Orion Chamber Ensemble

Piano Quartet Grandeur

Artists
Randall Hodgkinson, piano
Peter Zazofsky, violin
Noriko Futagami, viola
Ronald Lowry, cello

The Orion Ensemble, with guest violist Noriko Futagami, presents two contrasting piano quartets in G minor. The second quartet of Gabriel Fauré is alternately brooding, optimistic, wistful, and passionate. Brahms’ hauntingly beautiful first piano quartet is majestically symphonic and concludes with a wild Hungarian rondo.

Program
Gabriel Fauré, Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45
Johannes Brahms, Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25

About the Artists

With a history of more than twenty years, the Orion Chamber Ensemble has developed a robust repertoire of widely known piano trios and lesser known gems. The ensemble welcomes guest violist Noriko Futagami, who will join them in performances of two quartets.

Pianist Randall Hodgkinson has performed as a soloist with major orchestras in the United States and abroad. In addition to his work with the Orion Ensemble, he is an artist member of the Boston Chamber Music Society. He also performs the four-hand and two-piano repertoire with his wife, Leslie Amper. Mr. Hodgkinson is a faculty member of the New England Conservatory, Wellesley College, and the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge. As a young artist, he won the International American Music Competition and the Tanglewood Music Center’s Cabot Award.

Violinist Peter Zazofsky has appeared as soloist with many great orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He often is a featured soloist with Israeli orchestras. As first violinist of the Muir String Quartet, Mr. Zazofsky is proud to have performed many complete cycles of the Beethoven quartets, and to have promoted new works by American composers. Early in his career, Mr. Zazofsky won top prizes in the Queen Elisabeth and Montreal International Competitions. He is a faculty member at Boston University and also teaches at New England Conservatory Preparatory School.

Violist Noriko Futagami performs with the Radius Ensemble, Boston Musica Viva, Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers, and Winsor Music. She is principal violist for Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and section violist with Rhode Island Philharmonic and Portland Symphony Orchestra. As principal violist for Albany Symphony in 2014, she participated in a Grammy winning recording of John Corigliano’s Conjurer. Ms. Futagami performs regularly with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Odyssey Opera Orchestra, the Monadnock Festival Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, and Boston Landmarks Orchestras. She is a faculty member at Brown University.

Needham Concert Society artistic director Ronald Lowry—praised in the Boston Globe for “superb” musicianship—is principal cellist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Boston Ballet Orchestra. He performs frequently with the Boston Symphony, both at home and on international tours. He has presented solo recitals at Jordan Hall and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and he has been a guest artist with the Boston Chamber Music Society, the New England Conservatory First Mondays concert series, and the Muir String Quartet. Mr. Lowry teaches at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and the Rivers School Conservatory.