Friends of Chamber Music to celebrate 41st anniversary season with exquisite artistry
Next year, the Friends of Chamber Music will celebrate its 41st season with the sort of high quality performances that have made its reputation as one of the finest concert series in the country. Cynthia Siebert, the founder and artistic director of the Friends of Chamber Music, has always insisted on the best, from the glossy programs worthy of a coffee table to the superb artists, who rank among the finest in the world.
Cynthia Siebert, the founder and artistic director of the Friends of Chamber Music, always has insisted on the best, from the glossy programs worthy of a coffee table to the artists who rank among the finest in the world.
Over the years, the Friends of Chamber Music’s season has evolved to encompass three concert series: the International Chamber Music Series, the Master Pianists Series and the Early Music Series.
Two highlights of next season’s Chamber Music Series are the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. The Escher String Quartet, the Danish String Quartet and the Morgenstern Trio will round out the chamber music offerings.
It’s no surprise that Siebert, a fine pianist herself, has made piano music one of the Friends of Chamber Music’s strong suits. As in the past, next season’s Master Pianist Series’ performers may not have familiar names but they are exquisite artists revered by cognoscenti, like Arnaldo Cohen, Fabio Bidini and Kirill Gerstein. A special treat will be a recital by Alexei Lubimov and Malcolm Bilson who will bring their historically informed performance style to the music of Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky and Franz Schubert.
The Early Music Series is a boon for those who love music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Music antiquarians can look forward to a spectacular lineup of choral and vocal ensembles on the 2016-17 season. Sequentia, Stile Antico and Vox Luminis are bringing very creative programs, but the big news for many early music lovers is the return of Jordi Savall and his ensemble, Hespèrion XXI. When Jordi is in town, a good time is had by all.
▪ For more information, call 816-561-9999 or visit ChamberMusic.org.
“Modern Romance”
Is there anything more romantic than clinking glasses of wine in the Kauffman Center lobby before a performance by the Kansas City Symphony?
The loving feelings will be ramped up even more when the Symphony presents “Modern Romance” on Wednesday for its next free Happy Hour concert.
Members of the Kansas City Symphony will perform Guillaume Connesson’s Sextuor for Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Double Bass and Piano and Antonin Dvořák’s Second String Quintet, which features some of the most lusciously romantic melodies ever composed for a chamber ensemble.
▪ 6 p.m. Wednesday. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Free, reservations required. 816-471-0400 or KCSymphony.org.
Fauré’s Requiem
The Kansas City Symphony Chorus is usually heard in the context of a Symphony performance, but this fine group of singers will get the Kauffman Center’s Helzberg Hall all to itself on May 15. The Grammy Award-winning Charles Bruffy will lead the 160-voice choir in Gabriel Fauré’s ever-popular Requiem. Jan Kraybill will provide accompaniment on the magnificent Julia Irene Kauffman Casavant organ.
The Fauré Requiem is the centerpiece of the program, but the chorus also will perform other gorgeous works, like the Cantique de Jean Racine, another gem by Fauré, motets by English composer Charles Villiers Stanford, “The Promise of Living” by Aaron Copland and the spiritual “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.”
▪ 3 p.m. May 15. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $20-$50. 816-471-0400 or KCSymphony.org.
Abduraimov concert canceled
Pianist Behzod Abduraimov injured his back during his recent world tour, which required him to cancel his concert last Wednesday at the Kauffman Center. There is good news, however. Abduraimov is expected to make a full recovery and the concert will be rescheduled for the fall. Anyone who purchased tickets for the May 4 concert through the Kauffman Center’s website or in person at the Kauffman Center can call 816-994-7222 for a full refund, or the tickets can be kept and will be good for the rescheduled concert. For more information, contact Roger Kugler at roger.kugler@park.edu.
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@gmail.com.
The 2016-17 Friends of Chamber Music Series schedule
▪ Sept. 23: Escher String Quartet with guitarist Jason Vieaux performing music by Béla Bartók, Johann Sebastian Bach, Francisco Tárrega and Luigi Boccherini (Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St.)
▪ Oct. 7: Arnaldo Cohen, pianist, performing music by Bach transcribed by Ferrucio Busoni, Johannes Brahms and Frédéric Chopin. (Folly Theater)
▪ Oct. 21: Danish String Quartet performing music by Bach, Dmitri Shostakovich and Ludwig Van Beethoven (1900 Building, 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods)
▪ Nov. 4: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with “Destination Vienna.”
▪ Nov. 18: Sequentia with “The Monk Sings Pagan: Medieval Songs of God, Heroes and Strong Women.” Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th St.
▪ Dec. 2: Stile Antico with “A Wondrous Mystery: Flemish and German Music.”
▪ Jan. 20, 2017: Alexei Lubimov with special guest Malcolm Bilson performing music by Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky and Franz Schubert. (Folly Theater)
▪ Feb. 10: Hespèrion XXI with Jordi Savall, viola da gamba. “The Musical Europe: 1500-1700.” Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral.
▪ Feb. 25: Morgenstern Trio performs music by Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn and Maurice Ravel (1900 Building)
▪ March 18: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. “Foreign Affairs” with music by Georg Philipp Telemann, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi and Bach. (Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park)
▪ April 1: Fabio Bidini, pianist, performing music by Muzio Clementi, Beethoven, Debussy and Robert Schumann.
▪ April 21: Vox Luminis. “Stabat Mater.” (Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral)
▪ May 5: Kirill Gerstein, pianist, performing music by Bach, Brahms and Franz Liszt. (Folly Theater)
This story was originally published May 8, 2016 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Friends of Chamber Music to celebrate 41st anniversary season with exquisite artistry."