A world of contrasting musical landscapes awaits within a soaring Gothic sanctuary. Arvo Pärt’s iconic Spiegel im Spiegel sets a meditative, reflective tone of timeless zen-like serenity. Reflecting on the passing of his mentor Tchaikovsky, Anton Arensky’s quartet for two cellos, violin, and viola pairs cosmopolitan sophistication with richly resonant motifs from the Russian Orthodox mass, creating a soulful elegy that ends with a sentimental flourish. Written at a time when his French countrymen thought of chamber music as something Germanic, Saint-Saëns’s Piano Quintet makes the case with its youthful spirit, dramatic interludes, and energetic verve.
6:30PM PRELUDE TALK
with James Wilding (The University of Akron)
Arvo Pärt
Spiegel im Spiegel
Anton Arensky
String Quartet No. 2
Camille Saint-Saëns
Piano Quintet in A minor
