Poulenc Trio will finally make its Tucson debut this weekend with Arizona Friends of Chamber Music Piano & Friends series.
The concert on Sunday, Feb. 13, is a do-over for what was to be the trio's debut, which was slated to happen in April; the start of the pandemic in March 2020 put those plans on hold.
The concert, which Arizona Friends will live-stream, will feature trio works by Shostakovich, Andre Previn, Viet Cuong and its namesake Francis Poulenc, the 20th century French composer and pianist whose Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano on the program is regarded as his first major chamber work.
One of the most intriguing works on the program comes from James Lee III. His βPrincipal Brothers No. 4β is the fourth in his series of short works dedicated to African-American musicians.
Lee told his publisher, Subito Music, that he was inspired during the pandemic by Stravinsky's 1918 work βThree Pieces for Solo Clarinet.β
Lee had said he wanted to βhighlight and honor my African-American male colleagues in the orchestral music world."
βPrincipal Brothers No. 1β was written for flutist Demarre McGill; No. 2 was for Titus Underwood, principal oboe of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra; No. 3 was for the celebrated clarinetist Anthony McGill; and No. 4 is for Bryan Young, principal bassoon of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.
βThese works all begin with notes that are representative of their name: D for Demarre; B for Titus ... ; A for Anthony, and Bb for Bryan,β Lee told his publisher. βThere is also a rhythmic figure in the opening measures of each piece, which represent the utterance of their names. All four of these works are rhapsodic in nature with elements of improvisation.β
Sunday's concert at Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave., begins at 3 p.m. Tickets are $32, $10 for students through
