SOARING SOLOISTS: Clarinet, Cello & Piano
More than any previous composer, Beethoven challenged musicians to reach new heights, redefining musical virtuosity. Tonight’s program features soaring soloist masterworks, including Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3, Jörg Widmann’s clarinet Fantasie, and Weber’s epic Clarinet Quintet arranged for chamber orchestra—performed by some of the world’s finest on their instruments.
7 pm | Kaul Auditorium Prelude Performance with local young artists
We have a special tradition of “picnics” before concerts at Reed College’s Kaul Auditorium. Reed’s catering service Bon Appétit offers food and drink service beginning at 6pm. Alternately, you can bring your own picnic, but alcoholic beverages must be purchased on-site.
This concert is sponsored by Ellen Macke & Howard Pifer.
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium
Saturday, 7/27 • 8:00 pm PT
Program
Click on any piece of music below to learn more about it.
- JÖRG WIDMANN Fantasie for Solo Clarinet (1993)
JÖRG WIDMANN (b. 1973) Fantasie for Solo Clarinet (1993)
Jörg Widmann, an internationally sought-after soloist and professor of clarinet at the Freiburg Musikhochschule, displays the exquisite refinement of contemporary clarinet sound in Fünf Bruchstücke (already published) for clarinet and piano (KLB 54) and in the present Fantasie for Solo Clarinet. While noise, as a means of expression, is given much attention in Fünf Bruchstücke, Fantasie is largely based on the usual Romantic melodious sound, though this time with ironic side trips into dance, klezmer, and jazz music, the clarinet’s equivalent of light music.
“Fantasie for Solo Clarinet is my first real piece for my own instrument, the clarinet. With its eccentric virtuosity and its cheerful, ironic fundamental character, it reflects the experience with Stravinsky’s 3 Pieces for Solo Clarinet of 1919 and the tonal innovations which did not appear in music before Carl Maria von Weber’s notation for the clarinet, and takes them further in a new way. It is a little imaginary scene uniting the dialogues of different people in close proximity in the spirit of the commedia dell’arte.”
—© Jörg Widmann
- JÖRG WIDMANN Etude No. 3 for Solo Violin (2002)
JÖRG WIDMANN Etude No. 3 for Solo Violin (2002)
Traditionally, musical Études (French for “studies”) were short exercises designed to help musicians practice a particular skill in private. In the 1800s, however, virtuoso composer/performers like Chopin, Paganini, and Liszt started writing concert études, designed to show off a specific skill rather than to practice it. Many others have continued this tradition, including German composer Jörg Widmann (b. 1973), who has written six études for solo violin between 1995 and today.
Widmann describes his Etude No. 3 for Solo Violin (2002) as a “left-hand étude,” meaning that it focuses mainly on the capabilities of the fingers of the violinist’s left hand. He manages to craft a wide variety of musical effects from this simple idea, sometimes focusing in on a small range of pitches, and at others bounding wildly throughout the violin’s range. He even introduces techniques like glissando, or sliding, and pizzicato, or plucking the strings, to provide additional depth to his exploration of the power of a violinist’s left hand.
—© Ethan Allred
- BEETHOVEN Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69 (26’)
I. Allegro ma non tanto
II. Scherzo: Allegro molto
III. Adagio cantabile – Allegro vivaceBeginning in 1808, Ludwig van Beethoven turned his attention away from symphonic writing to focus on chamber music, including his Sonata for Cello & Piano No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69. Of all Beethoven’s cello sonatas (he wrote five), No. 3 is the most popular and is widely considered, as cellist David Finckel declares, “one of the greatest works in the cello literature.”
In Op. 69, Beethoven presents a true collaboration between cello and piano. Both instruments share equally in presenting and developing the thematic material throughout. Musically, the two players create an animated dialogue, a wide-ranging conversation that explores a variety of themes, tonalities, moods, and ideas. Beethoven showcases the cello’s singing legato quality in the opening Allegro, while the Scherzo spotlights the piano’s bold percussive declarations. The closing Allegro vivace, preceded by a brief and intimate Adagio, returns to the effervescent mood of the first movement, as both instruments execute a dazzling series of virtuoso passages.
