August 10, 2005 Concerts From the Library of Congress Celebrates 80th Anniversary

On Sept. 30 the Concerts from the Library of Congress series opens a 32-event season that reflects its distinguished history as one of the world's top venues for chamber music and American music of all genres. The 2005-2006 season marks the 80th anniversary of the influential series founded by musical philanthropist and composer Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.

The Library observes another musical milestone during this season--the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--with a special miniseries of eight concerts and lectures. Presentations by Mozart scholars and specialists from the staff of the Library's Music Division highlight Mozart treasures from the archives of the division's Whittall Collection, among them the manuscripts of the composer's final violin concerto, K. 219, and his violin sonata, K. 379.

A champion of American composers since 1925, in 2005-2006 the Library also presents world premieres of commissions by Milton Babbitt and Bright Sheng, as well as programs dedicated to such individual voices as Ricky Ian Gordon and Jake Heggie, experimentalist Roger Reynolds and electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick.

A few of the season's other highlights include:

• a tribute to the eminent Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu
• a concert by jazz great Chick Corea and Touchstone
• the American folk stylings of roots music duo Jay Ungar and Molly Mason
• a Mozart lecture by Peter Schickele
• an evening with the Bach Collegium Japan
• a rare U.S. appearance by the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra

The Library of Congress has presented more than 2,000 free concerts in its acoustically superb 500-seat Coolidge Auditorium since their inauguration in 1925. During eight decades of its existence, the series has been home to several generations of legendary artists, creating a legacy of performances and commissions that have been influential in the musical life of the nation.

The 80th anniversary season acknowledges this legacy with a focus on chamber music-- string quartets to string orchestras--and a partnership with the American Federation of Violin and Bowmakers to present concerts, workshops and stringed-instrument displays. The Juilliard String Quartet leads a lineup of quartets that includes the respected Borodin Quartet, founded 60 years ago, and younger groups such as the Jupiter and the Daedalus.

"Great Conversations in Music," a new television project created and hosted by the late Eugene Istomin, is a special program offering for the 80th anniversary year. Commissioned by the Library in 2001 and broadcast for the first time in June 2005 by WETA TV 26, this four-part miniseries brings together 22 extraordinary musicians for informal and informative discussions on the state of the art of classical music today. Slated for broadcast beginning Oct. 30, the series will also be available on the Library of Congress Web site at www.loc.gov.

All Library of Congress concerts and other public programs are presented free of charge but require tickets for admission. Tickets are distributed by Ticketmaster at (301) 808-6900, (410) 752-1200 or, for out-of-state residents, (800) 551-7328. Each ticket carries a nominal service charge of $2.75, with additional charges for phone orders and handling. Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Although the supply of tickets may be exhausted, there are often empty seats at concert time. Interested patrons are encouraged to come to the Library by 6:30 p.m. on concert nights to wait in the standby line for no-show tickets.

Unless otherwise noted, all concerts will be held at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

The concert calendar follows.

CONCERTS FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

2005-2006

(Programs subject to change without notice)

Sept. 30:

Daedalus Quartet with Donald Weilerstein, viola

- Prokofiev: String Quartet no. 1, op. 50. (Coolidge Foundation commission)

- Haydn: String Quartet in B minor, op. 33, no. 1

- Mozart: String Quintet in D major, K. 593

Tickets available Sept. 7

Oct. 8:

Chamber Music of Toru Takemitsu

Masatoshi Mitsumoto, artistic director and conductor

An evening of works by a seminal figure in 20th century music, championed by Stravinsky and Copland, who bridged Eastern and Western traditions. The program includes his string quartet "A way a Lone, Stanza II" for harp and tape, "Air" for flute and other pieces, featuring flutist Paula Robison, violinist Shoko Aki, violist Maria Lambros, harpist Naoko Yoshino, the Potomac String Quartet, cellist Evelyn Elsing and pianist Audrey Andrist.

Presented as part of "Mirror of Tree, Mirror of Field: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)," which includes a roundtable discussion and screenings of 10 films with scores by the composer. Presented in cooperation with the Japan Foundation.

Tickets available Sept. 7

Oct. 14:

Vermeer Quartet with Edmund Battersby, piano

- Haydn: Quartet in G major, op. 76, no. 1

- Janácek: Quartet no. 2 ("Intimate Letters")

- Dohnányi: Piano Quintet no. 1 in C minor, op.

Tickets available Sept. 7

Oct. 17:

Chick Corea's Touchstone Quintet

With the core members of Paco de Lucia's band--Carles Benavent, Tom Brechtlein, Jorge Pardo and Rubem Dantas--the 12-time Grammy Award winner revisits the heart of his Spanish-influenced compositions from his classic "Touchstone" album and continues his flamenco-based explorations with a new set of music.

