Portland Chamber Music Festival: Beethoven, Brahms, and the Bard

Immerse yourself in a unique experience at the intersection of two beloved art forms as classical masterpieces and readings from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet showcase familiar works in a dramatic new light. The emotional resonance of this timeless play becomes doubly dramatic through intertwining spoken passages with Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite a bold 20th century interpretation of the star-crossed love story. Beethoven was inspired by the tragic tomb scene for the lovely and lyrical Adagio of one of his earliest string quartets. Finally Brahms’ radiant String Sextet No. 2 infused with bittersweet longing and lush lyricism was inscribed to a woman he loved from afar.

PROGRAM

Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare: Selected readings from Romeo and Juliet

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 1 Op. 18

Brahms: String Sextet No. 2 Op. 36 “Agathe”

ARTISTS

Walter van Dyk reciter; Chad Hoopes ​Anthony Marwood Susie Park violin; Melissa Reardon Cara Pogossian viola; Nina Lee Raman Ramakrishnan cello; Benjamin Hochman piano

Host or Publisher Portland Chamber Music Festival