Midsummer’s Music’s Griffon String Quartet Plays Mendelssohn and Shostakovich Cyclical Works
The two compositions by Shostakovich and Mendelssohn are separated by more than 125 years.
Sister Bay, Wis. – June 17, 2022 – The Griffon String Quartet, Midsummer’s Music’s engaging resident ensemble, headlines the third program of Midsummer’s 2022 exciting summer season with four dynamic concerts from June 24 through June 30. Chosen by Griffon members as personal favorites, the quartet will perform two cyclical pieces by Felix Mendelssohn and Dmitri Shostakovich.
A cyclic form is a technique of musical construction involving multiple sections or movements in which thematic material occurs as a unifying device in more than one movement. Themes may occur at the beginning and end of a composition or throughout the piece.
In 1827, Mendelssohn composed his String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13—his first string quartet, even though it was published as his second. The work is an homage to Beethoven’s string quartets Opp. 95, 132, and 135, and the finale features threads from previous movements, eventually circling back to the gorgeous opening movement. It is among chamber music’s first cyclical pieces.
Russian composer Shostakovich wrote his String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor at the age of 53 in 1960, while living near the still-bombed-out Dresden, Germany. He suffered from the debilitating Lou Gehrig’s disease and was under relentless political pressure to join the communist party, which was total anathema to him. Musicologists studying the influence of Dresden on Shostakovich originally speculated that his eighth quartet was an anti-war protest, but it is now believed to be a protest piece against the communist party. In terms of the work’s cyclical nature, similar material occurs throughout the music, which was not uncommon in his other works, but it is most prominent in this quartet, which begins and ends with a somber elegy.
Musicians are violinist Vinicius Sant’Ana and Ji-Yeon Lee, violist Blakeley Menghini, and cellist Ryan Louie. This program will be performed four times: June 24 at 7:00pm at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sister Bay; June 25 at 7:00pm at Hope United Church of Christ in Sturgeon Bay; June 26 at 3:00pm at Sister Bay Moravian Church in Sister Bay; and June 30 at 7:00pm at the Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor.
The fourth program of the season features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Trio in E-flat Major, “Kegelstatt,” K.498, and his Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat Major, K.499, along with Composer-in-Residence Will Healy’s Trio (2022). Concerts are at 7:00pm, July 1, at Björklunden in Baileys Harbor; 7:00pm, July 2, at the Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor; 3:00pm, July 3, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sister Bay; and 7:00pm, July 5, at Hope United Church of Christ in Sturgeon Bay. Featured musicians are violinists David Perry and Ann Palen, violist Allyson Fleck, cellist James Waldo, and pianists Jeannie Yu and Will Healy.
A complete 2022 summer brochure can be downloaded at www.midsummersmusic.com. Programs are subject to change.
Tickets are $35 for adults, $15 for students, and children 12 and under are free. Premium prices apply for salon/home concerts, dinner concerts and other special events. Flex-packs of six tickets for the price of five tickets are also available. Tickets can be ordered at www.midsummersmusic.com or by phone at 920-854-7088.
Midsummer’s Music was co-founded in 1990 by Jim and Jean Berkenstock, long-time Door County summer residents and principal orchestral players with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. What began as two concerts among friends has become one of the Midwest’s most anticipated chamber music series, bringing thousands of chamber music enthusiasts from around the globe to the magical Door County Peninsula.
For more information visit www.midsummersmusic.com.
High-resolution photos can be downloaded at https://midsummersmusic.com/photos/.
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For Calendar Listings:
Coffee Talks
Coffee Talk programs are free, informal presentations on music topics by ensemble members. staff, and friends.
Tuesday, June 21, 11:00am, Old Gibraltar Town Hall, Fish Creek: Allyson Fleck and Noah Schaffrick – A Survey of Chamber Music
Saturday, July 2, 2:00pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor: Will Healy – Composer-in-Residence
Saturday, July 23, 11:00am, Margaret Lockwood Gallery, Sturgeon Bay: Flautist Heather Zinninger Yarmel – Taoism and Alexander Technique in Music: A beginner’s journey to finding greater freedom in music-making
Tuesday, August 23, 2:00pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay: Artistic Director Jim Berkenstock – Where Does Music Come From?
