Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra to Present Musicale on February 24

The Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra, John Yankee, music director, will present its third Musicale on Sunday, February 24, at 4 PM at the Falmouth campus of the Cape Cod Conservatory at 60 Highfield Drive.

The orchestra performs two full orchestra concerts a year, in the spring and the fall, and, about a year ago, added musicales to its program.  The purpose of the musicales, said Fritz Sonnichsen, president of the orchestra, is to give orchestra members and other community musicians, both amateur and professional, an opportunity to perform chamber music—music played in small ensembles—together.

“Chamber music originated as music played among friends, for the pleasure of making music,” said Sonnichsen, “and many of us enjoy getting together to play duets, trios, and quartets in our homes.  The musicales give us an opportunity to share this wonderful music with each other and with the community.”

“The Musicales impose less formality on our musicians than our orchestra concerts,” said Sonnichsen. “The pieces are relatively short, and a wide range of musical styles is offered.  The musicians introduce their pieces with a little background information, people learn a bit about the music, and they always have a good time.”

The Musicale will present a variety of instruments, ensembles, and styles of music.  Performers include the following:

Todd Beckham, harpsichordist and music director at St. Barnabas, will play Cento Partite by Girolamo Frescobaldi.  Frescobaldi (1583—1643) was a child prodigy and prominent organist. He is considered one of the most important keyboard music composers of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods; his music influenced such later composers as Johann Froberger, J. S. Bach, and Henry Purcell.

Pianist Debbe Carlisle will perform with selections from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita No. 2 in C minor:  Sinfonia, Allemande, and Capriccio.  The Partitas are a set of six harpsichord suites published as Clavier-Übung I (Keyboard Practice).  The Partitas are free-ranging in structure and considered to be the most technically demanding of Bach’s three keyboard suites.

For the first time, the Musicale will feature a vocalist.  Gabriela Rowland, a lyric soprano, will sing “Un bel dí vedremo” from the opera “Madama Butterfly” by Giacomo Puccini.  In this famous aria, Butterfly imagines the day when her husband’s ship will return, bringing him back to her.  Rowland studies voice with John Murelle . “I love to sing opera,” she said. “Un bel di” (“One beautiful day”) is challenging to sing, but very beautiful.”

Joyce Gindra will accompany Rowland on piano.

A woodwind quintet comprising Melanie Hayn, oboe; Henry Duckham, clarinet; Lorrie Hassan, flute; David Prentiss, bassoon; and Cynthia E. DeBellis, French horn, will play the first movement of Malcolm Arnold’s “Sea Shanties for Wind Quintet.”  Written in 1943, this is a lively and amusing work based on “Drunken Sailor.” The music grows increasingly raucous as the sailor becomes progressively more inebriated.

The woodwind quintet will also play an arrangement of Mozart’s “Overture to Magic Flute.”

Jordan Mora, the principal second violinist for the orchestra, will play the Andante movement from George Frideric Handel’s Sonata in g minor op.1 no. 10.  Todd Beckham will accompany her on harpsichord.

Laura Sonnichsen, vice-president and concertmaster for the orchestra, will play “Preghiera,” a solo violin piece by Fritz Kreisler, accompanied by her husband Fritz on the piano.  “Preghiera,” which means prayer, is an emotional, reverent piece.

With first violinist Carol Rizzoli, Ms. Sonnichsen will also play Telemann’s Canonic Sonata No. 2 and the Grave and Allegro movements from Scarlatti’s Sonata for Flute and Strings.

Violist Laura Craciun will perform a Gigue and Courante from Bach’s Suite for Solo Cello.

Admission is by donation.  The suggested donation is $15 for adults and $5 for children and students. For more information, visit www.falmouthchamberplayers.org or call Mr. Sonnichsen at 508-274-2632.

Calendar

What: Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra: Winter Musicale, chamber music performed by members and friends of the orchestra.

When: Sunday, February 24, 4 PM

Where: Cape Cod Conservatory, 60 Highfield Drive, Falmouth

Admission: By donation. Suggested donation: $15 for adults; $5 for children and students.

For More Information: www.falmouthchamberplayers.org or 508-274-2632.