Virtual Concert Series Archive
For one year during the pandemic—beginning on April 10, 2020—our former music director and organist, Dr. Joseph Kitchen, sent out a series of weekly letters on Fridays. These letters were full of reflections, information, and links to videos of musical performances by former (and contracted) performers from the Concert Series.
The Friday letters served as a kind of “Virtual Concert Series” during a time when in-person musical performances were just not possible.
They are archived here for your perusal and enjoyment.
Virtual Concert Series Archive
Final Virtual Concert
April 9, 2021
The Friday Letter for April 9, 2021 is the last one concluding a full year of them. The final letter begins with a performance of the Toccata from the 5th organ symphony by Charles-Marie Widor performed by Dr. Joe Kitchen on St. Stephen's remarkable Flentrop Organ. Organist Nathan Laube is the next to dazzle us with his transcription of Rossini's William Tell Overture. After that you hear Ray Chen perform Fritz Kreisler’s Tambourin Chinois in Amsterdam. Then you see Alexander Beyer make Ravel’s staggeringly difficult La Valse look like a walk in the park. Next up we hear Andrew Tyson’s brilliant, inspired, and flawless performance of Chopin’s 1st piano concerto during the final round of the 2015 Geza Ande Competition. The last major work featured is the Borromeo String Quartet's performance of Beethoven’s 3rd Razumovsky quartet, Op. 59, No. 3, in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall.
Even a virtual concert needs an encore so this week's letter concludes with two, the Borromeos play Bill Evans’ “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” transcribed (by ear!) by Nicholas. Then Andrew plays Rachmaninoff’s transcription of the Gavotte from Bach’s E major Partita for solo violin.
April 2021
Widor, Toccata from Symphony No. 5
Artist: Joe Kitchen, organ
Rossini (trans. Laube), William Tell Overture pt. 2/2
Artist: Nathan Laube, organ
Kreisler, Tambourin Chinois
Artist: Ray Chen, violin and Amsterdam Sinfonietta
Ravel, La Valse
Artist: Alexander Beyer, piano
Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1, Op.11
Artist: Andrew Tyson, piano
Beethoven, String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
Bill Evans (trans. Kitchen), "Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
J.S. Bach (trans. Rachmaninoff), Gavotte from Violin Partita in E Major
Artist: Andrew Tyson, piano
J.S. Bach, Prelude (Toccata) and Fugue in E Major, BWV 566
Artist: Nathan Laube, organ
J.S. Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Preludes and Fugues in F-sharp Major, F-sharp Minor, G Major, and G Minor
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
J.S. Bach, “Herr, unser Herrscher” from St. John Passion, BWV 245
Artist: Netherlands Bach Society (Jos van Veldhoven, conductor)
March 2021
Mendelssohn, Octet (1825 version)
Bartok, String Quartet No. 4 (Mvts. III and V)
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet, with members of the faculty of the Heifetz Institute on the Mendelssohn
Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio, Mvt. I (with Nicholas Kitchen, violin and Yeesun Kim, cello)
Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major (with the Borromeo String Quartet and Justin Cheesman, string bass)
Brahms, Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor; Sonata No. 3 in F minor (Mvts. II and III); and Scherzo No. 4
Artist: Meng-Chieh Liu, piano
J.S. Bach, Sonata No. 2 in A minor
Rovira, A Evaristo Carriego (with Julio Elizalde, piano)
Kreisler, Tambourin Chinois (with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta)
Wieniawski, Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor (with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne; Cristian Măcelaru, conductor)
Artist: Ray Chen, violin
February 2021
Mozart chamber music for flute and strings
Artists: Borromeo String Quartet and Paula Robison, flute
Sibelius, Violin Concerto; Vivaldi, “Winter” (selection); and Slim Dusty’s “Waltzing Matilda”
Artist: Ray Chen, violin (with the Gothenburg Symphony, conducted by Maestro Kent Nagano on the Sibelius)
January 2021
Op. 130 (with revised final movement); Op. 133 (Grosse Fugue)
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
Op. 18, No. 4 in C minor and Op. 74 (“Harp”) in E-flat Major
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor; Rachmaninoff, transcription of Bach’s Gavotte from Partita No. 3
Artist: Andrew Tyson, piano
Debussy, String Quartet in G minor
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
December 2020
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21
Artist: Andrew Tyson, piano
Beethoven String Quartet Op. 13, No. 3 and Op. 59, No. 3; “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
Mozart, Sonata in D major; Rachmaninoff, Etudes Tableau from Op. 33; Schumann, Sonata in F-sharp minor
Artists: Alex Beyer, piano with George Li, piano
November 2020
Vitali, Chaconne and Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto
Artists: Ray Chen, violin; Julien Quentin, piano; Gothenburg Symphony
Schubert, “Trout” Quintet and String Quartet in D minor, D. 810, “Death and the Maiden”
Artists: Borromeo String Quartet (with Yannik Rafalimanna, piano and Elizabeth Burns, double bassist on the quintet)
Chamber music selections by Bach, Rachmaninoff, and Brahms
Artists: Alexander Beyer, piano and the Pacifica String Quartet
October 2020
Vocal and Choral works for Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and Election Day
Artists: Voces8, Jessye Norman, Marilyn Horne, Dame Joan Sutherland, Kate Smith, and artists from the Naval Academy
Innovative chamber music performances of works by Beethoven, Dvorak, Agócs, and Martinu
Artists: Nicholas Kitchen and Yeesun Kim
Chamber music selections by Tchaikovsky, Bach, Haydn, Elgar, and others
Artists: Students from the Heifetz International Music Institute
Concert: “Stars of Tomorrow”
Artists: Students from the Heifetz International Music Institute.
September 2020
Chamber music selections by Bach, Ravel, and Schubert—plus a little Christmas music Bill Evans
Artists: Borromeo String Quartet (including Nicholas Kitchen, violin and Yeesun Kim, cello)
Beethoven, String quartets Op. 18, No. 2 and Op. 59, No. 2
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
August 2020
Beethoven, String quartets Op. 18, no. 3 and Op. 59, no. 3
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
Chamber music selections by J.S. Bach
Artists: Nicholas Kitchen, violin; the Borromeo String Quartet; and students from the Heifetz International Music Institute
July 2020
Organ recital with works by Rachmaninoff, Dupré, Howells, Jorgen, and Widor
Artist: Nathan Laube, organ
Violin concerti by Bruch and Tchaikovsky, along with other works by Tartini, Paganini, and Ponce
Featured Artist: Ray Chen, violin
Debussy, String Quartet and Mendelssohn, Octet
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet and Heifetz International Music Institute Faculty
Organ works by Chopin and Bach, along with a patriotic selection and a little bit of Christmas in July
Artist: Cameron Carpenter, organ
June 2020
Beethoven string quartets: Op. 18, No. 1; Op. 59, No. 1; and Op. 127
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet
May 2020
French piano works by Rameau and Ravel
Artist: Henry Kramer, piano (and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra)
Piano trios by Haydn, Ives, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn plus a violin sonata by Franck
Artists: Alexander Byer, piano; Nicholas Kitchen; violin; Yeesun Kim, cello; Andrew Tyson, piano; and Meng-Chieh Liu, piano
April 2020
Chopin, “Heroic” Polonaise ; Mozart, Piano Concert no. 21 in C Major
Artist: Andrew Tyson, piano
Bach, Goldberg Variations (arr. for string quartet by Nicholas Kitchen)
Artist: Borromeo String Quartet