Department of Music

• Sunday, October 17, 2010
• Old Cabell Hall
• 3:30 p.m.
• $20 Adults / $10 Students / Free for UVa students (if reserved in advance)

The University of Virginia’s Chamber Music Series opens its 2010-2011 season:  The Art of Music with a concert by the Albemarle Ensemble on Sunday afternoon, October 17, 2010 at 3:30pm in Old Cabell Hall, located on University Grounds.  Each concert of the series depicts specific elements of the visual arts as vital parts of musical compositions.  The concert:  Shape and Value explores these dynamics in the art music of Maurice Ravel, Ludwig Thuille, Anton Reicha and Luciano Berio, who composed music incorporating other fine arts into their unique works.

Comprised of the woodwind principals from the Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra, the Albemarle Ensemble features Angela Kelly, flute:  Aaron Hill, oboe; Tasha Warner, clarinet; Susan Fritts, horn; and Elizabeth Roberts, bassoon.  Guest pianist David Norfrey will perform Sextet, Op. 6 for Woodwind Quintet and Piano by Thuille with the quintet.  Mr. Norfrey collaborates with the University Singers and Chamber Singers at UVA and various vocal and instrumental studios including James Madison University as well as schools and churches in the Charlottesville area.

Paying tribute to composer Francois Couperin, Ravel’s Tombleau de Couperin takes the shape of a 16th century French collection of poetry honoring the death of a distinguished person.  The six movements profile a French Baroque dance suite.  Lush orchestration created by thick harmony of late Romanticism with layers of dissonant yet rhythmically complex harmonies creates an intense emotional impact.

In Thuille’s Sextet, Op. 6 for Woodwind Quintet and Piano, the element of shape appears in the composer’s fastidious attention to the instrumentation while the lyricism of the Romantic composer presents the element of value by moving from somber and dignified to the spirited Vivace.

A contemporary and friend of Beethoven, Reicha shaped the woodwind quintet into an important chamber music form.  Quintet Op. 88 in D minor, No. 4 is one of 24 quintets published in the early nineteenth century which captivated French audiences with its innovative coloring.  Berio’s Opus Number Zoo manipulates program music through the dramatized voice and physical movements of the instrumentalists.  The four stories exhibit a growing darkness in the valuable life lessons of the animal characters.

A reception will immediately follow the concert providing an opportunity for audience members to meet and discuss the concert with the performers.  Free parking on Grounds is available during the weekends.  There is a fee to park at the Central Grounds Garage.  Please contact the box office for large group or special needs.

Anticipate an artfully crafted concert performed by the acclaimed Albemarle Ensemble in Old Cabell Hall on Sunday afternoon, October 17, 2010 at 3:30pm.  Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 for students with valid ID and those under 18 are free.  UVA students can reserve free tickets in advance.  To purchase tickets visit www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu or call the Cabell Hall Box Office at (434)924-3376. 12pm-5pm, Monday through Friday.