CAB Notes

Vol. 2 Issue 1                                    The Electronic Newsletter for Concert Artists of Baltimore
                                                       Edward Polochick, Artistic Director

Concert Artists of Baltimore 2004-2005 Season

Dear Friend of Concert Artists,

Strains of Vaughan Williams and Brahms from the wonderful Leon Fleisher Celebration concert last May 13^th still waft through my mind.  It was thrilling to witness the response of the audience and performers alike to such a joyous musical event.  And although we are well into the summer, things haven’t quite quieted down yet.  There is always a lot of work in closing a season, and, of course, we are busily making preparations for our exciting 04-05 Season.  Everyone will be receiving a brochure late in the summer, but I would like to share with you some of the highlights of our upcoming season.

We open our Classy Classics series on October 23^rd , 8pm at the Gordon Center, with Presto!, a spectacular all-Baroque concert featuring the music of Vivaldi and Handel.  Our very talented and engaging concertmaster, José Miguel Cueto, will take center stage as soloist in the ever-popular The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi.  Each “season” is essentially a three-movement concerto for violin and string orchestra of approximately 10 minutes in length, and if you are familiar with these virtuosic gems, it is easily understandable why they are so incredibly popular.  Vivaldi wrote a charming, descriptive sonnet for each season which we will read to introduce each concerto. After intermission we will treat you to a rarely-performed, highly virtuosic masterpiece for chorus, soloists and string orchestra, Dixit Dominus of George Frideric Handel.  Written when he was only 22 years old during his stay in Italy, this work is part of a collection entitled Roman Vespers and is a stunning fusion of Bach-like instrumental writing for the voice combined with the operatic and dramatic flair for which Handel was so well-known. Dixit Dominus, a fine example of early Handel, is a kind of distillation of the magnificence and majesty we find in later, more grandiose works, like Royal Fireworks Music and Messiah.  I will conduct both the Handel and Vivaldi works from the harpsichord.

Our Classy Classics II on December 4^th, 8pm, No Strings Attached, again at the Gordon Center, offers two wonderfully different works: one on the grand Romantic scale, and the other a 20^th Century piece of minimalism!  The first fare on this program is the Mass in E Minor of Anton Bruckner, a composer known mainly for his larger-than-life symphonic works.  And although this work is not the scope of his symphonies, it is, in essence, a grand Romantic piece with many lovely distinguishing characteristics.  It is written for mixed chorus (up to eight parts) with an accompaniment of a small component of woodwinds and brass. There are no strings (attached!), percussion or solos, and many sections are sung a cappella.  Bruckner had a phenomenal affinity for vocal writing, and even within his Romantic framework, we hear influences of Baroque and Renaissance periods. Although the forces are comparatively minimal, we are ever aware of the grandeur and largesse of this Austrian genius. The other half features a truly unique work by my personal favorite minimalist composer, John Adams, entitled Grand Pianola Music.  Utilizing all the winds and brass in the orchestra combined with quite a battery of percussion, two pianos and three female voices, this amazing piece offers an overwhelming palette of color, rhythmic intensity, humor, drama and non-stop fun!  Its dazzling rhythmic harmonies and cascading chords and arpeggios will have you absolutely mesmerized.  It’s really a thrilling piece of music!

Our February 19^th Classy Classics III concert, 8pm, at the Gordon Center, titled Eastern Sky, will feature two pianos of an entirely different sort.  We welcome to our stage the two-piano team of Mark Clinton (who you may remember offered a remarkable performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto with us three seasons ago) and Nicole Narboni who will perform a superb two-piano concerto by Czech composer, Bohuslav Martinu. Mark and Nicole have recorded this work with the Talich Chamber Orchestra, and they bring deep insights and understanding to this exciting tour de force.  Also on this program are some exquisite a cappella works by Bartok and Penderecki as well as the beautifully lyrical Suite #1 in D Minor for orchestra by Tchaikovsky.

Our season finale at the Gordon Center, A Royal Invitation, 8pm on May 14^th,  will spotlight CAB’s new principal cellist, Gita Ladd, in a rarely heard offering, Samuel Barber’s Cello Concerto.  As a former BSO cellist, Gita comes to us with years of orchestral playing under her belt as well as incredible solo and chamber music experience. In addition to the stirring and well-known Adagio for Strings by Barber, this program will also feature two other works by ‘American’ composers: A Royal Invitation by Domenick Argento and Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera’s Ballet Suite from Estancia.  Many of you may remember that our first commercial recording (for our 10^th Anniversary) took its title from the work, A Royal Invitation, which, to date, is still the only available recording of this programmatic and humorous work.  The Estancia, a seldom-performed work, is a magnificent ballet depicting the life and work on a South American ranch. It is filled with wonderful melodies, rhythmic excitement and propulsive drama which are sure to delight all who attend this performance.

Once again we will also present a series of three concerts, Music at the Mansion, at the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion (Engineers Club) on Mount Vernon Place. Our annual Christmas Cheer concert will open this series on December 12, Mark Clinton and Nicole Narboni will offer four-hand piano fare in February, and our third concert in April will offer a unique program by QuinTango, a Washington-based ensemble specializing in the performance, history and demonstration of the tango.  This series has become increasingly popular, and I might suggest that if you are interested in any of these programs at the Engineers Club, you should order your tickets early since all three of these concerts sold out last season. I will go into more detail regarding our Mansion series in the upcoming issues.

