Mistral Music

Tales from Around the World: Brookline, MA
2023-04-16 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | St. Paul’s Church, 15 St Paul St, Brookline, MA, United States
We bring Mistral’s 26th season to a close with four ravishing orchestral works in new chamber arrangements performed without a conductor. This is an ambitious program for an ensemble of 14 (winds, harp, strings, and brass), including a world-premiere performance of an arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, as well as three beautiful renditions of other tales from around the world—Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, Selections from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, and the Sicilienne from Fauré’s Pelleas & Mélisande.
Artists Performing at Tales from Around the World:

Tales From Around the World: Andover, MA
2023-04-15 16:00 - 18:00 | South Church, 41 Central St, Andover, MA, United States

Silenced Voices: Brookline, MA
2023-02-12 17:00 - 19:00 | St. Paul’s Church, 15 St Paul St, Brookline, MA, United States
SILENCED VOICES
LOVE & REMEMBRANCE
Valentine Concert
Sun, Feb. 12, 5 pm
Brookline: St. Paul’s Church
If Music be the food of love, play on!
I have never been able to resist programming a Valentine concert inspired by the myriad facets of love. Some may believe that poetry is love’s greatest vehicle for this high holy day in our calendars, but I would argue that music, which transcends language, is love’s medium par excellence.
Yes, Shakespeare, playing on: making music resiliently, indelibly, eternally, even as an act of resistance to death, is what today’s program affirms. We celebrate the enduring voices of composers who faced horrendous challenges during a dark period in time, but who continued to write beautiful music. Several of today’s composers were forced to flee their homelands and leave their legacies behind. Shostakovich struggled to reconcile his artistic integrity with the demands of the Soviet regime. Mendelssohn’s music was belittled by the anti-Semites of his day and was eventually banned by the Nazis.
For all these composers and the music they wrote, the phrase “undying love”comes to mind. Kindness and humanity are eternal; they are conserved; they do not die or succumb to the reigns of tyrants.
On this concert we present a pastiche of beautiful works by composers whose voices were silenced at the hands of totalitarianism. Many composers were forced to flee their homelands and leave their legacies behind in order to escape prosecution and discrimination under the Nazi regime. Others were stripped of their art when their music was banned and removed from the repertoire of German orchestras by the Third Reich and Nazi-occupied Europe.
This special concert, for strings, piano, voice, and flute, celebrates those many voices, with pieces informing each other and resonating artistically. There is no need to put this music in a memorializing context in order to appreciate it, but the works may engender deep thought in sound, aesthetics, and history. With the beautiful mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan, who sang Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder for you two years ago.
FRANZ SCHREKER Violin Sonata in F major: Allegretto Moderato
ERWIN SCHULHOFF Concertino for flute, viola, & bass.
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Songs for Mezzo soprano & piano
Neue Liebe from 6 songs Op. 19a no. 4
Andres Mainlied from 12 songs Op. 8 no. 8
DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH “Jewish Folk Poetry” Op. 79; Lullaby for Mezzo
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY String Quartet No.1, Op.4 (with flute): Allegro con fuoco
KURT WEILL Songs for mezzo soprano & piano
Foolish Heart
One Life to Live
DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio No. 2: IV Allegretto
ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD (Marietta’s Lied from Die Tote Stadt), for piano, string quartet, & mezzo soprano

Silenced Voices: Andover, MA SOUTH CHURCH
2023-02-11 16:00 - 18:00 | South Church, 41 Central St, Andover, MA, United States
SILENCED VOICES
LOVE & REMEMBRANCE
Valentine Concert
Sat, Feb. 11, 4 pm
Andover: SOUTH CHURCH, 41 Central Street
If Music be the food of love, play on!
I have never been able to resist programming a Valentine concert inspired by the myriad facets of love. Some may believe that poetry is love’s greatest vehicle for this high holy day in our calendars, but I would argue that music, which transcends language, is love’s medium par excellence.
Yes, Shakespeare, playing on: making music resiliently, indelibly, eternally, even as an act of resistance to death, is what today’s program affirms. We celebrate the enduring voices of composers who faced horrendous challenges during a dark period in time, but who continued to write beautiful music. Several of today’s composers were forced to flee their homelands and leave their legacies behind. Shostakovich struggled to reconcile his artistic integrity with the demands of the Soviet regime. Mendelssohn’s music was belittled by the anti-Semites of his day and was eventually banned by the Nazis.
For all these composers and the music they wrote, the phrase “undying love”comes to mind. Kindness and humanity are eternal; they are conserved; they do not die or succumb to the reigns of tyrants.
On this concert we present a pastiche of beautiful works by composers whose voices were silenced at the hands of totalitarianism. Many composers were forced to flee their homelands and leave their legacies behind in order to escape prosecution and discrimination under the Nazi regime. Others were stripped of their art when their music was banned and removed from the repertoire of German orchestras by the Third Reich and Nazi-occupied Europe.
This special concert, for strings, piano, voice, and flute, celebrates those many voices, with pieces informing each other and resonating artistically. There is no need to put this music in a memorializing context in order to appreciate it, but the works may engender deep thought in sound, aesthetics, and history. With the beautiful mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan, who sang Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder for you two years ago.

