Please join us for Valley of the Moon Music Festival’s Season 9: Transformation: Grand Works on an Intimate Scale. This year we highlight works—originally written for large orchestras—in chamber music versions.

Many composers made transcriptions of their own works for smaller ensembles. For instance, Stravinsky took his “Rite of Spring”—composed for an immense orchestra—and reimagined it for four-hands piano. There were many reasons for transcriptions, not least to make it possible for the middle class to hear and play music in their own homes, at a time when there were no CDs or radios.

It is thrilling for players and listeners alike to be in intimate proximity with massive and ambitious works. And it is extraordinary that even without massive string sections or trumpets and drums, it is still possible to experience all the expressive power of this music.

Schedule of Events:

July 15, 2023

4:00 pm: THE SYMPHONY AS A TRIO: Mozart & Beethoven

Mozart’s Piano Quartets are written like concertos: the piano is featured, accompanied by a sort of “mini orchestra” of 3 string players. We are thrilled to feature VMMF friend Audrey Vardanega as the “soloist” with three generations of early music experts in the accompanying roles. True to this year’s theme, the program ends with an arrangement of Beethoven’s 2nd Symphony for Piano Trio by the composer himself. On an 18th-century fortepiano you can really hear the trumpets and drums!

PROGRAM

Mozart, Quartet in G minor, K.478 (1785)

Beethoven, Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 (arranged for piano trio)

July 16, 2023

2:30 pm: Blattner Lecture Series – Nic McGegan

Nicholas McGegan: EVERY HOME SHOULD HAVE ONE.

From the time of Handel up to the invention of the phonograph, every family that could afford it aspired to possess a keyboard instrument in their parlour. Owning a harpsichord or piano brought the whole musical world into the living room. The family, especially the daughters, could play the latest tunes from the capital and arrangements of arias from the hit operas of the day. One could even hold a ball at home, playing the same fashionable menuets or waltzes that were danced at court.

4:00 pm: THE PIANO AS ORCHESTRA: Chopin, Clara and Robert Schumann

Tonight’s program presents a musical triad that showcases the interconnectedness of three remarkable composers: Chopin, Clara and Robert Schumann. We open the concert with Clara Schumann’s Romances for Violin and Piano which exemplify her ability to blend lyricism, virtuosity and emotional depth. Up next we delve into the enchanting world of Chopin’s timeless works, showcasing his ability to capture the very essence of human emotion. The program ends with Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet, one of his most orchestral-sounding works of chamber music.

PROGRAM

Clara Schumann, The Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22 (1853)

Frédéric Chopin,  Select Nocturnes and Waltzes

Robert Schumann, Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44 (1842)

July 22, 2023

4:00 pm: THE CONCERTO AS CHAMBER MUSIC: Price, Ravel & Mozart

Who needs a large orchestra when you can bring across the magic of Mozart’s Symphony Concertante with just a string quartet, bass and two soloists? In this case, star VMMF Laureates Rachell Ellen Wong and Andrew Gonzalez take the solo parts in an arrangement for string sextet. Excerpts of a string quartet by Florence Price and selections from Ravel’s enthralling Ma mère l’Oye (“Mother Goose Suite”) for four-hands piano round out the program.

PROGRAM:

Mozart, Sonata in G major for Violin and Piano, K.379 (1781)

Ravel, excerpts from Mother Goose Suite [Ma mère l’Oye] (1910)

Florence Price,  excerpts from Five Folksongs in Counterpoint (1951)

Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major for Violin and Viola and String Quartet, K. 364 (320d) (1779)

July 23, 2023

2:30 pm: Blattner Lecture Series – Francesco Spagnolo

Francesco Spagnolo: Anti Eroicas: Minority Perspectives on Grandiose Music  

In this lecture, Francesco Spagnolo (UC Berkeley), a scholar of music and the Jewish diaspora, revisits major repertoires, from Bach and Handel’s oratorios to Wagner and Johann Strauss, as heard and performed through the ears (and hearts) of minorities.  

4:00 pm: THE INTIMATE PASTORAL: Beethoven & Chopin

Beethoven’s great Pastoral Symphony in a chamber version? How is that possible? Join us to find out how powerfully the music comes across without a conductor and with only seven string players.  The first half of this program features another grand work on an intimate scale: Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor with VMMF Laureate, Suren Barry as soloist, and string quartet accompaniment.

PROGRAM

Chopin,  Piano Concerto No. 2, op. 21 in F minor (arranged for piano and string quartet)

Beethoven, Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68 “Pastoral”  (sextet version)

July 27, 2023

6:00 pm: A POET’S LOVE: Schumann

In the 19th century, much as today, a party wasn’t complete without music. Back then, of course, it was performed live. The liederabend – or “evening of song” – was a very popular form of social gathering and musical performance. There was food, drink, and company, and the great musicians of the day often sat down at the piano to serenade guests with their most recent songs. This is the environment that gave rise to Schumann’s greatest song-cycle Dichterliebe, or “A Poet’s Love.” Based on Heinrich Heine’s ephemeral and entrancing cycle of poems, Dichterliebe offers an inside look at the way an artist confronts the unknowability of love and longing.

