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Chatter Premieres Pierre Jalbert's Dream-Scherzo Featuring Harpsichordist Kathleen McIntosh

Oct. 18, 2023

Chatter presents the world premiere performances of Pierre Jalbert's Dream-Scherzo in Santa Fe and Albuquerque on October 28-29. Jalbert notes:

"Dream-Scherzo is a harpsichord concerto of sorts, with the harpsichord as the main focus of the piece, and the ensemble of clarinet, violin, cello, and percussion acting as the “orchestra”. It is a journey through ethereal textures at the opening and closing, while rhythmically dynamic scherzando textures dominate the middle section."

Dream-Scherzo was commissioned by Eleanor Eisenmenger for the Chatter ensemble and harpsichordist Kathleen McIntosh.

On November 9, Musiqa will premiere Pierre Jalbert's Voices from the Underground for violin, violoncello, alto saxophone, trombone, and percussion. The composer explains the inspiration behind the work:

"Voices from the Underground was written for the Houston cistern, a huge underground space with special acoustic properties and a very long reverberation time. The cistern, located in downtown Houston, used to hold the city’s drinking water in the early 20th century, but is now used as an art/concert space for special events. My piece, Voices from the Underground, calls attention to our environmental crisis, and this special performance space in the cistern reminds us of our limited resources and the need for conservation. The cistern contains 221 shaped columns, which span the 87,000 square foot space, and these solo columns are reflected in the music with instrumental solos during the first half of the work, played by the instruments of the ensemble: violin, cello, saxophone, trombone, and percussion. In the second half of the piece, the ensemble comes together to form a larger, insistent, dynamic sound which echoes throughout the space."

Voices from the Underground was commissioned by Musiqa, in partnership with the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern.

Listen to the Escher Quartet perform the first movement of Jalbert's String Quartet No. 5 "Terra Incognita" (2011), from the eponymous album recently released on Orchid Classics: 
 
String Quartet No. 5, "Terra Incognita": I. Prelude/Pierre Jalbert/Escher String Quartet

To learn more about Pierre Jalbert, visit schott-music.com.

Pierre Jalbert
Dream-Scherzo (2023)
for clarinet in Bb, violin, cello, percussion, and harpsichord
13'

Voices from the Underground (2023)
for violin, violoncello, alto saxophone, trombone, and percussion
30'

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