Members of The Philadelphia Orchestra String Section Present an Evening of Chamber Music at The Sembrich

Members of The Philadelphia Orchestra string section will present an evening of reimagined chamber music classics at The Sembrich on Sunday, August 7 at 7:30 PM. The evening concert will present arrangements and transcriptions of several chamber music monuments, including J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Franz Liszt’s Angelus! Prayer to the Guardian Angels, and Antonin Dvorak’s String Quintet in E-flat Major, op. 77. The featured work of the evening is a transcription of Beethoven’s monumental Piano Sonata, op. 101, arranged for string quintet by Philadelphia Orchestra Violinist Paul Arnold.

“It is always a distinct pleasure to collaborate with our colleagues from the Philadelphia Orchestra to create memorable performances such as this one,” says Artistic Director Richard Wargo. “This longstanding collaboration with musicians from the Orchestra always promises an insightful illumination of our season theme. This year’s program is a true showcase of how we can reimagine a classic work by transforming it totally from one medium to another. An example of such a metamorphosis is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata, Op. 101 as crafted in a new arrangement for string quintet by violinist Paul Arnold.”

“My decision to choose the 28th Beethoven sonata to arrange for string quintet was as much dictated by personal reasons as it was by the compositional texture of the sonata itself,” states Philadelphia Orchestra Violinist Paul Arnold. “As a youngster, I used to lie under the piano listening to my mother, an accomplished player, drench me in the sounds of this amazing piece. I knew that in some way I needed to make this music mine. Unlike the other late sonatas, the Op. 101 is much more classically constructed throughout and, as such, maintains multiple voices with counterpoint extending well beyond the purely fugal sections of the last movement. The writing explores the full range of the keyboard and, by extension, almost the exact range of a string quartet! In other words, it seemed that the piece was literally pleading to be set as a string work.”

Performers for the evening are violinists Philip Kates and Paul Arnold, violist Meng Wang, cellist Kathryn Read, and double bassist Gabriel Polinsky.

The Sembrich’s long-time board member and Philadelphia Orchestra Violinist Philip Kates has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1980. He has served as guest concertmaster with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops and the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, with which he has made solo appearances since 1981. Kates is also a violinist with Liebesfreud and is a composer and performer of chamber music.

Violinist Paul Arnold has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra for 32 years and is a familiar personality in the Philadelphia classical music scene. Mr. Arnold gives master classes around the country, most recently given at Cornell University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Bucknell University. Before joining The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Arnold was principal second violin of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he made numerous solo appearances. He is a founding member of both the Society Hill Quintet and the widely touring Dalihapa Ensemble and appears regularly with the Network for New Music.

Violist Meng Wang joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2017. Prior, he was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony and principal viola of the Kansas City Symphony. In addition to his orchestral work, Mr. Wang enjoys an extensive career as a chamber musician. He is deeply committed to the genre and has collaborated with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Lars Vogt, Sharon Robinson, Cho-Liang Lin, Jaime Laredo, Joseph

Silverstein, Pinchas Zukerman, Lang, Barbara Westphal, and pop star Bono. He has served as principal viola coach for the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony and adjunct professor of viola and chamber music at Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

Cellist Kathryn Picht Read joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1979 and is the last member of the Orchestra to have been engaged by Eugene Ormandy. A native of Iowa, she studied the piano with her mother from the age of five and began cello lessons when she was 10. Ms. Picht Read has been an active participant in Orchestra committee work and volunteer activities and assists with The Philadelphia Orchestra’s biennial Perfect Harmony fundraising event. In May 1996 Ms. Picht Read received The Philadelphia Orchestra’s C. Hartman Kuhn Award, which is given annually to “a musician who has shown both musical ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the musical standards and reputation of The Philadelphia Orchestra.”

Double bassist Gabriel Polinsky got his start on the bass at age eight following in the footsteps of his older brother. Gabe recently made his New York debut playing in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall for the Soloists of New England showcase. Gabe spent two defining years participating in the Tanglewood Music Center and the New York String Orchestra Seminar and was previously awarded positions in the Pacific and Aspen Music Festivals. Aside from the double bass and classical music, respectively, Gabe also plays piano and ventures out into different genres regularly, either playing along with recordings or in small groups.

This performance is generously sponsored by Ellen-Deane Cummins.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online at TheSembrich.org/festival or by calling (518) 644-2431