Wall to Wall Behind the Wall

(Past) Sat, May 15 at 11 am Peter Jay Sharp Theatre

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As Symphony Space's first international Wall to Wall marathon, Wall to Wall Behind the Wall explores the wealth of great music emanating from Eastern Europe from the end of World War I through the Cold War to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. During this complicated time, music commissioned by the state for propaganda was counterbalanced by music of protest, some of which was subtly subversive, some more overt in its socio-political commentary, as well as by more personal music of the spirit. Connections to the musical avant garde and affinities with the West also played a role, although much of this music was underground during the height of the Cold War.

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Wall to Wall Behind the Wall explores music from the former republics of the USSR and other Eastern European countries including Hungary, Romania, Poland, and the Czech Republic, all important centers for musical expression. Works by composers as diverse as Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Lutoslawski, Schnittke, Ligeti, Penderecki, Mansurian, Bardanashvili, Gorecki, Bacewicz, Gubaidulina, Part, Usltvolskaya, Kurtag and others will be heard, as well as music by younger composers who came of age during the Soviet regime and are now creating music in a changed world.

Participating artists include some of New York’s finest musicians as well as visiting ensembles from Eastern Europe including the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic (Jeffery Meyer, Artistic Director,) in their U.S. debut, and Poland's Silesian String Quartet. Other highlights include, the U.S. premiere of Shostakovich war songs, Eastern European jazz, Yiddish songs in praise of Lenin and Stalin, music protesting the Soviet regime, and more. Please continue to check the web-site as more artists are confirmed.  

SATURDAY, MAY 15 WALL TO WALL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Please note that all times are approximate and pieces are subject to change

11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Béla Bartók, Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet and Piano (Israeli Chamber Project)

György Kurtág, Hommage to Robert Schumann, Op. 15d (Israeli Chamber Project)

Alexander Krein, Esquisses Hébraïques, Op. 12 (JoAnn Sternberg, clarinet; Colorado Quartet)

Sergei Prokofiev, Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34 (JoAnn Sternberg, clarinet; Colorado Quartet; Margaret Kampmeier, piano)

Tigran Mansurian, Agnus Dei (JoAnn Sternberg, clarinet; Julie Rosenfeld, violin; Katie Schlaikjer, cello; Artur Avanesov, piano)

Zurab Nadareshvili, Dialogue with Urban Songs (Poulenc Trio)

Nataliya Medvedovskaya, First Snow (Poulenc Trio; Anton Lande, violin)

Arno Babajanyan, Poem, (Artur Avanesov, piano)

Pēteris Vasks, Sonata (for solo flute) (Paul Taub, flute)

Artur Avanesov, Namu Amida Butsu, (Paul Taub, flute; Artur Avanesov, piano)

Various, Russian Propaganda Songs (Lisa Flanagan, soprano; Lanny Meyers, piano)

Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Ashk Havasi, (Paul Taub, flute; Artur Avanesov, piano)

André Boucourechliev, From: Etudes D'Apres Piranesi (Emma Tahmizian, piano)

Igor Rogalev, Piano Sonata No. 2, (Emma Tahmizian, piano)

2:00-5:15 pm

George Enescu, Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 29 (Emma Tahmizian and Colorado Quartet)

Erwin Schulhoff, Sextet for 2 violins, 2 violas, & 2 cellos (Colorado Quartet; Elizabeth Weisser, viola; Nicole Johnson, cello)

A Russian Jazz Set (Lanny Meyers, piano; Claire Daly, alto sax & clarinet; Mary Ann McSweeney, bass; Greg Joseph; drums) 

A Contemporary Romanian Jazz Set (Maria Raducanu, voice; Kirster Jonsson, guitar; Chris Dahlgren, bass)

Sergei Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major,"War Sonata", Op. 82 (Igal Kesselman, piano)

György Ligeti, Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet (Quintet of the Americas)

György Ligeti, Piano Etudes # 5 & # 6 (Emma Tahmizian, piano)

Unknown, Yiddish Songs from Teresienstadt, etc. (Western Wind Vocal Ensemble)

Josef Bardanashvili, Metamorphoses (Continuum)

Faragj Karayev, Postludio (Continuum)

Galina Ustvolskaya, Piano Sonata No. 6 (Continuum)

Galina Ustvolskaya, Symphony No. 4 "Prayer" (Lucy Shelton, soprano; Continuum)

5:15 - 8:15 pm

Dmitri Shostakovich, Two Pieces for String Octet, Op. 11 (St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic; Jeffery Meyer, Artistic Director)

Alfred Schnittke, Concerto for Piano and Strings (Margaret Kampmeier, piano; Scott Thornton, bass; St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic)

Arvo Pärt, Collage over B-A-C-H, for strings, oboe, harpsichord, and piano (Matt Sullivan, oboe; Steven Lubin, harpsichord; Idith Meshulam, piano; Scott Thornton, bass; St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic)

Witold Lutoslawski, Five Dance Preludes (Tibi Cziger, clarinet; Bridget Kibbey, harp; Iktus Percussion Quartet; St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic)

Alexandre Tansman, Mazurkas, Vol. 1 (Nurit Tilles, piano)

Alexandre Tansman, Musica a cinque - Piano Quintet (Nurit Tilles, piano; Silesian Quartet)

Andrzej Krzanowski, String Quartet No. 2 (Silesian Quartet)

Grażyna Bacewicz, String Quartet No. 3 (Silesian Quartet)

