"Quartet for the End of Time" Celebrates Liberation, Sunday, April 19, 5pm

Commemorating the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Europe during World War II, First Baptist Church of White Plains will present Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time.

Messiaen composed this timeless musical masterpiece in 1940 as a prisoner of war in Nazi-occupied France. He used the only musical instruments in the camp (Stalag VIII A): a clarinet, a violin, a cello with only three strings, and a broken piano.

The first performance took place there on January 15, 1941 to an audience of prisoners. Messiaen’s musical monument was a creation of faith, an affirmation of God’s eternal love even as civilization came crashing down.

Finding inspiration in the apocalyptic imagery of Revelations, the work also draws heavily on the music of ancient Greece and India, and on birdsong. Believing that the natural world was the handiwork of God, the composer identified the music of birds as “far surpassing the human imagination in fantasy,” and their calls animate his music throughout. Quartet begins with the dawn chorus of birds Messiaen heard in the camp every morning at 4am.

The musicians for the current performance are Molly Aronson, cello; Naum Goldenstein, clarinet; Blanca Cecilia Gonzalez, violin; and Markus Kaitila, piano.

Molly, a founding member of the Anderson Hill Trio and RT9 Ensemble, has performed as a part of the Mohawk Trails Concerts, Classical at Cornelia St. Cafe, Interlochen Faculty Chamber Series, and First Night Northampton.

Naum is a teacher, a third generation clarinet player, and a graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music, where he studied with Yevgeny Yehudin. He has been playing solo concerts since the age of fifteen.

Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Blanca is co-concertmaster of the Jeunes Virtuoses de New York. Among the many venues in which she has performed are Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Bargemusic and the Blue Note.

The winner of many national piano and chamber music competitions, Marcus was born in Helsinki, Finland. He has given concerts throughout Finland and appeared extensively in Europe and the US.

$15 / Students: $10 / Children: Free / Free parking
A reception follows the concert.

Tickets available at the door (cash or check payable to John Wolfe, no credit cards)

First Baptist Church of White Plains
456 North Street, White Plains NY
http://www.firstbaptistwhiteplains.org

For further information or to order tickets in advance contact:
John Wolfe, Music Director
First Baptist Church of White Plains
(717) 253-2886 or johnwolfe@johnwolfemusic.com