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 2022-2023 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”
Welcome to our 21st season of chamber music, and the 3rd of our LIVE concerts during COVID-19.
Our brilliant artistic director Michael Volpert has again created 20 interesting and varied programs that include worthy rarities for you to discover and enjoy. Our stellar musicians’ superb music making will thrill and uplift, enhanced by our venue’s ideal acoustics.
Even with safety protocols in place, Jupiter is continually evaluating ways to keep our musicians and audiences safe. As the Covid case count in metropolitan New York is currently low, mask wearing at Jupiter will be optional. We do, however, encourage mask wearing according to your personal choice. Jupiter’s masking policy will continue to be evaluated, and may be resumed at a later date. We’ll keep you posted. Thanks so much for your support in many ways, not least of all, in continuing to enjoy Jupiter’s wonderful music making.
We also offer:
♦ HEPA-filter air purifiers in operation ♦ Ventilation—as much as possible ♦ Spaced-apart seating for better sight lines
Ticket reservations are strongly advised to avoid disappointment at the door.
Jupiter brings you the best music making at rock bottom ticket prices. Please give as much as you can to help keep Jupiter thriving. A gift of $100 or more makes you a “Friend.” Your financial support is always needed and appreciated. All gifts are tax deductible.
Thank you so much,
Caricature of Jens Nygaard in pen
and ink by M. Fleischer
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.
Jupiter ~ Summer Fare With Friends & Influencers Monday, June 5 ♦Monday, June 19 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ Reservations advised
Call (212) 799-1259 or emailadmin@jupitersymphony.com
Pay by check or cash (exact change)
Monday, June 5 ♦2 PM & 7:30 PM Summer 2023 Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)
Limited Seating
Drew Petersen piano Recipient of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and 2017 American Pianists Awards, 2015 Leeds (4th prize), Kosciuszko-Chopin competitions, Jan Gorbaty Award, and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Indianapolis ~ “Thrilling piano playing wedded to astute quite astonishing musicianship.” East Hampton Star
Danbi Um violin Top prize in the 2018 Naumburg competitions; Recipient of the 2018 Salon di Virtuosi Career Grant; Winner of the 2015 Astral Artists Auditions; Silver Medalist in the Menuhin and Michael Hill competitions ~ “...utterly dazzling” The Strad ~ “a marvelous show of superb technique” and “mesmerizing grace” New York Classical Review
Fiona Khuong-Huuviolin Recipient of the 2022 Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund, along with the prestigious career grant award from Salon De Virtuosi. Additional accolades include first prize at the 2017 Grumiaux Competition; second prize at “Il Piccolo Violino Magico” in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy; and third prize and best virtuoso interpretation at the 2019 Louis Spohr Competition.
Maurycy Banaszek viola
Winner of numerous violin, viola and chamber
music awards
Rosemary Nelis viola Violist of the Cassatt String Quartet
Christine Lamprea cello
First Prize winner of the Sphinx and Schadt competitions, winner of the 2013 Astral Artists’ Auditions and recipient of an award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts ~ praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for her “supreme panache and charmingly effortless phrasing”
Dominic Law double bass
Principal bass at the 2019 BBC Proms concert
Vadim Landoclarinet Winner of the CMC Canada, Yale and Stonybrook competitions ~ “consistently
distinguished...vibrant, precise, virtuosic playing” The New York Times
Camille SAINT-SAËNSClarinet Sonata in Eb Major Op. 1671
~ admired for its elegance, beauty, and impeccable composition
The absorbing work harks back to the galant style of the 18th century, yet is reminiscent of the neoclassical movement of his day. It was composed in the last year of his life and dedicated to August Perier, a fine clarinetist with an astonishing technique. Although it was not performed during his lifetime, Saint-Saëns had the satisfaction of knowing that the Sonata was approved by its dedicatee.
MENDELSSOHNString Quintet No. 1 in A Major Op. 18
~ a remarkable Quintet, elegantly classical, and one of his most personal expressions, written at age 17
In 1832, while in Paris on a concert tour, Mendelssohn learned of the sudden death of Eduard Rietz, his violin teacher and close boyhood friend. As a farewell tribute, he replaced the original Minuet with an Intermezzo captioned “Nachruf” (In Memoriam)—a warm nostalgic remembrance rather than an elegy. It features the violin, which was Rietz’s instrument. The original Scherzo became the third movement, and the revised version was published as Op. 18.
