Laurie Smukler, violin and Robert McDonald, piano

Sunday, February 7, 2016 at 3:00 pm

Minsky Recital Hall

The all-Bartok program includes the First Rhapsody, and both the Violin and Piano Sonatas; no. 1 and no. 2. Hearing both these sonatas in one program is a wonderful experience – delving deeply into the wonderful, original, and evocative writing Bartok did for violin and piano.

Adults $35 / Students $8, prices include all fees.

A word from Laurie Smukler:

Our all-Bartók program includes the First Rhapsody, and both the Violin and Piano Sonatas; No. 1 and No. 2. The Rhapsody was dedicated to the great violinist Josef Szigeti, who was good friends with Bartók. It is full of folk melody and is a real virtuosic show piece. The sonatas were written within a year of each other, both for the fiery and beautiful woman violinist Jelly D’Aranyi, with whom Bartók was smitten. The relationship with the older Bartók did not develop into a romance, but the two did perform the sonatas together. The pieces themselves are full of romantic lyricism, intensity, exoticism, and rhythmic excitement, in addition to Bartók’s trademark use of folk music.

Hearing both these sonatas in one program is a wonderful experience – delving deeply into the wonderful, original and evocative writing Bartók did for violin and piano.

This concert is presented as part of the John I. and Elizabeth E. Patches Chamber Music Series.

Please join us after the concert for a free reception to mingle with the artists and fellow chamber music lovers.

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The program:

Rhapsody No.1 for Violin and Piano (1928)

Prima Parte (“Lasso”) Slow

Seconda Parte (“Friss”) Lively

Deuxieme Sonata for Violin and Piano (1922)

Molto Moderato

Allegretto

INTERMISSION

Premiere Sonata for Violin and Piano (1921)

Allegra Appassionato

Adagio

Allegro

Sample this program! This is the Rhapsody n°1 for violin and piano composed by Bartok in 1928.
Josef Szigeti: Violin/Béla Bartok: Piano

A message from the chair of the Collins Center for the Arts Chamber Music Society:

Our Feb. 7 concert will feature the violin/piano works of Béla Bartók, performed by two leading American musicians. Laurie Smukler, now teaching at The Juilliard School, and the Manhattan, Mannes and Bard Conservatories, is a highly sought-after teacher whose playing is known for its emotional intensity and lush tone. Each summer she performs and teaches at Kneisel Hall in Blue Hill, Maine.

Smukler‘s Bartók partner is the well-known pianist, Robert McDonald, also on the faculty at The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute, and the director at the summer chamber music festival in Taos. His performing career finds him collaborating with many violinists, including Midori, Young Uck Kim, and Elmar Oliviera. For many years McDonald played with Isaac Stern.

The two dynamic musicians have something special in store on Feb. 7 when they will perform both Bartók Violin and Piano Sonatas of 1921 and 1922 plus the First Rhapsody, composed in 1928. While considered modern by today’s audiences, many of Bartók’s works are now nearly a century old. Our performers will help demystify the sounds, intensity and unique ‘Bartókian’ language during the Minsky concert by providing helpful guidance on how to listen to this music. The background to Bartók’s works includes many folk tunes he recorded in numerous country villages throughout largely Hungarian, Romanian and Slovakian regions. When incorporating these tunes into his compositions, Bartók colored them with original qualities of percussive harmonies and repetitive rhythmic motives, often using pentatonic or irregular scales, creating a palette ranging from coloristic effects to a storm of crashing sounds.

Some teachers note the advantages of studying or listening to many works by the same composer in order to hear and better understand the composer’s vocabulary. We will have this opportunity at the February 7th concert and could ask for no finer performers than Laurie Smuckler and Robert McDonald.

~Patricia Stowell, Chair, Chamber Music Society steering committee