Robert deMaine Classical Concerts in SoCal

Program: Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 42, Hob. III: 43; Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66; Johannes Brahms: String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36 Performers: Jin-Shan Dai (violin); Michelle Tseng (violin); Bing Wang (violin); Katherine Woo (violin); Ingrid Hutman (viola); Jenni Seo (viola); Robert deMaine (cello); Jason Lippmann (cello); Zachary Mowitz (cello); Jennie Jung (piano) Featuring restless arpeggios, furious tremolos, and a passage of warm, hymn-like chords, Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2 is a challenge for its performers and a delight for its listeners. Even the composer admitted it’s “a trifle nasty to play!” Two violins, two violas, and two cellos combine for the second half of the evening. Brahms’ dark but beautiful String Sextet No. 2 was written in the years following a failed relationship and captures love’s moments of sunshine and sorrow. The composer later confided to a friend, “Here I have freed myself from my last love.” Also on the program is a dark, tense, and refined work by Haydn, the “Father of the String Quartet.” Come early and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine before the performance, starting at 6:30pm.