What You Are To Me

Emerald City Music’s top priority is the comfort and safety of our audiences and guest artists. Following the recommendations of Public Health officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our May 2nd WHAT YOU ARE TO ME performance (to be rescheduled to a future season – date pending). For more information, please visit our website at: https://www.emeraldcitymusic.org/blog/virus-outbreak

 All tickets will be refunded for this event if purchased through the Washington Center. If you purchased your tickets through ECM, please contact them for the option to forward, donate, or refund your ticket: info@emeraldcitymusic.org.

A landmark collaboration between three national arts organizations, the season finale features a world-premiere by Philadelphia-based composer Patrick Castillo bookended by three wildly unique gems of the chamber music library.

THE TUNES

Martinu Variations for Cello and Piano
Prokofiev Sonata for Two Violins
Castillo Winter Light (Commissioned World Premiere)
Korngold Suite for Two Violins, Cello, and Left Hand Piano

THE STORY

The season concludes with a world-premiere by Patrick Castillo alongside three gems of the chamber music library. Martinu’s Variation on a Theme from Rossini was the first work that the war-displaced composer wrote in the United States in 1942, just before he found massive symphonic success. Prokofiev’s Sonata for Two Violins was written on the composer’s third extended trip away from homeland USSR, this time to Ste. Maxime, France. Castillo’s world-premiere – Winter Light – was prompted by Ingmar Bergman’s 1963 film of the same title. Like the film, the new work explores themes of existential questioning and spiritual doubt in the face of a fraught socio-political climate. The instrumental medium of piano quartet, but with violin in place of viola, lends itself to melodic immediacy and lush textures as much as to sonic austerity.The season closes with Erich Korngold’s monumental Suite, a work commissioned by pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm in the war performed music for left hand alone. The theme in the moving second movement is from the song “Was du mir hist” (“What You Are To Me”)

THE ARTISTS

Kristin Lee, violin | Sean Lee, violin | Dmitri Atapine, cello | Hyeyeon Park, piano | Gloria Chien, piano

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