Kosciuszko Foundation in Washington DC - Past Events

Chopin Preludes - Concert

Saturday, April 15, 2017, at 6:30pm

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About District5:

Specializing in original transcriptions and contemporary works, District5 has developed a unique repertoire that showcases the virtuosity, colors, and endless possibilities of the wind quintet. They are recipients of a 2016 Chamber Music America Classical Commission and have recently performed at the U.S. Department of State, the Barns at Wolf Trap, Capital Fringe: Music in the Library, the Kent Chamber Series, the Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival, and the Washington Arts Club. They gave the U.S.premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen's ROTARY Woodwind Quintet and frequently collaborate with composer David Plylar to present new transcriptions of virtuosic piano and chamber music.

District5 enjoys sharing its passion for chamber music and with young musicians; they have designed outreach programs for the DC Youth Orchestra Program, the American Youth Philharmonic, and the UMBC Wind Ensemble. At the University of Maryland, District5 served as the Ensemble-in-Residence for the 2016 High School Academy as well as the Fellowship Wind Quintet from 2013-15. Future engagements include collaborations with Ithaca College, the University of Tennessee and a commercial recording of the complete Chopin Preludes.

www.district5quintet.org

Flute - Laura Kaufman Mowry Oboe - Alison Lowell
Clarinet - Zack Gauvain
Horn - Laura Crook Brisson Bassoon - Eddie Rumzis

A note from transcriber, David Plylar:

The transcriber's art is a challenging one. When I am working on a concert transcription (as opposed to a "fantasy" or reduction), my goal is to make a work feel compelling and appropriate in the new medium, while remaining true to the spirit of the original piece. When adapting Chopin, whose music is so idiomatically suited to the piano, to the non-homogeneous sounds of the wind quintet, there are many things to carefully consider. It is not a matter of just assigning a note or a line on the page to one of the five instruments--one must take into account the textures, the use of pedals, how each instrument sounds in different ranges with respect to each other, and the endurance of the players, among other things. I offer my transcription of all the Preludes of Chopin as an homage to the composer, with the hope that they will give the audience a chance to hear these beloved pieces with fresh ears.

 

 

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