Johannes Brahms: Zwei Lieder (Two Songs), op. 91      Composed for the wedding of Brahms’ friends Joseph and Amalie Joachim, and later for the baptism of their son a year later, these songs were revised as a futile attempt to save the troubled marriage of the couple.

 Clara Schumann: Romance op. 22    A lifelong friend of Brahms, Clara and Brahms met when Clara’s husband Robert was still alive. Clara wrote three Romances for Violin and Piano, op. 22 for Joachim; both she and Robert Schumann used the title “Romance” for short and heartfelt pieces. Clara was a brilliant pianist and composer in her own right; her performance career spanned 60 years.  We will perform Romance no. 2 in F major on today’s program.

Duke Ellington: In A Sentimental Mood is one of the most well-known pieces of jazz music ever written. Ellington first performed the piece with his big band, and later arranged the piece for many different combinations, including violin and piano.

Jessie Montgomery: Loisaida, My Love   Based on the poem Loisaida (1974) by Bimbo Rivas, Montgomery was inspired by her upbringing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Bimbo Rivas was a Puerto Rican-born poet, activist, and community builder who became a hero of the Lower East Side. Loisaida is a testament to her roots, and to Bimbo Rivas. Montgomery is currently composer in residence with the Chicago Symphony.

George Walker: Variations on a Kentucky Folk Song originally appeared as the second movement of his Piano Sonata No. 1 and were later excerpted as a stand-alone piece. Based on the American ballad  O, Bury Me Beneath the Old Willow Tree, performed over the years by Dolly Parton among many others, the six variations in a contemporary and expressive style form a loving tribute to the American spirit. Walker was the first African American to win the Pulitzer prize in music.

Johannes Brahms: Piano Quartet in C minor, op. 60    Brahms’ lifelong friendship with Clara was complex, and he dedicated this piano quartet to her.  The third movement is a statement of love and friendship for Clara. She wrote in her diary about Brahms: “It is not his youth that attracts me...No, it is the fresh mind, the gloriously gifted nature, the noble heart, that I love in him.” We will never know if the friendship between the two became something more romantic, but there were strong feelings on either side, that emerge in the glorious op. 60 Piano Quartet.