DAHA presents the acclaimed Quartet 131 and guest artists in the fifth edition of Dvořák: The Chamber Music Survey, the multi-year series in which all of Dvorák’s chamber music will be heard by New York audiences.  Enjoy an early Romantic composition, the String Quartet No. 5 in F minor; selections from the love song cycle Cypresses; and the Slavonic-flavored String Sextet in A major.  This ambitious and unprecedented series is organized by violinist Laura Jean Goldberg, DAHA Music Advisor, who will provide music commentary during the program.  The event will take place in the historic Bohemian National Hall Ballroom. DAHA adheres to all current admission policies regarding COVID-19.  Proof of vaccination is required and masks strongly recommended for indoor events.

On-line ticket sales have ended, tickets will be available at the door.

Admission to be paid at the door;
General admission $30; Seniors, students $20

Quartet 131, Regi Papa, violin; Laura Jean Goldberg, violin; Andy Lin, viola; Robert LaRue. cello; Mihai Marica, guest cellist;

Marcus R. Pyle, guest violist.  Photo: Ronald Ji Photography

Program:

Dvořák String Quartet No. 5 in F minor

Selections from Dvořák's Cypresses

Dvořák String Sextet in A major, opus 48

Quartet 131 Artists:

Regi Papa, Violin I and

Laura Jean Goldberg, Violin II

Andy Lin, Viola

Robert La Rue, Cello

Guest Artists:

Marcus R. Pyle, Viola

Mihai Marica, Cello

Program Notes:

Dvořák String Quartet in F Minor, opus 9 (Quartet # 5; B.37)
Dvořák composed most of this early work during the month of September 1873, finishing it on 4 October of the same year. During his youth, before coming into the orbit of Johannes Brahms, Dvořák had been an ardent follower of the exuberant Romantic style exemplified by Liszt and Wagner. In many of Dvořák's early works the passionate musical rhetoric bursts the limits of Classical form, leading to a great expansion of the time frame, almost in operatic style.

The still relatively unknown composer had been promised a performance of the work by the Bennewitz Quartet, but the players backed out of the agreement at the last moment. Dvořák was very upset by this rejection and hid the work, never showing it again. This youthful, stormy Romantic composition was rediscovered in 1929 by the German Composer Günther Raphael, and it was premiered by the Kramář Quartet on 11 January 1930.

Selections from Dvořák's Cypresses (Czech: Cypřiše)
In 1887, Dvořák made String Quartet arrangements of some of his own early songs for voice and piano, also titled Cypresses. These arrangements are numbered B.152. The composer arranged 12 out of 18 of the original songs. These early love songs are settings of poems by Gustav Pfleger-Moravsky from the collection "Cypresses."

Dvořák String Sextet in A Major, opus 48
Composed during the month of May, 1878; the Sextet Opus 48 in A Major was Dvořák's first work to be performed outside Bohemia. The German publisher Simrock showed it to the celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim, who actually premiered the work in Berlin on July 19th of 1879. The Sextet was written at the same time as the Slavonic Dances Opus 46, and it partakes of their Slavonic flavor. During this period of his life, Dvořák emulated Brahms, aiming for works of abstract music, conforming to the formal schemes of the Austro-German tradition.

By Moshe S. Knoll D.M.A.

Quartet 131 Biographies

Greco-Albanian violinist Regi Papa has been hailed as “an exciting young violinist with brilliant technique and an excellent sense of style” (The Strad Magazine). He has performed as soloist in Carnegie Hall, and with orchestras in Greece and Romania. As an avid chamber musician, Papa has performed extensively in major concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. He is a founding member of the Olympus Piano Trio, which released their debut album on LP Classics label in 2017. Papa performed as guest artist at the Malaga Classica Chamber Music Festival in Spain,  Chamber Fest in Albania, and the International Academy of Music in Italy. A noted pedagogue, he has held residencies at Northern Michigan State University and the Shenandoah University. Papa is currently on the faculty of the Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians in Stamford, CT. He is also a member of critically acclaimed ensembles such as the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and The Knights. Papa completed his B.M. degree at Manhattan School of Music, the M.M. degree at The Juilliard School, and the D.M.A. at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has recorded for LP Classics, Navona/Naxos and Sony Classical labels.

