Music of the northmost reaches of the world has often been noted for its starkness, reflecting the simple beauty of snow or the vast wilderness of Scandinavia. In this concert, we pair two Soviet-era works of opposing generations — the cheeky fairytale Cello Sonata of Sergei Prokofiev, and a Trio for clarinet, violin and piano from the much younger Galina Ustvolskaya, a student of Dmitri Shostakovich who was described as “the woman with the hammer” by Dutch critic Elmer Schönberger. Danish composer Carl Nielsen rounds out the evening with his beloved Wind Quintet: a lush romantic work, punctuated by the quirky flair of this trickster composer, and dedicated to his closest friends.
György Kurtág, Schatten | Prokofiev, Cello Sonata, Op. 119 | Galina Ustvolskaya, Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano | Carl Nielsen, Wind Quintet