“The most remarkable aspect of Mr. Berman’s playing was its poetical refinement and intense musicality. His technical resources appear to be virtually limitless.”
The New York Times

Our season opener introduces the summer’s theme with different kinds of anniversaries. We begin with Basque prodigy Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, whose String Quartet No. 2 was composed when he was only 17. 2026 marks the bicentennial of Arriaga’s passing, as he died in Paris on January 17, 1826, just ten days before his twentieth birthday. Janáček’s Concertino was premiered just over 100 years ago on February 16,1926. It is an enchanting programmatic work with movements about a “grumpy hedgehog,” “fidgety squirrel,” and other “animals of the night.” Rimsky-Korsakov’s rarely heard Quintet for Piano and Winds was composed in 1876, and it turns 150 in 2026.