Music by Beethoven, Schubert, and Puccini

Don’t miss the final performance of the 2010 Festival! Featuring the music of Puccini and Schubert, plus the Beethoven Septet in E-flat for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, French Horn, Bassoon, and Clarinet. Quartetsatz: yet another “Unfinished” work by Schubert... What was his deal? Well, he died at 31, and his unfinished pieces tend to be better than most composers’ finished ones. So, you’re in for a treat!

And Puccini’s “Crisantemi”? Yes, Chamber Music goes to the Opera... In fact, Puccini felt so strongly about this youthful attempt at Chamber Music Verismo that melodies from this single movement quartet made it into his later opera, “Manon Lescaut.”

And Beethoven’s Op. 20... Beethoven was used to shaking things up. When the nobility were shocked and outraged by his politics and his nerve, the young Beethoven knew he was headed in the right direction. The Septet, however, was so popular in its day that Beethoven was worried that it was eroding his street cred. Happily for us, Beethoven the innovator is still audible in this delightful work. The 2010 Walla Walla Chamber Music closes amid the champagne sparkle of Beethoven’s lighter side.

Beethoven: Septet in E flat, Op. 20

Beethoven Septet in E flat, Op. 20. “A violinist, a violist, a cellist, a bassist, a horn player, a bassoonist, and a clarinetist walk into a winery...” So begins the old joke about the Beethoven Septet. Just kidding, we’ll be writing this joke on the fly. After all, this is one of Beethoven’s most lighthearted works. Waters Winery sets the stage for this evening of music for the great outdoors. With views of rolling vineyards and a winery of stunning beauty, this evening will be a highlight of the 2010 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival.

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival welcomes back virtuoso clarinetist Kevin Schempf for this performance of Golijov’s “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind” for Klezmer Clarinet and String Quartet. Blazing technique and characteristic “laughter through tears” describe this evocative work. Bassist, and Dayton, Washington native, Kevin Casseday of the Jacksonville Philharmonic (Florida) returns to Southeast Washington to perform the Dvorak Bass Quintet in G. The work shines with Bohemian dance and folksong, and will surely match the splendor of the Walla Walla Valley in late Spring.

Music of Golijov and Dvorak

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival welcomes back virtuoso clarinetist Kevin Schempf for this performance of Golijov’s “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind” for Klezmer Clarinet and String Quartet. Blazing technique and characteristic “laughter through tears” describe this evocative work. Bassist, and Dayton, Washington native, Kevin Casseday of the Jacksonville Philharmonic (Florida) returns to Southeast Washington to perform the Dvorak Bass Quintet in G. The work shines with Bohemian dance and folksong, and will surely match the splendor of the Walla Walla Valley in late Spring.

Dvorak: Bass Quintet in G, Op. 77

Branches laden with fruit, vines thick with hops, the aroma of a slow-roasted knuckle of pork and red cabbage, chubby villagers... such are the Bohemian charms of the Dvorak Bass Quintet, Op. 77. Bassist and native Walla Wallan, Kevin Casseday of the Jacksonville Philharmonic and University of Florida, returns to his old stomping grounds to perform this Czech masterpiece.

There are few winery settings as compelling as the Tasting Room at Longshadows. Inside, works by Dale Chihuly adorn the space. Outside, the Walla Walla Valley spreads in all directions. Longshadows Vintners is not generally open to the public, and this event will sell out quickly.

The Schumann Piano Quartet in E flat plus music by Janacek and Shostakovich

The Janacek Sonata for Violin and Piano calls to mind vibrant colors discreetly hidden amid the ancient shadowy cobbled streets of Prague. The Shostakovich Prelude and Scherzo for String Octet stands as a work of virtuosity from this giant of the 20th Century. The lyricism of the Schumann Piano Quartet in E Flat is unmatched. In its slow movement we find one of the most glorious melodies in all of music. Triumphant in its outlook the Piano Quartet is one of Schumann’s best-loved compositions. The performance will feature the Icicle Creek Piano Trio’s Oksana Ezhokina at the keyboard, violinist Maria Sampen, violist and Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Founder and Artistic Director Timothy Christie, and cellist Norbert Lewandowski.

“It Must Be... Cavatina” Slow movements from Beethoven’s Op. 130 & 135 String Quartets

“It must be...Cavatina.’” Slow movements from Beethoven's Op. 130 and 135 String Quartets are featured. On his deathbed Beethoven penned some of the most progressive, profound, and enduring works the world has ever known. While the 9th Symphony sounds a clarion call to the masses to embrace in joy and brotherhood, Beethoven's genius and humanity find their purest expression in the intimacy of the string quartet. Contemplative, heartfelt, and excruciatingly beautiful, these masterpieces serve as the denouement in the story of one of History's greatest figures.

