PROGRAM

Claude Debussy: Premiere Rhapsodie

Maurice Ravel: Klavertrio

Olivier Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time

For tonight’s concert on October 9th, there will be an opportunity to experience some of the finest French music from the 20th century, played by four of the most interesting and strong chamber musicians of recent years.

Debussy’s “Premiere Rhapsodie” for piano and clarinet was originally written for use in clarinet exams at the Paris Conservatory in 1910, and therefore demands a lot from both performers, with calm passages alternating with expressive outbursts.

Maurice Ravel had been working on his piano trio for several years before finally completing it under the impression of the outbreak of war in 1914. The work, which is in four movements, combines classical forms with, among other things, a Basque theme, and uses a wide range of technically demanding effects that color the music in a way characteristic of Ravel.

“Quartet for the End of Time” is considered one of Messiaen’s most important and personal works. The suffering he endured as an internee in a German prison camp is transformed into this unforgettable masterpiece in 8 movements, where suffering and hope are expressed through elements from the Book of Revelation.