This summer, musicians are coming from the LA Philharmonic, the Cincinnati, North Carolina, Indianapolis, Omaha and Portland symphonies; the New York City Opera and Ballet; the Orpheus and St. Luke’s Chamber orchestras; The Boston Chamber Music Society; Apollo’s Fire; UCLA, and the University of Iowa.

Program I. July 15. Beethoven Fest

In collaboration with the Portland Orchestra’s approaching 90th anniversary and three-year cycle of all nine Beethoven symphonies, the Festival is also starting a Beethoven cycle — all nine piano trios in three years. The season opener, Beethoven Fest, begins with an early piano trio of Beethoven, and ends with his ever popular Septet, performed by principal players from the Portland Symphony. In the middle is a trio for clarinet, horn and piano by Carl Reinecke, well-known in the heyday of the German romantic era, as a concert artist, teacher and composer.

Program II. July 22. Fun and Fancies

Fun and Fancies offers works that are graceful, playful, dreamy, lively, delightful. The program begins with Gordon Jacob’s Four Fancies for flute and strings. Jacobs, a prolific 20th-century English composer whose works range from symphonies to film scores, offers, here, a simple, charming piece. Next are two short works by Camille Saint-Saëns — his graceful Romance for flute and piano, Op.37, and, with the addition of a clarinet, his lively Tarantelle. Popular SLL artist, Susan Rotholz, will be the featured flutist. Closing the first half is the second Beethoven trio in the cycle, the Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 11, a relaxed, carefree work. The program ends with Herbert Howells’ Piano Quartet in A Minor, Op. 21, a work inspired by a hill, deep in the English countryside. Thus this concert begins and ends with a bucolic comfortable English sensibility.

Program III. July 29. The Demon

From Dreaming sensuousness to disturbing violence to cheerful optimism, this program is truly a study of contrasts. Voyage, for flute and strings, by distinguished contemporary American composer John Corigliano, portrays a view of a sensual, pleasurable heaven, inspired by Baudelaire’s L’Invitation au Voyage. The Demon by Hindemith is a rarely performed set of 14 exciting, rhythmic dances, scored for 10 instruments. Originally conceived as a dance/pantomime in 1922, it is based on a rather gruesome story by Max Krell from the German expressionist school. Popular SLL performers will be joined by Joseph Foley, the new principal trumpet of the PSO. The concert brings us back to cheerfulness with Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81. While this is a work of abrupt contrasts in mood and tempo, the listener is assured that all is well.

Program IV. August 5. Classics

This program presents a sampling of the greatest classical chamber music. The works of two geniuses and a towering giant represent three standard chamber groupings – the string quartet, piano quartet, and piano trio. Leading off is Mozart’s String Quartet in D Major K.499, an amazingly sunny work, considering that it was written at a time of financial stress for the composer. Next is Mendelssohn’s Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 1, an astonishing accomplishment by a 13-year-old genius, who, having fully studied Mozart and Beethoven, was now finding his own voice. The Program ends with the last Beethoven piano trio for this season, the Trio in E -Flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2, a mature work, full of varying moods. Familiar audience favorites, Varty Manouelian, Movses Pogossian, Phil Palermo, Bonnie Thron, Laurie Kennedy and Mihae Lee, will perform this music which exemplifies the heart of chamber music.

Program V. August 12. Circus

The final Festival concert is a varied program, full of surprises. Mozart’s familiar Quartet in F Major, K 307 opens the program with a virtuoso oboist walking the tightrope. Next, Three Street Pieces for Clarinet and Double Bass (think buskers), by the young American composer, Phil Salathé will be interspersed with two pieces from Morton Gould’s Benny’s Gig, composed for swing-band great, Benny Goodman. Then comes the circus music, the Quintet Op. 39 by Sergei Prokofiev, originally written as a ballet depicting the life of traveling circus performers. The evening closes with the highly-charged String Sextet in D Major, Op.10, composed by 17-year-old musical genius, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, later famous for his swashbuckling Hollywood film scores. Among the magic-makers on this program are clarinetist Alan Kay, oboist Stephen Taylor, and violist Maureen Gallagher, all from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. This concert could be considered the musical equivalent of the Cirque du Soleil – a wonderful finish to the season.

Tickets for the concerts are $100 for the series of five concerts, and $25 for individual concerts. Tickets for anyone 21 and under are FREE.

For more information, visit www.sebagomusicfestival.org or call 207-583-6747.

SLLMF Community Concerts 2014

Creating Stories in Music, featuring Lighthouse Keeper, the Story of Abbie Burgess, a musical story by Delvyn Case, will be presented in collaboration with the LOOK (Learning Opportunities for Our Kids) program, at Oxford Hills High School in South Paris, at 1 p.m. Thursday July 24. Tickets at the door: $4 adults, $2 children, FREE to LOOK participants.

Discover the Joys of Classical Music, an hour-long fun and informative concert in an intimate setting for listeners of all ages, will be performed at St. Peter’s Church in Bridgton at 7 p.m. Sunday July 27. Free/donations accepted.

Classics (Program IV) will be performed at the United Methodist Church, Chebeague Island, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3. Free concert.

NEW!!! Music for Families and listeners ages 6-96, an hour-long program of introductions and samplings from Circus (Program V), will be presented at Deertrees Theatre in Harrison on Sunday, August 10, 2:30 p.m. Adults $5, children free. Backstage reception following program.

For more information, program notes, artists bios, tickets, visit our website: www.sebagomusicfestival.org

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