Romantic Exaltation
Saturday, September 5th at 6:30pm • The Red Door, Emeryville
The Red Door is pleased to present a very special ensemble of artists—violinist Nigel Armstrong, violist Jeremy Klein, cellist Tanya Tomkins and pianist Audrey Vardanega, as they perform one of Romanticism’s most exalted chamber works, Robert Schumann's Piano Quartet in E-flat major.
Written at the very height of the Romantic era, the work is imbued with a poignant lyricism and rich musicality that draws the listener into its inner world.
Tickets: $60/pp. Drinks and snacks will be served
Program
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ROBERT SCHUMANN
Piano Quartet in E♭ major, Op. 47
I. Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo
II. Scherzo: Molto vivace – Trio I – Trio II
III. Andante cantabile
IV. Finale: Vivace
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Composed in 1842 — Schumann's fabled "year of chamber music," the Piano Quartet in E-flat major stands as one of the most exalted expressions of the Romantic movement at its height. Schumann had spent that year immersed in the chamber music of Haydn, Mozart, and above all Beethoven, and his choice of E-flat major — the heroic key of the "Eroica" Symphony and the "Emperor" Concerto — was no accident.
A solemn, chorale-like introduction opens the work in a Beethovian manner, and the finale surges with a contrapuntal fire that recalls the composer’s great fugues. At the heart of the work is the celebrated Andante cantabile, where the cello unfolds one of the most tender melodies in all of chamber music.
Tanya Tomkins
Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Valley of the Moon Music Festival, cellist Tanya Tomkins is equally at home on Baroque and modern instruments. She has performed on many chamber music series to critical acclaim, including the Frick Collection, “Great Performances” at Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, San Francisco Performances, and the Concertgebouw Kleine Zaal.
She is renowned in particular for her interpretation of the Bach Cello Suites, having recorded them for the Avie label and performed them many times at venues such as New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, Seattle Early Music Guild, Vancouver Early Music Society, and The Library of Congress.
Nigel Armstrong
Nigel Armstrong is emerging as a dynamic and creative artist both within and beyond the realm of classical music. From his musical beginnings as a member of "The Little Fiddlers" in Sonoma, CA to collaborations with tango musicians in Argentina he's enjoyed using the violin in a versatile manner throughout his life. As soloist and chamber musician Nigel has performed with orchestras throughout the world, and feels fortunate to have had the chance to explore great orchestral literature throughout his career. Nigel also recently had the opportunity to live with and learn from the Plum Village community founded by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, where he spent a year working on their organic farm and taking part in their daily life, an experience for which he continues to be grateful.
JEREMY KLEIN
Jeremy Klein is a multifaceted musician and violist performing in solo, chamber, orchestral, contemporary, period, and improvised settings, and is also passionate about teaching and community engagement. He has collaborated with living composers on the premiers of many solo and chamber works, in addition to maintaining a serious interest in historical performance. Jeremy has collaborated with Project Music Heals Us as a performer teaching artist in music composition and songwriting courses, in residence at detention facilities in California and New York. He has also participated in several other community engagement and education projects. Currently a CV Starr Doctoral Fellow at the Juilliard School, Jeremy also completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Juilliard where his principal mentors have been Misha Amory, Heidi Castleman, Catherine Cho, and Molly Carr.
Audrey vardanega
Praised as a “[musically] eloquent” (San Francisco Classical Voice) player “with the kind of freedom, authority, and strength…that one expects from the world’s finest pianists” and a “bewitching musical presence” (The Piedmont Post), American pianist and arts entrepreneur Audrey Vardanega (b.1995) has performed as a solo and collaborative pianist across Europe, China, and the United States. In response to her passion for bringing artists together for opportunities for performance, the creation of new work, and interdisciplinary collaboration, Audrey founded Musaics of the Bay in 2019.