JUNE 24, 2020 @ 7:00 PM

The Knights
Colin Jacobsen, violin soloist

Colin Jacobsen, (b. 1978), Kreutzings, (New York Premiere) —

Ludwig van Beethoven, (1770-1827), Kreutzer Concerto, (Violin Sonata No.9, Op.47, 1803), Colin Jacobsen, violin soloist –
[arrangement: Colin Jacobsen] —

1. Adagio sostenuto – Presto

2. Andante con variazioni

3. Finale. Presto

INTERMISSION

Leoš Janáček, (1854-1928), Kreutzer Sonata, (1923), [original concept & arrangement: Eric Jacobsen, orchestration: Michael P. Atkinson] —

1. Adagio – Con moto

2. Con moto

3. Con moto – Vivo – Andante

4. Con moto – (Adagio) – Più mosso

Johannes Brahms, (1833-97), Hungarian Dances, (1879), [arranged: Paul Brantley] —

1. No. 1 in G minor

2. No. 19 B minor

3. No. 5 F-sharp minor

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PROGRAM NOTES

What exactly is it? I don’t understand. What is music? What does it do? And why does it do what it does?”
(Leo Tolstoy, responding to Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata)

What is it about Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata that has made this work so endlessly influential and inspiring? Written at the beginning of the 19th century, the massive violin sonata inspired a novella by Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy about jealousy, obsession, lust and insanity. The novella in turn inspired Czech composer Leoš Janáček to write his romantic and manic tone-poem of a string quartet.

Through our Kreutzer Project, we explore the obsessive, emotional and intellectual worlds probed by both Beethoven and Janáček. New arrangements by members of The Knights reimagine these masterpieces for chamber orchestra and bring the groundbreaking identity of these works into the 21st century. The full title of Beethoven’s sonata includes an inscription “…quasi come d’un concerto” – “…like a concerto.” This gave us the inspiration to go further in that direction, in a new arrangement by Colin Jacobsen of the piece for solo violin and orchestra that fleshes out the concerto-like qualities of this piece, while retaining the intimate interplay between parts characteristic of chamber music. Janáček’s String Quartet No. 1, entitled “Kreutzer Sonata,” has also been expanded to a chamber orchestra version by Michael Atkinson and Eric Jacobsen. While the original string quartet is rich in color and texture already, the new arrangement allows listeners the opportunity to experience Janacek’s vivid fantasy world in the expanded color palette of winds, brass and percussion, in addition to the original string writing.

The Kreutzer Project is one way The Knights are honoring Beethoven’s enduring legacy on the occasion of his 250th birth year, and it was developed in partnership with The Knights’ Innovation Fund, a new initiative that facilitates, leverages, and extends the artistic endeavors of the group. Thanks for being here and supporting the very living tradition in which Beethoven so brightly lit the way.

The Knights

THE KNIGHTS

THE KNIGHTS are a Grammy-nominated collection of adventurous musicians, dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audiences and music. Having performed and recorded with such renowned soloists as Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck, and Gil Shaham, and appeared in venues including Vienna’s Musikverein and New York’s Carnegie Hall, recent highlights include a thrilling performance as part of the opening season of the new Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and an appearance as the first American orchestra-in- residence at the Festival du Paques in Aix-en-Provence, performing multiple concerts throughout the city, including programs with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and violinist Renaud Capucon. The Knights recently presented a fully-staged version of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide in honor of his 100th birthday at both the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Ravinia Festival, and premiered The Head and the Load with international artist William Kentridge at London’s Tate Modern and New York’s Park Avenue Armory. The Knights evolved out of friendly late- night chamber music sessions at the home of violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen. Since the orchestra’s incorporation in 2007, the brothers have served as its artistic directors.

Conductor and cellist Eric Jacobsen has built a reputation for engaging audiences with innovative and collaborative projects. As conductor of The Knights, Jacobsen has led the “consistently inventive, infectiously engaged indie ensemble” (New York Times) at New York venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Central Park, and at such renowned international halls as the Vienna Musikverein, Cologne Philharmonie, and Hamburg Elbphilharmonie. Now in his fourth season as Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic, Jacobsen is also much in demand as a guest-conductor, and has recently led the Camerata Bern, Detroit Symphony, Alabama Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Philharmonie Merck, and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble.

Violinist and composer Colin Jacobsen is “one of the most interesting figures on the classical music scene” (The Washington Post). An eclectic composer who draws on a range of influences, he was named one of the top 100 composers under 40 by NPR listeners. He is also active as an Avery Fisher Career Grant-winning soloist and a touring member of Yo-Yo Ma’s famed Silk Road Ensemble. For his work as a founding member of two game-changing, audience-expanding ensembles – the string quartet Brooklyn Rider and orchestra The Knights – Jacobsen was selected from among the nation’s top visual, performing, media, and literary artists to receive a prestigious and substantial United States Artists Fellowsh

The Knights – Photo Credit – Shervin Lainez