"Piano Concerto Extravaganza" - Argus String Quartet & Asiya Korepanova, piano

Friday, May 29, 2026  6:00 pm

Piano Concerto Extravaganza

C.M. von Weber Konzertstück; and

M. Glinka The Grand Sextet

Argus String Quartet

Asiya Korepanova, piano

In the second concert in Unity Church's Seasons of Music Concert Series, pianist Asiya Korepanova collaborates with the Argus Quartet, a distinguished ensemble renowned for their thoughtfully curated and engaging performances for both experienced and new audiences. This program will feature German composer Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber’s Konzertstück in F minor for Piano and Orchestra, as well as Russian composer Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka’s The Grand Sextet.

PROGRAM:

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)

'Konzertstück' for piano and orchestra in f minor, Op. 79

The Konzertstück (Concert Piece) is one of the earliest examples of extramusical unification of a multi-movement concerto cycle by means of a program—that is, a story or image. The four interconnected movements here are said to describe a medieval lady’s longing for her absent knight, her agonized fears for his safety, the excitement of his impending return, and the joys of reunion and love:

I. F minor; Larghetto affetuoso: "A châtelaine sits alone on her balcony, gazing off in the distance. Her knight has gone on a Crusade to the Holy Land. Years have passed, battles have been fought; is he still alive? Will she ever see him again?"

II. F minor; Allegro passionato: "Her excited imagination summons a vision of her noble husband lying wounded and forsaken on the battlefield. Could she not fly to his side and die with him? She falls back, unconscious. Then from the distance comes the sound of a trumpet. There in the forest something flashes in the sunlight as it comes nearer and nearer."

III. C major: Tempo di marcia: "Knights and squires, with the Crusaders' cross and banners waving, are acclaimed by the crowd. And there her husband is among them! She sinks into his arms."

IV. F major, Presto gioioso: "Happiness without end! The woods and waves sing a song of love, while a thousand voices proclaim its victory".

Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)

Grand Sextet for piano and strings in E flat major

The Grand Sextet in E flat major was written in 1832 during a period in which Mikhail Glinka was residing in Milan and preoccupied with the idea writing an opera. Taking in an opera at La Scala as often as he could, Glinka came under the thrall of several Italian composers, in particular Gaetano Donizetti. He later related that the piano part to the Sextet was written with his Italian doctor’s daughter in mind. He had been infatuated with her, and though an amateur, she was a brilliant pianist with a sparkling technique. As for the melodic content and overall structure, the influence of Italian opera can be felt throughout, but especially in the middle movement.

I. Allegro

II. Andante

III. Allegro con spirito