ABOUT THE PIECE by Jessie Rothwell, LA Philharmonic Association

Quartet for the End of Time was originally performed in, very particular circumstances. Near the beginning of World War II Messiaen was summoned for military service. He was captured in May 1940, and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp at Görlitz in Silesia (now mostly within the borders of Poland). In the dead of winter of 1940-41, he wrote the quartet for the instruments on hand among the camp’s inmates: violin, cello, clarinet, and (himself playing) piano. The first performance took place before a large audience of prisoners. It was his most ambitious work so far – a sequence of eight movements that spoke to this Biblical passage from Revelations:

I saw a mighty angel descend from heaven, clad in mist; and a rainbow was upon his head. His face was like the sun, his feet like pillars of fire. He set his right foot on the sea, his left foot on the earth, and standing thus on sea and earth he lifted his hand to heaven and swore by Him who liveth for ever and ever, saying: There shall be time no longer; but on the day of the trumpet of the seventh angel, the mystery of God shall be finished.

Messiaen’s understanding of this passage speaks not to a vision of the Apocalypse, nor to his own situation as a prisoner, but to the idea of the end of Time as the end of past and future and the beginning of eternity. The music was meant to be an extension of the Angel of the Apocalypse’s words, and one with particular musical meaning, for Messiaen was no longer interested in time as rhythm. He did not want to hear steady rhythms like military drums, and instead aspired to rhythms outside of time.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Hsing-ay Hsu, piano

Since making her stage debut at age 4, Chinese pianist Hsing-ay Hsu (“Sing-I Shoo”) has performed at such notable venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and abroad in Asia and Europe. Upon entering her freshman year at Juilliard, she won the William Kapell International Piano Competition silver medal. Hsu was also winner of the Ima Hogg National Competition First Prize, the prestigious Juilliard William Petschek Recital Award, a McCrane Foundation Artist Grant, a Paul & Daisy Soros Graduate Fellowship Award, and a Gilmore Young Artist Award. She was also named a US Presidential Scholar of the Arts by President Clinton at the White House.

Harumi Rhodes, violin

Acclaimed by the New York Times as a “deeply expressive violinist,” Harumi Rhodes has gained broad recognition as a multifaceted musician with a distinct and sincere musical voice. Her generosity of spirit on stage is contagious, making her one of the most sought after violinists and chamber musicians of her generation. As a founding member of the Naumburg Award–winning ensemble, Trio Cavatina, Rhodes has performed at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, Wolf Trap (Wash D.C), and San Francisco Performances, as well as its debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in 2009. Continuing to build its reputation as one of today’s leading piano trios, Trio Cavatina has been touring internationally over the last few seasons with recent notable performances in Pablo Casals Symphony Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Filharmonija Hall in Vilnius, Lithuania.

David Requiro, cello

First Prize Winner of the 2008 Naumburg International Violoncello Competition, David Requiro (pronounced Re-keer-oh) has emerged as one of today’s finest American cellists. After winning First Prize in both the Washington International and Irving M. Klein International String Competitions, he also captured a top prize at the Gaspar Cassadó International Violoncello Competition in Hachioji, Japan, coupled with the prize for the best performances of works by Cassadó.

Daniel Silver, clarinet

Praised by the Washington Post for his “sense of freedom and extraordinary control” clarinetist Daniel Silver is active as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, clinician and teacher. He has served as principal clarinet of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra, the Washington Chamber Symphony (Kennedy Center) and the National Gallery Orchestra. From 1980 to 1987 he was the principal clarinet of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, appearing often as a concerto soloist. From 1988-2000 he was a member of the Contemporary Music Forum of Washington D.C. in residence at the Corcoran Gallery, taking part in premiere performances of many works by noted composers.

Lucky ticket holders will get to experience Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time in Baur’s intimate and acoustically superior Salon. Get your tickets today and make Sunday, October 2 a day to remember.

Sunday, October 2 :: 4PM
Hsing-ay Hsu & Friends: CU Boulder Faculty Piano Quartet :: Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps
Baur’s Listening Lounge
Dinner Reservations for after the show: 303-615-4000
1512 Curtis Street
Denver, CO
www.masmusic.org

Photo

Video

Quotes

– “An explosion of energy…” – The New York Times

– “Power, authority, and self-assurance…” – Washington Post

– “David Requiro played Kabalevsky’s Second Cello Concerto, bringing out its wit and dynamism” – Washington Post

Links

o   Hsing-ay Hsu: http://www.hsingayhsu.com/

o   Harumi Rhodes: http://www.colorado.edu/music/harumi-rhodes

o   David Requiro: http://davidrequiro.com/

o   Daniel Silver: http://www.colorado.edu/music/daniel-silver