A Living Tribute to Jens Nygaard: Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players... It's Out of This World

A chamber music series to acknowledge and perpetuate the legacy of conductor Jens Nygaard, continuing a marvelous journey through the universe of music that includes works from the standard repertoire and the rarely-performed, and featuring outstanding musicians.

JOIN US FOR OUR 2011-2012 SEASON!

Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players

“This was music-making of a very high order”
“at the Jupiter concerts, there is always so much about which to be enthusiastic.”
“the rarities glittered like jewels”

Fred Kirshnit, The New York Sun
view more reviews

 

20 Mondays at 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

All performances, except where
otherwise noted, are held at:

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)
New York, NY 10023
The Box Office at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church will be open 35 minutes prior to each concert.

office address:
JUPITER SYMPHONY
155 West 68th Street, Suite 319
New York, NY 10023
admin@jupitersymphony.com
For information or to order tickets
please call:
(212) 799-1259

2011-2012 Season Calendar

Tickets  $25, $17, $10  Call 212.799.1259
or e-mail admin@jupitersymphony.com

Order Tickets with Our Printable
Ticket Order Form (pdf)

Join Our Mailing List!
 

Dear Music Lovers,

We’ve missed many of you this season;
thus hope we’ll soon see you at Jupiter,
for there’s good reason.
The music’s, oh, so fantastic,
Played by virtuosos e’er so slick.

So why not rally round—
Come often to West 66
to enjoy our gorgeous sound
and intriguing picks,
Performed honestly without tricks.

Our coffers also need your dollars and cents,
and since we’re oft-told how great Jupiter is—
a gift of bliss,
We seek without pretense
your support to help us out
to make our treasury stout.

Thank you so much.

Monday, February 6, 2pm and 7:30pm 
Classical Gems

Seymour Lipkin, piano
Shmuel Ashkenasi, piano

Seymour Lipkin piano
Winner of the Rachmaninoff Piano Competition ~ collaborated and toured with many great artists, among them Jascha Heifetz and the Guarneri Quartet ~ artistic director of Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival

Shmuel Ashkenasi violin
Winner of the Merriweather Post and Tchaikovsky competitions, he has been called a “genuine talent and profoundly gifted” by The Vienna Express. As first violinist of the Vermeer Quartet, he received five Grammy Award nominations and has gained a reputation as one of the world’s outstanding chamber musicians.

Bernhard Henrik CRUSELL  Clarinet Quartet No. 2 in C minor Op. 4
    ~ son of a poor bookbinder, Crusell is Finland’s leading Classical composer, its first great master of chamber music and clarinet virtuoso ~ the delightful quartet spins endless lovely melodies

BEETHOVEN  String Quintet in C minor Op. 104
    ~ his arrangement of the 1795 Piano Trio Op. 1 No. 3 shocked his contemporary listeners with a transformation that exploded with color, dynamic contrasts and fiery rhetoric alternating with intense emotions ~ featured in Vikram Seth’s best-selling novel, An Equal Music

MOZART  Piano Quartet No. 2 in Eb Major K 493
    ~ a flawless masterpiece with heavenly melodies

Jupiter Players on this program:

Lisa Shihoten violin
Winner of the Marcia Polayes, Menuhin and Nakamichi competitions

Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt viola
Winner of the 2010 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition as well as the Fischoff, Tokyo and Sphinx competitions ~ “she should have a great future” Tully Potter ~ Wigmore Hall

Maurycy Banaszek viola
Winner of numerous violin, viola & chamber music awards

David Requiro cello
Winner of the Naumburg, Irving Klein and Washington String competitions ~ “Requiro concocted a nearly irresistible incitement to jump up and dance.” The Naples News

Vadim Lando clarinet
Winner of the CMC Canada, Yale and Stonybrook competitions ~ “consistently distinguished...vibrant, precise, virtuosic playing” The New York Times
 


Monday, February 20, 2pm and 7:30pm 
Virtuosi Veloci

Gilles Vonsattel, piano
Stefan Jackiw, violin
Frank Morelli, bassoon

Gilles Vonsattel piano
An artist of uncommon breadth. Winner of a 2008 Avery Fisher Career Grant as well as the Naumburg, Geneva and Honens competitions.