—© Elizabeth Schwartz
- JÖRG WIDMANN “180 Beats per Minute” (1993)
JÖRG WIDMANN 180 Beats per Minute (1993)
180 Beats per Minute was created in 1993, shortly after I left school. The “Techno Nights” that were very popular at the time inspired me to write this piece. A rhythmic drive and a constant change in pulse speed by at top speed (180 beats per minute). Structure condenses into a study of a chord, which in principle varies throughout the entire piece, but remains unchanged in its tonal material. Until finally the piece condenses into a six-part canon that moves from the first violin to the third cello and oscillates between major and minor thirds. The work doesn’t want to be more than it is—pure joy in the rhythm itself.
—© Jörg Widmann
- WEBER Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 34
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 34 (26’)
I. Allegro
II. Fantasia
III. Menuetto capriccio presto
IV. Rondo, allegro giocosoCarl Maria von Weber’s friendship with clarinet virtuoso Heinrich Baermann fortuitously yielded music that helped accelerate the popularity of this versatile instrument in a variety of settings. Here, in his brilliant Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 34, the composer not only showcases the virtuosity and lyricism of the instrument, truly securing its place in the chamber music repertoire, but simultaneously infuses the music with his characteristically operatic style: dramatically shifting between mood, key, and affect, as though there were some secret libretto underlying this purely instrumental work. Of course, no such narrative exists save in the imaginative mind of a listener.
The drama begins at the outset of the work: calm leads to joviality, after which Weber plunges briefly into an intense minor-mode episode before easing into levity once again. In no more than a minute’s worth of music the composer has explored a full spectrum of emotions, and this capricious meandering continues throughout the entire quintet. The dramatic heart of the work is perhaps the ink-black Fantasia, in which the vocal tone of the clarinet is exploited in aria style. The movement fades to extreme quiet, the composer again utilizing the unique qualities of an instrument capable of the very softest tones. A humorous minuet pits the wind instrument against the strings: so often, they are engaged in a musical argument. The trio section, however, feels more like a genteel, amicable dialogue. In the Finale, Weber truly showcases the virtuosity of all musicians, most especially the clarinetist. Fireworks and confetti seem to spew from the clarinet’s bell in an endless display of theatrical showmanship. Here, an opera composer demonstrates his uncanny ability to leave his audiences in awe as they leave the theatre.
In today’s performance, the quintet will be bolstered by a full cadre of strings and added double basses, giving it the feel of a chamber concerto.
—© Ethan Allred
Artists
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Jordan Bak
Viola
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Award-winning, Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. Critics have described him as “an exciting new voice in Classical performance” (I Care If You Listen), “a powerhouse musician, with a strong voice and compelling sound” (The Whole Note) and lauded his “haunting lyrical grace” (Gramophone). A top prizewinner in many competitions such as the Sphinx Competition, Tertis International Viola Competition, and Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, Bak was recently named one of ClassicFM’s “30 Under 30” Rising Stars, Musical America’s New Artist of the Month, and was a featured artist for WQXR’s inaugural Artist Propulsion Lab. Bak’s enthusiastically-received debut album IMPULSE has garnered over two million streams on major digital media platforms, featuring new compositions by Tyson Gholston Davis, Toshio Hosokawa, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Quinn Mason, Jeffrey Mumford, and Joan Tower.
Bak has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, New York Classical Players, London Mozart Players, and Juilliard Orchestra among others, and as a chamber musician, has performed at numerous festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Tippet Rise, Chamber Music Northwest, and Newport Classical. Recent recital debuts include Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Concertgebouw, and at the Schleswig-Holstein and Lichfield music festivals. Bak currently serves as Assistant Professor of Viola at University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) and has given masterclasses at Peabody Institute, Oberlin Conservatory, NYU Steinhardt, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and Conservatorio del Tolima.
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Gloria Chien
Piano & Artistic Director
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Taiwanese-born pianist Gloria Chien has one of the most diverse musical lives as a noted performer, concert presenter, and educator. She made her orchestral debut at the age of sixteen with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Thomas Dausgaard, and she performed again with the BSO with Keith Lockhart. She was subsequently selected by The Boston Globe as one of its Superior Pianists of the year, “who appears to excel in everything.” In recent seasons, she has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician at Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, the Dresden Chamber Music Festival, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She performs frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 2009, she launched String Theory, a chamber music series in Chattanooga, Tennessee that has become one of the region’s premier classical music presenters. The following year she was appointed director of the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo, a position she held for the next decade.