Laura Jean Goldberg, violin, is a seasoned chamber musician, solo artist and teacher. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she performed as soloist with the BSO and is a member of the Chamber Music Faculty at The Juilliard School pre-college division. As a founding member of the Cassatt Quartet, Goldberg was a prizewinner at Banff, Coleman, and Fischoff competitions, held residencies at Juilliard, Yale, Tanglewood, Caramoor, and performed internationally. She performs as second violinist with Quartet 131, with new music ensemble Random Access Music, and has worked with leading composers of our time including Henri Dutilleux, David Diamond, George Crumb, and Julia Wolfe. Goldberg is a guest artist at Belvoir Terrace, a summer camp empowering young women through the arts, and is the founder of ArtsAhimsa Music for Peace, a concert organization and chamber music festival in Lenox where amateur and professional musicians play together in a supportive community setting. She is a board member of Dvorak American Heritage Association and Random Access Music.

Taiwanese born violist and erhuist, Andy Lin, is recognized as one of the most promising and the only active performers who specialized in both western and eastern instruments. Praised by The Strad “The great Molto adagio.....elicited some of the night’s most sensitive work, especially from Andy Lin on viola.” and New York Times “Taiwanese-born violist Andy Lin.....is also a virtuoso on the erhu, and he gave a brilliant performance.” Andy is a member of Quartet 131 and the artistic director and co-founder of the New Asia Chamber Music Society. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Busan Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic, The Juilliard Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Orford Academy Orchestra and Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra.

Robert La Rue, cello, was First Prize Winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters Cello Competition, whose jury chairman was Mstislav Rostropovich. Formerly the cellist of the New England String Quartet, Robert is a current member of Quartet 131, the Alcott Trio, and the cello ensemble VC3. He plays regularly with the Phoenix Chamber Players at Manhattan’s Center for Jewish History, and has also been a guest of the Locrian Chamber Players and the Alaria Ensemble. He has performed as soloist with the Banff Festival Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra and orchestras in Seattle, Phoenix and Denver. He has served as visiting faculty at Yale University’s Summer Music School and has taught cello at Rutgers University. He has recorded for Arsis Audio and North Branch Records, and is currently completing a disc of works for solo cello by members of the American Composers Alliance. A graduate of Curtis, New England Conservatory, and Juilliard, he also attended Indiana University. His teachers included include David Soyer, Bernard Greenhouse, Janos Starker and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi

Guest Artist:

Marcus R. Pyle, Ph.D., viola, is Assistant Professor of Musicology at Davidson College. He has also served as Visiting Scholar on the Faculty of Music and Theater Arts at MIT, musicology lecturer at Tufts University, is a recipient of the Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship from the American Musicological Society, and a recipient of the Dean's Dissertation Award from NYU. Pyle studied Viola Performance at the Juilliard School (M.A.) and at the Royal Academy of Music in London (B.A.), Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College (M.A.), and Historical Musicology (Ph.D.) at NYU.  Pyle is also Founder and CEO of ChamberWorks (est. 2010), a music institute for beginning to intermediate string players in Dallas. He was awarded the "Making a Difference" prize in 2020 for his work with ChamberWorks.

Romanian-born cellist Mihai Marica, cellist, is a First Prize winner of the “Dr. Luis Sigall” International Competition in Viña del Mar, Chile and the Irving M. Klein International Competition, and is a recipient of Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi Fellowship Grant. He has performed with orchestras such as the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Xalapa Symphony in Mexico, the Hermitage State Orchestra of St. Petersburg in Russia, the Jardins Musicaux Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Santa Cruz Symphony in the US.  A dedicated chamber musician, he has performed at the Chamber Music Northwest, Norfolk, and Aspen music festivals where he has collaborated with such artists as Ani Kavafian, Ida Kavafian, David Shifrin, André Watts, and Edgar Meyer. He was a founding member of the award-winning Amphion String Quartet and is currently the cellist of the acclaimed Apollo Trio. A recent collaboration with dancer Lil Buck brought forth new pieces for solo cello written by Yevgeniy Sharlat and Patrick Castillo. Mihai studied with Gabriela Todor in his native Romania and with Aldo Parisot at the Yale School of Music where he was awarded master's and artist diploma degrees. He is an alum of The Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two).

Supported by Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association.