Villa Aurora and the Consulate General of Germany-Los Angeles will present music from the 1940s by Arnold Schoenberg, Stefan Wolpe and Viktor Ullmann. The musicians will be pianist Eric Huebner and violinist Mark Menzies on Friday, June 5, at 8 p.m. at the Villa, 520 Paseo Miramar. Schoenberg and Wolpe, both Jewish, escaped the horrors of Nazi Germany to settle on opposite shores of the United States; a geographic polarity that can also be said to parallel the aesthetic sensibilities separating them and their influence on young American composers. Schoeberg and his family lived in Brentwood until his death in 1951. His son, Larry, a Palisades resident, taught math for many years at Palisades High School. Ullmann, who was murdered during the Holocaust, had studied with Schoenberg and wrote the last of his seven piano sonatas in 1944 at Theresienstadt, where he perished. The program opens with Ullmann’s 1922 tribute to his teacher. And while Wolpe’s ‘Battle Piece’ was composed as his contribution in the struggle against fascism, Ullmann’s Sonata No. 7 was dedicated to his children, all of whom’including the composer’succumbed to it. Schoenberg’s Fantasie for Violin with Piano accompaniment was composed in the late 1940s for the occasion of his 75th birthday. Pianist Huebner, a former Los Angeles resident and Crossroads School graduate, made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 17 and was recently referred to by critic Alan Rich as ‘the new superstar’ of the 2008 Ojai Festival, where he performed solo music by Elliott Carter and Gy’rgy Ligeti. As a frequent guest pianist with the New York Philharmonic, Huebner has also performed with a number of the world’s leading conductors and has appeared as soloist with renowned orchestras. Since 2001, Huebner has been a member of the Antares quartet. Recently appointed visiting assistant professor of piano at the University at Buffalo, Huebner recorded the piano music of Daniel Rothman (Albany Records), which was met with critical acclaim. He holds a B.M. and M.M. from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal. Violinist Mark Menzies’ extraordinary playing has been described by the Los Angeles Times as ‘riveting.’ For tickets ($15’$20), call 310-573-3603. Seating is limited and RSVP is required by June 3. Shuttle service to the Villa begins at 7 p.m. from street parking along Los Liones Drive, off Sunset Boulevard.
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