WASHINGTON -- This Saturday, the Marine Chamber Orchestra will take the stage to perform a pillar in chamber music repertoire: Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810, Death and the Maiden. This performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va. The concert is free and open to the public.
Also on the program, contemporary works “Starburst” by Jessie Montgomery and String Quartet No. 2, Company by Philip Glass.
Program and Notes
The performance will begin with Montgomery’s vivacious composition, “Starburst,” inspired by the rapid creation of new stars and galaxies. “Starburst” catapults the listener into jovial melodies and maintains colorful themes of syncopation throughout the piece. Montgomery is well known for her multidimensional soundscape creation, and “Starburst” is no exception.
Leading into another contemporary work, the concert will transition to Glass’ String Quartet No. 2, Company. Minimalistic yet introspective, Glass’ four-movement piece tells the startling story of an old man held captive in darkness.
“Each of these pieces were composed with an image in the composer’s mind,” said violinist Staff Sgt. Ryo Usami. “Starburst was composed, in Montgomery’s words, to create a multidimensional soundscape. Glass had originally composed music to a theater play called Company, and he later extracted that music to put into a concert work for a chamber ensemble.”
The performance concludes with Franz Schubert’s famous String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810, Death and the Maiden. Schubert pulls the piece’s informal title, Death and the Maiden, from an 18th century poem relaying the story of a young woman pleading to avoid death’s grasp.
Schubert plays with the dramatic relationship between major and minor, serving as a peculiar conversation between the maiden and the personification of death. Written only four years before his own death, many believe this dark composition reflected Schubert’s struggle with his impending demise as he faced serious illness.
This rendition of Death and the Maiden was arranged for string orchestra by Gustav Mahler, unbeknownst to anyone until decades after Mahler’s death. The American Symphony Orchestra premiered the arrangement in 1984, and it has been a pillar in chamber music since.
“We wanted to take time to dig into rehearsing an old favorite,” said violist Gunnery Sgt. Sarah Hart. “Most of us have performed Death and the Maiden as a string quartet in our careers or in school. Personally, I'm excited about translating the raw energy of that piece into the larger ensemble - I think it will be powerful and explosive while maintaining the intimate moments.”
This performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va. The concert is free and open to the public.