The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra kicks off the 2013-2014 Parker Lexus River Rhapsodies Chamber Music series tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Clinton Presidential Center.
The program will feature Mozart’s “String Quintet No. 3 in C major, K.515;” Takemitsu’s “Rain Tree;” and Brahms “Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115.”
Mozart’s piece was completed in 1787. Like all of Mozart’s string quintets, it is a viola quintet. That means, it is scored for an extra viola: two violins, two violas and one cello. Takemitsu’s selection was composed in 1982. At that point in time, many of his compositions have references to water in the title. Brahms composed his clarinet quintet in the summer of 1891. The piece is known for its autumnal feeling (appropriate to be performed on one of the first full days after the autumnal equinox). The selection is written for a clarinet in A and a string quartet.