Bohemian National Hall, November 1, 2022

Organized by violinist Laura Jean Goldberg and featuring the Sullivan String Quartet, the program was drawn from Dvořák’s prolific output of chamber works.

PROGRAM

Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major (“Slavonic”) Op. 51 B.92, composed 1878-79
Cypresses (Cypřiše) selections, arranged 1887
Quartet No. 13 in G Major Op. 106 B.192, composed 1895

Violinist Laura Jean Goldberg, DAHA Music Advisor, provided commentary during the concert.

PROGRAM NOTES

The E-flat Major Quartet Op. 51 is one of the composer’s major achievements from his Slavonic period. In this large-scale, lyrical music poem, Dvořák bravely fuses some of the characteristic idioms of Slavonic musical folklore with the conservative four-movement Sonata framework of Schubert and Brahms.

Selections from Dvořák's Cypresses (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."

The Quartet in G Major Op. 106 was composed toward the end of the year 1895, after the end of Dvořák’s American sojourn. Dvořák’s experiences in the new world were impactful, and the compositional style of this late quartet reflect the experiences of a composer who was a world traveler, a teacher, and a profound artist. In Quartet Opus 106, Dvořák reflects on the musical style of the late quartets of Beethoven, with the inclusion of rhythmic and harmonic complexity, compositional ambiguity, and more abstraction than in earlier works. The piece is innovative, stretching the boundaries of the rules of compositional form. The music also expresses deep emotional tenderness, perhaps reflecting the composer's feelings about the recent death of his sister in law, Josephina, who was very dear to him.

About

REGI PAPA 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 the Sullivan String Quartet and has worked with leading composers including Henri Dutilleux, David Diamond, George Crumb, and Julia Wolfe. Goldberg teaches 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 the Dvorak American Heritage Association.

ANDY LIN Taiwanese-American violist and erhuist, Andy Lin, is recognized as the only active performer 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 the Sullivan String Quartet 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. Andy is also the co-founder and artistic director of the New Asia Chamber Music Society and serves as principal violist of the New york Classical Players and Solisti Ensemble.

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 the Sullivan String Quartet, 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.