Strings Retuned

The Versatility of Mozart

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 00:00:02 +0000

Pieces Performed

MOZART Serenade No. 9 in D Major, K.320 “Posthorn” I. Adagio maestoso – Allegro con spitito
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2015

MOZART String Quartet No. 7 in E-flat Major, K.160 II. Un poco adagio Vijay Gupta, Violin
Laura Albers, Violin
Mark Jackobs, Viola
Joel Noyes, Cello
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

MOZART Serenade in G Major, K.525 “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” II. Romanze: Andante
Strings Festival Orchestra/Sheryl Staples, Concertmaster and Leader
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2016

CHEVALIER DE SAINT GEORGES Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.11 III. Presto
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2018

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major, K.453 I. Allegro
Kenny Broberg, Piano
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2018

MOZART Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro, K.492
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2016

About Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado: Strings Music Festival presents music of the highest quality in an intimate mountain setting. Our summer festival includes a genre-spanning lineup featuring classical musicians from the nation’s top orchestras and chart-topping popular contemporary artists, all of whom perform in an intimate, 569-seat Pavilion nestled at the base of Steamboat’s mountains. Outside of our venue, we serve the community with a variety of free programming and an in-school education program called Strings School Days. This offering cultivates music appreciation and ability in Northwest Colorado’s K-12 students.

StringsMusicFestival.com/donate
Facebook.com/stringsmusicfestival
Instagram @stringsmusicfestival

Female Energy

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 23:48:57 +0000

Pieces Performed

BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050 III. Allegro
Nurit Bar-Josef, Violin
Jennifer Steele, Flute
Mark Robson, Harpsichord
Strings Festival Orchestra
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

DOHNÁNYI Piano Quintet in C minor, Op. 1
III. Adagio, quasi andante
IV. Finale. Allegro animato-Allegro
Nurit Bar-Josef, Violin
Chee-Yun, Violin
Lynne Ramsey, Viola
Tanya Ell, Cello
Wendy Chen, Piano
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2016

ROSSINI Sonata No. 3 for Strings in C Major I. Allegro
Laura Albers, Violin
Vijay Gupta, Violin
Joel Noyes, Cello
Owen Levine, Bass
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

MENDELSSOHN Concerto for Violin in E minor, Op. 64 III. Allegro molto vivace
Chee-Yun, Violin
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2016

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Soundscapes of Beyond

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 00:00:08 +0000

Famous musician Billy Joel has said, “I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity.” Seeing the humanity in each other is an essential part of sharing music. In this episode, relax to a soothing soundscape of strings, piano, and percussion from works by Claude Debussy, Joe Tompkins, Arvo Pӓrt, and Gustav Mahler. We recommend looking at the stars while you listen to Episode 4.

Meet your host, Music Director Michael Sachs.

@1:00 Jamey Lamar reflects on meditation, or meditates on reflection. How do musicians listen to their music to understand?
“[Mindfulness] is opening yourself up to the world, truly, by stopping all of that inner noise. The same can be true when we stop to listen to a piece of music.”

@04:56 Jump to the Debussy, performed by Joyce Yang

@08:18 Percussionist Joe Tompkins talks about composing for a place as unique as The Tank, and the experience of driving hours through Colorado to arrive at the one-of-a-kind recording space.
“In my opinion it was like walking into Mad Max beyond the Thunderdome, and saying we’re going to record a piece here in the middle of the desert. You kind of expected Mel Gibson to come around the corner in a crazy truck.”

@13:18 Jump to 4Round

@23:06 Did you know Arvo Pärt combined numerology and harmony? Vijay Gupta, violinist and founder of Street Symphony, discusses the form of the piece, which is “a kind of musical miracle … that fluttering light that is constant in all of us, all the time.”

@26:35 Jump to the Pärt, performed by Vijay Gupta and the Strings Festival Orchestra

@37:57 Michael Sachs’ favorite piece of music ever written: Mahler’s Adagietto movement in Symphony No. 5.
“Being married to a harpist … I always take this moment to reflect on our many years together, how much we’ve shared, and like this is my love letter to my own wife.”

