Music@Menlo puts spotlight on the ‘Glorious Violin’ at summer festival
When Music@Menlo starts its summer season, the question isn’t whether to go but how to see it all.
Curated by founding artistic directors cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, the annual South Bay chamber music festival and institute offers a deep immersion into the great works of the repertoire. With mainstage programs, multimedia events, talks, master classes, young artist performances and more, the only downside is trying to fit them all into your schedule.
This year’s festival — Music@Menlo’s 15th — is titled “The Glorious Violin.” While past seasons have focused on individual composers or specific musical eras, this season illuminates the violin’s early development, its impact on composers and performers, the evolution of violin technique and the instrument’s enduring place in the music of today. More than 50 events on the schedule run July 14 to August 5.
In addition to Finckel and Wu Han, this year’s roster features 34 artists, including the Escher String Quartet and violinists Ivan Chan, Bella Hristova, Soovin Kim and Arnaud Sussmann; violists Roberto Diaz and Hsin-Yun Huang; pianists Gloria Chien, Peter Dugan, Gilbert Kalish, Hyeyeon Park and Juho Pohjonen; cellists Clive Greensmith and Keith Robinson and bassist Scott Pingel. Here are the mainstage concert programs.
PROGRAM I >> “The Path to Bach” (July 15). The festival opens with composers from the generation preceding J.S. Bach. Featured works include Tartini’s fiery “Devil’s Trill” Sonata and Carlo Farina’s “Capriccio stravagante.” Music by Corelli, Farina, Locatelli, Uccellini, Vitali and Vivaldi are also on the program, which ends with Bach’s brilliant Double Violin Concerto in D minor.
PROGRAM II >> “The Classical Style” (July 16 and 18). Hear the “Duetto” for solo violin by Giovanni Battista Viotti, who played a key role in defining violin tradition in England and France. Works by Haydn, Mozart, Kreutzer and Beethoven complete the program.
PROGRAM III >> “German Virtuosity” (July 20 and 22). It’s on to the 19th century, with Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major and Mendelssohn’s Piano Quartet No. 3 in B minor. Works by Pierre
Rode, Louis Spohr and Ferdinand David also represent the great German violin tradition.
PROGRAM IV >> “In Joachim’s Orbit” (July 23-24). That would, of course, be violinist Joseph Joachim, muse to great composers and one of the Romantic era’s superstar performance artists. Expect to be dazzled in music by Brahms, Mendelsson, Robert Schumann and Joachim himself.
PROGRAM V >> “French Luminaries” (July 28-29). It wasn’t all happening in Germany; French composers and violinists cultivated a distinct style of their own. Along with works by Debussy, Fauré, Franck and Leclair, this program features the radiant “Rêve d’enfant” (A Child’s Dream) by Belgian violinist, composer and conductor Eugène Ysaÿe.
PROGRAM VI >> “The Age of Expression” (Aug. 2). Menlo’s musical progress moves into the early 20th century with sonatas by Ysaÿe and Respighi, paired
with string quartets by Borodin and Kreisler.
PROGRAM VII >> “National Flavors” (Aug. 5). The festival closes with a survey of 20th century works by composers from around the world: Corigliano, Martinu, Enescu, Dohnányi and Shostakovich.
Other highlights include Carte Blanche concerts titled “Paganini’s Incomparable Caprices” with violinist Sean Lee and pianist Peter Dugan (July 21); “Quartet Connections,” featuring the Escher Quartet (July 23); “Violin Universe,” with violinist Yura Lee (July 26); “Romantic Voices,” featuring pianist Orion Weiss with violinists Danbi Um and Paul Huang (July 30) and “A Tribute to Fritz Kreisler,” featuring violinist Benjamin Beilman and pianist Yekwon Sunwoo (Aug. 3.)
There’s lots more on the schedule, from the Michael Steinberg Encounter Series to Café Conversations with festival artists. And if you go, make time at intermission to check out the festival’s excellent Music@ Menlo LIVE recordings, which feature select performances from past seasons.
DETAILS >> Music@Menlo Fifteenth Anniversary Season: “The Glorious Violin,” July 14-Aug. 5; mainstage programs at the Center for the Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton, 555 Middlefield Road, Atherton, and at Menlo School, 50 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton; $48-$80 adults, $20-$35 under 30; 650-331-0202; www.musicatmenlo.org.