Susan Waterfall’s biographical film on Ludwig van Beethoven provides the perfect prologue to this summer's programming. The riveting story of western classical music's greatest composer, and the turbulent period of history he inhabited, includes excerpts from 25 of his works, along with compelling contemporaneous art and images.
To kick off the Festival's 40th season's orchestral offerings, Allan Pollack will lead the musicians in Leonard Bernstein’s sprightly Candide overture. The energy will continue to flow when soloist Stephen Prutsman returns to Mendocino to perform Prokofiev’s demanding Piano Concerto No. 3. After we catch our breaths at intermission, we’ll enjoy the energetic 7th Symphony ...
Beethoven's charming, enigmatic, and deeply felt Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Opus 10 No. 3 will be played by Susan Waterfall. The brooding and complex String Trio in C minor No. 3, Op. 9 will feature Terrie Baune (violin), Susan Freier, (viola) and Stephen Harrison (cello). In the late-period Cello Sonata No. 1, Op. ...
Pianist Anthony Ratinov’s impressive talents will be on display when he performs selections from Debussy’s Douze Études, both Book I and Book II. The compositions address aspects of pianistic technique in the first book and explore new sonorities in the second. In between the Debussy, he will draw upon his virtuosity to carry us through ...
“Few string quartets can command the stage like the Calder Quartet,” according to The Washington Post. The extraordinary ensemble is just as renowned for its expert, empathetic readings of core repertoire as it is for its thrilling commitment to new and unexpected programming. Returning to the Festival for the 12th year, the Los Angeles-based musicians ...
In what has become something of a Festival tradition, Julian Pollack will join Susan Waterfall on one piano for the Sonata for Piano 4 Hands in D Major, Op. 6, a two-movement exercise in pianistic flair. Beethoven wrote beautifully balanced works for strings and piano, and this concert will celebrate that mastery. Sam Weiser will ...
American pianist Rachel Breen’s performances have been described as “truly show-stopping” (Gramophone UK) and having “a beautiful piano sound and original detail.” She has enjoyed an active and successful competition career and has performed and taught masterclasses around the world. If you enjoyed her performance last year, you will certainly appreciate this one. ...took into ...
The annual concert by the wonderfully talented string players from the Festival’s Emerging Artists Program is anticipated by all who love hearing accomplished young musicians interpret chamber music classics and present exciting contemporary works. Each year twleve participants are chosen from the many who apply to come to Mendocino, receive chamber music coaching from principals ...
The season will conclude with “Songs of Love and Loss” by Allan Pollack, a work for soprano, chorus, orchestra. The piece deals with emotions of grief and longing, blending contemporary texts and musical materials with Biblical passages. The mood will shift with Beethoven’s beloved Symphony No. 9 in D minor, a fitting finale for the ...