Chopin and Schumann to be performed in Pasadena May 8

A Bicentennial Celebration: The Complete Works for Cello and Piano by Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann, played by the Belrose Duo, David Garrett (Los Angeles Philharmonic cellist) and Junko Ueno Garrett (Occidental College piano faculty).

Saturday, May 8, 2010, 4:00 P.M.
First United Methodist Church of Pasadena
500 East Colorado Blvd in Pasadena
Free admission (donations accepted)

On Saturday, May 8 at 4:00 P.M. the Music Guild of the First United Methodist Church of Pasadena presents its next concert, celebrating the bicentennials of Chopin and Schumann. Cellist David Garrett (Los Angeles Philharmonic member) and Junko Ueno Garrett (Occidental College faculty) will perform in FUMCP’s visually and acoustically beautiful sanctuary. The concert is open to the public free of charge. A free will donation will be collected.

Chopin’s compositions are almost exclusively for solo piano. The exceptions feature the cello and include two of the most virtuosic and beautiful of Chopin’s works, the early Introduction and Polonaise, Op. 3 and the Sonata, Op. 65, Chopin’s last large-scale work. Schumann’s works for cello all date from 1849, one of Schumann’s happiest and most fruitful periods.

The Five Pieces in Folkstyle, Op. 102 were originally conceived for cello. The Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 was written to feature the newly developed valve horn. Schumann also published the work for cello and piano; the melodic possibilities of the new horn parallel the lyric qualities of the cello.

Schumann’s Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73 were conceived for clarinet and, like the Adagio and Allegro, were also published for the cello.

The Belrose Duo, Cellist David Garrett and pianist Junko Ueno Garrett, are frequent performers in Los Angeles and members of FUMCP. Besides performing to acclaim the standards such as Chopin and Schumann, outreach and education are a high priority for the Garretts. Besides their teaching positions they often work in schools and camps with students. Also, the summer of 2009 marked their fourth tour of Japan for the U.S. State Department, performing works of U.S. composers to showcase American culture.

This concert is the penultimate presentation this season of the Music Guild of First United Methodist Church of Pasadena. The final concert of this season will be Saturday, June 5 at 4:00 P.M. when FUMCP presents a free concert of concertos by C.P.E. Bach, J.S. Bach, Ernst Bloch, and Alexander Glazunov. The final Sacred Music Series performance of this season will be Mendelssohn’s Elijah on May 22 at 4:00 P.M. Tickets to Elijah are $20 at the door.

For more information on these performances contact Junko Ueno Garrett, Music Guild Media Liaison at 818-951-0133 or junko@oxy.edu