Tickets available Sept. 14

Oct. 18:

Württemberg Chamber Orchestra with Arabella Steinbacher, violin

- Mendelssohn: Sinfonia no. 10 in B minor

- Mozart: Concerto in A major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 219

- Bruckner: Quintet in F major, op. 112

Tickets available Sept. 14

Pre-concert presentation by Mozart scholar Dexter Edge at 6:15 p.m. Cosponsored by the Goethe-Institut Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the Adolf Cluss exhibition at the Charles Sumner School Museum. For more information: www.adolf-cluss.org

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

Oct. 19:

Borodin Quartet B 60th Anniversary Tour

- Borodin: String Quartet no. 1 in A major

- Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, op. 95 ("Serioso")

- Beethoven: Grosse Fuge, op. 133

Tickets available Sept. 14

Oct. 28:

Corigliano Quartet with Thomas Gallant, oboe, and Pedja Muzijevic, piano

Founder's Day Concert

- Coolidge: Sonata for Oboe and Piano (1947)

- Carter: Oboe Quartet (2001)

- Sallinen: "Echoes from a Play," oboe and strings (Washington premiere)

-Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, op. 34

Tickets available Sept. 21

Nov. 3:

Jerusalem Trio with Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet

- Haydn: Piano Trio in A major, Hob. XV:18

- Brahms: Piano Trio no. 3 in C minor, op. 101

- Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time

Tickets available Sept. 21

Nov. 18:

Kennedy Center Chamber Players

- Prokofiev: Sonata in C major for Two Violins, op. 56

- Grieg: Sonata in A minor for Cello and Piano, op. 36

- Mendelssohn: Octet for Strings, op. 20

Tickets available Oct. 5

Dec. 2:

Amelia Trio with Eugenia Zukerman, flute

- Beethoven: Piano Trio in C minor, op. 1, no. 3

- Roussel: Trio for Flute, Viola and Cello, op. 40

- Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, op. 49

Tickets available Oct. 19

Dec. 9:

Andy Bey Quartet

The "elder statesman of jazz vocals" in an evening of soul and blues, plus standards from the Great American Songbook

Tickets available Oct. 26

Dec. 16:

Jupiter String Quartet

- Haydn: Quartet in B-flat major, op. 76, no. 4 ("Sunrise")

- Dutilleux: Ainsi la nuit (Koussevitzky Foundation commission)

- Beethoven: Quartet in F major, op. 59, no. 1 ("Razumovsky")

Tickets available Nov. 2

2006

Feb. 2:

Chamber Music of Roger Reynolds

A concert of chamber music by the 1989 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, known for his eclectic and experimental works that explore spatial, perceptual and technological boundaries. A Library of Congress Web presentation of Reynolds' music is located at www.loc.gov/rogerreynolds.

Tickets available Dec. 21

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Stephen G. Soderberg, Music Division, Library of Congress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

Feb. 3:

Cuarteto Casals

- Arriaga: String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat major

- Mozart: String Quartet in G major, K. 80

- Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 2

Tickets available Dec. 21

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Robin Rausch, Music Division, Library of Congress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

Feb. 10:

Czech Nonet

- Novák: Balleti à 9

- Mozart: Oboe Quartet, K. 370

- Brahms: Serenade in D major, op. 11 (original version)

Tickets available Dec. 28

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Karen Moses, Music Division, Library of Congress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

Feb. 21:

Kuijken String Quartet

Over a two-year period, Mozart completed six quartets--"fruits of a long and laborious process"-- he wrote in his dedication to Joseph Haydn. During Mozart's anniversary year, the Kuijken Quartet will play the complete cycle of "Haydn" quartets in two concerts: the first at the National Gallery of Art and the second at the Library of Congress. Part 1: Sunday, Feb. 19, 2006, at 6:30 p .m., at the National Gallery of Art. For more information call (202) 842-6941 or go to www.nga.gov.

Tickets available Jan. 11, 2006

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Denise Gallo, Music Division, Library of Congress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

March 3:

Ensemble Corund

Stephen Smith, artistic director

This a cappella chamber choir from Lucerne, Switzerland, offers "A Shakespeare Serenade,"' an evening of songs based on texts by the bard and his contemporaries, with music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Frank Martin, Edward Elgar, Frederick Delius and others.

Tickets available Jan. 18

March 10:

Belcea Quartet with Ian Bostridge, tenor, and Julius Drake, piano

- Fauré: "La bonne chanson," op. 61

- Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3 in F major, op. 73

- Vaughan Williams: "On Wenlock Edge"

Tickets available Jan. 25

March 17:

Songs of Ricky Ian Gordon and Jake Heggie

Mezzo-sopranos Margaret Lattimore, Stephanie Novacek and Mary Phillips perform song cycles by contemporary composers Ricky Ian Gordon and Jake Heggie, who are the pianists for this concert. The program also includes duets and trios by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

Tickets available Feb. 1

March 24:

Bach Collegium Japan

- Bach: Orchestral Suite no. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067

- Bach: Harpsichord Concerto no. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052

- Bach: Concerto for Two Violins, BWV 1043

- Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no. 5, BWV 1050

Tickets available Feb. 8

March 31:

Chamber Music of Milton Babbitt

Praised for his "thoughtful performances of musical integrity, taste and technical skill," pianist Robert Taub, who turns 90 in 2006, performs works by Babbitt, the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize Citation for his "life's work as a distinguished and seminal American composer"--including a new work for violin and piano commissioned by the McKim Fund in the Library.

