On Monday, July 9 at 7:30 pm, the Meeting House Chamber Music Festival will continue its stellar 45thsummer season with a concert that ranges from the exuberance of the Baroque to the passion of the Argentine tango. Two outstanding instrumentalists—violinist Katie Lansdale and cellist Megan Koch—will join the festival’s founder/artistic director/pianist Donald Enos. The concert will be given at the festival’s principal venue, Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans, MA. Tickets can be purchased at the door or reserved in advance by calling 508.896.3344. Tickets: $25 (under 18 free).
Featured will be five compositions from the 18thto the 20thcenturies, each as moving and expressive as the next: J.S. Bach’s Toccata & Fugue in D minor; Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonata, Op. 58; Seasons composition by Vivaldi and by Astor Piazzolla; and Frank Bridge’s Phantasie Trio.
As an organ piece, the Bach toccata is well known and popular, yet it is an enigma. Atypical of the great composer in many respects and not particularly “organ-like,” it strikes scholars as either a youthful creation or a transcription of an earlier violin composition. With the artistry of pianist Donald Enos and violinist Katie Lansdale, this iconic work will be served up with a twist and promises to be one highlight in a concert filled with delight after delight.
The festival will also give a musical tribute to the different moods and emotions associated with nature’s ever-repeating cycles. In 1721 when the great Baroque composer Vivaldi composed his Four Seasons, the best known of all his works, the concerto was unusual and even revolutionary as it evoked flora and fauna, storms, landscapes and other distinctive features of particular times of the year. Enos will juxtapose this brilliant composition with the musical portrait of nature that Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla composed two centuries later.
Scholars have noted the fascination that Bach held for Mendelssohn. While the Cello Sonata is a powerful and passionate work, mostly conveying an exultant mood, the Adagio seems inspired by a Bach chorale and includes a touching cello solo to be performed by Megan Koch.
The early 20thcentury British composer Frank Bridge is increasingly recognized, not only as Benjamin Britten’s teacher, but also as an important composer in his own right. Especially in his earlier years, Bridge composed deeply moving, melodious works with a late Romantic feel. His Trio is a great example and rounds out a program bound to move its audience in the special way that only chamber music can do.
The festival continues with additional performances on July 15, 16, and 23.