Gilbert Kalish at 90: A Celebration

“As a young man I participated in an ensemble called the Gramercy Chamber Ensemble. When one of the members mentioned a work called Pierrot lunaire there were puzzled faces all around. When he described an orchestration consisting of flute-piccolo, violin-viola, clarinet-bass clarinet, cello, piano, and a singer who did not really sing but performed a hybrid of singing and speaking on pitch, we were really perplexed.

After 50 rehearsals we were transfixed and mesmerized. It turns out that Pierrot lunaire—a work consisting of 21 short, grotesque, dreamlike poems set to witty and fiendishly difficult music—became one of the most influential works of the twentieth century. Plunge yourself into this world of fantasy and marvel at how original and enchanting it remains to this day.”
—Gilbert Kalish

PROGRAM
Bach | Partita no. 6 in E minor for Keyboard, BWV 830
Webern | Two Early Pieces for Cello and Piano
Webern | Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, op. 7
Schoenberg | Pierrot lunaire, op. 21

ARTISTS
Tony Arnold, soprano; Tara Helen O’Connor, flute and piccolo; Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet and bass clarinet; Erin Keefe, violin and viola; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Gilbert Kalish, piano
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