Concerts in the Barn offers its eighth and final weekend of free chamber music concerts held in its iconic barn in Quilcene.
On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3-4, the featured guest artists are Christo Kasmetski (violin), Kai Gleusteen (violin), Aglika Angelova (piano) and Catherine Ordronneau (piano).
The artists will perform:
• Aram Khachaturian: Sonata for violin and piano in G minor, Op. 1
• Sergei Rachmaninoff: Six pieces for 4 hands in G minor, Op. 11
• Ottorino Respighi: Sonata in B minor for violin and piano, P. 110
• Darius Milhaud: Sonata for two violins and piano, Op. 15
“This is a very interesting ensemble to close the Festival season,” concert director Leigh Hearon said. “We’ve seldom had two violinists and two pianists share the stage before — the audience is used to seeing violists and cellists as well.
“However, Christo and Kai are old colleagues from the prestigious Liceu Symphony Orchestra in Barcelona and together, the artists convinced us that the repertoire would work perfectly. And I have great trust in their judgment.”
Kasmetski, who performed last weekend, comes from a family with long musical traditions and was admitted to study in the Sofia Music School for gifted children in his native Bulgaria. He continued his musical education in Portugal and later in Vienna and Linz. He has held leading positions in Symphonie Orchester Gran Teatro del Liceu Barcelona, Symphonie Orchester Staatstheater Nürnberg, Radio Sinfonie Orchester Wien and Hamburger Symphoniker.
Gleusteen now makes Europe his base. In 2000, he won the concertmaster position of the Orchestra ‘del Gran Teatre del Liceu and subsequently moved to Barcelona. In 2003, he created the Gran Teatre del Liceu Chamber Orchestra and was appointed professor at the Escuela Superior de Musica de Catalunya.
Anjelova, who performed last weekend in Schubert’s Piano Quintet (“Trout”) is a Steinway Artist, whose playing has been described as “confident and powerful,” with “jubilant, energetic intelligence, “undisputed brilliance,” and “rich tone and impressive skills.” She has been a featured performer on numerous radio broadcasts, including KPFA in Berkeley and NPR’s Performance Today.
Ordronneau, described as “Une pianiste pas comme les autres” (a pianist like no other) by Pierre Petit, the well-known critic for Le Figaro, has worked and performed with Gleusteen for more than 20 years and their discography includes award-winning recordings. She is professor of piano and chamber music in the Liceu Conservatorio Superior de Música.
About the concerts
These concerts are free to the public. Concert-goers are encouraged to reserve their place in the barn or on the lawn in advance through TicketStripe; walk-up patrons are also welcome and will be seated in the Barn according to space. (To access the TicketStripe site, select “Free Tickets Required” on the home page of concertsinthebarn.org or “Concert Reservations” under the Programs & Donors tab.) Barn audience must wear masks during the performance.
Patrons also are welcome to sit on the lawn and are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Amplifiers surround the barn so that outside patrons hear the performance wherever they choose to sit.
The farm opens to visitors at noon each concert day. At 1 p.m., the barn doors open so that barn patrons can reserve their seats on pews on the main floor or in the hay loft balcony.
By popular demand, Concerts in the Barn now offers a farm animal tour following each concert. Tours start by the Festival information kiosk, and includes visits to the farm’s new-born lambs and sheep flock, pygmy goats, rabbits, poultry and resident horses.
Concertgoers are encouraged to pack a picnic lunch; the farm has picnic tables to accommodate all picnickers and sells cookies, ice cream, coffee, and flavored sparkling water on site. Patrons are free to bring their beverage of choice on site. Free bottled water also is available.
Families are welcomed. Patrons with mobility issues are encouraged to call the festival office at 360-732-0732 before the day of the concert to make sure their needs will be accommodated.
For more about the series, visit concertsinthebarn.org. Or, call Hearon at 360-732-0732.
