Displaying items by tag: REVOLUTIONS

The nonprofit Guarneri Hall, a state-of-the-art, custom-built classical music venue in the heart of downtown Chicago at 11 E. Adams St., proudly announces Revolutions, a two-day music series exploring the intersections of political, social, technological, and musical change at two pivotal moments in world history. Two distinct programs take place on Wednesday, November 11 and Thursday November 12, 6:30 p.m., focusing on the French Revolution in 1796 and the Russian Revolution and post-World War I in 1918, respectively. Audiences will hear works by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Ravel, Stravinsky and Janáček, paired with lectures that provide socio-political context of the eras. Adding to the intimacy, each musical evening includes a post-concert reception where audience members and performers can interact over quality libations and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets can be purchased at guarnerihall.org, with general admission priced at $50 and student discounts available.

Revolutions 1 explores the music and politics of 1796, in the midst of the First Industrial Revolution and the aftermath of the French Revolution. The program includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor, K. 304; Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Piano Trio No. 35 in C major, Hoboken XV:21; Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Trio Op.1, No. 3. Performing artists are Chelsea Wang, piano; Nathan Meltzer, violin; and Alexander Hersh, cello. Violinist and violin expert Stefan Hersh will explain how changes in bow design led to changes in music that helped to usher in the heightened emotional range of the Romantic era that followed, and how post-revolutionary Paris was home to a revolution in the development of the bow.

Revolutions 2 zooms in on 1918, in the wake of World War I and the Russian Revolution. As monarchies dissolved and empires transformed, boundaries that had previously constrained composers gave way and new compositional freedoms burst forth, as evidenced in works by Ravel, Stravinsky and Janáček. Social scientist Andreas Glaeser will add perspective to what promises to be a three-way conversation between scholars, musicians and the Guarneri Hall audience. The program includes Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Duo; Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): L’Histoire du Soldat; and Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): Quartet No. 1, “The Kreutzer Sonata”. Performing artists are Chelsea Wang, piano; Nathan Meltzer and Eric Gratz, violin; Brian Hong, viola; Alexander Hersh, cello; and Katherine Jimoh, clarinet.

The Revolutions festival follows Guarneri Hall’s previous series on the connections between key historical events and the transformative power of music, seen in programs such as Sounds of the Cold War in 2024, and 1945 in 2025.

About Guarneri Hall

Guarneri Hall NFP delivers extraordinary chamber music experiences to a broad and diverse audience through a curated mix of live performances and original music videos. Located in a custom-built, 60-seat venue in the heart of downtown Chicago, Guarneri Hall is renowned for its exceptional acoustics, designed by Threshold Acoustics, and its uniquely intimate concert setting. Founded in 2018 by violinist and violin dealer Stefan Hersh of Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, Guarneri Hall is named after the famed Italian family of luthiers whose legacy rivals that of Stradivari. Learn more at guarnerihall.org.