EPITOME

   

Thursday, May 16, 2024, at 8 pm
Pickman Hall at the Longy School of Music

CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES – Sonata for violin and viola in B-flat major, Op. Posth
GEORGE CRUMB – Vox balaenae (Voice of the Whale) for amplified flute, cello, and piano
STEVE REICH – New York Counterpoint for clarinet and tape
ELENA RUEHR – Broadway Boogie Woogie for the entire ensemble WORLD PREMIERE COMMISSION

The anniversary season finale unfolds as the quintessential Radius concert—eclectic and dynamic, each piece the Epitome of its type. The swashbuckling biography of Joseph Bologne, aka the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, belies a sensitive musical voice that comes through in a capstone collection of sonatas for violin and viola, including the opus posthumous B-flat major sonata featured here. Post-modernist par excellence, George Crumb creates a spellbinding and immersive soundscape that recalls the songs of humpback whales in his now classic work Vox balaenae (Voice of the Whale) for amplified flute, cello, and piano. Trademark pulsing and rich harmonies pervade New York Counterpoint for clarinet and tape by minimalist icon Steve Reich. Finally, a new work by hometown hero and longtime friend of Radius, Elena Ruehr, brings the season to a climactic close. Inspired by Mondrian’s painting Broadway Boogie Woogie, the piece includes all members of the ensemble to commemorate 25 years.

Pictured: Chevalier de Saint-Georges; George Crumb; Steve Reich (Martin Godwin); Elena Ruehr (Aynsley Floyd)

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