NSO Chamber Concerts - Where the Light Is

How does one capture light? Through marveling at the brilliance of distant stars, the fleeting silhouettes on the ground, taking what is given — or by daring to chase it?

The first half of this concert celebrates the creativity and vitality of three French women composers. Bonis contrasts the quiet of night with the vibrancy of day, painting the beginning and end of a day in delicate musical colors. Boulanger's D'un matin de printemps captures the freshness and fragrance of the early hours in, a work beloved in multiple arrangements, and a poignant reminder of a life that quietly ended just twenty-four years later. Léonie Heritte-Viardot, crossing from her career as a vocalist into composition, demonstrates an extraordinary sensitivity to melodic lines, infusing each of the four movements — each with its own subtitle — with meticulous detail and full completeness that rivals any composer of her time.

The second half features Fauré's Quintet, a sparkling finale that guides listeners from the rustling autumn winds of the opening to the luminous clarity of the final movement, evoking the seamless flow of the seasons in a single, captivating performance.