Chatter to perform 'Prokofiev + Lindberg and More' on Jan. 7

This Chatter Sunday stars the music of Sergei Prokofiev, minimalist composer John Adams’ son Samuel and the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg.

The musicians will open the Sunday, Jan. 7, concert with Prokofiev’s “Overture on Hebrew Themes.” The composer wrote the piece in the U.S. in 1919 scoring for the rare combination of clarinet, string quartet and piano.

“He was commissioned by a Russian Zionist ensemble,” said David Felberg, violinist and Chatter co-founder. “They gave Prokofiev a set of Jewish folk songs and he set these to the ensemble, putting his own stamp on it. It’s fragments of these folk songs.”

The melodies Prokofiev chose have never been traced to any authentic sources. Some sources suggest that clarinetist Simeon Bellison composed them himself in the Jewish style.

Samuel Carl Adams’ “Études” as played by pianist Conor Hanick come next on the program. Adams received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2019.

“Conor premiered his piano concerto with the San Francisco Symphony last year,” Felberg said.

The concert will end with Lindberg’s “Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano.”

Lindberg was the New York Philharmonic’s composer-in-residence from 2009 to 2012 and has been the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s composer-in-residence since the beginning of the 2014–15 season.

The musicians include Felberg and Emily Cole on violin; James Shields on clarinet; Ron Blessinger on viola; Laura Metcalf on cello and Hanick on piano.

Susy Crandall will provide a spoken word performance.

Chatter offers weekly Sunday morning concerts at 10:30 a.m. with readings and refreshments. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.; for best seats, come early.