Celebrating French Music Bistro Style
WANT TO HEAR some of the best French romantic music while sipping wine in a Paris bistro?
In this case, the ‘‘bistro’ will be at 56 Beaufain Street on Saturday, February 4, when Chamber Music Charleston presents its second installment of the Kuhn & Kuhn Law Firm Memminger Concert Series.
Come early to sip some French wine provided by Total Wine (by the glass), and to enjoy delicious bistro boxes by Whole Foods Market (pre-ordered). Seats will be available at tables in front of the stage and in the risers. But that’s not all. In true continental style, the evening will conclude with a reception provided by the Alliance Française de Charleston where you can taste delectable French food items, mingle with other guests, and meet the musicians.
(And don’t forget the special Kids Concert—“Ferdinand the Bull” for Wind Quintet—at 1:00 P.M. the same day. Learn more about that here.)
A Little About the Composers and Music
Emmanuel Chabrier’s 1870 L’Invitation au Voyage is based on a poem by Charles Baudelaire. The music features dream-like melodies (soprano and bassoon) against an ethereal, impressionistic backdrop (piano).
Maurice Ravel is regarded as one of the great French composers of all time and his frequently performed String Quartet in F is considered his first true masterpiece. In the early 1900s, however, he was considered a “bad boy” of French music—drinking and partying with a debauched group of artists called “Les Apaches” and composing music in a way that had not been heard before. When he showed the first movement of his String Quartet in F to a panel of judges at the Paris Conservatory, it was met with disapproval and he was expelled—for a third and final time.
At the first public performance of the complete quartet the audience showed great enthusiasm while the critics were harsh and deprecating. Fortunately, Ravel was not disheartened. He continued to compose in his original style, going on to create such acclaimed works as Bolero, Daphnis et Chloe, and Le Tombeau de Couperin.
Gabriel Faure’s Piano Quartet in c minor, written between 1876 and 1879, exudes French charm with shimmering piano accompaniment set against lush singing tones of the strings.
When & Where
February 4 • Memminger Auditorium
Pre-concert bistro opens at 6:30 • concert at 7:30
Tickets: $35 bistro table • $25 general seating • $5 students
Note: bistro boxes must be ordered in advance (contact Sandra at the 2 options below)
www.ChamberMusicCharleston.org
(843) 763-4941
