2012-13 Accordo Season Begins with AN EVENING IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY Tonight, 10/15

The Schubert Club, Northrop Concerts and Lectures, and Kate Nordstrum Projects present Accordo's fourth season at the architecturally significant Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis. Accordo's new season will open tonight, October 15 with works by Haydn, Bartók, Dohnányi and Mozart, selected by members of the ensemble.

"Following the success of last season's performances in the stunning setting of Christ Church Lutheran, we are looking forward to four new programs featuring the wonderfully talented members of Accordo," said The Schubert Club President Barry Kempton on behalf of the presenting partners. "First up, music by some of Austria and Hungary's best-loved composers played with the kind of energy and commitment we have come to expect in all Accordo concerts. New staging this season should ensure that everyone can see as well as hear the ensemble clearly."

To Accordo violinist Ruggero Allifranchini, Mozart's Viola Quintet in C Major will be the highlight of the season opener. "It is among the very greatest of Mozart's chamber music masterpieces. The first movement celebrates instantly the 'five-ness' of the quintet with an idea that progresses in five-bar periods, keeping to this pattern for quite a while. This not only creates a wonderful, persistent asymmetry, but commits the entire work to surprising and irregular phrase lengths," he explained. "Incredibly, in the year 1787 Mozart also wrote the G Minor Quintet and the opera Don Giovanni. I like the quote from Andre' Gide: 'Of all musicians Mozart is the one from whom our epoch has taken us farthest away; he speaks only in a whisper, and the public has ceased to hear anything but shouts'."

Accordo, established in 2009, is a Minnesota-based chamber group made up of some of the very best instrumentalists in the country, eager to share their love of classical and contemporary chamber music in intimate and unique performance spaces. Its fourth season (2012-13) will be presented by The Schubert Club, Northrop Concerts and Lectures, and Kate Nordstrum Projects at the National Historic Landmark Christ Church Lutheran, one of the Twin Cities' great architectural treasures designed by the esteemed architect Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero Saarinen.

Accordo includes a string octet composed of Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra principal players Rebecca Albers, Ruggero Allifranchini, Steven Copes, Erin Keefe, Kyu-Young Kim, Maiya Papach and Anthony Ross; and former SPCO principal cellist Ronald Thomas. The second program of the 2012-13 season will feature acclaimed pianist Benjamin Hochman.

The AN EVENING IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY performance will take place tonight, October 15, 2012 at 7:30 pm and will feature Haydn: String Quartet in G Major, Opus 77 No. 1, Bartók: Duos for Two Violins, Dohnányi: Serenade for String Trio in C Major, Opus 10, and Mozart: Viola Quintet in C Major, K. 515.

Upcoming programs include A TRIBUTE TO DEBUSSY ON HIS 150TH with special guest Benjamin Hochman, piano on Monday, December 3, 2012 at 7:30 pm. It will feature pieces like Janácek: Sonata for Violin & Piano, Ravel: String Quartet in F major, Debussy: Selected Preludes for Solo Piano, and Fauré: Piano Quartet in c minor, Opus 15. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BACH on Monday, February 4, 2013 at 7:30 pm which will feature Bach/Mozart: Prelude & Fugue for String Trio, K. 404a, Hindemith: String Quartet No. 4, Opus 22, and Brahms: String Sextet in B flat, Opus 18. INTIMATE VOICES which will take place on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 7:30 pm and feature  Sibelius: String Quartet in d minor, Opus 56, 'Voces Intimae,' Kodály: Duo for Violin & Cello, Opus 7, and Dvo?ák: Viola Quintet in E flat Major, Opus 97.

Concerts are held on Mondays at 7:30pm at Christ Church Lutheran located on 3244 34th Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55406-3493. Tickets are priced at $24 adult, $22 senior/U of M Alumni, and $12 student. A Four Concert Subscription is $80. You may reach the Box office three ways: Online at www.schubert.org/accordo, By phone at 651-292-3268, or on Day of concert at Christ Church Lutheran, Monday, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Pending availability.

Post concert: Musicians and patrons gather in the Luther Lounge after each Accordo concert for complimentary drinks and small bites courtesy of the Seward Co-op.

Thank you to Classical MPR for its support of Accordo's 2012-13 season.

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