JUNE 29-JULY 17: THE DUO IN ASPEN

Arriving in New York from Greece on Sunday, and devoting a full day to the Chamber Music Society on Monday, David and Wu Han departed Tuesday for Aspen, Colorado, to begin their customary residency at Aspen Music Festival and School.  The duo looked forward to solo and chamber performances, master classes and to hearing many concerts by friends and colleagues.

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in David’s words…
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Although my own Aspen residency was to be interrupted by a final frantic week with the Emerson Quartet (see post “JULY 7:  Emerson Season Wrap-Up”), Wu Han settled in for the duration and busied herself immediately with her class of students, and rehearsals for her first concerts (without me).

Wu Han teaching Music@Menlo alumna Hilda Huang

As she did the previous summer, Wu Han brought to the festival works both new to her repertoire and which she was eager to perform: the delightful “Souvenirs” by Samuel Barber, and Gershwin’s “American in Paris”.  The Barber, which she performed with Rita Sloan, is for one piano, four hands, and the Gershwin, which she performed with Anton Nel, requires two pianos.  The Gershwin is actually the original version of the work, as it was the composer’s method to bring lay out his orchestral works in piano versions.  (Wu Han makes the rounds with these pieces over the summer: she had just performed the Barber with CMS at the Festival of the Bluegrass with Anne-Marie McDermott, and this week Wu Han heads to Music@Menlo where the Gershwin will be performed by her and Ken Noda on the festival’s program of music from Paris in the 1920’s, titled La Ville Lumiere, on August 7th).

Read the rest at David Finckel and Wu Han’s blog.