Schubert’s Final Sonatas:
Parts 2 & 3

Israeli pianist Shai Wosner is internationally acclaimed for the scope of his artistic intelligence, deeply perceptive interpretations, outstanding technical sophistication, and inspired programming. Praised by Gramophone as “A Schubertian of unfaltering authority and character,” the pianist is welcomed back to 92Y’s Soundspace series, performing the second and third of three recitals which highlight the final sonatas Schubert composed during his short lifetime. Wosner has described these sonatas as “six great novels, rich with insights into the human condition.”  CLICK HERE for video of Wosner introducing his Last Sonatas project.

Friday, May 4, 2018 at 9:00 PM

92Y - Buttenwieser Hall
Shai Wosner, piano

SCHUBERT
Sonata in D Major, D. 850, Op. 53 “Gasteiner”
Sonata in A Major, D. 959

Friday, May 11, 2018 at 9:00 PM
92Y - Buttenwieser Hall
Shai Wosner, piano

SCHUBERT
Sonata in G Major, D. 894, Op. 78 “Fantasie”
Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

Tickets: from $30
Artist Website: Shai Wosner

Benjamin Verdery, guitar with St. Lawrence String Quartet -
World Premiere Performance

92nd Street Y’s Art of the Guitar series artistic director, Benjamin Verdery, joins together with the energetic St. Lawrence String Quartet for the World Premiere and 92Y co-commission of a new work for string quartet and guitar, Quintet for High Strings, by Bryce Dessner - known to many as a guitarist with The National - whose music NPR has noted as “gorgeous and full-hearted.” The program also features the New York Premieres of two works, Tread Softly For You Tread On My Dreams by Mr. Verdery, and Searching for a Chorale by Seymour Bernstein, who is well-known as the subject of a recent documentary by Ethan Hawke; additional selections include solo works by Bach, Villa-Lobos, and Ingram Marshall (which Verdery commissioned in 2000). “This recital is a first for me, in that I am partially sharing the concert with the marvelous St. Lawrence String Quartet,” states Verdery.  “In addition, three of the works - including the world premiere - were written by dear, dear friends and mentors.  There are threads in the concert which weave all of us together. To begin with, Bryce Dessner was my student at Yale for five years. From the moment he entered my studio at the ripe age of 18, I could sense the potential for a lifelong relationship. It has proven to be true. Here we are, years later, about to premiere his new guitar quintet at 92Y with one of the greatest string quartets in the world. Life never ceases to delight and amaze.  While at Yale, Bryce was deeply influenced by the compositions of Ingram Marshall, who was teaching there at that time. The two went on to become great friends. In Bryce's guitar lessons, I would often convey the numerous musical truths I gleaned from the many coaching sessions I'd had with Seymour Bernstein." 

Verdery continues: "I first heard the St. Lawrence String Quartet on one of my favorite John Adams CDs. It was the St. Lawrence who premiered Adams’s first string quartet, John's Alleged Book of Dances. I practically wore that CD out, I played it so much. John Adams remains one of Ingram Marshall's closest friends, and it was Ingram who introduced me to his music, as well as to that recording. Since that time, the St. Lawrence has remained Adams' "go-to" ensemble, premiering each of his subsequent quartets. There is an additional thread connecting the Villa-Lobos, Bernstein and Marshall pieces. All three works either quote J.S. Bach directly, or in the case of the Villa-Lobos, were profoundly inspired by him (hence the title of his Bachianas Brasileiras). It is known that Villa-Lobos referred to Bach as ‘the God of music.’ I feel the same, and I'm pretty certain that Seymour, Ingram and Bryce do, as well.”

 CLICK HERE for video of Verdery performing Bach’s beloved D-minor Chaconne for solo guitar.

A free pre-concert talk will be given by Benjamin Verdery at 6:30PM.

Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 7:30PM
92Y - Kaufmann Concert Hall
Benjamin Verdery, guitar
St. Lawrence String Quartet

VILLA-LOBOS Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. (arr. for solo guitar by Roland Dyens)
SEYMOUR BERNSTEIN Searching for a Chorale (New York premiere)
BACH Prelude, from Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012 (arr. Benjamin Verdery)
BACH Sonatina, from Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 (arr. Benjamin Verdery)
BACH Allegro, from Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro in E-flat Major, BWV 998 (arr. Benjamin Verdery)
BRYCE DESSNER Quintet for High Strings (World Premiere, 92Y co-commission)
BENJAMIN VERDERY Tread Softly For You Tread On My Dreams (New York premiere)
INGRAM MARSHALL Soe-pa
BOCCHERINI Guitar Quintet in D Major, G. 448 “Fandango”

Tickets: from $45
Artist Websites: Benjamin Verdery, St. Lawrence String Quartet

New York Polyphony Closes 92Y 2018-19 Classical Season

Since its inception in 2006, the New York Polyphony vocal quartet has built a reputation for their “superb musicianship and vocal allure” (New Yorker), programming everything from Gregorian chant to works by living composers.  The two-time Grammy-nominated Quartet, noted for its “rich, natural sound that’s larger and more complex than the sum of its parts,” (NPR) returns to 92Y with a selection of part-songs by Schubert, Saint-Saëns, Finzi, Ivan Moody, Gregory W. Brown and others.  CLICK HERE for an NPR In Practice feature on New York Polyphony.

Friday, June 8, 2018 at 9:00 PM
92Y - Buttenwieser Hall
New York Polyphony
     Geoffrey Williams, countertenor
     Steven Caldicott Wilson, tenor
     Christopher Dylan Herbert, baritone
     Craig Phillips, bass

Part-songs by Schubert, Saint-Saëns, Finzi, Ivan Moody, Gregory W. Brown and others

Tickets: from $30
Artist Website: New York Polyphony

Tickets are available at www.92Y.org/Concerts or 212-415-5500.
Ticket prices subject to change.
For additional press inquiries, please contact Kirshbaum Associates: 
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