BACHSarabande from “English Suite” No. 3 BWV 808
~ the 4th movement from the 3rd “English Suite in a gorgeous transcription by Saint-Saëns for violin and piano from the original for solo piano — Bach’s first biographer Johann Nikolaus Forkel noted, “they were made for an Englishman of rank.”
The Sarabande was a slow Spanish dance of highly emotional character, and Bach’s Sarabande retains that character. In regard to the title of the Suite, Johann Christian Bach (Bach’s youngest son) had written on one of the early manuscripts of the 6 Suites, “Fait pour les Anglois,” and Johann Nikolaus Forkel, Bach’s first biographer, noted that “they were made for an eminent Englishman.” They were, however, originally called “Suites with a Prelude” and were composed while Bach was living in Weimar, when he was obliged to write a new cantata every week during his time at the Weimar court. The Suites have survived only in copied form.
BACHConcerto No. 1 in D minor BWV 1052
~ Bach loved it ~ Mendelssohn played it ~ Brahms wrote a cadenza for it
According to the early music specialist Martin Pearlman, “This concerto, Bach’s best known harpsichord concerto, is thought to be a transcription by him of a lost concerto from his years in Cöthen (1717–1723). The original was probably for violin, and there have been several hypothetical reconstructions made of a violin version. The earliest version that has actually survived, however, appears in two cantatas that date from later in the 1720s: Cantata 146 for the first two movements and Cantata 188 for the third. These cantata versions are for organ solo accompanied by an ensemble that is expanded to include oboes. The concerto then reappears as a harpsichord concerto in the mid-1730s in a manuscript written out in part by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. In that form, it was probably played by either Philipp Emanuel or by his father in concerts with the Collegium Musicum that Johann Sebastian was directing. Finally, there is a copy of this concerto in Bach’s own hand in a collection of all of his solo harpsichord concertos that he copied out in the late 1730s.”
Monday, June 19 ♦2 PM & 7:30 PM Summer 2023 Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)
Limited Seating
Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ Reservations advised
Call (212) 799-1259 or emailadmin@jupitersymphony.com
Pay by check or cash (exact change)
FeiFei piano Winner of the Concert Artists Guild and a top finalist at the 14th Van Cliburn competitions. Praised by the Plain Dealer for her “bountiful gifts and passionate immersion into the music she touches,” she continues to build a reputation for her poetic interpretations, charming audiences with her “passion, piquancy and tenderness” and “winning stage presence” (Dallas Morning News)
Julian Rhee violin Won First Prize at the 2020 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, First Prize at the 2018 Johansen Competition, First Prize at the 2018 Aspen Violin Concerto Competition, Second Prize at the 2018 Irving Klein competition, 2018 Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Gold Medals at the Fischoff and M-Prize competitions, and First Prize at the 2018 Barnett and 2018 Rembrandt chamber music competitions (playing both violin & viola)
Hina Khuong-Huuviolin A prizewinner of the 2018 Menuhin Competition held in Geneva, a recipient of the Salon De Virtuosi Career Grant ~Violin Channel’s “Rising Star”
Natalie Loughran viola
Won First Prize and Audience Prize at the Primrose Viola Competition, and awarded a Special Prize at the Lionel Tertis Viola Competition
Zhanbo Zheng viola First Chinese violist to win the Primrose Viola Competition in 2014. Other honors include top prizes at the Irving Klein and Washington String competitions, and the 2021 Emerging Artist Award from the Saint Botolph Club Foundation
Thomas Mesacello Winner of the 2017 Astral Artists Auditions, the 2016 Sphinx Competition, 2013 Thaviu Competition, and the 2006 Alhambra Orchestra Concerto Competition
Vadim Landoclarinet Winner of the CMC Canada, Yale and Stonybrook competitions ~ “consistently
distinguished...vibrant, precise, virtuosic playing” The New York Times
Jan Václav VOŘÍŠEK Rondo for string quartet
~ in the late Classical Viennese style with a soloistic first violin part ~ dedicated to François Kirchlechner, one of Beethoven’s Hungarian friends
Voříšek—one of the most important Bohemian émigrés in Vienna—was born in 1791 in Vamberk, where his father was the leader of the village’s cultural life. He studied the piano, violin, organ, and composition and while still a child toured Bohemia as a keyboard virtuoso, playing Mozart’s concertos and his own early works; he also showed a precocious talent for improvising. He studied law in Prague from 1810 to 1813, and at the same time played many acclaimed concerts in Prague salons. After deciding to give up law, he moved to Vienna in 1813 for his music development. He studied with Hummel, and took over his piano pupils when Hummel left Vienna in 1816. In 1814 he met Beethoven, whom he admired, especially for his Romanticism; Beethoven approved of Voříšek’s 12 Rhapsodies, Op. 1. He also met Louis Spohr and Ignaz Moscheles, and became good friends with Schubert. Never physically strong, Voříšek began to suffer seriously from tuberculosis about 1820. By January 1925 he had to relinquish his duties as court organist; he died in Vienna on 19 November 1825, at 34.
