The Perlman Music Program Suncoast presents ‘Music from the Heart’

The Perlman Music Program Suncoast presents PMP Alumni: Around Town – Music from the Heart on Saturday February 12, 2022 at 7:00pm at Temple Sinai, 4631 S Lockwood Ridge Rd, Sarasota, FL.  This presentation, sponsored in part by Temple Sinai, features a six-piece chamber ensemble, including five highly accomplished graduates of The Perlman Music Program: Max Tan, violin; Eric Silberger, violin; Tal First, violin; Bethany Hargreaves, viola; Lev Mamuya, cello; along with internationally renowned pianist, Marisa Gupta.  Music from the Heart will feature two pieces by French romantic composer Ernest Chausson: Concert in D Major for Violin, Piano and String Quartet, Op. 21; and Poème (arranged for violin, piano and string quartet) – both celebrating the love and friendship Chausson had for Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe.

General admission tickets are $34 (plus a $2 processing fee) and are available for sale at Perlman Suncoast.

Ernest Chausson was born in Paris on January 20, 1855.  A prolific composer of songs, Chausson composed works for voice and orchestra, choral music, and several operas. He is best known, however, for his chamber music – especially the Concert in D major for Piano, Violin, and String Quartet, Op. 21 and Poème, Op. 25, originally composed for violin and orchestra. Chausson’s deep friendship with violinist Eugène Ysaÿe began after Chausson heard Ysaÿe perform in 1891. Ysaÿe would soon become one of Chausson’s greatest champions.

In 1892, Chausson dedicated his Concert in D major to Ysaÿe as a token of friendship and artistic admiration. The work was first performed in Brussels on February 26, 1892, with Eugène Ysaÿe taking the solo violin part. Chausson wrote in his diary: I must believe that my music is made for Belgians above all, for never have I enjoyed such a success … I feel giddy and joyful, such as I have not managed to feel for a long time … It seems to me that I shall work with greater confidence in the future.

Poème was written in response to a request from Ysaÿe to Chausson to compose a violin concerto. Chausson felt unequal to the task of a concerto, writing to Ysaÿe: I hardly know where to begin with a concerto, which is a huge undertaking, the devil’s own task. But I can cope with a shorter work. It will be in very free form with several passages in which the violin plays alone. Poème’s formal premiere was in Nancy, France on December 27, 1896, with Ysaÿe as soloist. But it was not really noticed until Ysaÿe gave the Paris premiere on April 4, 1897. Chausson was overcome by the sustained applause, something he had not experienced in his career to that point. Ysaÿe also gave the first London performance of Poème, a week after Chausson’s untimely death on June 10, 1899 at the age of 44.

Max Tan’s premiere presentation of Ysaÿe & The Organ in Sarasota this past November highlighted Ysaÿe paying homage to Chausson. This performance is a counterpart to that – showcasing the friendship and love Ernest Chausson had for Eugène Ysaÿe – an evening of Music from the Heart.

Violinist Max Tan is a frequent visitor to the Sarasota area. He began training with The Perlman Music Program (PMP) when he was just 14, studying with world class faculty, including acclaimed violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman. Max attended the PMP Winter Residency in Sarasota for many years, returned often as a PMP alumnus to present outreach programs in the community, and is currently a member of the Sarasota Orchestra. He is working on his doctorate at The Juilliard School in NY.

PMP Alumni: Around Town – Music from the Heart

featuring Max Tan, violin; Marisa Gupta, piano; Eric Silberger, violin; Tal First, violin;

Bethany Hargreaves, viola; Lev Mamuya, cello

Performing works by French romantic composer Ernest Chausson

Poème, Op.25 (arr. for violin, piano, string quartet)

Concert in D major for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, Op.21

Saturday, February 12 at 7:00pm | Doors open at 6:30pm

Temple Sinai | 4631 S Lockwood Ridge Rd, Sarasota

General Admission Tickets: $34 (plus a $2 processing fee)

Perlman Suncoast will be following #SafeArtsSarasota protocols for all events. Our Health and Safety Guidelines are available HERE.

About The Perlman Music Program Suncoast

The Perlman Music Program Suncoast cultivates audiences of all ages through classical music performances and education outreach programs, including hosting the annual Perlman Music Program Winter Residency on the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Campus, PMP Alumni: Around Town, PMP Alumni: At Home, and PMP Alumni: In Schools. Through its relationship with PMP, founded by Toby Perlman, and with a world-renowned faculty, including internationally-acclaimed violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman, Perlman Suncoast offers the public the unique opportunity to witness the talent and spirit of extraordinarily gifted and promising young string students and accomplished graduates.

For more information, visit Perlman Suncoast.

Photos from Perlman School of Music