The Happenstancers present Dreams-Bend- July 23, 2023
In Dreams-Bend, The Happenstancers beckon the listener into the world of the night and of dreams, contrasting the richness of Romantic chamber music with subtle and enigmatic contemporary works. At the program’s center is Du Yun’s “Dreams-Bend,” for which this performance is named. Written for speaker and ensemble, this piece is featured alongside poetry-centered works by Lori Freedman, Nahre Sol, and Micah Behr.
Dreams-Bend blends the Romantic beauty of Brahms and Schumann with the sphinxlike mystery of Kurtag and Ades to evoke the unsettled, twisting fantasy of dreams. Inspired by this dark-hued palette, Sol and Behr have written new trios specifically for this program.
For Dreams-Bend, The Happenstancers feature an ensemble of clarinet, viola, and piano composed of artists from Madison, Wisconsin and Toronto, Canada. The musicians first collaborated at the Stoughton Chamber Music Festival in 2020. With each artist contributing a distinct perspective and skill set, from composition and multi-instrumental ability to curation and theatrical programming, trio with(out) presents a new vision for chamber music.
Program: Dreams-Bend
Du Yun – Dreams-Bend
Gyorgy Kurtag – Hommage a R. Sch.
Robert Schumann – Märchenerzählungen, op. 120
Lori Freedman – Nab Mab
Nahre Sol – New Work (Title TBD), world premiere
Micah Behr – New Work (Title TBD), world premiere
Thomas Ades – Three Berceuses, from The Exterminating Angel
Johannes Brahms – Trio in A minor, op. 114 (selections)
Musicians:
Micah Behr, Piano & Viola
Brad Cherwin, Clarinet
Madlen Breckbill, Viola
“It rarely happens that a recital series strikes excellence in programming from the word go, but … clarinetist Brad Cherwin and [The Happenstancers] … are doing just that. Next time these people throw a recital, run don’t walk.”
— Lydia Perovic, Definitely the Opera
The Happenstancers are a chamber ensemble of flexible instrumention, leading the helm of a rotating cast of innovative voices on Toronto’s classical scene. They are among “Toronto’s best young chamber musicians” (Bachtrack) and recipients of the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble in an Opera. With a knack for combining cutting-edge contemporary repertoire with expressive works from the traditional canon, The Happenstancers feature “an obscene amount of talent” (The WholeNote), presenting concerts hailed as “bizarrely eclectic, … very intriguing and rewarding” (John Gilks, operaramblings).