A recently discovered work by a teenaged Mozart may be “ganz kleine” (very little) but is in no way insubstantial. Contours of Absence is an exhilarating string octet composed by a “riotously inventive” (New Yorker) Canadian sound artist. Polish composer Lutoslawski’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini is part humorous parody and part spectacular display of virtuosity worthy of a nightclub audience. Finally, Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio is one of his most popular works: fluid, balanced, and elegantly constructed, and a perfect illustration of why Schumann called Mendelssohn “the Mozart of the 19th century.”

PROGRAM

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ganz Kleine Nachtmusik K. 648  

Noah Bendix-Bagley
Shanshan Yao, violin
Leland Ko, cello

Zosha di Castri: The Contours of Absence 

Alena Baeva, violin 1
Shanshan Yao, violin 2
Maria Vander Sloot, violin 3
Erin Burkholder, violin 4
Hsin-Yun Huang, viola 1
Natalie Loughren, viola 2
Bryan Cheng, cello 1
Clare Bradford, cello 2

Witold Lutoslawski: Variations on a Theme by Paganini, 2 pianos

Vadym Kholodenko, piano
Roman Rabinovich, piano

~ Intermission ~

Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op.49 

Vadym Kholodenko, piano
Diana Cohen, violin 
Bryan Cheng, cello