Performers

SEAN LEE, violin JOHN MCKEAN, harpsichord

TOOMAI STRING QUINTET EMILIE-ANNE GENDRON and ALEX FORTES, violins
RAMÓN CARRERO-MARTINEZ, viola
HAMILTON BERRY, cello
ANDREW ROITSTEIN, bass

Lit by candlelight, Hammer Hall takes on a different kind of presence — quieter, closer, and removed from the everyday. A recipient of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, our soloist for Vivaldi’s virtuosic masterpiece, violinist Sean Lee has captured the attention of audiences worldwide with performances described by the New York Times as “breathtakingly beautiful”. He has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Sir James Galway, Deborah Voigt, and members of the Emerson and Guarneri String Quartets, bringing a rare combination of precision and imagination to his performances. He is joined by harpsichordist John McKean, whose work as performer and scholar make him a distinctive voice in early music, and who returns to Bay Chamber with his characteristic insight and finesse. Together with the accomplished Toomai String Quintet, these musicians approach Baroque repertoire as something shaped anew in each performance. After a spirited opening, Vivaldi’s thrilling set of violin concerti depict the seasons through the sounds of babbling brooks, thunder and lightning, blasts of winter wind, and birdsong. Linked to sonnets attributed to Vivaldi, these familiar melodies wrap around us with nostalgic warmth, reminding us that belonging can be found in the music we know and love.

Program

GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN Sonata in D Major, TWV 44:1 ANTONIO VIVALDI The Four Seasons‍ ‍

8PM Tickets

Age 35+: $45 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Honorary Concert Sponsors: Mazie Cox & Brinkley Thorne