Santa Cruz Chamber Players Concert 1

Concert 1
A Chest of Treasures:
Lesser Known Gems of the Great Composers
Music by Dvorak, Gershwin, and Rachmaninov

Saturday, October 29, 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 30, 3:00 pm

Roy Malan, Concert director and violin
Susan Freier Harrison, violin: Polly Malan, viola
Stephen Harrison, cello; Keisuke Nakogoshi, piano

This concert focuses on trio and quartet works by composers famous for music of other kinds.

In Dvorak’s Terzetto, the intimacy of the string trio allows crystalline clarity to this work’s soaring and interwoven melodic lines. Yet, the three instruments project strength and a richness of texture that rivals the composer’s massive symphonic works.

George Gershwin’s Lullaby for String Quartet is a world away from the large scale of his Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and Porgy and Bess. In mood, this gentle chamber piece is closer to some of the composer’s sweeter-voiced show tunes and popular songs.

Both somber and passionate, Rachmaninov wrote his Piano Trio #2 (Élégiaque) in memory of Tchaikovsky, a major musical influence and beloved countryman. This virtuosic work displays elements familiar from his piano concertos.