Stoltzman & Trio to Appear on Rubin Museum of Art's Resonating Light Series 11/7

On Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 6 p.m. clarinetist Richard Stoltzman joins the Eroica Trio in a performance of Messiaen's haunting masterpiece Quartet for the End of Time. The work was the signature piece and the reason for the founding of Mr. Stoltzman's former chamber group, TASHI.

The program continues the Rubin Museum of Art's new classical music series, Resonating Light, hosted by WQXR's award-winning broadcaster Elliott Forrest.

THE COMPLETE PROGRAM:
Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Rubin Museum of Art
150 W. 17th Street
New York, NY 10011
Eroica Trio
Erika Nickrenz, piano
Susie Park, violin
Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello
Richard Stoltzman, clarinet

Messiaen - Quartet for the End of Time (with Richard Stoltzman); Villa Lobos - Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5; Schumann - Trio in F Major Op. 80

Tickets are $40. Available online: www.rmanyc.org/resonatinglight. By phone: (212) 620-5000 x.344. In person: Rubin Museum of Art's admission desk (150 W. 17th Street)

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
During his internment in a WWII German prison camp, Messiaen encountered three other musicians among his fellow prisoners. It was for them that he composed his Quartet for the End of Time, which they first performed for their 5,000 fellow inmates in 1941.

Richard Stoltzman's relationship to Messiaen's quartet goes back almost 40 years. He reflects:

"The TASHI group had a very special coaching in Manhattan one afternoon in the late 1970's. Messiaen came with his wife, Yvonne Loriod, who translated into English for him. Quietly sitting in the corner was Toru Takemitsu.

"The coaching was a turning point for the group, which had been formed specifically to play the QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME but had never before worked directly with Messiaen. Messiaen gave great insight and encouragement into how to perform his intentions, which are sometimes indicated through his own religious fervor and meditation on the name Jesus, and in colors. He used phrases like "powdery chords" and asked me to make the tone "noir," or black, over and over again. His musical language incorporated very precise rhythms and then using them backwards, and in 2, 3, or 4 times the duration, or in half the duration.

"Messiaen was adamant about getting those ratios precise because they meant more than just exactness -- they revealed a sense of cosmic unity. He also worked a lot with Peter Serkin on the sonority of the piano and on the use of pedals.

"It was a great afternoon and was especially meaningful because Takemitsu witnessed the wisdom of this great French composer and was inspired to write QUATRAIN for TASHI."

All concert presentations at the Rubin Museum of Art are programmed to reflect the museum's collection and exhibitions. The exhibit, entitled "Grain of Emptiness," features five contemporary artists all inspired by the Buddhist notions of emptiness and impermanence and Buddhist ritual practice. These artists are from disparate backgrounds and explore a range of artistic mediums, but all have inherited the practice of incorporating Eastern religious beliefs into their works.

The Eroica Trio state:
"According to the composer, the Quartet was intended as a musical expression of the concept that the end of Time would be the end of past and future and the beginning of eternity. Although Messiaen's structure is guided by the Book of Revelations account of the Apocalypse, the composer's personal statements about the work also reflect Buddhist ideologies of impermanence and nothingness, a time and existence with no beginning, no end, void of reference. The concept of sunyata, void, or emptiness can be discovered in the The Pali Canon, many of the Buddha's teachings (sutras), and Buddhist art found throughout the Rubin exhibitions."

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Clarinetist RICHARD STOLTZMAN'S virtuosity, musicianship and sheer personal magnetism have made this two-time Grammy® Award winner one of today's most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than 100 orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber music performer (performing the first clarinet recitals in the histories of both the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall), and as an innovative jazz artist, Stoltzman has defied categorization, dazzling critics and audiences alike while bringing the clarinet to the forefront as a solo instrument. A prolific recording artist, Stoltzman's acclaimed releases can be heard on Parma Recordings, BMG/RCA, SONY Classical, MMC, NAXOS and other labels, and include the Grammy® winning recordings of Brahms' sonatas with Richard Goode; and Trios of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma; as well as Hartke's "Landscapes with Blues," a New York Times "Best of 2003".

One of the most sought-after trios in the world, the Grammy-nominated EROICA TRIO electrifies audiences with their passionate performances. Launched upon receiving the prestigious Naumburg Award, the Trio was subsequently chosen by Carnegie Hall to represent the United States to tour many of the great concert halls of Europe, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

ABOUT THE RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART:
The RUBIN MUSEUM holds one of the world's most important collections of Himalayan art. Paintings, pictorial textiles, and sculpture are drawn from cultures that touch upon the arc of mountains that extends from Afghanistan in the northwest to Myanmar (Burma) in the southeast and includes Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, and Bhutan. The Rubin Museum has a history of commissioning new music works, most often from jazz composers but also contemporary composers Huang Ruo and Sir John Tavener, whose Towards Silence was given its world premiere last spring. The concerts will take place in the museum's theater, praised for its exceptional acoustics and intimate atmosphere.