FESTIVALFOCUS YOUR WEEKLY CLASSICAL MUSIC GUIDE
SUPPLEMENT TO THE ASPEN TIMES
MONDAY, JULY 1, 2024
VOL. 34, NO. 2
McGegan Returns, Slobodeniouk Debuts BY EMMA KIRBY
For conductor Nicholas McGegan, the greatest joy in life is making music with friends. And his annual return to the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS)—this year marking his 25th—always brings ample opportunities for joyous reunions. McGegan brings a curated Aspen Chamber Symphony program to the Klein Music Tent on Friday, July 5 at 5:30 pm with soloists Inon Barnatan, Michael Rusinek, and Nancy Goeres, whom he jumps to describe as “great friends.” Two symphonies by Haydn bookend the evening, surrounding twentieth-century works by Shostakovich and Strauss. The concert opens with Haydn’s No. 31, “Hornsignal,” a piece that uniquely employs four French horn players (two was typical at the time). The concert closes with Haydn’s No. 100, “Military,” a much grander symphony, as Haydn had by then
Nicholas McGegan returns for his 25th year at the Festival, conducting the Aspen Chamber Symphony on July 5, and leading his annual Baroque Evening from the harpsichord with an ensemble and cellist Steven Isserlis on July 11.
moved from central Europe to London and takes to the Harris Concert Hall stage for was working with a much larger symphonic the annual Baroque Evening, a favorite orchestra, on the scale of Beethoven’s ear- AMFS tradition. This year’s edition showly symphonies. Although composed nearly cases another life-long friendship, this one 30 years apart, Haydn’s two symphonies with cellist Steven Isserlis who will perare both characterized by the composer’s form Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major. “good humor” and “compositional bril- The two first performed that particular liance,” says McGegan. concerto together in Pianist Inon Barna1991 when—McGetan joins McGegan to gan remembers with “I have heard so many perform Shostakovamusement—the ich’s striking First Piaorchestra was progreat things about the no Concerto in C mivided with the music Festival. Everyone whom for the wrong Haydn nor. “He’s a wonderful musician of course,” This time I tell that I’m going there, concerto. says McGegan, as he around, he made happily recalled the sure to bring his own they say I’ll love it.” many performancscore! es the two of them On Sunday, July 7, Dima Slobodeniouk have done across the beloved violinist and Conductor world. Aspen regular AugusThe work, a double tin Hadelich returns concerto for piano and to the Music Tent trumpet, features AMFS artist-faculty member for a Festival Orchestra performance, this Stuart Stephenson as trumpet soloist. time with conductor Dima Slobodeniouk Clarinetist Michael Rusinek and bas- who makes his highly anticipated Aspen soonist Nancy Goeres, also AMFS artist- debut. The Finnish conductor has made faculty, join forces to perform Richard appearances at “all the great orchestras in Strauss’s Duet-Concertino, a piece rarely the world. We’re really excited to welcome heard on the concert stage. This perfor- him to Aspen,” says Chamberlain. mance is particularly special because not The concert opens with Wang Lu’s only have the two extraordinary musicians 2022 Surge, a product of an initiative by been pillars in the orchestra for years, they the League of American Orchestras to are also life partners. “It will be really spe- commission new works from six women cial to see [and] to hear that almost inti- composers. The contemporary work fits mate dialogue,” says AMFS VP for Artistic perfectly in the musical dynamic of the Administration Patrick Chamberlain. program, says Slobodeniouk. “The lanOn Thursday, July 11 at 6 pm, McGegan See Slobodeniouk, Festival Focus page 3
THE NATIONAL YOUTH PIPE BAND OF SCOTLAND MAKES ITS ASPEN DEBUT The National Piping Centre of Scotland (NPC) brings its elite troupe of young performers to Aspen to demonstrate the astounding range of the Highland bagpipes. These young artists will make a variety of appearances during their Aspen residency. Don’t miss these free events! ANNUAL FOURTH OF JULY CONCERT July 4, 4 PM Klein Music Tent PIPING CLASS WITH NPC DIRECTOR FINLAY MACDONALD July 5, 1 PM Wheeler Opera House MUSIC ON THE MOUNTAIN July 6, 1 PM Top of Aspen Mountain PRE-CONCERT FANFARE July 7, 3:30 PM Klein Music Tent Plaza Generously underwritten by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Rutherfoord, Jr.
Weilerstein Gives Bach a Twist with FRAGMENTS I and II BY SAMANTHA JOHNSTON
Cellist Alisa Weilerstein needs no introduction to Aspen audiences. Born to musicians on the faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS), Weilerstein can recall only two summers she didn’t spend in Aspen until she turned 18; and she hasn’t missed a summer since she turned 26. This summer, she’ll take the Harris Concert Hall stage on back-to-back evenings, July 2 and July 3, performing firstof-their-kind recitals entitled Fragments I and II. Weilerstein’s ground-breaking, multi-year project for solo cello is in serendipitous alignment with the AMFS’s season theme, “Becoming Who You Are,” exploring Aspen’s impact on the musical and personal development of important musicians over the past 75 years. “As a student of classical music, many of my formative playing years were spent in Aspen,” Weilerstein said.
FRAGMENTS features the commissioned works of 27 current composers whose work is weaved throughout the 36 movements of J. S. Bach’s solo cello suites. The collection is divided into six fragments, which will be released independently over several seasons. Weilerstein conceived the idea for FRAGMENTS during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when she reimagined what it would be like to be in a concert hall again in a spontaneous, visceral, and organic way. “I wanted to capitalize on that feeling when you hear a symphony that touches you very deeply for the very first time and how remarkable that is,” she said. In choosing the composers for the project, Weilerstein wanted to celebrate the best of what is being written today from a musically varied and diverse group of people. “The youngest is 26 and the oldest is 83. They are in varying stages of career, represent nine different nationali-
Cellist and AMFS alumna Alisa Weilerstein brings a new take on the Bach Cello Suites to Harris Concert Hall, July 2 and 3.
See Fragments, Festival Focus page 3
DON’T MISS THE FREE, ANNUAL FOURTH OF JULY CONCERT! 4 PM | KLEIN MUSIC TENT