The concert will feature the Grammy-nominated Lincoln Trio (violinist Desirée Ruhstrat, cellist David Cunliffe and pianist Marta Aznavoorian) with Sarasota Orchestra principal clarinetist Bharat Chandra. “My first experience with this piece was when I performed it myself on the fifth anniversary of 9/11,” says Daniel Jordan, the director of artist programs for the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota. “There was an emotional impact beyond the usual concert experience, and that struck me as something I wanted to bring to the Sarasota audience.” French composer Olivier Messiaen wrote Quartet for the End of Time while being held in Stalag VIII-A—a World War II German prisoner of war camp. A few of Messiaen’s fellow prisoners, captured in June 1940, were professional musicians. Messiaen managed to obtain paper and a pencil, and he wrote this piece for the group to perform. It premiered at the camp on January 15, 1941. What makes the Quartet particularly special? It is a piece of significant musical history. What can the audience expect? To be moved and mesmerized. “These artists have immersed themselves in that particular period of time,” Jordan says. “To hear Lincoln Trio and Bharat Chandra perform this piece in the ambiance of the Historic Asolo Theater is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” 

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, April 20, 2023, artistseriesconcerts.org.