Aspen Music Festival And School
Founded in 1949, the Aspen Music Festival and School is regarded as one of the top classical music festivals in the United States, and promotes the intersection of ideas, art and natures. Unwind from the urban sprawl with music and a mountain backdrop. The eight-week season packs in over three hundred events, ranging from chamber music to opera to lectures to master classes to programs designed for young listeners.
The 2016 Aspen Music Festival and School season will explore the uses of dance form in music. Invitation to Dance points to the use of dance elements in musical works over many centuries. Music and dance both have been used for ceremonial events in all cultures. Whether it’s through the music of Bach or Ravel or Corigliano, the 2016 Aspen Music Festival and School season will explore the uses of dance form in music. In addition to the overarching theme, the season will also include three “mini festivals” on the music of mid-twentieth-century American symphonists; Shakespeare in music, recognizing the Bard’s anniversary; and the music from the Nordic region in a set of concerts “White Nights.”
Upcoming highlights include the Emerson String Quartet celebrating its 40th anniversary on July 19 with a concert of Brahms, Berg and Haydn. Violinist Stefan Jackiw and pianist Jeremy Denk perform a compelling recital that includes work by Charles Ives on July 28. On August 2, pianist Jonathan Biss performs five Beethoven Sonatas, including Op. 53, “Waldstein.” And on August 9 pianist Daniil Trifonov performs a recital of Brahms’ left-hand arrangement of the Bach Cchaconne, Liszt’s Grandes études de Paganini, Schubert's Sonata No. 18 in G Major, D. 894, and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35 (Book I).