@39:38 Jump to the Mahler, conducted by Brett Mitchell and performed by the Strings Festival Orchestra

Pieces Performed

DEBUSSY Préludes - Book 2, No. 5, Bruyères
Joyce Yang, Piano
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2016

TOMPKINS 4Round
Marc Damoulakis, Percussion
Jeremy Epp, Percussion
Joseph Tomkins, Percussion and Composer
Kevin Watkins, Percussion
Performed at The Tank in Rangely, CO in 2018

PÄRT Fratres (for Solo Violin, Strings, and Percussion)
Vijay Gupta, Violin
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2017

MAHLER Symphony No. 5 IV. Adagietto
Strings Festival Orchestra/Brett Mitchell, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2018

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Connections Across Centuries

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Relationships are how we understand the past and bring it into our future. In episode three, travel over one hundred and fifty years of musical relationships between composers. How have the greats, Mozart and Haydn, inspired the more modern composers Stravinsky and Prokofiev? The heart of the music is always in our relationships, and the artists who join this episode talk about the connections between composers and amongst themselves.

Pieces Performed

GRIEG Holberg Suite for Strings, Op. 40 I. Praeludium
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

HAYDN String Trio No. 21 in G Major, Hob V:G1 II. Gavotte
Nurit Bar-Josef, Violin
Amy Lee, Violin
Joel Noyes, Cello
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1, Op. 25 “Classical Symphony” III. Gavotte: Non troppo allegro
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2015

HAYDN Concerto for Trumpet in E-flat Major, Hob.Vlle: I II. Andante
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor and Trumpet
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2015

GRIEG Holberg Suite for Strings, Op. 40 II. Sarabande
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

MOZART Flute Quartet No. 1 in D Major, K.285 III. Rondo
Sharon Sparrow, Flute
Nurit Bar-Josef, Violin
Mark Jackobs, Viola
Joel Noyes, Cello
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1, Op. 25 “Classical Symphony” I. Allegro
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2015

MOZART Serenade No. 9 in D Major, K.320 “Posthorn” II. Minuetto
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2015

STRAVINSKY Pulcinella Suite VIII. (a)Minuetto - (b)Finale
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2016

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Dreamy French Composers

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 23:46:54 +0000

Since we cannot travel anywhere right now, naturally, all we can think about is … travel. When our music director decided to send everyone on a journey to France, he compiled the most beautiful French pieces ever recorded at Strings Pavilion. So, pour yourself a glass of Provence rosé for this episode, and imagine lavender fields. Music Director Michael Sachs hosts the program, and is joined by commentator Jamey Lamar, concertmaster of the LA Phil Martin Chalifour, and principal keyboardist of the LA Phil Joanne Pearce Martin.

@01:15
Meet your host, Music Director Michael Sachs. Michael Sachs talks about the connections between the four French composers. “When you think of French music with its intimate colors and lush fragrant elegance, all of these men were at the forefront of that golden age of French romanticism.”

@ 03:18 Jump to the Debussy performed by Joyce Yang

@ 06:13
Joanne Pearce Martin explains just why Fauré wrote such beautiful music. “I’m issuing a spoiler alert here: but really, it’s one of the most dream-like and gorgeous 24 bars…”

@ 08:29 Jump to the Fauré

@ 24:30
Jamey Lamar tells us about César Franck’s compositions that rekindled the public’s passion for “that rocketship of an instrument,” the organ. Lamar guides the listener through Franck’s early years, and Broberg’s “a real poet’s sensitivity and balance.”

@ 28:22 Jump to the Franck, performed by Kenny Broberg

@ 38:38
Saint-Saëns was an accomplished pianist, but also loved the trumpet, Martin Chalifour says. Focusing on the “luscious” piece of music, Chalifour also shares how each player is highlighted in a special way in Saint-Saëns’ music. “A good composer will make use of players sporadically and just engage them in the flow of the conversation but … like a zoom call, you know? Not everyone can speak at once!”

