First Prize Winner of the 2016 American Prize in Chamber Music, the Avery Ensemble is a piano quartet joined frequently by guest vocalists and instrumentalists.Avery's performances have been praised by Audiophile Audition as 'marvelous,' and by the Classical Voice of New England as 'committed. . . excellent. . . amazing and persuasive. . . . . simply outstanding.' Recent engagements include appearances as guests of the Chamber Music Society of Central Kentucky, the Rossmoor Music Association in New Jersey, Coe Hall in New York, the Meadow Ridge Concert Series in Connecticut and the Auditório Jurerê Classic in Florianopolis, Brazil. Avery Ensemble was the focus of an article in the Summer 2016 issue of Chamber Music America's Chamber Music Magazine.
The program for this concert includes pieces that would have been heard by audiences during the years of World War I.
Click For: Russell Library's Past WWI Events!!
The tragedy and barbarism of the Great War marked the end of the previous age, and this turbulence was expressed successfully in the explosion of art music produced in that decade-- a 'licking of the bowl,' scraping the last possibilities of what tonal harmony could offer before abandonment. The challenge of exhaustion from the previous age was met in response with unbelievable invention and creativity, exemplified in the following works:
Faure Sonata no. 1 for cello and piano, op. 109 (1917) -- 19 min
Janacek Sonata for violin and piano (1914) -- 16 min
Reger Piano Quartet no. 2, op. 133 (1914) -- 35 min
