Pacific Serenades concerts April 30-May 3

Mozart once wrote, “Music…should never be painful to the ear but should flatter and charm it...” So perhaps it is no coincidence that Mozart’s Piano Trio in B flat major, K. 502 will be performed along with the World Premiere of composer Eric Charnofsky’s piano quintet, 5 X 5, when Pacific Serenades presents “25/101” on Saturday, April 30 at 4 p.m. at a private home in Los Angeles, Sunday, May 1 at 4 p.m. at Neighborhood Church in Pasadena, and Tuesday, May 3 at 8 p.m. at the UCLA Faculty Center in Westwood. Charnofsky, Department Head of Music Literature at the Cleveland Institute of Music and an active member of the Cleveland Composers Guild, writes with much the same goal in mind as his illustrious predecessor. “I wanted to take a very traditional ensemble, the piano quintet, with a long history of repertoire and write something refreshing and new that was musically enriching for listeners,” says Charnofsky. A pianist as well as a composer, Charnofsky has performed with members of the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony, among others. “The work has a lot of character and is meant to be fun,” Charnofsky continues. “My goal was to create a work with great contrast, approachability, and interesting construction. The 4th movement, ‘Meditation,’ is based on a film score I had composed for the same instrumentation over 20 years ago while the other movements are entirely original material for this piece.” 5 X5 marks Pacific Serenades’ 101st World Premiere, and Charnofsky credits the ensemble with providing much of the fuel for his creative journey. “My main inspirations were knowing who the outstanding performers are to be and the legacy of Pacific Serenades,” Charnofsky reveals. Musicians joining Charnofsky in taking part in “25/101” are Roger Wilkie, violin; Miwako Watanabe, violin; David Walther, viola; David Speltz, cello; and Edith Orloff, piano. “Our artists, including principals of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, and the Long Beach Symphony, are among the finest anywhere,” says founder and Artistic Director Mark Carlson. “And you will be hard pressed to find a friendlier bunch of musicians and fellow music lovers.” Music lovers attending “25/101” will also hear the Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1 by Ernö Dohnanyi. “This season we celebrate 25 years of presenting chamber music as a living art,” Carlson explains. “From the beginning, our commitment to commissioning new works not only of our own time but from our own community has never wavered. New works like 5 X 5 become the centerpiece of a program that includes treasured masterpieces of the past – in this case, the Piano Trio by Mozart and Piano Quintet by Dohnanyi.” Tickets for “25/101” are available online, at www.pacser.org, or by calling 213.534.3434. Tickets for Private Home concerts and the post concert reception are $55/person; for the Neighborhood Church and UCLA Faculty Center, $32/person. (Neighborhood Church and UCLA Faculty Center tickets are also interchangeable.) Full time students with valid identification can purchase tickets – at the door only – at the Neighborhood Church or UCLA Faculty Center for $5. The Neighborhood Church is located at 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena. The UCLA Faculty Center is located at 405 N. Hilgard Ave. on the UCLA campus in Westwood. Parking is available for $10 in Lot 2. In addition, prior to each concert, dinner at the UCLA Faculty Center is available for Pacific Serenades patrons. Reservations can be made by calling 310.825.0877. Directions and additional information about private home concerts are mailed to ticket holders upon receipt of their order. The mission of Pacific Serenades is to generate new chamber music by commissioning works and presenting them alongside standard repertoire in intimate concert settings, emphasizing Southern California musicians. For more information about Pacific Serenades, its upcoming season, musicians and composers, visit www.pacser.org or call 213.534.3434. Subscriptions for the upcoming 2011 season are currently available.