In 2017, she joined her husband, violinist Soovin Kim, as artistic director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont. The duo became artistic directors at Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon in 2020. They were named recipients of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Award for Extraordinary Service in 2021 for their efforts during the pandemic.
Most recently, Gloria was named Advisor of the newly launched Institute for Concert Artists at the New England Conservatory of Music. Gloria released two albums—her Gloria Chien LIVE from the Music@Menlo LIVE label and Here With You with acclaimed clarinetist Anthony McGill on Cedille Records.
Gloria received her bachelor, master’s, and doctoral degrees at the New England Conservatory of Music with Wha Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. She is Artist-in-Residence at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, and she is a Steinway Artist.
Upcoming Concerts & Events
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Marilyn de Oliveira
Cello
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Brazilian cellist Marilyn de Oliveira enjoys an active career as a symphonic and chamber musician. Since joining the Oregon Symphony as the Assistant Principal cellist in 2009, Marilyn has been a founding member of Mousai Remix and Pyxis String Quartets, cellist of Third Angle and 45th Parallel Music, and a guest with prestigious festivals such as Grand Teton Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival and Chamber Music Northwest.
In addition to her many performance engagements, Mrs. de Oliveira is also an educator, orchestral coach and music activist. She is part of the music faculty at Reed College, maintains a private studio with graduates now in renowned music schools worldwide, and founded the Oregon Symphony Musician’s Caroling Project— a collaborative effort which has brought music to those in need during the holidays for over a decade.
Prior to joining the OSO, Marilyn served as Acting Assistant Principal cellist and section member of the San Antonio Symphony and was a fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami, FL. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University, her Master of Music degree at Rice University and was the Bronze Award Winner in the senior division of The Sphinx Competition in 2006.
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Braizahn Jones
Bass
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Braizahn Jones is the Assistant Principal Bassist of the Oregon Symphony and a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer. Originally from Las Vegas, NV, he began his studies with Paul Firak before attending The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University under Jeffrey Weisner, later transferring to Curtis in 2014.
Braizahn has performed and toured with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony and is an active freelance musician, appearing at Chamber Music Northwest, the Oregon Bach Festival, the Bellingham Music Festival, and the Jackson Hole Chamber Music Festival.
A dedicated educator, he serves on the faculty of the National Orchestral Institute and Reed College, maintains a full private studio, and has taught at the Pacific Music Institute in Honolulu as well as various international double bass workshops.
Upcoming Concerts & Events
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Soovin Kim
2025 YAI Faculty, Violin & Artistic Director
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Soovin Kim enjoys a broad musical career regularly performing Bach sonatas and Paganini caprices for solo violin, sonatas for violin and piano ranging from Beethoven to Ives, Mozart, and Haydn concertos and symphonies as a conductor, and new world-premiere works almost every season. When he was 20 years old, Kim received first prize at the Paganini International Violin Competition. He immersed himself in the string quartet literature for 20 years as the 1st violinist of the Johannes Quartet. Among his many commercial recordings are his “thrillingly triumphant” (Classic FM Magazine) disc of Paganini’s demanding 24 Caprices and a two-disc set of Bach’s complete solo violin works that were released in 2022.
Kim is the founder and artistic director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival (LCCMF) in Burlington, Vermont. In addition to its explorative programming and extensive work with living composers, LCCMF created the ONE Strings program through which all 3rd through 5th grade students of the Integrated Arts Academy in Burlington study violin. The University of Vermont recognized Soovin Kim’s work by bestowing an Honorary Doctorate upon him in 2015. In 2020, he and his wife, pianist Gloria Chien, became artistic directors of Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon. He, with Chien, were awarded Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s 2021 CMS Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music. Kim devotes much of his time to his passion for teaching at the New England Conservatory in Boston and the Yale School of Music in New Haven.
