Sample Programs
Mid-Century Modern: American Music for Violin and Piano [75 minutes]
What is “American” music? Opus Two’s performances of these distinctive and highly expressive mid-twentieth-century masterworks highlight the search for a voice that is personal and distinctly from our country.
Aaron Copland Prelude No. 1 (3’)
Aaron Copland Sonata (18’)
William Grant Still Summerland (4’)
William Grant Still Suite (17’)
John Corigliano Sonata (24’)
“Two early Preludes, full of abject Romanticism, were beautifully drawn, while the demanding 1943 Sonata was brilliantly coloured and intense.”
~The Strad
The Broadway Stage: New Transcriptions for Violin and Piano [60 minutes]
What is more quintessentially American than the Broadway stage? This engaging program features transcriptions commissioned especially for Opus Two. You won’t find them anywhere else!
Leonard Bernstein Candide (17’)
Stephen Sondheim A Little Night Music (15’)
Stephen Sondheim Fleet Street Suite [from Sweeney Todd] (13’)
George Gershwin Girl Crazy (10’)
“William Terwilliger’s coloratura violin in Glitter and be Gay, coming complete with bungee-jumping glissandos and gravity-don’t-bother-me note leaps, is infused with the spirit of Bernstein’s original vocal lines but sounds effortlessly violinistic.”
~Gramophone
From Chassidic Melody to Tin-Pan Alley: Music by Paul Schoenfield [60 minutes]
Opus Two’s performances of works by Paul Schoenfield reveal the composer’s unabashed and brilliant romantic flair, often crossing the lines among popular jazz, classical, and Jewish klezmer styles. The results are stunning!
Partita (25’)
Four Souvenirs (12’)
Café Music (trio with cello) (17’)
“Only a great performance can convince a listener that a new piece is worth hearing. You did it.”
~Paul Schoenfield
Beethoven Bicentennial (1827-2027) [90 minutes, with intermission]
In 2027 we commemorate the bicentennial of the death of one of history’s greatest composers. This program highlights beloved works from early, middle, and late periods.
Sonata in G Major, Op. 30, No. 3 (21’)
Sonata in F Major (“Spring”), Op. 24 (22’)
Sonata in G Major, Op. 96 (29’)
Vive la France! [60 minutes]
This quintessentially French program showcases the elegance, passion, and luminous colors of these turn-of-the-century masterworks, infused with captivating romantic lyricism and even hints of jazz.
Claude Debussy Sonata (13’)
Maurice Ravel Sonata No. 2 (18’)
Gabriel Fauré Sonata No. 1, Op. 13 (26’)