@ 40:57Jump to the Saint-Saëns

Pieces Performed

DEBUSSY Préludes - Book 1, No. 12, Minstrels
Joyce Yang, Piano
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2016

FAURÉ Piano Quartet No.1 in C minor, Op. 15 III. Adagio IV. Allegro molto
Martin Chalifour, Violin
Robert Vernon, Viola
Mark Kosower, Cello
Joanne Pearce Martin, Piano
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2015

FRANCK Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op. 18
Kenny Broberg, Piano
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2018

SAINT-SAËNS Septet in E-flat Major for Trumpet, Piano, and Strings, Op. 65 IV. Gavotte et Final
Martin Chalifour, Violin
Jun-Ching Lin, Violin
Robert Vernon, Viola
Mark Kosower, Cello
Timothy Pitts, Bass
Joanne Pearce Martin, Piano
Michael Sachs, Trumpet
Performed at Strings Music Festival in 2015

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Beethoven's 250th Birthday

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 23:58:30 +0000

The Beethoven 250 episode celebrates his quarter-millenium birthday with a string quartet, cello and piano duo, and two chamber orchestras performing Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4. Music Director Michael Sachs hosts the program, and is joined by commentator Jamey Lamar, violinist John Macfarlane, bassoonist William Short, and cellist Joel Noyes.

Meet your host, Music Director Michael Sachs:

@ 00:29
Jamey Lamar shares a clever overview of Ludwig’s life and attitudes, and how Beethoven, “you beet farmer,” changed the image of the classical composer forever, from the staid image of “Papa Haydn” to a man who couldn’t care less what the aristocracy thought about him, and offered a vision of classical music that was wild and inclusive.
“You believed in us. You kept reorienting us to our shared humanity. Nobody’s left out of your vision from the world.”

@ 05:45
John Macfarlane offers insight to the early, middle, and late string quartets of Beethoven, and a deep-dive into the keys, moods, and melodies of String Quartet No. 5, Op. 18.
“This [No. 5] shows a young brash man who you could imagine would show up at a fancy dinner party announcing himself and be charming and witty, and at the same time, be a really rude presence in the room.”

@ 08:32
Jump to String Quartet No. 5 performed by the Attacca Quartet

@ 15:23
Michael Sachs provides an intense look into Beethoven’s emotions as the composer pours his soul into Symphony No. 2.
“Reflecting on his struggle, I think we can all relate to difficult times and acute uncertainty.”

@ 16:45
Jump to Symphony No. 2

@ 28:14
Joel Noyes speaks to Beethoven’s variation on Mozart’s opera, and demos multiple melodies on his 1860 J.B. Vuillaume cello for the audience to catch in the performance. The piece is performed by Joel and pianist Benjamin Hochman.
“This an exceptional piece .. the joy of playing it is Beethoven’s mastery of the material and his ability to combine Mozart’s genius with Beethoven’s fingerprints all over it.”

@ 32:52
Jump to 7 Variations

@43:32
Meet William Short, and hear his explanation of the most fearsome bassoon solo in the classical repertoire.
“But those few measures of music just stretch on forever because you’re intimately aware through the hundreds and thousands of hours you’ve practiced them of every single thing that can go wrong.”

@45:22
Jump to Symphony No. 4

Pieces Performed

BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op.18 I. Allegro
Attacca String Quartet | performed at Strings Music Festival in 2018

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 II. Larghetto
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor | performed at Strings Music Festival in 2016

BEETHOVEN 7 Variations on “Bei Mannern, Welche Liebe Fuhlen” in E-flat Major Wo046, from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte
Joel Noyes, Cello
Benjamin Hochman, Piano
performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60 IV. Allegro ma non troppo
Strings Festival Orchestra/Michael Sachs, Conductor | performed at Strings Music Festival in 2019

About Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado: Strings Music Festival presents music of the highest quality in an intimate mountain setting. Our summer festival includes a genre-spanning lineup featuring classical musicians from the nation’s top orchestras and chart-topping popular contemporary artists, all of whom perform in an intimate, 569-seat Pavilion nestled at the base of Steamboat’s mountains. Outside of our venue, we serve the community with a variety of free programming and a free in-school education program called Strings School Days.

StringsMusicFestival.com
Facebook.com/stringsmusicfestival
Instagram @stringsmusicfestival