MARLBORO — Marlboro Music, the Vermont retreat celebrating its 65th season, just completed a residency with noted Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, offering performances of two of her works – Nymphea and Mirages.
This coming weekend's concerts will feature two major woodwind works - the Mozart Quintet in A Major for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581 on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 8:30 p.m. and the Beethoven Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 for clarinet, bassoon, horn and strings on Sunday, Aug, 2 at 2:30 p.m.
Saturday's program also includes the Beethoven Piano Trio in B-flat, Op. 97, “Archduke,” with Sunday offering a Brahms lieder and the Berg String Quartet, Op. 3, in addition to the Beethoven Septet.
The concept of an experienced artist playing in an ensemble with younger colleagues, rather than coaching them, was born at Marlboro in the early 1960s, and many of today's leading artists, in all areas of music, credit their summers in Vermont as among their strongest musical influences.
There are three generations of such musical leaders with Marlboro roots and many, including Artistic Director Mitsuko Uchida, return each summer to share their insights with young musicians at the beginning of their careers.
Among those to be heard this weekend are violinist Lucy Chapman in the Mozart Quintet, who first came to Marlboro in 1973; pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn (1991) in the “Archduke” Trio; Samuel Rhodes (1960) in the Berg Quartet; and Scott St. John (1987) in the Beethoven Septet. All of them also gained their first touring experience as young artists as members of the Musicians from Marlboro touring program.
Jonathan Biss, who represents the “third generation” and first participated at the age of 16 in 1997, summed it all up: “If Marlboro had been an unmatchable opportunity to study a piece over time, Musicians from Marlboro was a chance to learn about a piece through the simple act of playing it repeatedly - a different kind of lesson, but no less valuable.”
Joining Chapman in the Clarinet Quintet are Gabriel Campos Zamora, clarinet, Francisco Fullana, violin, Sharon Wei, viola and Jonah Ellsworth, cello and Solzhenitsyn's colleagues in the “Archduke Trio will be violinist Yoojin Jang and cellist Will Chow, both participating at Marlboro for their first summer.
In addition to Rhodes, the Berg Quartet, on Sunday, will feature violinists David McCarroll and Robin Scott and cellist Isang Enders. St. John will perform the Beethoven Septet with Gabriel Campos Zamora, clarinet, Brad Balliett, bassoon, Lauren Hunt, horn, John Stulz, viola, Sarah Rommel, cello; and Xavier Foley, double bass, The Brahms lieder will be done by Lauren Eberwein, mezzo-soprano and Adam Golka, piano.