Salon No. 16: Season Finale

On April 2, Salon Aux Chandelles arrives at Carnegie Hall with a program that moves boldly across centuries, styles, and emotional landscapes. From Rachmaninoff's impetuous "Spring Waters" and Offenbach’s dazzling “La Chanson d’Olympia” to the rarely heard brilliance of Rebecca Clarke’s Duo Concertante, the evening unfolds as a celebration of virtuosity and imagination—spotlighting the iconic masters and distinctive contemporary voices.

The first half traverses Russian romance, French opera, early 20th-century chamber music, new Nordic sound worlds, Gershwin refracted through Earl Wild’s pianistic fire, and the depth of Rachmaninoff, culminating in Vitali’s legendary Chaconne in a powerful duo setting. After intermission, the scale expands with Bizet-Waxman’s electrifying Carmen Fantasie and Schnittke’s gripping avant-garde Chamber Symphony, before closing with Bernstein’s kinetic “America,” a fitting nod to theatrical brilliance on an American stage.

Featuring distinguished soloists Vartan Mailiantz and Alexandra Andreeva alongside chamber orchestra under the baton of Julius Akira Mauldin, this evening reflects the signature spirit of Salon Aux Chandelles: fearless repertoire, artistic excellence, and programming that bridges tradition and modernity in one unforgettable night at Carnegie Hall.

Program

1. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) – Spring Waters Op. 14 (1896)
   Performers:
   Anna Aistova, soprano
   Ilya Ramlav

2. Rebecca Clarke (1885-1979) – Duo Concertante for violin and viola, with piano (1940)
   Performers:
   Vartan Mailiantz, violin
   Alexandra Andreeva, viola
   Emma Taggart, piano

3. Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) – "La Chanson d’Olympia" from the opera The Tales of Hoffmann (1881)
   Performers:
   Anna Aistova, soprano
   Christina Lee, piano

4. Amanda Drew (1996) – Dronning Annabell (2025’)
   Performers:
   Freja Højland Høj, soprano
   Katelyn Kim-Mulgrew, Cello
   Nathaniel Grohmann, Bass

5. George Gershwin (1898-1937)/Earl Wild (1915-2010) – Etude "The Man I love" (1924)
   Performer:
   Ilya Ramlav, piano

6. Sergei Rachmaninoff – Musical Moment op.16 No. 3 in B minor (1896)
   Performer:
   Ilya Ramlav, piano

7. Sergei Rachmaninoff – Musical Moment op.16 No. 4 in E minor (1896)
   Performer:
   Ilya Ramlav, piano

8. Tomaso Vitali (1663-1745)/Yuri Tkanov – Chaconne for violin & viola duo
   Performers:
   Vartan Mailiantz, violin
   Alexandra Andreeva, viola

INTERMISSION

1. George Bizet (1838-1875)/Franz Waxman (1906-1967) – “Carmen Fantasie for violin and chamber orchestra
   Performers:
   Vartan Mailiantz, violin
   West Chamber Players, chamber orchestra
   Julius Akira Mauldin, Conductor

2. Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)/Yuri Tkanov – Chamber Symphony for violin and chamber orchestra
   Performers:
   Alexandra Andreeva, viola
   Westside Chamber Players, chamber orchestra
   Julius Akira Mauldin, Conductor

3. Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) – “America” from West Side Story
   Performers:
   Westside Chamber Players, chamber orchestra
   Julius Akira Mauldin, Conductor