Carnegie Hall in 2005-2006. Two talks with pianist, radio producer, and music critic Sarah Cahill will examine how an artist selects a work for his repertoire and the very personal process that results in a unique view and interpretation of that work. Thursdays, October 20 and January 12, at 8:00 p.m.
- "The Art of Tony Bennett" – The great Tony Bennett, in his first appearance at the Metropolitan Museum, talks with Harold Holzer, senior vice president of the Museum and author, about his dual career as an international singing star for over five decades and as an artist whose work resides in museum collections and galleries. Mr. Bennett's Lincoln Memorial is the cover illustration for the new edition of Lincoln on Democracy (2004), co-edited by Mario Cuomo and Harold Holzer. Tuesday, October 25, at 8:00 p.m.
- "Jordi Savall in Conversation with David D'Arcy" features the founder and leader of Hespèrion XXI, Le Concert des Nations, and La Capella Reial de Catalunya speaking with critic David D'Arcy about his life, his deep connection to the music of the 15th and 16th centuries, and the influence of that time on the music that followed. (This early evening event immediately precedes the final event of the three-part series The Art of Jordi Savall.) Thursday, March 16, at 6:00 p.m.
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