This year, VMMF brings Dichterliebe to life with a totally different kind of concert format. Part cabaret, part salon, with a bit of houseparty thrown in as well, this luxurious and exclusive evening recreates all the conviviality of the 19th century liederabend – think food and drink, but also an up close/personal relationship with the artists themselves. It’s a chance, yes, to go back in time, but also to experience something new, a surprising way of hearing a beloved classic.

The evening  features delicious wine and food from area producers, as well as a chance to hang out with fellow concert goers and the musicians themselves during this immersive concert-experience.

Festival Co-Director fortepianist Eric Zivian joins VMMF favorite, tenor Kyle Stegall, who says about the evening, “The moments we will share with listeners in this performance will be truly once-in-a-lifetime, and will connect all of us to a sound world which will put us squarely in the heart of Schumann and Heine’s soul space.”

Cost: $75

July 29, 2023

4:00 pm: THE RITE OF SPRING ON 88 KEYS: Schumann, Viardot & Stravinsky

One of the greatest orchestrators of all time, Stravinsky, is heard on this program in his original 4-hands version of The Rite of Spring. This concert opens with Schumann’s dramatic first violin sonata performed by VMMF’s 2023 Apprentices.

PROGRAM

Schumann, Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105 (1851)

Pauline Viardot & Francis Poulenc, select songs

Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps] For Piano Four Hands (1914)

July 30, 2023

11:00 am: Matinee Concert: 2023 Apprentices Perform

Our dazzling Festival Apprentices take the stage in a 45-minute musical experience designed to engage audiences of all ages.

PROGRAM

Beethoven, Piano Trio No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 1, No. 1 (1773-75)

Schubert, String Quartet No. 13 in a minor, Op. 29, No. 1, D. 804, “Rosamunde” (1824)

Cost: $25

2:30 pm: Blattner Lecture Series – Kate Van Orden

Conversations with Kate van Orden: Mediation

This year’s Festival wrap takes an insider’s look at the arrangements and transcriptions used by professional and amateur musicians eager to experience the latest works from the opera house or concert hall at home. We’ll talk about why rescoring was such a phenomenon in the nineteenth century, who made arrangements, and the aesthetics at work. Festival musicians will be on hand to discuss the delights and challenges of playing like an orchestra.

4:00 pm: The Eroica For Four: Beethoven & Tchaikovsky

In the Festival’s final concert Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony will be performed by the 2023 Apprentices in a version for Piano Quartet arranged by Ferdinand Ries, Beethoven’s dedicated student and fan. To end the festival on a celebratory note, Apprentices and faculty join forces in Tchaikovsky’s ecstatic “Souvenir de Florence” for string sextet. Before the concert join musicologist, Kate van Orden, in “Conversations with Kate”for perspective and context on the 2023 theme.

PROGRAM

Beethoven, Symphony No.3 in E flat Major, Op.55 “Eroica” (arranged for piano quartet)

Tchaikovsky, String Sextet in D minor, Op. 70, “Souvenir de Florence” (1890)

Cost: $10 – $55

Location: Hanna Boys Center

Alfresco Concert Series:

July 18, 2023

7:00 pm: Alfresco Concert I

Acompáñenos en el Patio de La Luz Center para una tarde llena de música presentando a compositores latinoamericanos.

Join us at the Patio of La Luz Center for an evening of music featuring Latin American composers.

Cost: Free

Location: La Luz Center

July 20, 2023

7:00 pm: Alfresco Concert II

Come experience the amazing virtuosity of VMMF Laureate Rachell Ellen Wong. Bring your friends and family to this concert with something for everyone.

PROGRAM

Vivaldi, excerpts from Four Seasons

Beethoven, excerpts from Pastorale Symphony (sextet version)

Cost: $35

Location: Sugarloaf Ridge State Park – Amphitheater

July 25, 2023

7:00 pm: Alfresco Concert III

VMMF Laureate violinist Carmen Johnson-Pájaro curates and hosts this exciting program of American Romantic chamber music in the glorious setting of the Buena Vista Winery.

PROGRAM

Quartets by Florence Price, William Grant Still and George Walker

Cost: $35

Location: Buena Vista Winery

Fest Date: July 15 - 30, 2023

Locations:
Hanna Center, 17000 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476
La Luz Center, 17560 Greger Street, Sonoma, CA 95476
Buena Vista Winery, 18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma, CA 95476
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, 2605 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood, CA 95452

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