On Friday, February 2, at 8 p.m., The Mirror Visions Ensemble, a trio equally at home performing in France or America, will present the first New York performance of a program that premiered in Paris in 2005: “Emmanuel Chabrier-Impressionism in Music, Painting & Life.” The concert takes place at La Maison Française of New York University, located at 16 Washington Mews (at University Place), and features “Chabrier in His Own Words,” a song-cycle by noted composer Christopher Berg. The Mirror Visions Ensemble - Tobé Malawista, soprano; Scott Murphree, tenor; and Richard Lalli, baritone -is joined by Berg, piano, and Edward Burns, bassoon, in this unusual presentation of rarely heard works.
Admission to the concert is free, but reservations are required. Call 212.998.8750 or email: maison.francaise@nyu.edu.
Francis Poulenc said that it was Chabrier who introduced into French music tenderness and joy, echoed in the subtle palette of light and shade used by the Impressionist painters. His deep friendship with the painters Manet and Monet, with the poets Verlaine and Mallarmé, and with his musician colleagues Duparc and Chausson make him an especially interesting subject for a portrait in music.
The Mirror Visions Ensemble, founded in 1992, is dedicated to commissioning and performing new music in America and abroad with the generous support of the Florence Gould Foundation. Albany Records has released two CDs of their commissioned works: “Un Amércain à Paris - Songs and Cantatas on French Texts” and “Secrets,” works of five American composers.