Music in NYC: Schubert Quintet at Aspect Chamber Concert

Music in NYC: Schubert Quintet at Aspect Chamber Concert

The ASPECT Chamber Music Series opens its 2019-2020 season of classical music performances and illustrated talks with Schubert Quintet on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 7:30 pm at the Italian Academy of Columbia University.

The concert features the Formosa Quartet and cellist Peter Wiley in Schubert’s String Quintet 

Franz Schubert; Formosa Quartet; cellist Peter Wiley
Franz Schubert by W. A. Rieder (1875); Formosa Quartet, photo by Sam Zauscher; cellist Peter Wiley

Composed in the last year of composer’s short life, Schubert’s String Quintet is recognized as one of the finest compositions in the composer oeuvre. By adding a second cello to the string quartet, Schubert was able to exploit dark and mellow sounds. The result is surely the most poignant of all his chamber works – one in which light and shade, drama and serenity are presented in constant alternation.

Composer, writer, and producer Misha Donat presents an illustrated talk about the music composed by Schubert in his last year. The concert features the Formosa Quartet and cellist Peter Wiley.

Schubert Quintet performance on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 7.30 pm opens the 2019-2020 Aspect Chamber Music Series season of enlightening concerts and talks.

Program

Schubert — String Quintet in C Major, D956; Formosa Quartet with Peter Wiley, cello

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when attending the Aspect Chamber Music Series for the first time.

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Formosa Quartet
Formosa Quartet; photo by Sam Zauscher

Winners of both the First Prize and Amadeus Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, the Formosa Quartet  has been hailed as “spellbinding” (The Strad) and “remarkably fine” (Gramophone). The Formosa Quartet has given critically acclaimed performances at the Library of Congress, the Da Camera Society of Los Angeles, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Wigmore Hall in London, die Glocke Bremen, and the Kammermusiksaal at the Berliner Philharmonie.

The Formosa Quartet has played a leading role in actively commissioning new works, contributing significantly to the modern string quartet repertory. Formosa’s 2019 milestone album From Hungary to Taiwanincludes premiere recordings of three Formosa commissions: Lei Liang’sSong Recollections, Dana Wilson’s Hungarian Folk Songs, and Wei-Chieh Lin’s Five Taiwanese Folk Songs.

The members of Formosa Quartet – Jasmine Lin, Wayne Lee, Che-Yen Chen, and Deborah Pae – hold degrees from the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, and New England Conservatory and have been top prizewinners at the prestigious Paganini, Primrose, Fischoff, Naumburg, and Tertis competitions. The members of the Formosa Quartet are currently on faculty at Eastern Michigan University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Roosevelt University, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Cellist Peter Wiley
Peter Wiley, cello; Image courtesy of the musician

Peter Wiley, a 1974 graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, has played at leading festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, for which he also tours and records. As a recitalist, he has appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. A member of the Beaux Arts Trio from 1987 to 1998, Mr. Wiley also succeeded his teacher, David Soyer, as cellist of the Guarneri String Quartet from 2001 to 2009. He is a member of the piano quartet Opus One, with Curtis faculty members Ida Kavafian and Steven Tenenbom and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott.

Mr. Wiley entered Curtis at age thirteen. At twenty he was named principal cello of the Cincinnati Symphony, after one year with the Pittsburgh Symphony. He made his concerto debut at Carnegie Hall in 1986 with the New York String Orchestra conducted by Alexander Schneider. A past recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Wiley joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1996. He also teaches at the University of Maryland and Bard College Conservatory of Music.

Misha Donat was a senior music producer at BBC Radio 3 for more than 25 years. He now works as a freelance writer, lecturer, and producer. He provides program notes regularly for the Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Royal Festival Hall and other venues. He is currently working on a new critical edition of the Beethoven piano sonatas being published by Bärenreiter.

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Aspect Foundation Event
ASPECT event / Image courtesy of ASPECT

ASPECT Chamber Music Series presents a new concert format – one that transforms the traditional recital into an intimate, engaging, and thought-provoking blend of performance, speech, and image. Each event presented by ASPECT features music in context with the music programs combined with the “illustrated talks” revealing fascinating details about the composer, the music, and the cultural history of the period in question. ASPECT Chamber Music Series was founded by Irina Knaster in London in 2011 and relocated to New York City in 2016.

The program on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 is more than a concert. Immerse yourself in the heroic music by Beethoven and share the fun afterward with wine and light refreshments.

Get tickets at 33% off with code ARTSNY23 at checkout

when attending the Aspect Chamber Music Series for the first time. BUY TICKETS at 33% off with ARTSNY23 code

Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 7.30 pm

Venue: Italian Academy at Columbia University, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue

 

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