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival founder and artistic director, Timothy Christie, leads the performance and discussion from the cozy barrel room at Reininger winery. The tranquility of Merlot, Cab, and Syrah quietly aging will lend an appropriate dignity to the proceedings.

Beethoven, Zorn, Handel, Berio, Shostakovich, Mozart, and more.

Wild contrasts and surprise performances orbit the profound music of Beethoven’s late string quartets.  The super-cool Jimgermanbar in Waitsburg sets the stage...  Jim will slice a filament-thin shaving of lime zest into your cocktail with his ceramic Kyocera knife, and you will realize that it’s the first time you’ve ever tasted a properly made mojito.

Collage is a style of performing in which the conclusion of one piece dovetails with the beginning of the next to form a continuous fabric of contrasting sounds and textures.  The show unfolds in two halves, each with the slow movement of a late Beethoven string quartet buried in its center like gooey molten chocolate in a lava cake.

The cartoon violence of John Zorn’s “Cat O’ Nine Tails,” the bracing steely energy of Luciano Berio’s “Edouard” and the baroque grandeur of Handel’s G minor Passacaglia will rub shoulders with the grinding blues jam, “Black Bend” by Dan Visconti.  Classicism and modernism meld into a kaleidoscope of musical wonder.

There are two shows and programs may vary slightly.  The Gold Pass will be accepted at either show, but pass holders must choose one or the other.  Space is extremely limited.  Tickets are good for their assigned time only.

Beethoven, Zorn, Handel, Berio, Shostakovich, Mozart, and more.

Wild contrasts and surprise performances orbit the profound music of Beethoven’s late string quartets.  The super-cool Jimgermanbar in Waitsburg sets the stage...  Jim will slice a filament-thin shaving of lime zest into your cocktail with his ceramic Kyocera knife, and you will realize that it’s the first time you’ve ever tasted a properly made mojito.

Collage is a style of performing in which the conclusion of one piece dovetails with the beginning of the next to form a continuous fabric of contrasting sounds and textures.  The show unfolds in two halves, each with the slow movement of a late Beethoven string quartet buried in its center like gooey molten chocolate in a lava cake.

The cartoon violence of John Zorn’s “Cat O’ Nine Tails,” the bracing steely energy of Luciano Berio’s “Edouard” and the baroque grandeur of Handel’s G minor Passacaglia will rub shoulders with the grinding blues jam, “Black Bend” by Dan Visconti.  Classicism and modernism meld into a kaleidoscope of musical wonder.

There are two shows and programs may vary slightly.  The Gold Pass will be accepted at either show, but pass holders must choose one or the other.  Space is extremely limited.  Tickets are good for their assigned time only.

The Icicle Creek Piano Trio performs music by Turina, Haydn, Bach and Ravel. Plus, a world premiere string quartet by Washington composer, Robert Hutchinson

Opening night of the 2010 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Series! The program begins with the World Premiere of a new String Quartet by Washington composer, Robert Hutchinson. Then, the critically acclaimed Icicle Creek Piano Trio takes to the stage to perform works by Haydn, Turina, Bach and Ravel.

Whether it’s the Baroque poise of Bach’s B Minor Sonata for Violin and Keyboard, the classical charm of Haydn’s Trio in E Major, Hob. XV:28, or the sheer impressionist virtuosity of the Ravel Trio, you will see why the Icicle Creek Piano Trio is one of the rising stars of the classical music world. Their 2009 recording of the Schubert E Flat Trio and the Ravel Trio (Con Brio Recordings) has garnered much praise.

“The playing is warmly considered, meticulous in articulation and blend, and silken in sonority.”

—Gramophone Magazine

This is your one chance to hear the Icicle Creek Piano Trio during the 2010 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival. Don’t miss it!

Smetana: String Quartet in E minor “From My Life”

Garrison Creek Cellars provides the idyllic setting for the first Tasting Music Event of the 2010 Season. Set amid the verdant splendor of “Les Collines” vineyard, Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival musicians will perform Smetana’s String Quartet in E minor, “From My Life.” As the subtitle suggests, Smetana treated the work as a musical autobiography. Through music he paints vivid scenes of love, loss, and triumph. This Czech masterpiece of Romantic Nationalism will kick off the 2010 Series in rollicking fashion.† Garrison Creek Cellars is not generally open to the public, so this event will sell out quickly!