Sergei PROKOFIEV Quintet in G minor for Winds and Strings, Op. 39 (1924)
Peggy Pearson, oboe; Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Alyssa Wang, violin; Marcus Thompson, viola; Thomas Van Dyck, double bass
Anton ARENSKY Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32 (1894)
Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, violin; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello, Max Levinson, piano
Alexander GLAZUNOV String Quintet in A major, Op. 39
Alyssa Wang, violin; Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, violin; Marcus Thompson, viola; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello; Annie Hyung, cello
Featured musicians
Max Levinson
Isabelle Ai Durrenberger
Alyssa Wang
Marcus Thompson
Annie Hyung
Raman Ramakrishnan
Thomas Van Dyck
Peggy Pearson
Romie de Guise-Langlois
Originally a ballet called Trapèze commissioned by a traveling dance troupe, Prokofiev’s Quintet Op. 39 features unusual harmonies and irregular rhythms that set the quintet apart as one of his more radical works. The resulting atmosphere—strange, unsettled and circusy—will strike listeners as both challenging and delightfully fresh.
Arensky’s Piano Trio in D minor opens with a warm Allegro whose passion and lyricism recall Mendelssohn’s trio of the same key. The Scherzo that follows features glittering passagework redolent of Saint-Saëns’s second piano concerto, while the third movement, a tender Elegia, honors cellist Karl Davïdov, the trio’s dedicatee, with a wistful theme first presented by the cello.
Glazunov’s String Quintet opens with the golden tones of a single viola before the other instruments join in to create a lush texture warmed by the addition of a second cello. The Scherzo’s playful alternation of plucking and bowing strings conveys a childlike innocence, while heavier emotions come through in the bittersweet Andante. A folk-infused finale brings the quintet to an exuberant close.
