 | | | Pamela Freund-Striplen sits with her viola at the piano. Photo provided | | | | | | Youthful works by composers often display raw talent and impressive musical instincts. At the beginning of their careers, Felix Mendelssohn and Richard Strauss experimented with different types of ensembles, writing for piano trios, string quartets, solo piano, and others. Strauss and Mendelssohn would both go on to write their masterpieces, but the two quartets featured in "Convictions" - the fourth concert of Gold Coast Chamber Players' 2015-16 series starting with a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 12 at the Lafayette Library Community Hall - were written when the composers were just starting out.
Mendelssohn was featured prominently in Gold Coast's October concert, "Prodigies," and wrote his Piano Quartet No. 3 when he was only 15 years old. Strauss' Piano Quartet in C Minor is truly an early work; Strauss also completed the score as a teenager. This quartet owes many of its stylistic touches to Johannes Brahms, especially its dark sonority and dramatic scope. David Popper, a great cello virtuoso, wrote the Spanish Serenade for Cello and Piano. Although Popper was a Czech Jew, he clearly shows an affinity for the Spanish, from the rhapsodic cello melodies to the gracefully embellished piano parts.
The Gold Coast Chamber Players are known for their engaging and vibrant performances. Highly acclaimed Chicago-based pianist Yana Reznik has appeared regularly with Gold Coast Chamber Players since 2012, and her exquisite musicality has captivated audiences. Cellist Eugene Lifschitz is the Principal Solo Cello of the Kassel Orchestra in Germany. Violinist Moni Simeonov serves as adjunct instructor of Violin and Chamber Music at University of Southern California and performs and coaches alongside Midori for her Orchestra Residencies Program American and International tours. Artistic Director and violist Pamela Freund-Striplen was recently presented with a 2015 Arts Recognition Award by the Contra Costa County Arts Commission.
Ticket price includes complimentary champagne, the pre-concert talk, and a reception with the musicians following the performance. Tickets are $37.50 general, $32.50 seniors and $15 for students and are available at www.gcplayers.org and by phone at (925) 283-3728. Free garage parking at the library on Golden Gate Way. Limited seating, reserve early.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA