Debussy, Chopin . . . And Bach's Partitas

Chamber music fans: remember that the Route 7 bridge crossing from Salisbury to Falls Village will be closed this weekend, so make sure to leave extra time to get to the opening concert of Music Mountain’s 81st season of chamber music by the Parnas/Serkin Trio Sunday, June 13 at 3 p.m. The artists are all masters of their instruments and of formidable musical lineage. The two Parnas sisters, violinist Madalyn and cellist Cicely, not even old enough to legally sip champagne at the post-concert reception, are joined by the consummate pianist Peter Serkin. While “not particularly sympathetic to young musicians,†Music Mountain’s president, Nick Gordon, calls the sisters “mature artists at a young age.â€

   Sunday’s program will showcase the sisters’ individual talents in the Debussy Violin Sonata and the Chopin Cello Sonata. The latter, being presented at Music Mountain for the first time, is one of the composer’s nine works written for anything but piano solo. Lyrical, passionate, and virtuosic, it is Chopin’s last published work. Debussy premiered his own sonata the year before he died in 1918. It is light and airy before turning tempestuous in the finale. The last work on the program is Ravel’s Trio in A minor, a major work and a spectacular tour-de-force for all the musicians. In four movements, it moves from classical harmonies to jazzy rhythms evocative of Gershwin (or maybe the other way around, since Gershwin admired Ravel’s music), with interludes of Asian flavor. The finale is rip-roaring and guaranteed to bring the house down. Tickets at $30 (lawn) and $50. $100 and $200 tickets closer to the stage also include tickets to one or two other season concerts. 860-824-7126 or musicmountain.org.

      If Music Mountain is the oldest chamber music festival in the country, Aston Magna is the oldest featuring Baroque period instruments. For almost 40 years Aston Magna has brought authentic re-creations of Bach, Mozart, Handel and others to audiences here and abroad. 

    Its opening concert program is dedicated to Bach’s three Partitas for solo violin, including the great Chaconne, performed by Daniel Stepner, who is artistic director of the series and one of America’s leading exponents of early music performance, while championing new works for violin. There are two opportunities in our area to hear this program: June 18 at 8 p.m. at Bard College in Red Hook, NY, and June 19, at 6 p.m. at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA. 800-875-7156, or 413-528-3595, or visit www.astonmagna.org.