June 15, Friday

Union Square Park, across from Whole Foods on 14th St.

12:00pm- CMF@Noon Series: Catch a sneak peak of the annual Chelsea Music Festival, with a mid-day open-air concert at Union Square across from Whole Foods on 14th St. Artist: FANNY CLAMAGIRAND!

Eyebeam Art + Technology Center

7:30pm - Festival Opening Night & Culinary Reception – Debussy I: "Debussy after the Wave"

Opening night of the 2012 Chelsea Music Festival begins nine days of the French-Japanese Exploration as first witnessed by Debussy and his contemporaries through the “Japonisme” wave at the end of the 19th century in France. At the center of the program are Debussy’s Syrinx for solo flute, as well as his only String Quartet, the first work after Debussy’s first direct contact with East Asian cultures at the World Expo in Paris in 1889.  Also featured are pieces by CMF 2012 Composer-in-Residence Somei Satoh as well as Koji Nakano’s work for solo flute written in commemoration of the 3/11 tsunami and earthquake victims. The always fascinating topic of Water as a life source as well as destruction is one of this year’s main Festival themes that will be present in almost every program. Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio is a triumphant masterpiece in the chamber music program alluding to the French Axis between him and Debussy. Claude Debussy’s profound reaction to Japanese art led him to own Japanese art, read about Japanese culture and music, and ultimately to choose Hokusai’s “The Great Wave” woodprint for his score of La Mer. CMF 2012 Culinary Artist-in-Residence Lance Nitahara will create a reception to follow in response to the majesty of the wind (what the flute traditionally symbolizes in Japanese music) and the ocean; the reception’s title is taken from the last movement of Debussy’s orchestral masterpiece.

Themed Reception

Hors d’oeuvres du vent et de la mer
by Culinary Artist-in-Residence Chef Lance Nitahara

PROGRAM

“After the gentle wind….” (2011)*………...............................……….... Koji Nakano (b. 1974)

Christopher Matthews, flute

String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (1893) ….......……...............…Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Animé et très décidé
Assez vif et bien rythmé
Andantino, doucement expressif
Très modéré - En animant peu à peu - Très mouvementé et avec passion

Fanny Clamagirand, violin
Alex Shiozaki, violin
Derek Mosloff, viola
Marc Coppey, cello

Birds in Warped Time II (1980)….....….........................................……Somei Satoh (b. 1947)

Alex Shiozaki, violin
Nana Shi, piano

INTERMISSION

Syrinx (1913) .........................................................................Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Christopher Matthews, flute

Piano Trio in A minor (1914)...................…………….................... Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Modéré
Pantoum (Assez vif)
Passacaille (Très large)
Final (Animé)

Augustin Hadelich, violin
Marc Coppey, cello
Katsura Tanikawa, piano

*Live World Premiere Performance in honor of 3/11 Earthquake and Tsunami victims