Stefan Jackiw violin
Winner of the 2002 Avery Fisher Career Grant. He is now one of the most significant artists of his generation, capturing audiences with his poetry and purity, combined with an impeccable technique.

Frank Morelli bassoon
One of the most influential bassoonists in the United States today ~ “A joy to behold” Gramophone

Nicolo PAGANINI  Duetto Concertante No. 1 in F Major MS 130
    ~ this finger buster for violin and bassoon is one of three duets written at the age of 17 for an unnamed Swiss bassoonist who complained that he had “too little difficult music to play”

Gioachino ROSSINI  Sonata a quattro No. 3 in F Major
    ~ the opera composer once viewed his 6 quartets for strings (written in three days at age 12) as “dreadful.” Hardly so; his 1808 transcriptions for flute, clarinet, horn and bassoon especially enhance the timbres of their sunny disposition and precocious, enchanting melodies

Luigi BOCCHERINI  Nocturne in Eb Major Op. 38 G. 467
v most likely composed while he was in Spain living on a royal pension ~ for flute, horn, bassoon, violin, viola and double bass

Luigi CHERUBINI  Morceau
    ~ regarded by Beethoven as the greatest of his contemporaries, the little piece is for bassoon and double bass

Giuseppe MARTUCCI  Piano Quintet in C Major Op. 45
    ~ his first masterpiece—graceful and melodically striking—expresses romance, passion and drama ~ championed by Toscanini, Martucci revived Italy’s interest in non-operatic music

Jupiter on YouTube
featured in a short documentary on artist Michael McNamara

NEW YORK CANVAS : The Art of Michael McNamara is a video portrait of the artist who has painted iconic images of New York City for more than a decade, capturing the changing urban landscape of his adopted city. Our Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players provide the music from Brahms’s Piano Quartet in G Minor, underscoring the inspiration the artist has drawn from Jens Nygaard and the musicians. Michael was also our Jupiter volunteer from 2002 to 2010.

To view this excellent documentary, just click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdmufpEtRmY

To view an extended clip of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players performance from the documentary, visit our video page

The producer-director, Martin Spinelli, also made the EMMY Award-winning “Life On Jupiter: The Story of Jens Nygaard, Musician.


Jupiter’s concerts recently reviewed...

The New York Times
“..the group’s efforts proved illuminating ...Mr. Brown played a lovely, subtly virtuosic cadenza for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 by Jens Nygaard, the ensemble’s founder, who died in 2001, but whose fascination with rarities continues to drive its programming”

Allan Kozinn, The New York Times   more...

ConcertoNet
Mr. Nygaard’s cadenza flowed down Mozart lanes and paths, each with beautiful backgrounds. And at the very end, Mr. Nygaard brought forth that martial major theme, like an unexpected gift.” 
Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet   more...


Monday, March 5, 2pm and 7:30pm 
Spanish Flavors
Roman Rabinovich, piano
Xiao-Dong Wang, violin

Roman Rabinovich piano
Winner of the Rubinstein, Animato and Arjil competitions, the Salon Virtuosi Award and Vendome Prize ~ “I have rarely seen an artist with such individual and communicative charisma.” Peter Cossé ~ Record Geijutsu ~ “He exhibited an ultimate and captivating artistic level.” Hagai Hitron ~ Haaretz

Xiao-Dong Wang violin
Twice winner of the Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition, and First Prize and special Szymanovski Prize winner of the Wieniawski-Lipinski International Competition

Joaquín TURINA  Piano Trio No. 1 in D Major Op. 35
    ~ sensuous and expansive, the trio by the Spaniard from Seville premiered in London on July 5, 1927 with Turina at the piano

Heitor VILLA-LOBOS  Fantaisie concertainte
    ~ sonorous chordal chromaticism and tricky rhythms define the Brazilian composer’s colorful and spicy trio, while demanding technique from the players of the piano, clarinet and bassoon

Astor PIAZZOLLA  L’histoire du tango
    ~ beginning with the erotic milonga “Bordel 1900,” the tango cycle for flute and guitar by the Argentine then depicts the genteel, languorous “Café 1930,” a jazzy “Nightclub 1960,” and the somewhat abstract “Concert d’aujourd’hui”

