McGRATHPR.com – Celebrating its 43rd year, the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival presents its 2022 season of concerts, with performances from August 2 through 19. Artistic Directors Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu have programmed a stellar line-up of four top string quartets and six world-class pianists presenting expansive repertoire spanning four centuries.
“We are delighted to be returning to the Festival this August!” shares Co-Artistic Director Nakamatsu. “Performing with some of the finest musicians from around the world and sharing these incredible concerts with music lovers across Cape Cod delivers so much joy.” Co-Artistic Director Manasse adds “The atmosphere of ‘collective effervescence’ experienced in our audiences last season was a welcome respite from the pandemic, as we once again gathered together to enjoy exceptional live music. In response, we’ve expanded our concert offerings this year.”
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2022 Season Highlights:
- “A Quartet of Quartets” – the Ying and Borromeo return, the Ariel and Verona make their Festival debuts
- “Miraculous Masterpieces” – the 16-year-old Mendelssohn’s immortal Octet and Copland’s beloved “Appalachian Spring”
- An award-winning all-women brass ensemble playing works by women composers.
- “Concerto Gala” with Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu
- A “Piano Extravaganza” – the Festival finale
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This season, in the interest of public health and safety, and by popular demand, concerts are programmed to be 60 to 80 minutes in length without intermission, beginning at 5 pm, with the exception of the free public concert on August 16 at 7 pm (see schedule).
Tickets for the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival concerts are $40 general admission on August 2, 3, 9, 12 and 17; $55 general admission on August 5 and 19. All concerts offer $15 admission for college students (with ID); and free admission for attendees 18 and under. The August 16 concert at the National Seashore is free admission for all. Tickets for the 2022 season can be purchased by phone at 508-247-9400 and online at capecodchambermusic.org. Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival health and safety protocols for this season will be announced prior to the first concert, following state and local mandates.
2022 Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival Season Schedule:
Debut: Ariel Quartet
Tuesday, August 2, 5 pm; Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Rd., Cotuit
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in F Minor, Hob. III:35
MATAN PORAT Four Ladino Songs for String Quartet (composed for the Ariel Quartet)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet in C Major, Opus 59 No. 3 (“Razumovsky”)
Distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned, fiery performances, the Ariel String Quartet has garnered critical praise worldwide. The Ariel’s Festival debut includes Beethoven’s ever-popular Quartet in C Major, Opus 59 No. 3 (“Razumovsky”), and a new work created for the Ariel Quartet by leading Israeli composer Matan Porat.
Debut: Verona Quartet
Wednesday, August 3, 5 pm; First Congregational Church of Chatham, 650 Main St., Chatham
GIACOMO PUCCINI Crisantemi (“Chrysanthemums”) for String Quartet
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet in F Major, Opus 18 No. 1
GYÖRGY LIGETI String Quartet No. 1 (“Métamorphoses nocturnes”)
The Verona String Quartet has firmly established itself amongst the most distinguished ensembles on the chamber music scene today. The Verona performs Puccini’s “Crisantemi,” Beethoven’s Quartet No. 1 and Ligeti’s Quartet No. 1 (“Métamorphoses nocturnes”).
Miraculous Masterpieces
Friday, August 5, 5 pm; First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, 200 Main St., Wellfleet
Ariel String Quartet and Verona String Quartet
Jon Manasse, clarinet, Tanya Dusevic Witek, flute; Cynde Iverson, bassoon, Tony Falanga, bass
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Octet in E-flat Major for Strings, Opus 20
AARON COPLAND Appalachian Spring (original scoring for 13 instruments)
The Ariel and the Verona quartets team up for Mendelssohn’s beloved Octet. The program concludes with Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring – a sold-out Festival sensation in 2019. Co-Artistic Director Jon Manasse and renowned soloists join both quartets.
