Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Saratoga Springs, NY (Site)

Sunday August 17, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Free

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Saratoga Springs, NY (Site)

In summer we list some out-of-NYC events that vacationing New Yorkers may enjoy.

This program explores emotional depth and contrasts in chamber music, balancing drama with lyrical beauty. It opens with Kodály’s Serenade for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 12, a delicate work that showcases the warmth of string trio textures by the Hungarian composer known for blending folk influences with classical traditions. Next is Shostakovich’s Trio No. 2 in E minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 67, a powerful piece that moves from somber to fiercely energetic. Shostakovich’s Elegy and Polka for String Quartet follows, blending haunting lyricism with gripping rhythms, characteristic of his emotionally charged style. The program concludes with Dohnányi’s Quintet No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 1, a dramatic work by the Hungarian composer, whose passionate intensity and lyrical moments reflect both late-Romanticism and early 20th-century innovation.

Program

Zoltán Kodály (1882–1967)

Serenade for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 12

(1919–20)

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)

Trio No. 2 in E minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 67

(1944)

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)

Two Pieces for String Quartet

Ernő Dohnányi (1877–1960)

Quintet No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 1

(1895)

Quick Note

Dohnányi’s Quintet No. 1 serves as the composer’s debut opus, written during his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest.

Pay attention to the thematic development throughout the piece, as Dohnányi navigates through various emotions and moods, from dramatic intensity in the first movement to lyrical tenderness or introspection in the second movement.