Alberto GINASTERA  Impresiones de la Puna
    ~ portrayal of the rocky wasteland of Puna—in the heart of the Incas up in the Andes mountains—and its Amerindian music ~ for flute and string quartet

Enrique GRANADOS  Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 49
    ~ the Catalan composer’s highly expressive, impetuous, virtuosic quintet, with hints of Moorish, gypsy and folkloric elements
 


All performances, except where otherwise noted, are held at:
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)
New York, NY 10023
The Box Office at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
will be open 35 minutes prior to each concert.

Take a look at our guest artists for this season.
Find out more about the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.


office address:
JUPITER SYMPHONY
155 West 68th Street, Suite 319
New York, NY 10023
admin@jupitersymphony.com
For information or to order tickets
please call:
(212) 799-1259

MORE...

Jens Nygaard
Jens Nygaard marking music
with his ubiquitous green flare pen

Dear Friends and Music Lovers,

Once again, you can count on us to provide a pleasant musical refuge for a couple of hours, two or three times a month, at an affordable price.

Lots of musical treats await you—beautiful, engaging and worthwhile—performed with fresh vitality and insight, sometimes scaling new heights of music making that will leave you agog.

So do come to the concerts, and come with your friends, or make new ones at Jupiter. Our ambience is congenial and welcoming.

We are grateful to all of you for your loyalty and financial support, without which there would be no Jupiter today. Please help us remain viable by attending our wonderful concerts and by giving what you are able to. Ticket income covers only 25% of our expenses. All gifts are tax deductible. Your much-needed gifts will be rewarded by our precious gifts of music.

Thank you so much,

Lest you forget...
why the name Jupiter: When Jens Nygaard named his orchestra Jupiter, he had the beautiful, gaseous planet in mind—unattainable but worth the effort, like reaching musical perfection. Many, indeed, were privileged and fortunate to hear his music making that was truly Out of This World. Our Players today seek to attain that stellar quality.

Order Tickets with Our Printable Ticket Order Form (pdf)
more details here...
 

 

Jupiter’s 2010 Naumburg performance
in Central Park was featured on

Good Day New York
:


you will need the adobe flash player to view the video


Emmy Award-winning “LIFE ON JUPITER - The Story of Jens Nygaard, Musician” available on DVD with bonus music.  More Info...

If you wish to purchase your own copy to remember Jens by, call 1-866-LIFEONJ (1-866-543-3665) or for more information visit www.lifeonjupiter.com

The New York Sun Review
by Adam Baer
--The Jupiters Play On--

“Some great musicians get a statue when they pass away. Some get their name imprinted on the roof of a well-known concert hall. But the late conductor Jens Nygaard has a living tribute: an entire ensemble of musicians and a concert series to go along with it...

It is one of the city’s cultural jewels...

In the end, if Mr. Nygaard was known for anything, it was unmitigated verve. That’s what the audience regularly returned for, and that’s what they got Monday afternoon. To have a grassroots community of musicians continue to celebrate Mr. Nygaard with indomitable performances like these week after week, even without the power of world-famous guest soloists, is proper tribute. And with more large orchestras and ensembles needing more corporate sponsorship year after year, I, for one, hope the Jupiter’s individual subscriber-base remains strong.

New York’s musical life needs the spirit of Jens Nygaard, and Mei Ying should be proud she’s keeping it alive.”

Read the complete article on our reviews page.

Please send any correspondence to

office address:
JUPITER SYMPHONY

155 West 68th Street, Suite 319, New York, NY 10023
admin@jupitersymphony.com
For information or to order tickets, please call:
(212) 799-1259

MeiYing Manager
Michael Volpert
Music Advisor

All performances, except where otherwise noted, are held at:
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway) New York, NY 10023

The Box Office at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
will be open 35 minutes prior to each concert.

 
Home Calendar Tickets About Us Jupiter Players
Guest Artists Founder Reviews Support Tribute Video Thanks

view our frames version

Photograph, Martin Spinelli

Copyright © 1999-2012 Jupiter Symphony. All rights reserved.