PROGRAM AND PERSONNEL

FLEETING MELODIES

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21 AT 3PM | ST. JOHN’S CHURCH

Our chamber music series’ theme revolves around the exploration of diverse cultural legacies and the dialogue between tradition and innovation. We begin with Fleeting Melodies, a program that delves into the music of memory, weaving together Hungarian and Taiwanese folklore with contemporary expressions. The rhythmic urgency of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 3 sets the tone, while works by Shih Hui Chen and Wei-Chieh Lin draw from their Taiwanese roots to create vivid soundscapes. The journey through these cultural tapestries is deepened by the poignant legacy of László Weiner, whose life was tragically cut short during the Holocaust.

Béla Bartók (1881-1945) 
String Quartet No. 3 (1927) (16’)
I. Prima parte: Moderato
II. Seconda parte: Allegro
III. Ricapitulazione della prima parte: Moderato
IV. Coda: Allegro molto

Alex Fortes, violin
Zenas Hsu, violin
Sarah Darling, viola
Coleman Itzkoff, cello*

Shih Hui Chen (1962–)
Returning Souls: Four Short Pieces on Three Formosan Amis Legends (10’)

I. Introduction: Sun: The Glowing Maiden
II. Legend I: The Great Flood: The Descending Shaman
III. Legend II: Head Hunting: The Ascending Stars
IV. Legend III: The Glowing Maiden; Returning Souls


Zenas Hsu, violin
Alex Fortes, violin
Sarah Darling, viola
Coleman Itzkoff, cello*

INTERMISSION (15’)

László Weiner (1916-1944)
Duo for Violin and Viola (1939) (15’)

I. Moderato
II. Allegro vivace
III. Lento
IV. Allegro molto

Zenas Hsu, violin
Sarah Darling, viola

Wei-Chieh Lin (1982–)
Pasibutbut (2013) (6’)

Alex Fortes, violin
Zenas Hsu, violin
Sarah Darling, viola
Coleman Itzkoff, cello*

*Guest Crier

A Far Cry’s St. John’s Church Chamber Music Series is proudly supported by grants from The Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative and Massachusetts Cultural Council.