For this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler presents a single, large-scale composition that he feels deserves serious attention: Marga Richter’s Variations and Interludes on Themes from Monteverdi and Bach.
This 1992 composition is essentially a triple concerto for cello, violin and piano soloist, plus orchestra, whose multple movements flow continuously from one to the next without interruption. “I first heard this piece a few years ago,” says Distler. “I was struck by the music’s accessibility, yet also by its musical substance, ingenuous scoring, and organic narrative flow. Sadly, I only recently learned that this wonderful composer passed away last year at the age of 93. I would have liked to have known her, because I’m a longtime fan of her music. Why don’t young pianists ever explore her Piano Sonata, or her superb Concerto for Piano and Strings?”
This performance of the Variations and Interludes features violinist Renata Knific, cellist Pamela Frame, pianist Robert Weinrich and the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Joel Suben.
Tune in for Between the Keys Episode No. 304 this Tuesday April 20th at 10 PM with a rebroadcast Wednesday April 21st at noon, exclusively on The Classical Network and WWFM.org.