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Michael Müller
Cello
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Michael Müller was born in Gunzburg at the Donau. His father came from Transylvania and his mother from Austria. He studied cello at the Musikhochschule Muenchen and the Universitaet der Kuenste in Berlin, participating in masterclasses with Boris Pergamenschikof, David Geringas, and Heinrich Schiff. From 1987 till 1995 he was solo cellist of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Between 1995 and 2013 he was solo cellist of the Radio Kamerorkest resp. Radio Kamerfilharmonie. In 2013, he became solo cellist of the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest. He trained as a chamber musician with Walter Levin (Lasalle Quartet), Amadeus Quartet in Cologne, and with Sandor Vegh in Salzburg. From 1998 till 2012 he was cellist of the Párkányí Quartet (formerly the Orlando Quartet). In 2014, he became a member of the ensemble LUDWIG. From autumn 2019 he is member of the Ruysdael Quartet. Michael Müller regularly appears as a chamber musician at many European festivals (Edingburgh Festival, Holland Festival, Salzburger Festspiele, Aldeburgh Festival). He recorded cello concertos by H. Andriessen, Georgi Minchev, and Henk Badings. He plays on a cello by Januarius Gagliano (Napoli, 1734), made available by the Dutch National Instrument Faoundation.
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Paul Watkins
Cello
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Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career as concerto soloist, chamber musician and conductor.
He is the Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit (since 2014), the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet (2013-2023) and Visiting Professor of Cello at Yale School of Music (since 2018). He took first prize in the 2002 Leeds Conducting Competition, and has held the positions of Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra.
As a cellist, Watkins has given regular concerto performances with prestigious orchestras across the globe. Also, a dedicated chamber musician, Watkins was a member of the Nash Ensemble (1997-2013) and the Emerson String Quartet (2013-2023). After 44 successful seasons, the quartet decided to retire, and undertook an extensive series farewell tours, culminating in their final performances in New York Lincoln Center in October 2023. This concert was filmed for a documentary by filmmaker Tristan Cook, and the release of their final recording of Berg, Chausson, Schoenberg, and Hindemith with prestigious guests soprano Barbara Hannigan and pianist Bertrand Chamayou.
As a conductor, Watkins has conducted all the major British orchestras and a wide range of international orchestras. In 2006 he made his opera debut conducting a critically praised new production of Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine for Opera North.
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Claire Wells
Violin, Protégé
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American violinist Claire Wells is acclaimed by audiences and press for her expressive musicality and rich, singing quality of sound. Solo concert engagements have brought her to halls like the Wigmore Hall, the Meyerson Symphony Center, Bass Performance Hall, Teatro Degollado, and Konzerthaus Berlin. Having won major prizes in international competitions, Claire Wells is the Mendelssohn-Prize 1st Prize winner and Commission Prize winner at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition 2021, 2nd Prize winner at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition 2023, and has taken major prizes at the Indianapolis International Competition, Mirecourt International Competition, and Lynn Harrell Competition, among others.
Claire Wells grew up in a musical family, playing both violin and piano from the age of three. Today, Wells has performed with major orchestras such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jalisco Philharmonic, and the Shen Zhen Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Now studying at the Kronberg Academy with Mihaela Martin since 2022, Claire Wells studied privately with Brian Lewis, Sandy Yamamoto, and Emanuel Borok, and in 2017 attended the Yehudi Menuhin School with Lutsia Ibragimova.
A passionate chamber musician, Claire Wells has worked alongside artists such as Enrico Pace, Nobuko Imai, Frans Helmerson, Christian Tetzlaff, and Steven Isserlis. Wells has also taken coachings from the likes of Ana Chumachenco, Boris Kuschnir, Andras Schiff, and Robert Levin. Claire Wells has performed at festivals such as the International Holland Music Sessions, Music@Menlo chamber music festival, Chamber Music Connects the World, Gstaad Festival, the Verbier Festival, and others. Wells plays on a Nicola Amati, on loan from a generous donor.
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Jörg Widmann
Composer & Clarinet
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Jörg Widmann is considered one of the most versatile and intriguing artists of his generation. The 2023/24 season sees him appear in all facets of his work, as a clarinetist, conductor, and composer, including as Composer in Residence of Berliner Philharmoniker and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, as Principal Guest Conductor of NDR Radiophilharmonie, Guest Conductor of Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Associated Conductor of Münchener Kammerorchester, Creative Partner of Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Artistic Partner of Riga Sinfonietta, and Artist in Focus at Alte Oper Frankfurt.