FRANZ SCHREKER Violin Sonata in F major: Allegretto Moderato
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Songs for Mezzo soprano & piano
Neue Liebe from 6 songs Op. 19a no. 4
Andres Mainlied from 12 songs Op. 8 no. 8
DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH “Jewish Folk Poetry” Op. 79; Lullaby for Mezzo
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY String Quartet No.1, Op.4 (with flute): Allegro con fuoco
KURT WEILL Songs for mezzo soprano & piano
Foolish Heart
One Life to Live
DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Trio No. 2: IV Allegretto
ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD (Marietta’s Lied from Die Tote Stadt), for piano, string quartet, & mezzo soprano

Baroque Big Band: Andover, MA
2022-12-04 16:00 - 18:00 | South Church, 41 Central St, Andover, MA, United States
The Maria Martell-Winthrop Memorial Concert
Sun, Dec. 4, 4 pm
Andover: South Church
(NOTE DAY SWAP)
Mistral’s annual bonanza of Baroque masterpieces, with virtuosic soloists taking turns in the spotlight. Works by J.S. Bach, Telemann, Vivaldi, Handel, and other, lesser-known Baroque gems. This special concert is in honor of Maria Martell-Winthrop, a cherished friend and music lover whose life was tragically cut short.
“To make divine things human & human things divine—such is Bach, the greatest and purest moment in music of all time”—Pablo Casals

Baroque Big Band: Boston, MA
2022-12-03 17:00 - 19:00 | Ruggles Baptist Church, 874 Beacon St, Boston, MA, United States
The Maria Martell-Winthrop Memorial Concert
Sat, Dec. 3, 5 pm
Boston: Ruggles Baptist Church
Mistral’s annual bonanza of Baroque masterpieces, with virtuosic soloists taking turns in the spotlight. Works by J.S. Bach, Telemann, Vivaldi, Handel, and other, lesser-known Baroque gems. This special concert is in honor of Maria Martell-Winthrop, a cherished friend and music lover whose life was tragically cut short.
“To make divine things human & human things divine—such is Bach, the greatest and purest moment in music of all time”—Pablo Casals
Sarita Kwok, violin, Ian Watson, harpsichord; Stephanie Fong, viola; Kemp Jernigan, oboe; Maureen Nelson, violin;
Don Palma, bass; Julie Scolnik, flute; Gabriela Diaz, violin; Sasha Scolnik-Brower, cello

La Vida Breve: Brookline, MA
2022-11-13 17:00 - 19:00 | St. Paul’s Church, 15 St Paul St, Brookline, MA, United States
JASON VIEAUX, GUITAR
JULIE SCOLNIK, FLUTE
Sun, Nov. 13, 5 pm
Brookline: St. Paul’s Church
Grammy-winning international guitar virtuoso Jason Vieaux returns to the Mistral stage by popular demand to perform with founding artistic director and flutist Julie Scolnik. Their program will span centuries, countries, and styles, from Bartók, LeClair, Leisner, Shocker, and Pat Metheny, to a set of short gems by Da Falla, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and John Williams. We are thrilled that our audience will once again have the chance to experience Jason Vieaux’s artistry.

La Vida Breve: Andover, MA
2022-11-12 16:00 - 18:00 | West Parish Church, 129 Reservation Rd, Andover, MA, United States
JASON VIEAUX, GUITAR
JULIE SCOLNIK, FLUTE
Sat, Nov. 12, 4 pm
Andover: West Parish Church
Grammy-winning international guitar virtuoso Jason Vieaux returns to the Mistral stage by popular demand to perform with founding artistic director and flutist Julie Scolnik. Their program will span centuries, countries, and styles, from Bartók, LeClair, Leisner, Shocker, and Pat Metheny, to a set of short gems by Da Falla, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and John Williams. We are thrilled that our audience will once again have the chance to experience Jason Vieaux’s artistry.
