String Radiance: Boccherini, D’Ambrosio, and Dvořák

Performance Run Time: Approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes, including intermission. Enthusiasts for string chamber music are among the most passionate listeners, undoubtedly seduced by the rich vocal timbres of the violin, viola, and cello. This program was designed for their delight, featuring perspectives on the all-string cast from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Boccherini, the greatest virtuoso cellist of his day, could not resist showing off his spectacular technique, composing cello parts for himself that venture daringly into the pitch range of the violin. Alfred d’Ambrosio, not yet well known, has become beloved by a steadily growing circle of musicians who simply love to play his ultra-Romantic works, among them, the incomparable violist Paul Neubauer, and violinist Danbi Um, a leading exponent of the great Romantic violin tradition. Rounding off an evening bathed in sonic richness is Dvořák’s folk-infused Sextet, one of the most exciting, touching, and brilliantly entertaining works in the entire chamber music repertoire. Violinists Julian Rhee and Danbi Um, violists Paul Neubauer and Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt, and cellists Nicholas Canellakis and Jonathan Swensen inspire in this celebration of string radiance. Program: Boccherini | Quintet in C major for Two Violins, Viola, and Two Cellos, G. 324, “La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid” (1780) D’Ambrosio | Suite for Strings, Op. 8 (1900) Dvořák | Sextet in A major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Two Cellos, Op. 48 (1878) Performing Artists: Julian Rhee, violin Danbi Um, violin Paul Neubauer, viola Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt, viola Nicholas Canellakis, cello Jonathan Swensen, cello About Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is one of eleven resident companies of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts complex in the world. The vision for CMS emerged in 1965, when the distinguished American composer and then-President of Lincoln Center, William Schuman, conceived of an institution dedicated to chamber music, housed in its own specially designed recital hall. CMS is part of a distinguished community of resident companies at Lincoln Center, including The Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet. Under the artistic guidance of Charles Wadsworth, and through the patronage and inspiring leadership of Alice Tully, the plan came to fruition. On September 11, 1969, Alice Tully Hall opened with the first performance of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, inaugurating a new era for chamber music in the United States. Since that time, CMS has grown remarkably in scope and stature, to become the world’s largest international chamber music producing and presenting organization. Under the leadership of Co-Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han since 2004, CMS now comprises a multi-generational and international roster of over 140 of the finest chamber musicians. CMS presents chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and period, reaching a global audience of over65,000 each year with more than 150 performances and education programs in New York and on tour worldwide. CMS is committed to broadening public engagement with chamber music through its robust in person education programs and expansive educational media initiatives, including almost 2,000videos and an in-depth about the music resource, available on its website for free. Over its history, CMS has commissioned more than 200 new works from leading composers. The Bowers Program, CMS’s rigorous three-season residency for outstanding early-career musicians, is widely recognized as the most distinguished young-artist program in the field, offering unparalleled mentorship and performance opportunities to the future leaders of the artform.