Jörg Widmann studied clarinet with Gerd Starke in Munich and Charles Neidich at the Juilliard School in New York and later became Professor of Clarinet and Composition, first at University of Music Freiburg and since 2017 as Chair Professor for Composition at the Barenboim-Said Academy Berlin. He is a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin and a full member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, Free Academy of the Arts in Hamburg (2007), German Academy of Dramatic Arts, and Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz (2016), and received an Honorary Doctorate from University of Limerick, Ireland in February 2023.
This season sees the world premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Schumannliebe für Bariton und Ensemble with Matthias Goerne, Peter Rundel, and the Remix Ensemble at Casa da Música. Currently, he is writing a Horn Concerto, commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker, to be premiered by Stefan Dohr and the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle at Philharmonie Berlin in May 2024.
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Opus13
String Quartet, Protégé
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Sonoko Miriam Welde, violin
Edvard Erdal, violin
Albin Uusijärvi, viola
Daniel Thorell, celloThe Swedish-Norwegian string quartet, Opus13, is one of Europe’s most promising, up-and-coming young string quartets. Formed in 2014, the ensemble now comprises Sonoko Miriam Welde, Edvard Erdal, Albin Uusijärvi, and Daniel Thorell. They were 2nd prize winners of the prestigious Banff International String Quartet Competition 2022. In 2023, they received the Norwegian Equinor Classical Music Award, a coveted prize of one million Norwegian Crowns (approx. $96,000). Previous recipients of the award include Leif Ove Andsnes, Lise Davidsen, and Vilde Frang.
They have guested concert series and festivals such as the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht in the Netherlands, Yeulmaru and Yonsei Chamber Music Festivals in South Korea, Rusk Festival in Finland, Swiss Chamber Concerts, and most of the major chamber music festivals in Norway, including Bergen International Festival, Stavanger, Rosendal, Trondheim, and Risør Chamber Music Festivals. Highlights in 2024 included debuts in Scotland and the United States.
Opus13 has collaborated with international top musicians such as Janine Jansen, Olli Mustonen, Julian Bliss, Alisa Weilerstein, Tabea Zimmermann, Jonathan Biss, and Konstantin Heidrich. They are mentored by Berit Cardas and Bjørg Lewis of the Vertavo Quartet, and have benefitted from masterclasses with many of the world’s leading chamber musicians, including members of the Belcea Quartet, Quatuor Ébène, Artemis Quartett, Oslo String Quartet, and Quatuor Mosaïques.
In their early years, Opus13 received invaluable support and performing experience from the Oslo Quartet Series’ Talent Program and the Crescendo Mentoring Program.
The Opus13s are Founders and Artistic Directors of Vinterspill på Lillehammer, a chamber music festival in the winter town of Lillehammer.
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Ruysdael Quartet
String Quartet
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Joris van Rijn, violin
Emi Ohi Resnick, violin
Gijs Kramers, viola
Michael Müller, celloThe Ruysdael Quartet, one of the top Dutch string quartets for over 25 years, started their journey winning prizes at the Charles Hennen and Bordeaux competitions, as well as the prestigious Dutch Kersjesprijs. They perform regularly on all Dutch stages and tour frequently abroad, including recent appearances at the Brighton Festival in the UK and the Zunfkonzerte Lavatertage Festival in Zurich. Highlights of the last few seasons include the honor of be invited to accompany their majesties the King and Queen of the Netherlands on their state visit to France, as well as a Wigmore Hall debut and tours of Japan and Turkey.
The Ruysdael Quartet’s repertoire spans from Purcell to contemporary works and many composers have written especially for them, including Jörg Widmann, whose 9th quartet they premiered in 2023. For their 25th anniversary, no fewer than 25 Dutch composers wrote miniatures for the quartet in celebration. The Ruysdael Quartet often collaborates with prominent artists such as Nino Gvetadze, Jörg Widmann, Charles Neidich, Lenneke Ruiten, and Thomas Riebl. They also have their own festival, the Zoom! Chamber Music Festival, which takes place annually in and around Rheden. The quartet’s recordings have been praised in the national and international press, and they have frequently been selected as a favorite in the Dutch radio program Diskotabel’s blind comparisons.