Program II:
Rites and Delights
Saturday, August 15 | 7:00 PM
Stevens Square Theater | Portland
From the luminous to the electrifying, this kaleidoscopic concert runs the gamut of musical experience. Caroline Shaw's radiant songs, reimagined for string quartet and saxophone, shimmer with otherworldly beauty. Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring bursts into startling new relief in a virtuoso four-hands piano arrangement. The richly woven Sextet by Ernst Dohnányi caps off an exhilarating evening with high romanticism and bold drama.
PROGRAM
Caroline Shaw “And So” and “Other Song”
Igor Stravinsky The Rite of Spring for Piano Four Hands
Ernst Dohnányi Sextet in C Major, Op. 37
Programs and artists subject to change
TICKETS
Early Bird Sale Alert! Purchase your Summer Season Pass in the month of May and save 25% off single tickets. It’s like getting one concert free!
Summer Season Pass holders receive tickets to all four concerts at Stevens Square Theater at a reduced ticket price, plus free exchange privileges.
Single tickets on sale June 1.
VENUE
Stevens Square Theater
Stevens Square Community Center
631 Stevens Ave, Portland ME
PARKING
Free parking on site, click for details.
RUN TIME
Just under two hours including intermission
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Meet The Composers
Caroline Shaw
b. 1982
Caroline Shaw is an American composer, violinist, and singer known for combining classical music with contemporary, experimental, and vocal traditions. She was born on August 1, 1982, in Greenville and grew up in Raleigh.
Shaw studied violin from a young age and later attended Rice University and Princeton University. In 2013, at age 30, she became one of the youngest recipients of the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her vocal work Partita for 8 Voices, written for the vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. Her music often blends classical forms with modern sounds, spoken text, and influences from folk, pop, and electronic music. Shaw has also performed and collaborated with artists and groups such as New York Philharmonic and Kanye West.
In addition to composing, she is an active performer and producer. Caroline Shaw is widely recognized as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary classical music.
Ernst Dohnányi
1877-1960
Ernst von Dohnányi was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and conductor known for his virtuosic piano playing and richly Romantic musical style. Dohnányi studied at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music in Budapest, where he was influenced by composers such as Johannes Brahms. Brahms admired Dohnányi’s early compositions and helped promote his career. Dohnányi soon gained international fame as a concert pianist and conductor.
His music combined Romantic warmth with strong classical structure. Among his best-known works are Variations on a Nursery Tune, Ruralia Hungarica, and his chamber music compositions. In addition to composing and performing, Dohnányi played an important role in Hungarian musical life as a teacher and director. He supported younger Hungarian composers, including Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály.
After World War II, Dohnányi emigrated to the United States and taught at Florida State University.
Igor Stravinsky
1882-1971
Igor Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer, pianist, and conductor widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was born on June 17, 1882, in Oranienbaum, near Saint Petersburg.
Stravinsky studied music under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and first gained international fame through collaborations with the Ballets Russes. His early ballets — The Firebird, Petrushka, and especially The Rite of Spring — revolutionized music with bold rhythms, dissonance, and innovative orchestration. The 1913 premiere of The Rite of Spring in Paris famously caused a scandal because of its radical music and choreography.
Throughout his career, Stravinsky explored many styles, including Russian folk-inspired music, neoclassicism, and serialism. Important later works include Pulcinella and Symphony of Psalms.