MOZART String Quintet in No. 6 Eb Major K. 614
~ the sixth and last of his great string quintets, the ebullient masterpiece was written about the same time as his opera The Magic Flute
Johann Wenzel KALLIWODA Introduction and Variations Op. 128
~ a marvelous dazzler for clarinet and piano
The appealing duet began as an arrangement of a piece for piano four-hands, before it was transformed into the crowd pleaser with many acrobatic leaps and trills. Its quieter, magical moments includes an evocation of the spirit of Weber in one of the more lyrical variations.
Kalliwoda (1801–1866) was an esteemed Bohemian composer, conductor, and violin soloist during his lifetime. At the age of 10, the boy entered the newly founded Prague Conservatory, graduating five years later in 1816 with distinction, after which he joined the orchestra of the Stavovské Theatre, under Weber. In December 1821 the orchestra gave a farewell concert of his compositions before he departed for a tour of Germany, Switzerland, and Holland. While in Munich, he met Prince Karl Egon II, who offered him the post of conductor in Donaueschingen. Leading virtuosos, including Liszt and Robert and Clara Schumann, appeared at his symphony concerts. Schumann, among others, held a high opinion of his work and he is sometimes spoken of as the link between Beethoven and Schumann. In the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, cofounded by Schumann, he praised Kalliwoda for the tenderness and sweep of his compositions. For almost 40 years Kalliwoda directed and elevated the standard of Donaueschingen’s musical life. Highly respected, he was offered posts in the most famous musical institutions of Leipzig, Cologne, Mannheim, Dessau, and Prague, and was made an honorary member of music societies in Prague, Germany, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, and Sweden.
DVOŘÁK Piano Quintet in A Major Op. 5
~ sunny and uplifting, the beautiful piece was almost lost
Although well received at its premiere in 1872, Dvořák was dissatisfied with the Quintet and destroyed the manuscript. The pianist Ludevít Procházka, however, had made a copy of the score for himself, which enabled Dvořák to revise it extensively fifteen years later. In 1887, he wrote, “My dear friend! Do you remember that quintet (A major) with piano which, thanks to your efforts, was performed in Prague for the first time, about 14 years ago? I cannot find the score; I only know that you had the quintet copied, so perhaps you still have it? If that is the case, I would be very grateful if I could borrow it, I would have it copied as well. These days, I like to take a look at some of my old sins every now and again, and it’s been such a long time since I last saw this one.” Thanks to Procházka’s copy, Dvořák was able to revise the Quintet, which was never played during his lifetime, but students at the Prague Conservatoire premiered it on 29 March 1922. It was not published until 1959 as part of the critical edition of Dvořák’s oeuvre.
Jupiter 2022 - 2023 Season 20 Mondays at 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM Good Shepherd Church ♦ 152 West 66 Street
ConcertoNet “knocked the socks off this listener...It was wondrous chamber music. And the three artists gave it the deserving excitement, volition and imagination.” Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNetmore...
