• “Endings” – Piano Trios by Shostakovich and Schubert

    Saint James Place 352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA, United States

    How to end and exit a musical composition—with a bang or a whimper? Will there be the thunderous affirmation of a Beethoven symphony or a whispered adieu à la Mahler’s Song of the Earth, sailing into eternity? A cliffhanger ending leaves the audience on the edge of their seats while a full-circle ending bringing us […]

  • Mostly Amadeus—Meet the Mozarts!

    Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, United States

    That the supernatural perfection of Mozart’s music was created by an imperfect child-like person has led many to believe he was a “quill in divine hands.” And the two of his sublime works scheduled (Piano Trio in B-flat KV 502 and Quartet in G minor KV 478) may bring you to the same conclusion. To […]

  • “On the Wings of Song”—Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Mendelssohn Piano Trio

    Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, United States

    Robert Schumann’s setting of Heinrich Heine’s song cycle, Dichterlibe—A Poet’s Love—is, in a word, spellbinding.  The rendering of the age-old theme of love and betrayal is personal and intimate, with barriers between singer and listener removed.  It is Romanticism at its most exquisite.  Mendelssohn, too, was captivated by Heine’s lyrical genius and wrote music to […]

  • Romance of the Romani!—Ravel, Bartok, Liszt, Haydn and Brahms Piano Quartet

    Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, United States

    The season closes with the irresistible fire and passion of music shaped by Roma traditions, which left an indelible mark on European composers. The romance, longing, and sense of freedom in these melodies found their way into some of the most beloved works of the repertoire. Haydn’s Piano Trio No. 39, with its famous “Gypsy” […]