Dmitri Shostakovich, Seven Romances on Poems of Aleksandr Blok (Lucy Shelton, soprano; Rosenfeld, violin; Julia Lichten, cello; Gilbert Kalish, piano)

8:15-11:00 pm

Szymon Laks, String Quartet No. 5 (Silesian Quartet)

Henryk Górecki, Already It Is Dusk (Silesian Quartet)

Krzysztof Penderecki, String Quartet No. 2 (Silesian Quartet)

Sergei Slonimsky, Sonata for Violin and Piano (Laurie Smukler, violin; Margaret Kampmeier, piano)

Timofey Buzina, Rocking Shadows Overture for Strings and Percussion (Iktus Percussion Quartet; St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic)

Sofia Gubaidulina, Concordanza (Quintet of the Americas; St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic)

Dmitri Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony in C-, Op.110a (arr. of String Quartet No.8) (St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic)

Dmitri Shostakovich, Front Ways Songs (compositions by various authors arranged for voice, violin and cello) (Sasha Cooke, soprano; Kelly Markgraf, baritone; Laurie Smukler, violin; Julia Lichten, cello)

Grażyna Bacewicz, Concerto for String Orchestra (St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic)

Sergei Slonimsky, Jewish Rhapsody for Piano, Strings, Flute and Percussion (Gilbert Kalish, piano; Eugenia Zukerman, flute; Iktus Percussion; St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic) 

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Wall to Wall Behind the Wall is made possible by major support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding, with additional support from Edith Blum Foundation; CEC ArtsLink; Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation; Herman Goldman Foundation; Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation; Robert Sterling Clark Foundation; Extell Development Company; Office of Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of Israel in New York; Likhachev Foundation; New York Foundation for the Arts; New York State Department of Parks and Recreation, courtesy of Senator Eric Schneiderman; New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; Polish Cultural Institute; Romanian Cultural Institute New York; The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; and the Patrons of Wall to Wall Behind the Wall: The Family and Friends of Anna Elman; Dr. Coco Lazaroff, Judith O. and Robert Rubin, William Schwartz, Joan Warburg, and George Zeltzer.

This program is also made possible by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Wall to Wall is supported by proceeds from an endowment established by the The Bydale Foundation, Mary Flager Cary Charitable Trust, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Christopher and Barbara Dixon, Herman Goldman Foundation, William and Angela Haines, Walter and Marge Scheuer, and Zabar's to ensure that Symphony Space’s longest-running tradition remains its annual gift to the people of New York City.

Many thanks to those who provided hospitality for the visiting artists: Claire and Larry Aidem, Steven M. and Evelyn Alden, Key West Diner, Idith Meshulam & Ben Korman, Hotel Newton, Jane Pollock and Philip Berney, Lucia Bennett Rodriguez, Consul General Andrey K. Yushmanov and Vice Consul Alexander Kalachev of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York, Steve Schrader & Lucy Kostelanetz, Whole Foods, and Electra Yourke.

The event would not have been possible without the assistance of Manhattan School of Music and Purchase College Conservatory of Music, as well as Limor Temor, Terrance McKnight, WQXR and Q2, Fritzie Brown, Clyde Bullard, Timothy Dunne, Elana Ehrenberg, U.S. Consul General Sheila Gwaltney, Nicole Hagerty, Sarah Hoover, Kate Hughes, Inger Elliott, Tatyana Kosmynina, Inara Letdin, Ayodele Maakheru, Caitlin Murphy, Matthew Oberstein, Anna Perzanowska, Anna Shulgats, Corina Seteu, Inna Sviderskaya, Nurit Tilles, Grace Kennan Warnecke, Lena Vitenberg, Milica Vlajkovic, and Dr. Olga Zatsepina & Dr. Julio Rodriguez, and the Russian American Cultural Heritage Center.

The Family and Friends of Anna Elman: Isabella Bick, Stanley and Renee Blau, Joseph and Marisha Botkier, Linda Chen, Joel and Grace Danzinger, Lammert Dejong, Mark Elman, Barry and Julie Eisenberg, Rochelle Eisenberg, Arthur K. Gruber, Rita Grunwald, Madeline and Neil Hirschfeld, Donna M. Jones, Martha Mae Jones, Suzanne Lewin, Gerri and Philippe Marielle, Mary Marks, Adair McClatchy, Kevin McClatchy, Penny Mencher, Val and Min-Myn Schaffner, Sam Schwartz, Ed Shiff and Betsy Pinover, Mara, Baron, Talia, Lili and Ava Silverstein, Renee and Mike Silverstein, Susan and Jeff Stone, Pat and Nathan Sudakoff, Alexandra (Sasha) & David Thomson, Maryann Ward, Grace Kennan Warnecke, Steve and Anne Weinstein and Anna’s Poker Pals: Susan Adler, Lee Buckley, Judy Courtade, Emily Devoti, Susan Onatis, Kathy Perutz, Ana Quirin, and Myrna Socol.

Timofey Buzina's Shaman Suite, Movement IV (From St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic)

Yiddish Tango (a "Ghetto Tango" sung in the ghettos and concentration camps in Nazi Europe) (From The Western Wind; Arranged by Laura Christian)

Witold Lutoslawski's Dance Preludes, Movement V. Allegro Molto (From Camerata Vistula)

Karol Szymanowski's String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 37, Movement III. Vivace (From Silesian Quartet)