Performer
THOMAS WOLF, writer & narrator (see interview below) YOOJIN JANG, violin HENRY KRAMER, piano
Part storytelling, part live music, The Nightingale’s Encores is a narrated concert experience built on Bay Chamber co-founder Thomas Wolf’s previous sold-out performances. Accompanied by two acclaimed musicians and dozens of historical photographs, the author and musician premieres a new set of fascinating, amusing stories involving his own multi-generational musical family. Spanning from the Jewish ghetto to the palaces of European royalty to Carnegie Hall to the White House and beyond, each story is accompanied by a musical encore (some rarely heard) that family members helped make famous. This program is based on Wolf’s award-winning book, The Nightingale’s Sonata, and reveals family history concurrent with the sweep of classical music in the 20th century. Music will be performed by virtuoso violinist YooJin Jang and award-winning pianist Henry Kramer (a Bay Chamber favorite) known for his thrilling and triumphant performances.
Program
HENRYK WIENIAWSKI Scherzo Tarantelle for violin and piano, Op. 16 CHOPIN Étude Op. 10 No. 5 (Black Keys) REINHOLD GLIÈRE Romance, Op. 3 for violin and piano LISZT La campanella in G-sharp Major from Grandes Études de Paganin
NICCOLÒ PAGANINI Caprice for Solo Violin, Op. 1 No. 1 JULES MASSENET Méditation from Thaïs
BACH Prelude in C Major, BWV 846 MENDELSSOHN Rondo capriccioso, Op. 14 FRITZ KREISLER Praeludium and Allegro in the Style of Pugnani
Tickets: Age 35+: $45 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.
Q & A with Thomas Wolf
Part storytelling, part live music, The Nightingale’s Encores is a narrated concert experience built on Bay Chamber co-founder Thomas Wolf’s previous sold-out performances. Accompanied by two acclaimed musicians and dozens of historical photographs, the author and musician premieres a new set of fascinating, amusing stories about his multi-generational musical family on August 9 at 7 pm.
Spanning from the Jewish ghetto to the palaces of European royalty to Carnegie Hall to the White House and beyond, each story is accompanied by a musical encore (some rarely heard) that family members helped make famous. This program is based on Wolf’s award-winning book, The Nightingale’s Sonata, and reveals family history concurrent with the sweep of classical music in the 20th century. Music will be performed by virtuoso violinist YooJin Jang and award-winning pianist Henry Kramer.
Among the pieces that will be played are Chopin's Étude (Black Keys,) Bach's Prelude in C Major, and Liszt's La campanella in G-sharp Major from Grandes Études de Paganini. Thomas told us a bit more about what to expect in The Nightingale's Encores plus a few family stories:
What is different about Encores than previous performances?
After the publication of my book, The Nightingale’s Sonata, which is about my musical family, I developed the musical version, which was so popular that presenters wondered whether there might be other programs based on the family that they could present to their audiences. This year's concert focuses on encores (that is, pieces played at the end of programs based on audience demand) that my family helped make famous.
Of the stories told in this program, do you have a favorite?
Well I don’t want to give too much away, but I do love the one about how my uncle, then a young boy, was pressed into service for a concert with my violinist grandmother. Both of her piano accompanists were sick and she needed someone at the last minute. This was just after the Russian Revolution when food was scarce. My family played where they could, often for workers in factories. The family was terrified that my uncle wouldn’t be up to the task But it turned out he was so popular with the workers that they reengaged him and my grandmother on the spot...on the condition that my uncle would play a solo at the next concert. It is that solo that will be featured in the concert I will present in August. (The piece is Mendelssohn's Rondo capriccioso, Op. 14.)
Tell us a bit about a piece of music a family member helped bring to the fore in the classical world?
One of my favorites is the Romance by the Russian composer Reinhold Glière. The composer was mesmerized by my grandmother’s playing when she was still a teenager and he wrote this piece for her. It became very popular in Russia, so much so that every major Russian violinist included it in his or her repertoire.
What are you listening to these days?
Years ago, my uncle, Boris Goldovsky, did intermission features for the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts that were listened to by millions of opera lovers. He would describe elements of the opera, play examples of the music on the piano, and talk about his personal history with the opera. In many ways, these features became the model for much of what I have done with my “Nightingale” concert programs. I recently was lucky enough to secure access to these broadcasts and have been listening to them with great pleasure.