On Monday, July 24, the Meeting House Chamber Music Festival once again presented delightful music for a summer evening at Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans. For this sixth concert of the seven-concert series, Donald Enos—the festival’s founder, artistic director, and pianist—designed an evening of music ranging from the exuberance of the Baroque to the dramatic flair of a contemporary film score. He was joined in this concert by violinist Katie Lansdale and cellist Bo Ericsson.
Two important figures of the Baroque period (roughly 1600-1750) were featured: the French composer François Couperin and the Venetian composer Giuseppe Tartini. The more personal and passionate music of the Romantic Period was represented by the Russian composer Anton Stepanovich Arensky (1861-1906), a Tchaikovsky-inspired composer who is increasingly recognized for his high-caliber chamber music. Three of Arensky’s contemporaries who lived well into the twentieth century were also on the program: the Belgian/French violinist, composer, and conductor Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931), regarded as "The King of the Violin;" Claude Debussy (1862-1918), one of the most influential composers of the 20th century; and the Spanish cellist and composer Gaspar Cassadó (1897-1966), a brilliant student of the great Pablo Casals. As if this line-up were not enough, the festival’s artistic director had another gem in store: the "Devil’s Dance” from the 1987 film The Witches of Eastwick, composed by John Williams (b. 1932), who wrote some of the most popular music in cinematic history, including scores for Jaws, Star Wars, and the first three Harry Potter films.
Meeting House Chamber Music Festival
The Meeting House Chamber Music Festival is the longest-running music festival on Cape Cod for a reason. This year's line-up once again includes an extraordinary mix of engaging music from different periods and countries around the world. The season finale will be held on Sunday-Monday, July 30-31, at both Highfield Hall in Falmouth and Church of the Holy Spirit. To view the schedule for the entire season, please visit http://www.meetinghousemusic.org.
ADMISSION: Tickets available at the door. Single tickets: $25. 7-Concert Series tickets valid at all festival locations: $110. Under 18 free. CONTACT: [email protected].
Musicians Performing in this Concert
Pianist Donald Enos, a native Cape Codder, is the founder and director of the Meeting House Chamber Music Festival. Mr. Enos holds the position of Wesley DeLacy Chair, Keyboards, with the Cape Symphony and is the resident pianist for the Chatham Chorale and Chamber Singers. He is also director of music at the South Dennis Congregational Church, where he often presents concerts on the church’s Snetzler Chamber Organ (1762), believed to be the oldest organ in continuous use in the United States.
Violinist Katie Lansdale is a highly accomplished soloist, chamber musician, and teacher who performs actively both in America and Europe. As concerto soloist, she has performed a wide range of repertoire with diverse orchestras: the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, NYC Spectrum Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the Austin Mozart Orchestra, and the New York Repertory Orchestra. Recent recitals and guest artist venues have included the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Phillips Collection (DC), the Palais de l'Europe (Paris), Merkin Hall, and Jordan Hall in Boston.
Lauded for her Bach performances, she won high praise from the American Record Guide for her solo Bach CD: "This is one of the best recordings there is of this music." Grand prizewinner at both the Yellow Spring and Fischoff National Chamber Competitions, Ms. Lansdale is a frequent guest on chamber series, collaborating with Yo Yo Ma, Felix Galimar and Donald Weilerstein. As a member of the Lions Gate Trio, she has toured America and Europe annually for sixteen years. Now in residence at Hartt and Yale, the Trio's concert tours have taken them across Europe, and their third CD (duos and trios of Robert Schumann) was released to acclaim last year by Centaur Records. Former Artist-in Residence at SUNY-Stony Brook, she is currently on the faculty at the Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut.
Bo Ericsson, cellist, a native of Sweden, graduated from the Gothenborg Conservatory of Music and studied at the Swedish Radio School in Stockholm. He has been principal cellist with both the Bergen (Norway) Philharmonic Orchestra and the Upsala (Sweden) Chamber Orchestra. As a cellist of the Berwald String Quartet he toured extensively throughout Europe. On Cape Cod he is principal cellist with the Cape Symphony, an active chamber musician and teacher of cello, and a member of the Schultze-Ericsson Cello Duo.