What happens when you corral some of the finest classical musicians in the region for two weekends in Susanville, and tell them they can perform whatever they like, as long as they promise that their selections will absolutely take people’s breath away? Apparently you create the Susanville Chamber Music Festival!
Indeed, the Susanville Symphony Society’s Chamber Music Festival returns to the ‘ville during the first week of August, but bigger and better than last year – three concerts instead of two, double the number of performers and a broader range of music genre to experience.
All three concerts will be held at the Susanville United Methodist Church, beginning at 7:30 each evening.
The concert dates are Saturday, August 1st, Friday, August 7th and Saturday, August 8th. Tickets are available at the Symphony’s regular outlets – Axia Home Loans on Riverside Drive in Downtown Susanville, and Margie’s Book Nook on Main Street in Uptown Susanville.
Special discounts are available for those who purchase the entire festival as well as for students and seniors.
The festival’s first concert on Saturday will feature internationally renowned pianist, Nicholas Carthy, and Reno Philharmonic Principal Violist, Dustin Budish, performing Rebecca Clarke’s Sonata for Viola and Piano.
According to the festival’s Artistic Director, Johnny Lenz, Clarke’s sonata first surfaced in 1919 during a composition competition. Although the piece did not take first place, all the judges expressed that it was in fact the best.
“It is rumored that there were some that felt such a masterpiece could not have been composed by a woman and that Rebecca Clarke was actually a nom de plume for a male composer,” Lenz explains. “Nothing could be farther from the truth!”
The Sonata includes three movements, Impetuoso, Vivace, and Adagio, with the final movement providing a recapitulation of earlier themes while both the viola and piano are taken to the extremes of each instrument’s range.
John and Ruth Lenz will later join Carthy and Budish to perform a selection of Finnish tangos.
Many people are familiar with the tango styles of Argentina, but the tangos of Finland take the South American style and add a rich, melancholy flavor to the genre. Virtually always written in a minor key, Finnish tangos take ballroom dance music to the peak of passion.
Carthy and the two Lenz’s will close out the first concert with a selection by Johannes Brahms.
“We have a wonderful group of musicians performing fabulous music in a marvelous facility. I would urge folks to get their tickets right away before they sell out,” said symphony Vice President, Ken Holmes.
For more information, contact the Susanville Symphony hotline at 310-8111 or by email at [email protected], or drop by Axia Home Loans at 2940 Riverside Dr., Suite C.
