The 2023-24 Café Ludwig Series

Hosted and Curated by “First-Rate Mozartean” Orli Shaham

Pacific Symphony’s 2023-24 Café Ludwig season is here, featuring three unique chamber music performances: “1842” (Nov. 5), “Defiance Against Adversity” (Feb. 11, 2024), and “Tribulations and Triumphs” (May 5).   

Hosted by longtime artistic partner and curator of the series Orli Shaham, the Café Ludwig series presents Pacific Symphony’s principal musicians in an intimate chamber music setting in the Samueli Theater for relaxing matinee concerts of delightful music-making. Shaham thoughtfully assembles the concerts’ repertoire with strong thematic structures, explaining to the audience how each piece relates to the next, and the historical and artistic context from which these pieces arose.

All concerts take place on Sundays at 3 p.m. at Samueli Theater. Doors open at 2 p.m. While there is no pre-concert talk, Orli Shaham will introduce the music from the stage, while the audience enjoys coffee, tea and pastries. Season ticket packages are still on sale; single tickets start at $69. For more information or to purchase tickets call (714) 755-5799 or go to www.PacificSymphony.org.

2023-24 CAFÉ LUDWIG SERIES
Programs, artists, and dates subject to change.

1842
Nov. 5, 2023 at 3 p.m.

ARTISTS
Orli Shaham, piano
Dennis Kim, violin
Yoomin Seo, violin
Meredith Crawford, viola
Warren Hagerty, cello
Doug Basye, bass

PROGRAM
Clara Schumann: 3 Romances for Piano, Op. 21
Louise Farrenc: Quintet No 1 in A minor, Op. 30
– Intermission –
Robert Schumann: Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44

Discover the captivating works of Robert Schumann and Clara Schumann along with the little-known Louise Farrenc, three Romantic-era composers whose music continues to enchant audiences today. Enjoy the technical demands and emotional depth of Farrenc’s Quintet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 30, alongside the mastery of composition and piano performance showcased in Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 and Three Romances for Piano, Op. 21. These timeless pieces represent some of the greatest works of classical music and are sure to delight music lovers everywhere.

DEFIANCE AGAINST ADVERSITY
February 11, 2024 at 3 p.m.

ARTISTS
Orli Shaham, piano
Dennis Kim, violin
Warren Hagerty, cello

PROGRAM
W.A. Mozart: Violin Sonata in E minor, K. 304
Benjamin Britten: Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 65
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67

Experience the exceptional talent of Orli Shaham on piano, Dennis Kim on violin, and Warren Hagerty on cello as they take you on a journey through three centuries of classical music. Enjoy the brilliance of Mozart’s Violin Sonata in E minor, K. 304, the emotional depth of Britten’s Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 65, and the haunting power of Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67. Together, these virtuosic musicians deliver a performance that is exhilarating, deeply moving, and sure to captivate classical music lovers of all ages.

TRIBULATIONS & TRIUMPHS
May 5, 2024 at 3 p.m.

ARTISTS
Orli Shaham, piano
Meredith Crawford, viola
Benjamin Smolen, flute
Jessica Perlman, oboe
Robert Walker, clarinet
Rose Corrigan, bassoon
Keith Popejoy, horn
Tony Ellis, trumpet

PROGRAM
George Enescu: Légende for Trumpet and Piano (1906)
Peter Dayton: Fantasy for Viola and Piano
Leo Smit: Trio for Clarinet, Viola, Piano
György Ligeti: Selections from 6 Bagatelles and Musica Ricercata
– Intermission –
Adolphus Hailstork: Variations for Trumpet
Francis Poulenc: Sextet for Piano and Woodwind Quintet

Discover a world of incredible music with the Café Ludwig season finale featuring Enescu’s hauntingly beautiful Légende for Trumpet and Piano, Dayton’s tender and moving Fantasy for Viola and Piano, Smit’s intricate and thrilling Piano Trio, and Hailstork’s powerful and universal Variations for Trumpet. Experience the innovative and masterful compositions of Ligeti with Selections from 6 Bagatelles and Musica Ricercata and Poulenc’s charmingly witty Sextet for Piano and Woodwind Quintet. Experience the depth, complexity, and beauty of these incredible masterworks by some of the greatest composers of the 20th century.