By WKTV Staff
St. Cecilia Music Center’s final Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center concert of the 2021-22 season, set for Thursday, March 31, will present classical music influenced by “The Jazz Effect” and featuring works by composers Wynton Marsalis, George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel and Darius Milhaud.
Seven Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) musicians will perform, including pianists Anne-Marie McDermott and Zhu Wang — including in a rare “four hands” piece, as well as violinist Ida Kavafian and the Orion String Quartet (violinists Daniel Phillips, Todd Phillips and Steven Tenenbom, and cellist Timothy Eddy).
“The Jazz Effect” program will include Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, Marsalis’ Selections from At the Octoroon Balls for String Quartet, Milhaud’s La création du monde for piano quintet, Op. 81, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for piano, four hands (arr. Henry Levine).
Tickets for the concert are available and can be purchased online at scmc-online.org or by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224.
While the series of short pieces by Marsalis may be among the more unique of the program — set to include “Come Long Fiddler”, “Mating Calls and Delta Rhythms”, “Creole Contradanzas”, “Many Gone”, “Hellbound Highball”, “Blue Light on the Bayou” and “Rampart Street Row House Rag” — the Gershwin work is set to close the night for good reason.
“In terms of pure musicality, George Gershwin was America’s Schubert,” according to promotional material. “He composed with a creativity and skill that immortalized his art, and hardly any of his works is more embedded in the world’s musical consciousness than Rhapsody in Blue, originally described by Gershwin as a “symphony” for piano solo and jazz band. This extraordinary chamber music program pays tribute to great composers who crossed the bridge between the classical and jazz idiom, with dazzling results.”
And having Ann-Marie McDermott and Zhu Wang, and their four hands, on the keyboard should be unforgettable.
Health and safety requirements
According to supplied material, St. Cecilia currently requires proof of fully vaccinated status, or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours, to attend a concert at the SCMC venue. Attendees need to bring photo ID and proof of vaccination, or a negative test, the night of a concert. Home tests are not accepted. All patrons will be required to wear a mask while in the building for the duration of the concert.
If patrons have tickets to an upcoming performance and are unwilling or unable to abide by this policy, please contact the SCMC box office for a refund at kelly@scmc-online.org a minimum of 48 hours prior to the concert date.