“the performers were top notch” “The homey church where these concerts take place, nestled on West 66th Street in the shadow of Lincoln Center, is an intimate and acoustically vibrant place for chamber music.” Anthony Tommasini, The New York Timesmore...
Strad Magazine “A finely forthright, fluent and expressive account of Haydn's Divertimento in E-flat major opened this programme of miscellaneous chamber music in a series known for adventurous programming.” Dennis Rooney, Strad Magazine 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, ConcertoNetmore...
“...the group’s efforts proved illuminating ...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 Timesmore...
As promised, here are the videos of John Field’s Divertissement No. 1 and Sir Hamilton Harty’s Piano Quintet. Fortuitously, our Jupiter musicians had the good sense to record the rehearsal in an impromptu decision, literally minutes before pressing the record button. Pianist Mackenzie Melemed (replacing Roman Rabinovich at the last minute) learned the music in 2 days! Bravo to him.
Both works are Irish rarities that were scheduled for the March 16 performances which had to be canceled because of the coronavirus epidemic. Even though the entire program could not be recorded because of technical issues, we are pleased to be able to share with you the 2 musical gems. Enjoy.
John FIELD Divertissement No. 1 H. 13
~ simply delicious piano quintet, alternately titled Rondeau Pastoral and better known in its version for solo piano, Twelve O’clock Rondo, on account of the 12 “chimes” at the end ~ by the creator of the Nocturne, which had a major influence on Chopin
We thank the University of Illinois (Champaign) for a copy of the Divertissement music.
Mackenzie Melemed piano
Abigel Kralik violin
Dechopol Kowintaweewat violin
Sarah Sung viola
Christine Lamprea cello
Sir Hamilton HARTY Piano Quintet in F Major Op. 12
~ in a lyrical Romantic idiom, with a distinct, breezy Irish-salted voice
Andrew Clements of the Guardian proclaimed the beautiful Quintet “a real discovery: a big, bold statement full of striking melodic ideas and intriguing harmonic shifts, which adds Brahms and Dvořák into Harty’s stylistic mix, together with Tchaikovsky in some passages.” There’s folk music charm as well, reminiscent of Percy Grainger—notably in the Scherzo (Vivace) with its folksy quirks and nonchalance, and the winding, pentatonic melody in the Lento.
Our gratitude to the Queen’s University Library in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for a copy of the autograph manuscript of the music. Much thanks, too, to Connor Brown for speedily creating a printed score and parts from Harty’s manuscript.
Mackenzie Melemed piano
Abigel Kralik violin
Dechopol Kowintaweewat violin
Sarah Sun viola
Christine Lamprea cello
I Allegro 0:00
II Vivace 10:43
III Lento 14:44
IV Allegro con brio 23:59
Oliver Neubauer violin, Mihai Marica cello, Zoe Martin-Doike viola
Sooyun Kim flute, Zoe Martin-Doike viola
Oliver Neubauer violin, Janice Carissa piano
Mihai Marica cello, Zoe Martin-Doike viola
Sooyun Kim flute, Vadim Lando clarinet, Janice Carissa piano
Mihai Marica cello, Zoe Martin-Doike viola
Video Viewing ~ Classical Treats
February 8, 2021 Jupiter Concert
Greetings! Three months ago, our musicians brought warmth and joy with their wonderful music making on a cold, winter’s day with Classical Treats. The viewing is offered for $25, and we hope to cover the costs of production. Thanks so much for viewing the video of this concert, and for supporting Jupiter with gifts as well! MeiYing
View the video for $25
You will be automatically directed to the video page once payment is made. If not, click on the “return to merchant” link after checkout. Please go through the checkout process only once and do not use the back button or reload the page while making the purchase. If there are any problems, contact jupiternews@jupitersymphony.com.
Viewers comments of previous videos:
“Oh I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Good to see Maxim and his dad. Familiar faces to me. I enjoyed the notes about the players. Till the next time...”
“Great playing and really nice camera work. Probably better than being there!”
“We so enjoyed the concert. The pianist was outstanding as was the musical selection.”
