First Monday at Jordan Hall

NEC faculty have always enjoyed playing chamber music together, but it was cellist Laurence Lesser—at the time Conservatory President— who transformed these occasional musical evenings into a stellar, regularly occurring series. Twenty-seven years later, chamber music buffs eagerly anticipate the six free concerts held on the first Mondays of October, November, December, March, April, and May. They know they can count on fascinating repertory that ranges from Bach and Brahms to Bartók and beyond. They know they can hear the concerts in one of the great halls of the world. And they know they can expect illuminating performances by some of the world's greatest artists—NEC faculty, alumni, students and friends, who donate their services in exchange for the opportunity to experience together music that is among the most transcendent expressions of human culture. 

Tonight's program represents the realization of a long-cherished dream by Lesser—a performance of excerpts from his friend Leon Kirchner's opera, Lily (a musical adaptation of Saul Bellow's novel Henderson, the Rain King), in a version for chamber ensemble of 11 players, voice, and electronics. Performers include Diana Hoagland, the soprano who sang on the 1973 recording, plus three instrumentalists from the recording: James Buswell, violin; Laurence Lesser, cello; and Richard Stoltzman, clarinet. Also in the ensemble are Dimitri Murrath, viola, Sooyun Kim, flute; Joel Fan, piano. Other players tba. Click here to read a New York Times review of a recently re-released recording of Lily.

The program also includes:

Ingolf Dahl: Music for Brass Instruments
     Joseph Foley, Richard Kelley, trumpets; Eli Epstein, horn; Norman Bolter, trombone; Angel Subero, bass trombone
Bach: Cantata No. 4 "Christ lag in Todesbanden"
     Lisa Saffer, soprano; Tai Oney, counter tenor; Stefan Reed, tenor; Douglas Williams, baritone; James Buswell, Gabriella Díaz, violins; Dimitri Murrath, viola; Carol Ou, cello; John Gibbons, harpsichord. Additional players tba.

In photo: Leon Kirchner (L) and members of New York City Opera cast of Lily