Soprano Susanna Phillips, violist Paul Neubauer, and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott bring fresh vibrancy to salon songs. Performing together as the SPA Trio since 2011, these celebrated artists have embraced the charm and nostalgia of 19th- and 20th-century parlor songs, continuing a storied tradition once favored by some of the great singers of the past.

The program opens with a dramatic arrangement of Mendelssohn’s Infelice, a rare example of his venture into operatic and Italianate styles. Casadesus’s Romance Provençale and Danse explore charming dialogues between the viola and piano, which contrasts Wagner’s haunting Wesendonck Lieder, inspired by poems from his muse and lover, Mathilde Wesendonck. Schumann’s Abegg Variations follows - a graceful set based on a theme that spells the name of a fictitious friend. The program concludes with songs by Amy Beach and George Gershwin - Beach with romantic lyricism, and Gershwin with timeless, jazz-infused swing.

Program

MENDELSSOHN Infelice
FRANCIS CASADESUS Romance Provençale and Danse
WAGNER Wesendonck Lieder
SCHUMANN Abegg Variations
AMY BEACH Chanson d’Amour, Ecstasy, The Year’s at the Spring
GERSHWIN Let's Call The Whole Thing Off, A Foggy Day/Love Walked In, Our Love Is Here to Stay

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The SPA Trio

Susanna Phillips, soprano
Paul Neubauer, viola
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano