Bridgehampton Chamber Music Gears Up for Fall Series of Concerts

Bridgehampton Chamber Music's Autumn Series Offers a Soothing Respite

As the busy summer season winds down, leading to quieter fall days and darker nights on the East End, flutist Marya Martin, founder and artistic director of Bridgehampton Chamber Music, is looking forward to what's next for her organization. That's BCM Autumn 2024, a lineup of three Saturday concerts to be performed in the coming months at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church that will usher in a calming and much-needed respite as we head into the final weeks of the year.

Bridgehampton Chamber Music's Autumn Series Promises a Harmonious Escape

Beethoven's Timeless Masterpieces Take Center Stage

The first BCM Autumn 2024 concert this weekend, "The Heart of Beethoven," will feature two of Beethoven's most renowned sonatas, "Moonlight" and "Pathétique," performed by acclaimed pianist Gilles Vonsattel. Audiences have come to know Vonsattel as a fixture at BCM's summer concerts, and his return to open the fall series is a highly anticipated event. Beethoven's piano sonatas are renowned for their emotional depth and technical complexity, and Martin believes these works will captivate the audience. "There's something about Beethoven's piano sonatas. He wrote 32 of them, and even Mozart, who was incredibly prolific, only wrote 18 sonatas," she explains. "Beethoven's sonatas are very intimate, very meaningful works, mainly because the piano was his instrument."The composer's hearing loss, which began in his mid-40s and ultimately led to his deafness, is reflected in the evolution of his sonatas. "While writing the 'Pathétique,' he still was hearing well. By the time of 'Moonlight,' he had started losing his hearing," Martin notes. "The piano sonatas kicked him to life. They enabled him to think his life was worth living. Instead of making him think of killing himself, the piano was his happy place."

Schumann and Ravel's Trios Explore the Depths of Human Emotion

The second concert of the series on November 16, "Schumann & Ravel," will feature piano trios performed by pianist Gloria Chien, violinist Soovin Kim, and cellist Paul Watkins. Schumann's trio, composed in 1847, is a major work that reflects the composer's own struggles with emotional stability. "Schumann had some tough times in his later period with emotional stability," Martin explains. "In 1850, he threw himself off a bridge and tried to commit suicide. He died in 1856. He was not a happy camper. This is a major piece and it was composed in the middle of a tough time, but it was during quite a happy link of a good time."The program also includes Ravel's piano trio in A minor, written in 1914. "It is very French, with a different sort of flavor, a different way of being," Martin says. "At the turn of the century, French composers were just finding their way. Ravel's story is that he was quite young, but Germany had invaded France and he was in the midst of writing this trio and worked like a crazy man to finish it in five weeks instead of five months and then he shipped off to war."

A Festive Baroque Celebration to Close the Series

The series will conclude on December 7 with "Baroque Bounty," a festive program in celebration of the approaching holiday season. Marya Martin will be joined by three young artists making their BCM debuts: flutist Brandon Patrick George, violinist Kevin Zhu, and cellist James Baik, as well as harpsichordist Michael Stephen Brown.Martin is particularly excited to perform alongside Brandon Patrick George, whom she taught at the Manhattan School of Music. "He was quite formed when he came to me and had already done his undergraduate work," Martin says. "I loved his playing and his energy. We had a similar way of approaching music. It was a very good partnership — he and I musically were very compatible."George, who is also a member of the Grammy Award-winning quintet Imani Winds, is looking forward to the collaboration. "Marya is a brilliant flute player, her level of playing and artistry is so far advanced and she wants that for her students and pushes them to play their absolute best," he says. "She wasn't trying to make me into any one kind of player, but was interested in finding out what I have to say and who I am as a player."The "Baroque Bounty" program will feature works by members of the Bach family, Telemann, and other Baroque composers, offering a festive and intimate musical experience to close out the BCM Autumn 2024 series.