Cozy up with Newport Classical's Chamber Series concerts

Autumn colors and cooler weather are here, and at Newport Classical we are welcoming the fall season with our Chamber Series concerts, held in the intimate and cozy setting of our home venue, Newport Classical Recital Hall on Dearborn Street. Chamber Series performances feature some of today’s most sought-after classical musicians from across the country and are held monthly on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. from September through June.

Up next on Nov. 3, we will welcome the internationally acclaimed violinist William Hagen and renowned pianist Orion Weiss to Newport for an evening of truly virtuosic chamber music. William’s performances have been described as “captivating” by The Dallas Morning News and Orion has been praised for his “powerful technique and exceptional insight” by The Washington Post. The third-prize winner of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition, William is an established orchestral soloist, performing with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Christian Arming, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Michel Tabachnik and Hugh Wolff. Known for his affinity for chamber music, Orion has also performed in recent seasons with the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic. He is the recipient of the Gilmore Young Artist Award and an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

The concert on Nov. 3 will be the first time William and Orion perform together in Newport. Their program will be bookended with the music of Dvořák and his mentor, Brahms. Written and published in 1887, Dvořák’s Four Romantic Pieces, Op. 75 combines the composer’s charming lyricism with the passion and expressiveness of the Late Romantic period. Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2 is one of the most demanding pieces in the repertoire – a work of drama and power, and a favorite among musicians and audiences alike. William and Orion’s concert will also include Clara Schumann’s Three Romances, Op. 22, which is among the last pieces she wrote and dedicated to her close friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim, who she performed the piece with on countless occasions. Also written for Joseph Joachim, Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108 was composed in 1888 and was his last contribution to violin and piano duo literature – grand in scale, technically demanding, and incredibly dramatic. The piece was quickly accepted as a masterpiece.

As part of Newport Classical’s desire to create connections between classical music, the artists who perform it, and the Newport community, William Hagen will also visit Head Start at the EBCAP center, to perform for and speak with students, through Newport Classical’s Music Education and Engagement Initiative. We look forward to sharing his talent and insights with the community.

Looking ahead, Newport Classical will present two holiday programs in December – Messiah at the Mansion featuring The Choir School of Newport County and Ensemble Altera in two performances on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Rosecliff, and Classical Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. at Emmanuel Church, which brings together talented musicians from the community. Tickets just went on sale for both dates, and we anticipate that these popular concerts will sell out quickly!

We caught up with William Hagen in advance of his concert on Nov. 3 to ask what he’s most looking forward to when he comes to Newport next month.

Newport Classical: Which piece on this program are you the most excited to perform and why?

William Hagen: I really am equally excited for the entire program. Each piece is an outstanding artistic achievement, something that has stood the test of time again and again and will continue to do so for years and decades to come. The Clara Schumann piece is the least known, and really for no good reason. It is incredibly beautiful music, and a masterclass on composition. Every note is overflowing with possibility, opportunities for invention, improvisation, communication. For an interpreter, it is endlessly interesting and fulfilling, and for listeners, it is moving and delightful. The exact same can be said for the rest of the program!

Newport Classical: How long have you collaborated with Orion Weiss and how do you two curate programs for recitals? William Hagen: I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Orion for several years now. Orion is a brilliant pianist, a beautiful musician, and one of the nicest people I know. So, to say that it's enjoyable to play concerts with him is a real understatement. To create a program for a recital, we often start with a particular piece that one or both of us have been wanting to play, and then select pieces to round out the program. Every program we play ends up being a set of pieces that we are thrilled to be preparing and performing together.

Newport Classical: During your time in Newport, you will also present an in-school performance workshop at EBCAP’s Head Start. What is your approach to engaging children this young in a way that truly makes an educational impact?

William Hagen: I remember that when I was young, I really loved educational experiences where I was treated as an active participant and not patronized or talked down to, so my number one strategy in engaging children is to treat them with respect and try to make them feel that they are contributing to the experience.

Newport Classical: Is there anything you are looking forward to doing in Newport?

William Hagen: I don't know Newport at all, so I am arriving without any real expectation or plan, and am just looking to meet new people and experience a new place! I'm always excited to eat, so suggestions are welcome and encouraged!

Tickets for Newport Classical Chamber Series concerts can be purchased online at www.newportclassical.org/concerts.

Trevor Neal is Newport Classical's director of artistic planning and engagement. Newport Classical's column appears monthly in The Newport Daily News and on newportri.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Newport Classical Chamber Series concerts features William Hagen