Tickets available Feb. 15

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Stephen G. Soderberg, Music Division, Library of Congress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

April 7:

Juilliard String Quartet

- Schubert: String Quartet in A minor, D. 804 (ARosamunde@)

- Viñao: ALoss and Silence@ (Washington premiere)

- Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, op. 131

Tickets available Feb. 22

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford, Music Division, Library of Congress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

April 8:

Elmar Oliveira, violin

An enthusiastic supporter of the art of violin and bow makers, and the first and only American violinist to win the Gold Medal in the Tchaikovsky International Competition, Oliveira is a champion of contemporary works, including works written for him. Program to be announced.

Tickets available Feb. 22

April 20:

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, fiddle and guitar

Music from the heart and soul of America, performed by a much-admired duo in American roots music.

Tickets available March 8

April 21:

Bach Alive! In the Nation's Library (II)

The Washington Bach Consort, "among the country's premier groups of its kind," led by its founder and music director J. Reilly Lewis, performs Bach's Cantata, BWV 9, "Est ist das heil uns kommen her," and continues its survey of 20th century choral music by American composers. A special collaborative project cosponsored by the Eleanor Remick Warren Society, the Washington Bach Consort and the Library of Congress.

Tickets available March 8.

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Stephanie Poxon, Music Division, Library of Congress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

April 28:

London Haydn Quartet, with Erich Hoeprich, clarinet

- Mozart: Clarinet Quartet in B-flat major

- Mozart: String Quartet in F major, K. 590 ("Prussian")

- Mozart: Fugues in C minor and D major for string quartet, K. 405

- Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581

Tickets available March 15

May 5:

Jacques Ogg, harpsichord

Recital program to include works by D'Anglebert, Muffat, Forqueray, Soler and C.P.E. Bach

Tickets available March 22

May 12:

Chamber Music of Morton Subotnick

An important innovator in electronic music and multimedia works performs "Until Spring Revisited," a solo laptop work in surround sound, drawing on many of the important technological breakthroughs in the history of the genre.

Tickets available March 29

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Stephen G. Soderberg, Music Division, Library of Congress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

May 19:

Cho-Liang Lin, violin, and André-Michel Schub, piano

- Mozart: Sonata in D major, K. 306

- Sheng: Sonata for Violin and Piano (world premiere)

- Mozart: Sonata in G major, K. 379

- Walton: Sonata for Violin and Piano

Tickets available April 5

Pre-concert presentation at 6:15 p.m. by Susan Clermont, Music Division, Library of Copngress

No tickets required for pre-concert presentation

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS IN THE 2005-2006 CONCERT SEASON

(Programs subject to change without notice)

Toru Takemitsu Celebration

"Mirror of Tree, Mirror of Field: a Celebration of the Life and Music of Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)" includes screenings of 10 films with scores by the composer and a roundtable discussion. Presented in cooperation with the Japan Foundation.

All films are shown in the Mary Pickford Theater, third floor, James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. No tickets are required but seating is limited. Reservations may be made by phone, beginning one week before each screening. Call (202) 707-5677 during business hours. Reserved seats must be claimed at least 10 minutes before show time, after which standbys will be admitted.

Films

Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. - "Harakiri" (1962), directed by Masaki Kobayashi

Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. - "Woman of the Dunes" (1964), directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara

Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. - "Kwaidan" (1964), directed by Masaki Kobayashi

Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. - "Empire of Passion" (1978), directed by Nagisa Oshima

Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. - "Toru Takemitsu: Music for the Movies" (1994), directed by Charlotte Zwerin and "Antonio Gaudi" (1984), directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara

Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. - "Fire Festival" (1984), directed by Mitsuo Yanagimachi

Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. - "Ran" (1985), directed by Akira Kurosawa

Oct. 5 at 6:30 p.m. - "Onimaru" (1988), directed by Yoshishige Yoshida

Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. - "Black Rain" (1989), directed by Shohei Imamura

Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. - "The Assassin" (1964), directed by Masahiro Shinoda

Roundtable Discussion of Takemitsu's Classical and Film Music

Moderated by Mark Swed, music critic of the Los Angeles Times, with panelists Peter Grilli, film producer and president, Japan Society of Boston; Masatoshi Mitsumoto, conductor; Jon Newsom, former chief of the Library of Congress Music Division; Roger Reynolds, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer; Paula Robison, flutist and noted interpreter of Takemitsu's music; and composer Toshiro Saruya. No tickets required.

Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Lecture-demonstration titled "The American Style: Two Different Paths"

Washington, D.C., pianist-composer Alan Mandel performs music by Alexander Reinagle, Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell, Charles Ives, Elie Siegmeister and Louis Moreau Gottschalk, along with his own composition, which was recently commissioned by the William and Adeline Croft Memorial Fund in the Library of Congress. No tickets required.

Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium

Louis C. Elson Memorial Lecture

Peter Schickele (aka P.D.Q. Bach), composer, performer, scholar and entertainer, presents a lecture on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with his usual inimitable blend of humor and erudition. No tickets required.

Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium