Cari Shipp, flute, and Jeremy Thompson, piano, explore the colorful sonatas for flute and piano through the centuries.
Cari Shipp, flute | Jeremy Thompson, piano
ABOUT THE CONCERT:
Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach - Sonata in B minor (1736)
Carl Reinecke - Sonata Undine (1882)
Henri Dutilleux - Sonatine (1943)
Otar Taktakishvili - Sonata in C Major (1966)
The flute (and accordingly, flutists) loves the spotlight, but the reality is that the flute is far more compelling when it doesn't work alone. Every flutist needs an excellent collaborator, preferably one who is an excellent piano player, and one who appreciates and matches their energy. This is certainly the case with flutist Cari Shipp and pianist Jeremy Thompson (bios below). The word sonata literally means "to play" as opposed to the word cantata, "to sing." Thus, sonatas are the essence of solo repertoire. Far from a solo with accompaniment, sonatas are artfully crafted dances between the piano and the other instrument. Often considered chamber music for good reason, a great deal of communication and conversation goes into the preparation and performance of these works.
The Bach Sonata is considered one of the masterworks of the entire repertoire. The captivating, contemplative, mournful opening movement is the best kind of pain. It is followed by a delicate, singing movement and concluded by a complicated Presto just to make up for all that emotion.
The Reinecke Sonata Undine is based on the original German myth of The Little Mermaid. This piece beautifully depicts Undine's underwater world and her plight to gain a soul. While the Disney version has its own hardships for the mermaid to overcome, the original version is quite a bit darker - but is the music Carl Reinecke imagined? You'll have to decide for yourself.
Henri Duttilleux's Sonatine is like a sparkling French dream, but rather than the dazzling, golden halls of Versailles you're immersed in the reflection of the stars in the Seine but stylized, not quite real, like the paintings of Van Gogh. A mystifying but gorgeous journey through tone colors and styles, this piece is definitely super easy and did not take any time to prepare whatsoever* (*this is a joke).
The Georgian (country, not state) composer Otar Taktakishvili's Sonata reflects the influence of Mozart and Shostakovich; an unlikely marriage masterfully done. Flutists are flattered that this piece is his most well-known, though his canon is vast and varied. The full range of the flute is employed to dazzle and delight, joined with piano at times delicate and other times a thunderous giant.
At the concert, you will receive detailed program notes meant to be read as the pieces progress. Think of it as wine descriptions - what am I hearing? Why is it there? What story does it tell? Of course you're free to ignore these, but for those who need multiple senses to be stimulated at onces we're happy to oblige.
ABOUT THE MUSICIANS:
Cari Shipp, who grew up in the mountains of the Southwest, knew she would be a flutist after her first year of study. A trip to the rustic woods of northern Michigan in her eleventh summer sealed her fate in this matter. She would spend three summers in those woods at Interlochen Arts Camp and then graduate from the Interlochen Arts Academy before pursuing two degrees in flute performance; her bachelors of music from the University of North Texas, and her masters of music from The Peabody Conservatory.
Cari moved to Virginia in 2010 and began playing with groups such as the Opera on the James Orchestra, the Virginia Consort, and the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra as well as three years serving as principal flutist with the Hunt Valley Symphony Orchestra in Maryland. She has also been the featured soloist at venues throughout Maryland, Washington DC, and Central Virginia.
In 2016 she founded a benefit concert series which she named SONOSYNTHESIS meaning ‘the fusion of sound’. In this series she combines her urgent desire to join alongside those working to better the community with her passion for performing classical music. She has since given six benefit concerts for a variety of local organizations joined by pianists Jeremy Thompson and Julie Bernstein as well as vocalists, guitarists, and other musicians. SONOSYNTHESIS concerts are marked by the combination of classical performance with creative touches to connect with audience members well versed in classical music as well as those new to the repertoire.
When she isn’t teaching private lessons or preparing for an upcoming performance she can be found hiking along the Blue Ridge, reading in a cozy nook, or traveling with her husband and their dog (their cat prefers to stay at home). Learn more at www.carishipp.com.
Jeremy Thompson was born in Dipper Harbour, a small fishing village in New Brunswick, Canada. He furthered his studies at McGill University in Montreal, studying piano with Marina Mdivani who was herself a student of Emil Gilels.
He began his organ studies while he was in Montreal, among the many incredible instruments of that city. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to continue his studies with Dr. John Grew. In 2005, he earned a Doctorate of Music in piano performance from McGill, where he held two of Canada’s most prestigious doctoral fellowships.
He has appeared frequently with orchestras including the Saint Petersburg State Academic Orchestra, the Saratov Philharmonic Orchestra, the Georgian National Orchestra, the Charlottesville Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony and the McGill Symphony Orchestra. He has performed extensively throughout North America in both solo and chamber music settings, and has also completed three tours to the former Soviet Union.
Thompson enjoys performing music from all eras, yet specializes in highly virtuosic repertoire. He has focused recently on several recording projects, including a 2 CD set of the organ music of Karl Höller on the Raven CD label. He recently released a recording of the piano music of Vasily Kalafati on the Toccata Classics label. Previous recordings include an album of the piano music of Scriabin on the MSRCD label, and a recording of contemporary piano music from Quebec on the McGill label. Learn more at www.jeremythompsonmusic.com.
ABOUT IMPACT C'VILLE:
IMPACT’s mission is to empower the faith community of greater Charlottesville to create significant social change through unified direct action.
IMPACT is not a direct service organization. We do not provide individuals with direct charitable services such as food or shelter. Rather, IMPACT is a direct action organization. We focus on addressing the root causes and the systemic reasons that people need charity. We empower local leaders to identify community problems, develop solutions, and negotiate publicly with the decision-makers who can implement these solutions.
Although our membership is drawn from faith-based institutions, our mission is not to push religious doctrine; IMPACT is a vehicle for people of faith to act on their call to do justice. Faith is our motivation, not our mission. Our faith calls us to discover and address problems in our community.
In its short existence IMPACT has won victories on an array of community issues including transportation, housing, dental and mental health care, education, and interpretive services. These are all large-scale changes to the community that actually change the lives of individuals on a micro-level.
Cari has given two previous benefit concerts for IMPACT and is honored to be doing so again! Learn more at impactcville.com
TICKETS BY DONATION.
You are welcome to come without making a donation, and any amount is appreciated! The suggested donation per person is $25. Donations can also be made at the door.