In addition to these exciting and provocative series, we will be performing various runouts throughout the Baltimore/D.C. area during this upcoming season. I trust you are enjoying a relaxing and productive summer, and I hope that I will see you at our events beginning this Fall. It is now probably best that I abandon this keyboard for other more familiar ones—namely the piano and the harpsichord—and begin practicing for our opening Baroque spectacular!  See you there!

Sincerely,

Ed Polochick

SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE 10%!

Concert Artists is offering a special email pre-subscription savings offer for our Classy Classics series at the Gordon Center. Order your subscription before August 20, 2004 and you will receive an additional 10% off your season subscription! 

Call our offices TODAY at 410-625-3525 to place your order.  Why not forward this newsletter to a friend so they can take advantage of the savings too!

Click Here for 2004-05
Music at the Mansion
Series Information

Interested in improving the cultural life here in Baltimore?  You should have received the Baltimore Cultural Organization Survey.  If you have not, or if you haven’t had the opportunity to complete it, it is available online.  Please follow the link and take 10 minutes to complete it.  Please refer this survey to all your cultural loving friends!

PRESTO!                                     NO STRINGS ATTACHED

Saturday, October 23, 2004                      Saturday, December 4, 2004

8:00 pm                                         8:00 pm

Handel: Dixit Dominus                                        Adams: Grand Pianola Music

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons                                 Bruckner:  Mass in e minor

       José Miguel Cueto, Violin

EASTERN SKY                         A ROYAL INVITATION

Saturday, February 19, 2005                Saturday, May 14, 2005

8:00 pm                                      8:00 pm

Tchaikovsky: Orchestra Suite No. 1             Barber:  Adagio

Choral selections by                                         Barber:  Cello Concerto

Penderecki and Bartok                                             Gita Ladd, Cello

Martinu: Concerto for Two Pianos                Argento: A Royal Invitation

               Clinton-Narboni Duo

                                                                            Ginastera: Estancia

Classy Classic Concerts performed at The Gordon Center for the Performing Arts 3506 Gwynbrook Avenue, Owings Mills. Set in the heart of the Greenspring Valley, only 20 minutes away from Baltimore, the area offers wonderful dining and is just minutes from I-695.

Music at the Mansion Series

Chamber Music Series

Sunday, December 12, 2004

2:30 pm

Sponsored by The Fillmore Group

Christmas Cheer

“Now, I know it’s Christmas!” is so often resounded by audience members as vocalists, instrumentalists, and audience join together to enjoy holiday music from around the world.  Our annual Christmas tree lighting, sing-along, and champagne toast makes this a perfect way to usher in the holiday season.

Did You Know. . .

The Gordon Center for Performing Arts was named Baltimore’s “Best Concert Venue” in 2001? Located only 20 minutes away from Baltimore City, The Gordon Center offers:

·     An intimate atmosphere

·     Acoustic Grandeur

·     Comfortable Seating

·     Ample FREE Parking

All Classy Classic Concerts are performed at The Gordon Center For Performing Arts in the heart of the Greenspring Valley at 3506 Gwynbrook Avenue, Owings Mills.  Come see what all the fuss is about!

Saturday, April 23, 2005

7:30 pm

St. Ignatius Church

749 North Calvert Street

Baltimore, MD

Opera Goes to Church

Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle

Tickets only $10

Help support the wonderful outreach projects of St. Ignatius Church as you revel in the majesty of this powerful work, which combines the beauty of opera with the sacred text of the mass.

To purchase tickets, call 410-625-3525, or visit our website at to fill out a ticket order form.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

2:30 pm

Double Your Pleasure

The dynamic piano duo Mark Clinton and Nicole Narboni present a varied virtuosic program of four-hand piano music.  Featured will be Debussy, Petite Suite; Stravinsky, Rite of Spring; Mendelssohn, Allegro Brilliante; and Mozart’s Sonata in F Major.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

2:30 pm

Sponsored by McCormick & Co.

QuinTango!

QuinTango’s all-or-nothing performance brings the dramatic heart of the tango with music by Carlos Gardel, Astor Piazzolla, and the masters of the Golden Age.  This award winning quintet of two violins, cello, bass, and piano brings a century’s worth of tango repertoire alive with accompanying narration.

Did You Know. . .

That you could enjoy a scrumptious brunch before any of the Music at the Mansion concerts?

Concert Artists of Baltimore’s inventive programs and engaging conductor are not only favorites with adult audiences, but children and students as well.  Full-time students (with ID) enjoy a greatly reduced ticket price of only $8 and children 8-18 only $5.  With these kinds of savings, Concert Artists is an economical event for the entire family!

Tickets to all concerts may be

purchased by phone…

410-625-3525

fax…410-625-9343

on the web…www.cabalto.org

or by mail: Concert Artists of Baltimore, 1114 St. Paul St.,

Baltimore MD 21202-2615

NOVEMBER 6, 2004. . .7pm. . .SAVE THIS DATE

Join us on Saturday, November 6, 2004 at the Grey Rock Mansion (400 Grey Rock Road, Pikesville, MD) to celebrate the gone-by era of Zoot Suits, Kilroy was Here, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Duke Ellington as Concert Artists holds its 2004 gala fund raiser Swingin’ to the Sounds of the ‘40s.  CAB galas are always loads of fun with fabulous food & drink, silent auctions with marvelous items, dancing, cigar & scotch bar, and lots of other activities.  To request an invitation, please call 410-625-3525.

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