The celebrated Israeli-American pianist Alon Goldstein joins with the venerable Fine Arts Quartet and the rising double-bass phenom Lizzie Burns in an exciting concert collaboration. Their program features two piano concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K459 and Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K503. And to shake things up midway through-a palette cleanser, so to speak-the Fine Arts Quartet will perform String Quartet No. 2 “Company” of Philip Glass.

The concert takes place Sunday, July 24 at 7 pm at the Saranac Methodist Church on Route 3 in Saranac, New York.

Admission is a suggested donation of $15 accepted at the door. Seating is open.

For further information, please telephone 518-293-7613, e-mail ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com or visit www.hillandhollowmusic.org.

Mozart’s piano concertos are recognized as among his greatest achievements. Mozart himself arranged four of his early concertos for a chamber ensemble of piano, string quartet and bass, to enable his works to be more accessible to the public, such as performance in the home. Numerous subsequent transcriptions followed in the 19th century, most prominently those of the conductor-composer Ignaz Lachner.

Lachner left the piano parts untouched and made brilliant transcriptions of the orchestra parts, using only a string quartet with added bass. He ingeniously incorporates all the orchestral music, including wind parts, into his string transcriptions. These chamber versions of two of Mozart’s most beautiful and popular concertos sound as natural and idiomatic as if Mozart had transcribed them himself.

String Quartet No. 2 “Company” by Philip Glass is a lyrical, almost romantic piece with strong prominant melodies and a deceptively simplistic arrangement that reflects his pioneering minimal compositions. Conceived for the New York avant-garde theater company Mabou Mines, for which Glass wrote music for almost three decades, the name comes from the Samuel Beckett novel Company, which was adapted for the stage with music for it commissioned by Glass.

More about the artists:

Alon Goldstein, “an irresistible powerhouse” (New York Times) and “simply profound” (Washington Post), is one of the most original and sensitive pianists of his generation, admired for his
musical intelligence and dynamic personality. His artistic vision and innovative programming have made him a favorite with audiences and critics alike throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel. He made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta. He has been soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco, Baltimore, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Toronto and Vancouver symphonies as well as the Israel Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles, and Radio France Orchestra.

Alon Goldstein

Mr. Goldstein has appeared at the Gilmore, Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Marlboro, Seattle, and Steamboat festivals in the United States, as well as Prussia Cove, the Verbier Festival, and Klavier
Festival in Rühr. He has also performed at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and at Millennium Park in Chicago with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. A passionate advocate for music education, his recent teaching engagements have included posts at the Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival, the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, and at the “Tel Hai” international piano masterclasses in Israel, in addition to extended educational residencies across the country. Mr. Goldstein serves as the Artistic Director for The Distinguished Artists Concert & Lecture Series in Santa Cruz, CA and was recently named the Artistic Director for the Mt. Angel Abbey Bach Festival in Oregon. He is also the founder of the Emerald Coast Music Alliance, whose annual festival in Florida is devoted to sharing the beauty of classical music to under-served communities, free of charge.

Fine Arts Quartet, “one of the gold-plated names in chamber music” (Washington Post), ranks among the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive legacy of over 200 recorded works. Founded in Chicago in 1946, the Quartet is one of the elite few to have recorded and toured internationally for three quarters of a century. The Quartet’s renowned violinists, Ralph Evans (prizewinner in the International Tchaikovsky Competition) and Efim Boico (former concertmaster of the Orchestre de Paris under Barenboim) have performed together for 38 years.

Fine Arts Quartet

They are joined with two eminent musicians: violist Gil Sharon (founder of the Amati Ensemble), and cellist Niklas Schmidt (co-founder of the Trio Fontenay). Many of the Quartet’s latest releases have been selected for inclusion on Grammy® Awards entry lists in the categories “Best Classical Album” and/or “Best Chamber Music Performance” and have received multiple awards and distinctions, among them: “Gramophone award-winner” and “recording of legendary status” (Gramophone Classical Music Guide), “Key Recording/Top Recommendation” (Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music), “Editor’s Choice” (Gramophone Magazine), and more.

Lizzie Burns is a bassist and educator with a passion for discovery and sharing the love of music. As a specialist in small ensemble playing, she enjoys performing in settings from chamber orchestras and continuo sections, to rhythm sections and new music ensembles. She loves working with composers to bring new works to life, as well as championing the modern solo repertoire that shines a spotlight on the unique qualities the bass encompasses as a solo instrument.

Lizzie Burns

Lizzie draws abundant inspiration from her colleagues while frequently performing with the International Contemporary Ensemble, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, The Knights, New Orchestra of Washington, New York City Ballet Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, and Decoda. She is an alum of Ensemble Connect: A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in Partnership with The New York City Department of Education.

Hill and Hollow Music is located at 550 #37 Road, Saranac, NY 12981.

Photo at top: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. All photos provided by Angela Brown of Hill and Hollow Music.