“It was wonderful. Thank you.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Musicians
Janice Carissa piano Young Scholar of the Lang Lang Foundation, recipient of the 2018 Salon de Virtuosi Grant, winner of the 2014 piano competition at the Aspen Festival, and a top prizewinner of the IBLA Foundation’s 2006 piano competition (at age 8)
Oliver Neubauer violin Recipient of the Gold Award at the 2018 National YoungArts Competition and winner of the 2017 Young Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Zoë Martin-Doike viola Member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, top prizewinner of the Primrose and Lenox competitions on viola and violin, respectively and founding violinist of the Aizuri Quartet
Mihai Marica cello Winner of the Irving Klein, Viña del Mar, Salon de Virtuosi and Dotzauer competitions ~ “Mihai is a brilliant cellist and interpreter of music. His playing is spellbinding.” Mitchell Sardou Klein
Sooyun Kim flute
Winner of the Georg Solti Foundation Career Grant and a top prize at the ARD flute competition, she has been praised for her “vivid tone colors” by the Oregonian and as a “rare virtuoso of the flute” by Libération
Vadim Landoclarinet Winner of the CMC Canada, Yale and Stonybrook competitions ~ “consistently
distinguished...vibrant, precise, virtuosic playing” The New York Times
♦ ♦ ♦
Program
HAYDN Sonata No. 1 in G Major Hob XVI:40 ▪ 1784
~ sophisticated and subtly wrought, the Sonata is from a set of 3, arranged for string trio from the original for keyboard and published by Johann André in 1790
The sonatas were written for Princess Marie, the new bride of Prince Nicholas Esterházy, grandson of Haydn’s employer, Prince Nicholas I. Cramer’s Magazin der Musik, in its review in 1785, observed that they were “more difficult to perform than one initially believes. They demand the utmost precision, and much delicacy in performance.” In 2 contrasting movements, the pastoral Allegretto innocente is followed by a gleeful zany romp.
Conradin KREUTZER Quintet in A Major ▪ between 1810 and 1820
~ in the late Classical–early Romantic style, the charming Quintet is written for the unusual combination of piano, flute, clarinet, viola, and cello with the piano as primus inter pares, first among equals—each movement a winner bearing a variety of melodic gifts and revealing a lively feeling for rhythm and color
Born in Messkirch to a respected Swabian burgher, Kreutzer (1780–1849) is considered a minor master of the Biedermeier epoch. He studied law in Freiburg before turning entirely to music after his father died in 1800. In 1804 he went to Vienna, where he met Haydn and probably studied with Albrechtsberger, one of Beethoven’s teachers. His active career included tours in Europe and several posts in Vienna, Stuttgart, Cologne, and other German cities, all the while composing numerous operas. Some of his music is not entirely forgotten—his settings for male chorus to Ludwig Uhland’s poems long remained popular with German and Austrian choirs; Das Nachtlager in Granada used to be revived occasionally in Germany; and his score for Der Verschwender continues to be performed in Austria.
Franz Anton HOFFMEISTER Duo Concertante No. 1 in G Major ▪ [1790] flute and viola
1st movement ~ Allegro
~ by Mozart’s friend and his principal publisher
MOZART Piano Quartet No. 2 in Eb Major K. 493 ▪ 1786
~ a flawless masterpiece of utmost lightness and charm, with heavenly melodies
Mozart was under contract with the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister to write 3 piano quartets, a virtually new genre of his own invention. When the first (K. 478 in G minor) did not sell because of its difficulty for amateurs, Mozart was released from his obligation. Nine months later, which was two months after the completion of Le Nozze di Figaro, the second piano quartet (K. 493 in Eb Major) was published by Artaria. A little easier than the first, Alfred Einstein viewed it as “bright in color, but iridescent, with hints of darker shades.”
American program opener on March 18, with grateful thanks to Michael Shaffer of OurNetNews.com for recording the matinee concert, and making available the Horatio Parker Suite video for our viewing pleasure.
Horatio Parker Suite in A Major, Op. 35, composed in 1893
Prelude
Stephen Beus piano
Stefan Milenkovich violin
David Requiro cello
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.
Here is a video of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players performance of
the Rondo alla Zingarese movement:
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 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.”
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
MeiYingManager Michael VolpertArtistic Director
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 20 minutes prior to each concert.