Summerfest musicians Jessica Nance and Jane Carl

Musicians answer audience questions during an after-concert "talk back" at St. Mary's  Episcopal Church.

Soprano Tony Arnold

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Programming 2010

“Voices of the Land: Reflections on Identity”

Summerfest Celebrates its 20th Season

Every land has a voice, a music that is as resonant as the flavors of its cuisine and the colors of its dress. Join us this summer for a musical conversation among nations as we celebrate the sounds that form a people.

Please join us on any of the following weekends.

Saturday performances begin at 7 p.m. at White Recital Hall, 4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO.

Sunday performances begin at 5 p.m. at St. Mary's Episcopal Church., 1307 Holmes, Kansas City, MO.

WEEK ONE:

July 10 and 11, 2010

The conversation opens with a composer not often associated with witty repartee, Ludwig van Beethoven. But his Serenade in D Major harks back to delightful outdoor evenings in old Vienna. Luciano Berio responds with a dazzling collection of Folk Songs he found around the world, including one from an old 78 RPM record from Azerbaijan! Robert Cronin’s “Postcards” and Argentine composer and bandoneón player Astor Piazzolla’s “La Muerte del Angel” finish our evening’s world tour.

Astor Piazzolla: “La Muerte del Angel” and “Oblivion” for Piano Trio

Ludwig van Beethoven: Serenade in D Major for Flute, Violin, and Viola, Op. 25

Robert Cronin: “Postcards” for Piccolo and Marimba

Luciano Berio: Folk Songs for soprano, flute, clarinet, harp, viola, cello, and percussion featuring Grammy-nominated guest soprano Tony Arnold.

WEEK TWO:

July 17 and 18, 2010

Our second week finds composers debating the merits of European lands, starting with a surprise from Györgi Ligeti. The composer seems to quarrel with his later avant-garde reputation through straight-forward arrangements of “Old Hungarian Ballroom Dances.” However, he is matched toe-to-toe by Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, which is as lyrically French as Ligeti’s dances are stridently Hungarian. Antonín Dvořák’s Terzetto in C Major and François Couperin’s elegant Sonate from “L’Espagnole” keep up the Eastern/Western European competition with verve.

François Couperin: Sonate from “L'Espagnole”, Les Nations, 2nd suite for flute, violin, harpsichord, and continuo

Györgi Ligeti: “Old Hungarian Ballroom Dances,” for clarinet, flute, and strings

Antonín Dvořák: Terzetto in C Major, Op. 74, B. 148 for Two Violins and Viola

Gabriel Fauré: Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15

WEEK THREE:

July 24 and 25, 2010

Paul Hindemith: Kleine Kammermusik, Op. 24, No. 2 for woodwind quintet

Franz Schubert: piano Quintet in A major, D. 667, “Trout”

WEEK FOUR:

July 31 and August 1, 2010

Our season closes with composers revealing our fluidly multicultural musical world. Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout is based on the mestizaje concept that cultures can coexist without one having to subdue the other. This hopeful view continues as Lukáš Hurník’s Fusion Music melds multiple musical genres into a riot of colors. And as all good conversations end with a chance to reminisce, we conclude with Charles Villiers Stanford’s charming Serenade in F Major. The nonet’s gorgeous sound is an invitation to recall four weeks of travel listening to the voices of the land.

Gabriela Lena Frank: Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout for string quartet

Lukáš Hurník: Fusion Music for clarinet, oboe, bassoon and piano

Charles Villiers Stanford: Serenade in F Major for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, 2 violins, viola, cello, and bass, Op. 95

* Programs and artists are subject to change without notice.