WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The 2020 Chamber Music Series will begin at 2 p.m. EST, this Sunday, Jan. 26, with its first concert of the year. The performance, coordinated by clarinetist Staff Sgt. Zachary Gauvain, will take place in John Philip Sousa Band Hall at the Marine Barracks Annex in southeast Washington, D.C. Gauvain offered the following on the program:
When putting together the pieces for this concert, I wanted to program music that primarily use non-traditional methods of tonality, but I also wanted the audience to be able to relate to the pieces. So, I selected works that use non-traditional tonality but utilize more traditional structure. Arnold Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E, Opus 9 is a perfect example of that idea. I also mixed it with works by living composers, such as Street Song by Michael Tilson Thomas. The result is a program that incorporates new music but is also very accessible.
Krzysztof Penderecki’s Quartet for Clarinet and Strings is a piece I’ve been wanting to play since I was in graduate school. It represents a work for clarinet and strings that isn’t quite standard repertoire such as Mozart, Brahms, and Weber. I always thought it was such an interesting work and I’m very happy to delve into it!
I really enjoyed discovering Bohuslav Martinů’s Duo No. 1, Three Madrigals, H. 313. I’ve always loved Martinů’s music and I think the audience will love this violin and viola duet. The Tilson Thomas quartet Street Song has a wonderful sense of imagination as well. I really feel like I’m walking down the street of a city, listening to the bustle of cars and people. I think the audience will enjoy the experience provided by this new music. The best part about new music to me is that it isn’t played as much as Beethoven and Mozart, so when people hear it for the first time it is very much like a breath of fresh air; especially since the works on this program complement each other so well.
The Chamber Music Series concert is free and open to the public. The Marine Barracks Annex is accessible by Metro via the Navy Yard or Eastern Market stations. Free parking is also available under the overpass on 7th Street, across from the Annex. Please allow extra time for I.D. checks at the gate.
Program and Notes
Directions and Parking
Please Note: This concert will no longer be streamed live. Thank you for your understanding.