FLOWERS IN CONCRETE

Wednesday, December 6, 7.30PM

Bohemian National Hall
321 E 73rd St, New York, NY 10021

Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
Philippe Quint, violin
Sergey Antonov, cello

Prokofiev – Sarcasms, Op. 17 (solo piano)
Prokofiev – Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94bis
Shostakovich – Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67

Illustrated talk by Irina Knaster

Early twentieth-century Russia saw individual and artistic freedoms trampled by the chaos of the Russian Revolution, the devastation of two world wars, and the oppressive rigidity of Stalin’s regime. Yet exquisite artistic flowers continued to bloom in Soviet Russia.

Prokofiev’s Sarcasms for piano is a dazzling display of the kind of black, sardonic, mordant humor that helped keep him and many of his fellow Russians sane during the horrors of the Soviet dictatorship. His Second Violin Sonata was composed in the safety of the Ural Mountains, just as the tide of war was beginning to turn in Russia’s favor. Elegant, lyrical, and witty, it holds out hope for what might lie on the distant borders of possibility. Shostakovich’s magnificent Second Piano Trio, however, looks the worst squarely in the face. War, tyranny, terrible suffering – it’s all here, yet this work offers hope of another kind: the hope that music can help the tears of grief to flow, and perhaps even provide resolution.

The works in this program are eloquent tributes to an artistic greatness that successfully eluded the stifling clutches of authoritarianism, and a wonderful demonstration of the human capacity for survival.

No refunds, no exchanges. Artists, programs, dates, and prices are subject to change.

Programs and artists are subject to change. If an event presented by Aspect Chamber Music Series is cancelled or postponed, we will announce the change—if time permits—by email, phone, a letter sent to your home, and on www.aspectmusic.net.