By Roy Ziegler
Violinist Peter Winograd
Combining the rugged images of the great American West captured by Dvorak with jazz rhythms by Copland and classic variations for piano, clarinet and violin by Harbison, the Concordia Chamber Players opens its seventh season on November 2 at 3 PM in New Hope
Cellist, Michelle Djokic, artistic director of Concordia announced the return of violinist Peter Winograd this season. Mr. Winograd, winner of the First Prize at the Aspen Music Festival competition, recently released a recording of the complete string quartets of Mozart on the Musical Heritage Masters label.
Winograd will join Concordia regulars Michelle Djokic, pianist Phllip Bush, clarinetist David Krakauer, Robert Rinehart, Grammy Award winning violist and New York Philharmonic member and violinist, Carmit Zori in a brilliant rendition of Aaron Copland’s “Sextet”, a composition greatly influenced by American jazz rhythms that is complicated to perform while communicating a finger-snapping feeling.
Antonin Dvorak’s String Quartet, “The American”, conjures up sentiments of the old American West in its colors and rhythm. Djokic, Rinehart, Winograd and Zori capture the feeling of western skies, rugged mountains and the pioneer spirit in this first performance by Concordia.
The program closes with the brilliant Variations for Violin, Clarinet and Piano by John Harbison. Clarinetist, David Krakauer, who recently collaborated with the Tokyo String Quartet and is one of the foremost musicians of the new wave of Klezmer music, will join, Carmit Zori, violinist, winner of the Pro Musicus Foundation Award and pianist, Phillip Bush, an international performer with a repertoire ranging from sixteenth century to twenty-first century music.
The Concordia Chamber Players concert will be performed at the acoustically pleasing Stephen Buck Theater on the New Hope-Solebury High School campus. Free parking is available directly outside the concert hall and refreshments are provided at the intermission. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door or by calling 215-297-5972. Children accompanied by an adult are admitted free to all Concordia concerts.