School of Fine & Performing Arts

Musical Friends: Celebrating 15 Years of Creative Collaboration

NEW PALTZ — On Tuesday, September 12, SUNY New Paltz will host a performance by Music Department Faculty members Emily Faxon, violin; Ruthanne Schempf, piano; and Sylvia Buccelli, piano. The concert begins at 8pm in the Nadia and Max Shepard Recital Hall, located in College Hall on the SUNY New Paltz campus.

Faxon, Schempf, and Buccelli have performed together in various combinations since 1984 and have prepared a program including works by Schubert and Brahms for this special concert titled “Musical Friends”. Tickets will be available at the door of the Nadia and Max Shepard Recital Hall for $5 general, $4 seniors and SUNY staff, and $3 for students. The box office opens one hour prior to the show.

There has been considerable disagreement regarding Schubert’s Sonata for piano four-hands in C, “Grand Duo” Op.140, D812. The character of the piano writing and the breadth of the work so strongly suggested to 19th century musicians that this was in fact the piano reduction of a planned symphony that several different orchestrations were attempted in order to realize it as a Schubert symphony.

The Sonata for Violin and Piano No.3 in d minor, Op.108 is quite different in style than either of Brahms’ two previous works in this genre. Unlike the lyrical and gentle melodies they offer, this is a virtuosic showpiece for both violinist and pianist, full of drama and passion. Structurally, the Sonata in d minor differs from others; it is in four separate movements. Like the Second Violin Sonata, however it is in the more succinct and concentrated style typical of Brahms’ later compositions. It is the most popular of the three sonatas for violin.

For more information on Music Events at SUNY New Paltz call the Music Department at 845/257-2700, or for a list of all upcoming Arts Events call 845/257-3872 or visit the School of Fine & Performing Arts website at http://hawk.newpaltz.edu/artsnews/

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SUNY New Paltz is a university of nearly 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students located in the Mid-Hudson Valley halfway between New York City and Albany. SUNY New Paltz is committed to providing high quality, affordable education to students from all social and economic backgrounds. For more information about the university, visit its web site at www.newpaltz.edu.