MUSIC

Da Camera of Houston presents The Twilight of Romanticism.   Saturday, May 1, 2010; 8:00 PM,  in  the Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center.

Da Camera welcomes back the brilliant Orion String Quartet and proudly presents soprano Kelley Nassief in her Da Camera debut for an evening of works on the cusp between Romantic and modern. The seminal compositions of Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms, viewed as musical opposites in their own time, each provided irreplaceable inspiration for the young Arnold Schoenberg. Both influences are heard in the passionate and fiery Chamber Symphony, for which pianist Sarah Rothenberg joins the quartet.

Of the Wesendonck Lieder, Wagner wrote, “I have done nothing better than these songs.”

“The Orion performed with confidence, precision, fluidity and surprising wit. The ensemble’s style is tightly cohesive, with attention to nuance and crisp ornamentation.—Los Angeles Times

“Soprano Kelly Nassief is a real find. With pin-point focus, her clear, bright intonation is radiant.”— Albuquerque Journal

Scheduled Program:

Wagner Wesendonck Lieder
Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E Major, Op. 9 (arr. Webern)
Brahms String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111

Kelley Nassief, soprano; Orion String Quartet (Daniel Phillips, violin; Todd Phillips, violin; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello); Sarah Rothenberg, piano.

Pictured:  Kelley Nassief.  Photo by Lisa Kohler.