Beth Levin, piano;  Neil Rynston, clarinet;  Laufey Sigurðardóttir, violin (guest artist); 
      Lawrence Zoernig, ’cello

     
      Notes on the Program

      It is a testament to how beloved his music is and has been — for over almost two centuries thus far — that there is so much written about Brahms.  After 175 years after his birth, we can transform his well-documented love of Nature through his music into saving Nature.   As we can look at any one of Brahms’ compositions whether it be chamber music, symphonic music, Lieder, etc., and exclaim with awe ‘what a masterpiece, this must be preserved for all generations’, so might we look at any facet of our environment -- whether it be Wienerwald where Brahms took solace and derived inspiration, or the Great Barrier Reef -- and exclaim the exact same thing. 

      Vista Lirica is proud to present a concert on the Trail Mix Series on September 20 at 2:30 pm.   Founded in 2004, Vista Lirica's mission is to advance public interest in and understanding of chamber music, and particularly 19th c. Romantic music:  how this great music embodies a passion for Nature that was at the heart of the Romantic movement and further, how this movement foreshadows the Green movement of our present time.  The 19th c. kicked off with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, the beginning of the Industrial Age and on the heels of the American and French Revolutions.  The Romantics responded to the Industrial Age in part by highlighting the emotionality of Nature in music, art and literature. Perhaps this is reflected in the words of Honoré de Balzac:  “What is art? Nature concentrated.”  In any case, Brahms' compositions hark back to the early part of the 19th c. both stylistically and spiritually.

      We are featuring in our program the Trio Op. 114 of Brahms and also works of two composers who lived in the vicinity of this concert venue, namely Alexander Zemlinsky (Larchmont, NY), whom Brahms took under his wing, and championed the Trio which Vista Lirica will perform and also an early Romantic work of Charles Ives (CT).

      The name ‘Vista Lirica’ is taken from Italian and means ‘ lyric view’.  The musicians and other artists of VL understand the importance of bringing the lyric perspectives of Beethoven, Schiller, Shelley, Schumann, Caspar Friedrich, Rilke, Ruskin, Brahms, etc. and VL’s lyric perspective into present consciousness.

      For further information, please visit www.vistalirica.com, www.trailmixmusic.org, www.MCBI.org.

           Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 pm

           Vista Lirica at Noble Art Pianos Series

        Programme

    * Aleksandar Simic’   - The Moments  for clarinet, ’cello and piano (1995)

    * Aram Khachaturian - Trio in c-minor  for clarinet, violin and piano (1932)

    * Franz Schubert - Notturno: Trio in Eb major,  Op. post. 148 for violin, ’cello and piano (1827)

    * Alexander Zemlinsky - Andante con una fantasia,

      from Trio in d-minor, Op. 3 for clarinet, ’cello and piano (1896)

    * Johannes Brahms - Trio in a-minor,  Op. 114 for clarinet, ’cello and piano (1891)

      Omar Guey, violin; Beth Levin, piano; Neil Rynston, clarinet; Lawrence Zoernig, ’cello