Concerto Gala
Monday, August 8, 5 pm, First Congregational Church of Chatham, 650 Main St., Chatham
Jon Manasse, clarinet; Jon Nakamatsu, piano; Ying String Quartet
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Concerto in A Major for Clarinet and Orchestra, K. 622 (arr. for clarinet and string sextet by Marnix van den Berg)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Concerto No. 4 in G Major for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 58 (arrangement – Vienna, early 19th century – for piano and string sextet)
Artistic Directors Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu are featured with the Ying String Quartet in Festival premieres of Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in their chamber music versions.
An Evening with the Ying
Tuesday, August 9, 5 pm, Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Rd., Cotuit
Ying String Quartet
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in G Minor, Opus 74 No. 3 (“Rider”)
JOHN NOVACEK Two Rags for String Quartet (The Drifter, Intoxication)
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Opus 51 (B. 92) (“Slavonic”)
Haydn’s String Quartet in G Minor (“Rider”) is followed by two delightful rags by John Novacek. The program concludes with Dvořák’s “Slavonic” String Quartet in E-flat Major.
The Ying and Brian Zeger
Friday, August 12, 5 pm, First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, 200 Main St., Wellfleet
Brain Zeger, piano; Ying String Quartet
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Trio in A Major for Piano, Violin and Cello, Hob. XV:18
ZHOU LONG The Old Fisherman
JOHANNES BRAHMS Quintet in F Minor for Piano and Strings, Opus 34
Brian Zeger joins the Ying for a program including Haydn’s Piano Trio in A Major, Zhou Long’s “An Old Fisherman,” and the great Piano Quintet in F Minor by Johannes Brahms.
An Evening with eGALitarian Brass
Tuesday, August 16, 7 pm, National Seashore Salt Pond Visitor Center, 50 Nauset Rd., Eastham
eGALitarian Brass
Works by Jennifer Higdon, Joan Tower, Tania León, Zoe Cutler; Jazz and popular favorites
This award-winning all-women ensemble performs exciting new works by Jennifer Higdon, Joan Tower, and Tania León together with jazz and popular favorites.
Borromeo Returns
Wednesday, August 17, 5 pm, Dennis Union Church, 713 Main St., Dennis
Borromeo String Quartet
ELEANOR ALBERGA String Quartet No. 2
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Opus 131
Led by the Festival’s former Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen, the Borromeo features a performance of Beethoven’s monumental String Quartet, Opus 131, as well as Jamaican composer Eleanor Alberga’s 2nd String Quartet – a Festival premiere.
Piano Extravaganza
Friday, August 19, 5 pm, First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, 200 Main St., Wellfleet
Jon Nakamatsu, Lisa Nakamichi, Orli Shaham, Joyce Yang, piano
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Sonata in D Major for Piano Four Hands, K. 381
JOHANNES BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn for Two Pianos, Op. 56b
MAURICE RAVEL Ma mère l’Oye (“Mother Goose”) for Piano Four Hands
DARIUS MILHAUD Scaramouche, suite for Two Pianos, Opus 165b
CHARLES GOUNOD Waltz from Faust for Two Pianos, Eight Hands (arr. Renaud de Vilback)
Co-Artistic Director Jon Nakamatsu brings together a luminous roster of leading pianists – Orli Shaham, Lisa Nakamichi, and Joyce Yang – for a concert of favorite works scored for piano (four and eight hands) by Brahms, Ravel, Milhaud and Gounod.
About Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival
Hailed by The New York Times as “A Triumph of Quality,” Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival (CCCMF) has been a presenter of chamber music and a major contributor to the cultural life of Cape Cod since its founding in 1979 by the late pianist Samuel Sanders, a longtime collaborator with Itzhak Perlman. The Festival’s current Artistic Directors Jon Manasse (clarinetist) and Jon Nakamatsu (pianist) represent the top ranks of American chamber music. In addition to its annual summer season of concerts, outreach programs and an annual benefit concert in New York, CCCMF partners with local cultural organizations.
For more information visit capecodchambermusic.org, or follow Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival on Facebook.