English Connections
Quartet No. 1, “Calvary” (1956) Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
Phantasy Quintet (1912) Ralph Vaughn Williams
Quintet in C Minor, Op. 86 Charles Villiers Stanford
Sunday, June 19, 5:00 pm, Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
Tuesday, June 21, 5:00 pm • Dinner Concert, Fish Creek Historic Town Hall, Fish Creek
Thursday, June 23, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Griffon String Quartet
Quartet No. 8 in C Minor Dmitri Shostakovich
Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13 Felix Mendelssohn
Thursday, June 24, 7:00 pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Saturday, June 25, 7:00 pm, Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Sunday, June 26, 3:00 pm, Sister Bay Moravian Church, Sister Bay
Thursday, June 30, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Mozart & Healy
Trio in E-flat Major Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(“Kegelstatt”), K.498
Trio (2022) Will Healy
Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Major, I.449 (arr. Mozart)
Friday, July 1, 7:00 pm, Björklunden, Baileys Harbor
Saturday, July 2, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Sunday, July 3, 3:00 pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Tuesday, July 5, 7:00 pm, Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Scintillating Summer Serenades
Sextet in E-flat Major Paul Wranitzky
Quartet in F Major, K.E. 386b Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Quintet in D Major, Op. 35 Bernhard Molique
Thursday, July 7, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Friday, July 8, 7:00 pm, First Baptist Church, Sister Bay
Saturday, July 9, 7:00 pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Sunday, July 10, 5:00 pm, Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
Trio Magic
Serenade, Op. 50 (1895) Laura Netzel
Circulo, Op. 91 Joachim Turina
Trio in E-flat, Op. 100, D. 929 Franz Schubert
Friday, July 15, 7:00 pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Saturday, July 16, 7:00 pm, Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Sunday, July 17, 3:00 pm • Salon Concert, Trenchard Residence, Sister Bay
Thursday, July 21, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Lush & Thrilling Romantic Poetry
Quartettsatz in C Minor, D. 703 Franz Schubert
Divertimento in E Major, Op. 53 Friedrich Gernsheim
Grand Quintetto in B-flat Major, Op. 34 Carl Maria von Weber
Wednesday, July 20, 7:00 pm, Sister Bay Moravian Church, Sister Bay
Friday, July 22, 7:00 pm, First Baptist Church, Sister Bay
Saturday, July 23, 7:00 pm, Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Sunday, July 24, 5:00 pm, Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
Homeland Sentiments
Adagio from String Quartet in D Minor (1869) Mykola Lysenko
Trio in C-sharp Major, Op. 100 Philipp Scharwenka
Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 Antonín Dvořák
Thursday, July 28, 7:00 pm, TBD
Friday, July 29, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Saturday, July 30, 7:00 pm, Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Sunday, July 31, 3:00 pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Down Home & Heavenly
Divertimento No. 10 in F Major, K. 247 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Rodeo Reina de Cielo (Rodeo Queen of Heaven) Libby Larsen
Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 25 Ferdinand Ries
Sunday, August 21, 3:00 pm, Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Wednesday, August 24, 7:00 pm, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Sister Bay
Thursday, August 25, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Friday, August 26, 7:00 pm, Birch Creek: Juniper Hall, Egg Harbor
Quintet Elegance
Quintet in E Major, Op. 1 Dame Ethel Smyth
Quintet in D Major, D. 956 Franz Schubert
Saturday, August 27, 7:00 pm • Salon Concert, Courtney Residence, Sister Bay
Sunday, August 28, 5:00 pm, Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor
Wednesday, August 31, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Friday, September 2, 7:00 pm, Sister Bay Moravian Church, Sister Bay
A Date with Destenay (and Franck at 200)
Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 44 Louise Ferranc
Trio in E Minor, Op. 27 Edouard Destenay
Quintet in F Minor (1880) César Franck
Thursday, September 1, 7:00 pm, Donald & Carol Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Saturday, September 3, 3:00 pm, The Clearing Folk School, Ellison Bay
Sunday, September 4, 3:00 pm, Hope United Church of Christ, Sturgeon Bay
Monday, September 5, 3:00 pm • Labor Day Gala, Björklunden, Baileys Harbor