TALE OF TWO CITIES: VIENNA & PARIS

$60/$70

Includes post-concert reception with mulled wine and hors d'oeuvres

Friday, February 7, 7.30PM

Blue Gallery

222 E 46th St, New York, NY 10017

Rebecca Ringle Kamarei mezzo-soprano

Bryan Wagorn piano

Illustrated talk by Irina Knaster

Songs from Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms, including Der Liebende, Frühlingsglaube, and Dein blaues Auge hält | Gustav Mahler’s Urlicht, Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, and Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht? | Romantic highlights from Richard Strauss, including Morgen! and Ruhe, meine Seele! | French classics Bizet’s Ouvre ton cœur (Bolero) and Debussy’s Clair de lune | Debussy’s Fêtes galantes II, featuring En sourdine, Fantoches, and Colloque sentimental

This concert is a fascinating journey through song, exploring two of Europe’s greatest cultural capitals—Vienna and Paris. The German Romantic art songs, or Lieder, began in Vienna with Schubert at the start of the 19th century and continued to evolve throughout the century, culminating in the works of Richard Strauss. Influenced by Schubert, the French art song, or mélodie, emerged later, with Berlioz initiating a golden age that flourished through the compositions of Fauré and Debussy well into the 20th century.

These exquisite songs were originally intended for performance in the intimate setting of salons—gatherings in aristocratic parlors where patrons, composers, and performers mingled to exchange fresh ideas and celebrate new creations. In this concert, we present a magnificent tapestry of Lieder and mélodie, while also introducing you to the salonnières—the influential, extraordinary women whose gatherings provided fertile ground for these songs to thrive.

Composers and performers vied for opportunities to present their music at these salons, eager to have their works heard, discussed, and supported, embedding them into the cultural fabric of their time. These remarkable women—patrons, friends, and muses to great composers from Mozart and Beethoven to Fauré and Debussy—were tastemakers who shaped the artistic milieu of Vienna and Paris, leaving an enduring legacy on the world of art and music.

No refunds, no exchanges. Artists, programs, dates, and prices are subject to change.

Programs and artists are subject to change. If an event presented by Aspect Chamber Music Series is cancelled or postponed, we will announce the change—if time permits—by email, phone, a letter sent to your home, and on www.aspectmusic.net.