Coming Up: Uhl, Debussy and Berg

Saturday, Jan. 13, at 8 p.m., Strata,a trio of chamber musicians, will perform at the Church of the Messiah, Route 9, in Rhinebeck, NY.

This group, which specializes in programs of infrequently heard works, will perform a trio by Uhl; the Sonata for Violin and Piano by Debussy; his Rhapsody for Clarinet and Piano; the adagio movement from the Chamber Concerto by Alban Berg; and the Suite for Violin, Piano and Clarinet by Arutiunian.

A preconcert talk about the program begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $25 for adults, $10 for students, and children under 13 will be admitted free of charge. A postconcert reception to meet the artists is planned.

For reservations, call 845-876-2870 or go to www.rhinebeckmusic.org; or e-mail info@rhinebeckmusic.org.

There will be a benefit concert for the Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society on Jan. 20, at 4 p.m, at which the members of the Attaca String Quartetwill preview their Carnegie Hall debut.Tickets are $50, of which $45 is tax-deductible. For details call Roz Austin at 845-876-0264.

The husband/wife team of cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Hanpaid their annual visit to Union College’s Memorial Chapter last Sunday afternoon to perform the Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor, Op. 36, by Edward Grieg (1843-1907); the Sonata in F Major, Op. 6, by Richard Strauss (1864-1949); Franz Schubert’s (1797-1828) Sonata in A minor, D 821, better known as the "Arpeggione"; and "Vocalise," Op. 34, by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The two direct the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Finckel is the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet. By the way, the quartet will appear twice at Union College this season: Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. and May 10 at 8 p.m., offering a program of late-Beethoven string quartets, which this group has recently rerecorded.

The theme for the afternoon’s program was "A Portrait of Romanticism: Lyric Works for Cello and Piano."

With the exception of the first movement (allegro) of the Schubert Sonata, in which Finckel was not yet quite warmed up, the entire program came off very well. Han and Finckel gave the Strauss work (which he wrote at the age of 16) a rousing performance and at the end the audience jumped to its feet with prolonged cheers.

Rachmaninoff’s "Vocalise" was taken from a cycle of 14 songs he composed for soprano and piano accompaniment. He wrote it three years after having finished the other 13 songs. Written without text for soprano Antonia Nezhdanova, who did not care to have a song written for her "without words," she nevertheless premiered the song in 1916, with Rachmaninoff at the piano.

Last Sunday’s performance was a transcribed version for cello and piano and the couple once again excelled at showcasing the beauty of this music.

The Grieg Sonata, the last work on the program, dates from 1883. It is full of themes taken from other works written by this composer. This couple, once again, came through with a fabulous interpretation, very sensitive and full of musical charm. Finckel performed the entire program without a score. What a memory!

The next concert of the Union College Series is Sunday, Jan. 21, at 3 p.m., with guests Dutch mezzo- soprano Christianne Stotijn and pianist Joseph Breinl giving a recital of lieder by Mahler, Schubert, Strauss and songs by Ives.

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