Kathleen Flynn, David Feltner, Ivan Gusev
Johannes Brahms - Zwei Gesänge
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) endured a miserable childhood. Born in a downtrodden area of Hamburg, he was by late childhood giving piano lessons for pennies and playing in bars frequented by sailors. A naturally gifted musician, he began a modest concert tour in his late teens, traveling mostly on foot. Around age 20, he was heard by Robert Schumann and his wife, Clara, who were so impressed that they took him into their home. This proved to be a pivotal point for Brahms, essentially launching his career.
Zwei Gesange (Op.91) by Brahms consists of two songs. The second song, Geistliches Wiegenlied (A Sacred Cradle Song), composed in 1863 was based upon a poem by Emanuel Geibel and was intended as a wedding gift to his friends, Joseph Joachim, a talented violinist and violist, and his wife, Amalie, a contralto. Instead, he chose to gift it to them upon the christening of their son, Johannes, whom they had named after Brahms.
David Feltner is the Music Director of the Nashua Chamber Orchestra. As a violist, he has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Yamagata (Japan) Symphony, New York City Opera and Palm Beach Opera. His recent orchestral compositions include Echoes of Lithuania, Dreams and Awakenings and a piccolo concerto commissioned by Eduardo Gómez.
Kathleen Flynn has performed a repertoire spanning five centuries, and has performed across the globe. She has sung roles under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, Julius Rudel, Robert Spano, Christopher Hogwood, Mario Bernardi and Jane Glover and has sung with Chicago Opera Theater, at the National Arts Center of Ottawa, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Kathleen holds degrees from SUNY, Stony Brook (DMA), the Juilliard School (JOC and MMUS), University of Toronto (Diploma in Operatic Studies) Dalhousie University (BMUS). Kathleen is currently an associate professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and is writing her first novel.
Pianist Ivan Gusev from Kazakhstan/Russia has performed extensively in Russia, Europe and the US. His solo recitals have been received to great acclaim in Moscow conservatory, Carnegie hall, Hunter college (NYC), and many other venues. He is a passionate music teacher and an author of educational concert-lectures for adults and children which were greeted with great success in NYC and Boston. Ivan holds Master`s and DMA degrees from Moscow Conservatory, Master`s degree from Mannes School of music at The New School (NYC). Ivan is also known for his chamber music programs with Julia Glenn(violin), Maria Ferrante (soprano) and many others.