Sandbar Chamber Series I: Beethoven's Harp

Sunday, October 29th, 3 PM

**Thacher Hall

266 Main Street 6A, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675

Our Sandbar Chamber Series kicks off at Thacher Hall with music of Beethoven, Hildegard von Bingen, and Shelley Washington.

Middleground is a celebration of Washington’s childhood in Missouri and Kansas. It’s a road movie in musical form, taking us in a car alongside her family and friends. Washington’s program note expresses the many-layered recollections that she poured into Middleground:

MIDDLEGROUND: the space grounded, the between, the center. The Heartland. The prairie, the grasslands, Konza, Flint Hills, Manhattan, Emporia, Salina. Where we gathered.
Home of the heart, heart of the home.
The years spent in cars, daydreaming, scooping handfuls of wheat, racing out into amber fields, cycling together, water wheel ice cream, fireworks and apples. The stories shared, books read sprawled in the yard, family prayers over anything, late evening walks, quiet nights. Open arms, open hearts, humble and extraordinary.
Beethoven's String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, represents a pivotal and captivating moment in the composer's prolific career. Composed in 1809 during his middle period, it bears the nickname "Harp Quartet" due to the revolutionary use of pizzicato, or plucking, techniques in the strings, reminiscent of the delicate sound of a harp.

The first movement, marked "Poco adagio - Allegro," introduces the listener to the quartet's lyrical and spirited character. The second movement, the heart of the composition, is marked "Adagio ma non troppo" and is a profound expression of Beethoven's emotional depth.

The Harp Quartet is celebrated for its harmonic innovations and intricate interplay between the instruments. It showcases Beethoven's evolving style, moving away from the classical norms of his time. Its rich tapestry of melodies and textures has secured its place as a beloved and enduring piece in the chamber music repertoire, a testament to Beethoven's lasting legacy in the world of classical music.

PROGRAM

Sekstur from Vendsyssel / The Peat Dance : Traditional

O virtus Sapientiae : Hildegard von Bingen

Naja's Waltz : Fredrik Sjolin/ Danish String Quartet

Middleground: Shelley Washington

String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74 "Harp": Ludwig van Beethoven

Musicians:

Emma Powell, violin

Jesse MacDonald, violin

Maureen Heflinger, viola

Timothy Paek, cello

General Admission $35 - Students & Children FREE