Join Michael Long (CMC violin faculty) and friends for an afternoon of engaging chamber music! The Franck Connection traces the lineage of César Franck, whose mastery of cyclic form, rich chromaticism, and deep emotional intensity reshaped late 19th- and early 20th-century French chamber music through his pupils and intellectual grand-pupils.
Performers:
Michael Long and Aaron Keller, violins
Charlie Longtine, viola
Sung Choi, cello
Holden Mui, piano
Featured Works
Ernest Chausson: Poème, Op. 25
As one of Franck’s most devoted students at the Paris Conservatoire, Chausson inherited his mentor’s affinity for soaring lyrical lines and dense, chromatic harmonies. Originally written for violin and orchestra, this beloved staple balances dark, brooding introspective solos with moments of shimmering, passionate release.
Jean Cras: String Trio
A naval officer and protégé of Henri Duparc (himself one of Franck’s original disciples), Cras represents the direct inheritance of the “Pater Seraphicus” legacy into the next generation. Written in 1926, his String Trio weaves Franckian cyclic structure and polished French counterpoint with vibrant, exotic modal scales inspired by his ocean voyages.
Louis Vierne: Piano Quintet in C minor, Op. 42
Vierne studied organ and composition directly under Franck. Written in 1917 following the tragic death of his teenage son in World War I, this towering quintet is an explosive, grief-stricken masterpiece. It unleashes ferocious rhythmic drive and sweeping thematic cohesion, serving as a monument to the monumental, dramatic scale of the Franckian tradition.
Free (donations gratefully accepted)