FREE, but Ticketed
Smithsonian American Art Museum View Map
part of the Steinway Series

A mere thirty-five years separate these three commemorations, yet the works are light years apart. Poulenc, ever ready to befriend, pays tribute to Prokofiev in this, his beautifully poignant last work. Prokofiev and Schnittke shared the oppression of the Soviet totalitarian regime, yet ironically, Prokofiev’s second quartet is inspired by the folk melodies of the remote area to which he and other elite citizens were evacuated by the government as Hitler’s armies approached Moscow. Schnittke’s starkly minimalist quintet grapples with the difficulties of acknowledging his mother’s death due to stroke, the same malady that later caused his demise. The Left Bank Quartet welcomes the collaborations of oboist Mark Hill and pianist Audrey Andrist.

Program Notes

Free, but Ticketed
Smithsonian American Art Museum View Map
part of the Steinway Series

Three “moderns,” the Englishman Harvey, the American Jalbert, and the Frenchman Connesson, disperse works of unabashed virtuosity, here balanced by Franck’s darkly serious piano quintet, a masterpiece in his hard-fought career of many valleys and some sublime peaks. Flutist David Lonkevich, clarinetist Paul Cigan, and pianist Colette Valentine join the Left Bank Quartet.

Purchase Tickets
Dumbarton Church, Georgetown View Map
Part of the Dumbarton Church Concert Series

The allure of Vienna and the urging of the Czech composer Dvořák’s dear friend Brahms were not enough to woo him from his beloved homeland again. Conversly, the music from the East proved irresistible to Brahms, whose compositions were frequently imbued with its exotic colors. The Left Bank Quartet performs Dvořák’s Quartet in G Major and, joined by clarinetist Loren Kitt, Brahm’s darkly-hued Quintet for an evening of golden autumnal glory.

Program Notes

We are happy and proud to announce our 2011-12 season, rich in musical
favorites but also laced with surprises. We hope you especially enjoy our
considerable attention to rarely-performed gems such as Faure’s Piano Quintet,
No. 2; the Bruch Viola Quintet; the Bliss Oboe Quintet and Bridge’s String Sextet.
We are excited to have a new partnership with American University, where we’ll
be performing in the beautiful Abramson Family Recital Hall of the Katzen Arts
Center. The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and Dumbarton Church provide
welcome continuity from past seasons.