MSO Chamber: Brahms’ Third Piano Quartet

Featuring
Gabrielle Halloran curator / viola
Kathryn Taylor violin
Miranda Brockman cello
Michael Pisani oboe
Brock Imison bassoon
Kenji Fujimura keyboard

Britten Phantasy for Oboe and String Trio
Poulenc Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano
Brahms Piano Quartet No.3 Werther

MSO violist Gabrielle Halloran curates this exquisite program of chamber works – two written by composers early in their careers, contrasted with a mature work from Brahms written over a 20-year period.
Britten composed his Phantasy Quartet at just 18 years old, while studying at the Royal College of Music. Written in a symmetrical structure like an arch, this work begins in silence and eventually returns to it.
Poulenc’s Trio – also composed as a young man – was completed in a hotel in Cannes. There he bumped into none other than Igor Stravinsky, who gave him some guidance. The Neo-classical style of this exquisite music reflects Stravinsky’s influence, alongside touches of Mozart.
In contrast, Brahms’ Piano Quartet No.3 is a more serious affair, befitting the middle-aged composer experiencing anguish in his personal life. Lyrical, passionate and defiant, the “Werther” Quartet references Goethe’s story about a young man in a state of unrequited love.

Sunday 18 August 2024, 11:00am
Iwaki Auditorium
TICKETS: Standard $60 / Concession $55 / Child $20