‘Around the World in … 88 Keys’

Thursday, July 10, 2008

By Robyn Vincent

Jackson Hole, Wyo.- On Thursday, July 9, “Around the World in … 88 Keys” will transport audiences on an aural excursion, meandering through Eastern Europe and then trekking across the globe. Pianists Brian Connelly, Adelle Eslinger, Jason Hardink, Deborah Moriarty and festival music director Donald Runnicles will unite for a unique, melodic assembly featuring Smetana’s “Rondo in C,” Dvorak’s “Two Slavonic Dances,” Chopin’s “Grand Polonaise in E-flat major,” Bolcom’s “Recuerdos,” and others.
Connelly said the concert is a distinct melding of music, particularly because many of the works will be played in unison by all of the pianists, spotlighting some of the integral piano players of the festival.

“The Festival wanted to create a concert to feature the extraordinary group of pianists in residence this week. Pianists often perform here with the orchestra or in small chamber music groups, but we wanted to make a program of piano music in which the pianists could all play together - in groups of two, three, and four players, as well as by themselves,” he said.

“Symphony and the Sublime”
On Friday and Saturday, July 11 and 12, “Symphony and the Sublime” will, under the direction of Donald Runnicles, whisk concert-goers on a tranquil voyage through Mahler’s “Symphony No. 9” and Vaughan Williams “Fantasia on a Theme,” by Thomas Tallis.
Gustav Mahler drew much of his music-making inspiration from his awe of nature. An architect of soothing sounds, many of Mahler’s works were created in a peaceful little cabin in the Austrian Alps.

Though the work is not indicative of this, Runnicles said Mahler’s evocative “Symphony No. 9” was created during a particularly tumultuous time in his life.
“It is arguably his finest symphony, written at an intensely emotional point in his life where the specter of death hung over him - not only the tragic death of one of his young daughters, but also the diagnosis of what turned out to be a fatal heart disease suffered by Gustav Mahler, and yet the symphony is everything but doom and gloom.
“I would say that it’s far more a celebration of life and the joys of it and how ephemeral it is, and as a result we have one of the greatest symphonies ever composed,” Runnicles said in an interview for the Grand Teton Music Festival radio hour.

“Inside the music: the music of J.S. Bach”
Tuesday’s July 15 chamber music concert will be hosted by clarinetist Marlene Pauley, who is celebrating her twentieth year with the festival, while organist Paul Jacobs performs the music of Bach, including the works “Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543,” “Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582,” and others. Venturing beyond the walls of Walk Festival Hall, St. John’s Episcopal Church will house the concert, ushering a microcosm of classical sounds into downtown Jackson.

Chamber Classics Picnic Concert
Special guest Cellist Lynn Harrell plays alongside Susan Gulkis Assadi on viola, Helen Nightengale on violin, and pianist Deborah Moriarty for the Chamber Music Picnic Concert on Wednesday, July 16.

Patrons can enjoy a pre-concert picnic followed by performances showcasing Beethoven’s Duet in E-flat major –“With two obbligato Eyeglasses,” Ravel’s “Duo for Violin and Cello,” and Braham’s “Piano Quartet in C minor.”
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‘Around the World in … 88 Keys’ | Planet JH News Article: General News

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