JOURNEYS
Music (and love) gives wings to the soul. Let your spirits soar as you experience a season of musical journeys. Join the Isles Ensemble on four adventurous Sunday afternoons at 2:00 at Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church. We look forward to visiting with you at our post-concert receptions!
Admission is $25 for individual tickets, or pay what you can. Children and students are admitted free of charge. Tickets may be purchased in person at the door, or online at Eventbrite.
October 15, 2023, 2:00
Exodus
Max Bruch
Kol Nidrei
Ernest Bloch
Baal Shem Suite (Nigun, Improvisation)
Felix Mendelssohn
String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13
I. Adagio-Allegro Vivace
Richard Wagner
Ride of the Valkyries
Patricia Hall (unearthed music arranged by Nazi prisoners)
Music of Auschwitz (German Waltzes interspersed with narrated letters home from the arrangers)
Maurice Ravel
Kaddish
Osvaldo Golijov
The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind
Join Isles violist, Ken Freed, as he takes us on a personal journey of faith and hope that spans centuries of prayer, memory, and the eternal. Newly uncovered arrangements of music from Auschwitz will serve as the counterpoint to the music of Bruch, Mendelssohn, Bloch, Ravel and Golijov.
Isles musicians: Stephanie Arado, violin; Natsuki Kumagai, violin; Kenneth Freed, viola; Tom Rosenberg, cello; Laura Sewell, cello
Guest musicians: Miryana Moteva, piano; Gabriel Campos Zamora, clarinet
January 21, 2024, 2:00
All In Good Fun
Franz Joseph Haydn
String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 33, No. 2 “Joke”
PDQ Bach
Sonata for 4-Hand Viola and Keyboard
Ernő Dohnányi
Serenade in C Major, Op. 10, for String Trio
Antonin Dvorak
Humoresque, Op. 101, No. 7 for Violin and Piano
W.A. Mozart
Trio in E-flat Major “Kegelstatt,” K. 498 for Violin, Cello, and Piano
What happens when composers let loose and journey into the world of humor, pranks, and games? The answer is a lot of fun – and some good music too! Join us for a program of lighthearted surprises by Haydn, Mozart, Dohnanyi, Dvorak, and PDQ Bach.
Isles musicians: Stephanie Arado, violin; David Leung, violin; Leslie Shank, violin and viola; Kenneth Freed, viola; Tom Rosenberg, cello; Laura Sewell, cello; Ivan Konev, piano
March 10, 2024, 2:00
Inspirado en España
Teresa Carreño
String Quartet in B minor
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Pequeno Suite for Cello and Piano
Joaquin Turina
Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 76
Astor Piazzola
La Calle 92
Alberto Ginastera
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 20
Join us in March for a musical journey to Spain and the Spanish Diaspora. Experience the lush but rarely heard string quartet of Venezuelan Romantic-Era composer Teresa Carreño, as well as a duo for cello and piano by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Enjoy Spanish composer Joaquin Turina's piano trio which blends French Impressionism with Andalusian folk elements. Finally, travel with us first class to Argentina with a tango by Astor Piazzola as well as a dynamic and rhythmic string quartet by Alberto Ginastera.
Isles musicians: Emily Switzer, violin; Kenneth freed, viola; Tom Rosenberg, cello; Laura Sewell, cello
Guest musicians: Hanna Landrum, violin; Nicola Melville, piano
May 5, 2024, 2:00
Composing Outside the Box
Franz Joseph Haydn
String Quartet Op. 1, No. 1
Giacomo Puccini
Crisantemi (Chysanthemums) for String Quartet
Richard Strauss
String Sextet from Capriccio, Op. 85
Frederic Chopin
Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano in G minor, Op. 8
This program explores works by some of the world’s most famous composers, including Haydn, Puccini, Strauss, and Chopin. The twist is that none of the pieces included on the program (except one) are typical of any other work that particular composer ever created. Three of these great masters wrote many other monumental works outside of the chamber music realm, and one of them invented the most iconic of all chamber music forms. Join us as we explore what happens when creative geniuses go on an unexpected journey and “compose outside of the box!”
Isles musicians: Natsuki Kumagai, violin; Emily Switzer, violin; Leslie Shank, violin and viola; Sifei Cheng, viola; Kenneth Freed, violin and viola; Tom Rosenberg, cello; Laura Sewell, cello
