On Friday, June 17 at 8 pm, violinist Yevgeny Kutik, bassist Edwin Barker and pianist Eileen Huang, join together for a concert featuring Russian and Estonian composers entitled “From Russia (and Estonia) to Rockport!” for the Rockport Chamber Music Festival. A unique program for violin, bass and piano featuring Russian works for both violin and bass, including the Eduard Tubin Bass Concerto. An Estonian composer (1905-82), Tubin’s concerto was premiered by Estonian bassist Ludwig Jutt (and member of the Boston Symphony under Koussevitzky) in Rockport in 1949. Yevgeny Kutik performs in the second half of the program offering three works by Russian composers—Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Andrei Eshpai—which he recorded in 2014 on a CD Music from the Suitcase: A Collection of Russian Miniatures. The three arrangements by these composers were from a suitcase of music that Mr. Kutik’s family brought to the states when Yevgeny, at age of five, and his family emigrated from Russia. The CD was released in 2014 and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard classical chart. The album garnered critical acclaim and was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and in the New York Times. His debut album, Sounds of Defiance, featured the music of Achron, Pärt, Schnittke, and Shostakovich. Passionately devoted to the music of our own time, Kutik performed the world premiere of Words Fail from composer Timo Andres and has commissioned a solo violin piece by Michael Gandolfi. Kutik performs regularly as a recitalist and soloist with orchestras at the most prestigious concert halls around the nation, as well as in Germany and Switzerland. He made his debut with The Boston Pops as the 1st Prize recipient of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition. In 2012, he was a featured performer for the March of the Living observances, where he played for over 10,000 people at Auschwitz-Birkenau. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory. Yevgeny Kutik’s violin was crafted in Italy in 1915 by Stefano Scarampella.
Boston Symphony Orchestra principal bassist Edwin Barker has concertized in North America, Europe, and the Far East. He has performed and recorded with the BSO, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, and the contemporary music ensemble Collage, and is a frequent guest performer with the Boston Chamber Music Society. Mr. Barker gave the world premieres of James Yannatos’ Concerto for Contrabass and Chamber Orchestra and of Theodore Antoniou’s Concertino for Contrabass and Chamber Orchestra, as well as the featured soloist in the New England premiere of Gunther Schuller’s Concerto for Double Bass and Chamber Orchestra. He inaugurated the BSO’s 100th Anniversary Season with performances of Koussevitzky’s Bass Concerto. In 1995 he was chosen by the late Sir Georg Solti to lead the bass section of the United Nations’ “Musicians of the World,” an orchestra made up of prominent musicians from the world’s finest orchestras. He is an associate professor at the Boston University College of Fine Arts and also teaches at the BSO’s Tanglewood Music Center and the National Orchestral Institute at the University of Maryland. His solo CDs include “Three Sonatas for Double Bass”; James Yannatos’ Variations for Solo Contrabass, and the recently released “Concerti for Double Bass,” which includes concertos by Gunther Schuller and Theodore Antoniou.
PROGRAM
Edwin Barker, double bass | Eileen Huang, piano
EDUARD TUBIN: Concerto for Double Bass (1948) (19 min)
I. Allegro con moto
II. Andante sostenuto
III.Allegro non troppo poco marciale
KOUSSEVITZKY: Chanson Triste, Op 2 (5:20 min)
KOUSSEVITZKY: Valse Miniature, Op 1, No.2 (3:00 min)
INTERMISSION
Yevgeny Kutik, violin | Eileen Huang, piano
STRAVINSKY: Divertimento (after “The Fairy’s Kiss”) 20′
PROKOFIEV: Waltz (from “Cinderella”) 6′
ANDREI ESHPAI: Rhapsody: Hungarian Tunes (selection) 5’
HANDEL-HALVORSEN: Passacaglia for violin and double bass (6:30min)
A Pre-Concert Talk with Dr. William Matthews will be held at 7 pm and is free to all ticketholders. A Prelude Supper hosted by Artistic Director David Deveau and a guest artist will be held at 5:45 pm (tickets: $35). Concert Tickets: $29-$39
On Sunday, June 19 at 5 pm, the Chameleon Arts Ensemble, one of Boston’s finest and most versatile ensembles, will present a special program in honor of Father’s Day with works by the great Johann Sebastian Bach and his three sons—Johann Christian, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel. The concert performers will include: Deborah Boldin, director and flute, Sooyun Kim, flute, Robyn Bollinger, Eunae Koh & Sean Lee, violin, Scott Woolweaver, viola, Rafael Popper-Keizer, cello, Erik Higgins, double bass, and Sergey Schepkin, harpsichord. Founded in 1998, Chameleon receives widespread critical acclaim for its innovative concert programming and artistic philosophy. This programming stance and the distinctive thematic concepts that tie the programs together have earned Chameleon a unique place among Boston’s chamber music ensembles and attracted audiences who love not just contemporary music or the standard chamber music repertoire, but who come to hear a diverse and balanced program of music in a satisfying and enriching evening. Awarded two different Adventurous Programming Awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Chamber Music America, the Chameleon has also been honored with a Koussevitzky Foundation award and an appointment as ensemble-in-residence for Northeastern University’s summer Fusion Arts Exchange. Tickets: $38-$52
Unless otherwise indicated, all concerts and events are held at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport, Massachusetts 01966. For tickets or more information, visit our website at www.rockportmusic.org or call 978.546.7391.