To Melody!

The Orion Ensemble opens its 32nd season with "To Melody!", welcoming back guest violist Stephen Boe and guest violinist Mathias Tacke, who join the Orion musicians for a program celebrating composers of the Romantic period, including works by Schubert, Bruch and Dvorak.

Trio in B-flat Major for Violin, Viola and Cello, D. 581
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

By the time Schubert wrote this work at age 20, he had already written seven string quartets, four violin/piano sonatas, five symphonies, four masses, a wind octet and nonet, many dances and more than 300 songs. He said, "I compose every morning, and when one piece is done I begin another." All the movements of the Trio have a playful feel, created through multiple musical elements: the harmonic shifts for which he is well-known, as well as dramatic pauses, small melodic fragments and energetic rhythmic patterns. Composer Robert Schumann said about Schubert's music, "One glance at it (or chance to hear a bit of it) and the troubles of our human existence disappear and the whole world is fresh and bright again."

Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 83
Max Bruch (1838-1920)

Bruch composed throughout his long life. In a brief summary of his compositional credo, he stated, "Melody is the soul of music." In addition to being celebrated for their melodic richness, his works are also renowned for their superb orchestrations, as he was able to produce a rich variety of sounds, even with limited instrumental combinations. Both of those traits are on display in this work, written in 1910 at age 72 for his son, clarinetist Max Felix.

Quintet in A Major for Piano, Violins, Viola and Cello, Op. 81
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

Considered one of the composer's masterworks, which he composed at age 46, the Quintet exemplifies his mature compositional style: letting form develop from content and content flow from the depths of his human soul. The work begins with one of the most beautiful themes in all of chamber music, based on a motif typical of Czech folk music, that passes between the instruments, then transforms to provide the basis for the entire movement. The second and third movements are infused with folk genres: a Dumka and a Furiant, respectively. The folk-like material in the finale builds in intensity and culminates in a short fugato.

Student ensemble joins Orion September 29

At the final performance of Concert 1 "To Melody!", a student ensemble Orion clarinetist Kathryne Pirtle coached at OPUS Chamber Music Camp last summer performs a movement from Mozart's Trio in E-flat Major for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, K. 498 ("Kegelstatt"). The ensemble, which includes Ellery O'Riordan, clarinet; Rachel Davidsmeier, viola; and Aiden Ye, piano, joins Orion Sunday, September 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston.