WONDER and WANDER

As summer turns that nostalgic corner toward the end of August, Arpeggione begins it second season. We hope you find ways to make the summer last with another swim, another ice cream, another day exploring a quaint town or walking in the woods. And THIS WEEKEND, you can enrich these days by by taking the opportunity to WONDER AND WANDER with us.

Our first program is full of wandering— Songs of the Seafarer takes Mahler’s song cycle “Songs of the Wayfarer” as the inspiration for a program on fishing, the sea, and voyaging. We will explore the wonder of the beauty of the sea. This is an ambitious, even risky program— our first with a singer, full of challenging repertoire that runs the gamut from humorous to cathartic, in large halls that we hope to fill with listening ears. We wonder how this journey will change us.

Our second program is a continuation of our journey exploring the works and influence of women composers. This season’s “Lark Ascending” program centers Clara Schumann. David Kim, our guest fortepianist, will begin the program with an improvisation— a musical version of wandering— in the style of Clara herself.

In Dreams and Dances, our season finale, three dancers will join us for an exuberant celebration of wondering and wandering. We will perform Thomas Carroll’s own arrangements of Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony (a musical walk through the countryside) and excerpts from Mendelssohn’s enchanted and wondrous Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Please join us this weekend so we can wander (and wonder) together! We are giving three performances of Songs of the Seafarer:

Friday, August 18 at 11:30am at the Beverly Senior Center (free);

Saturday, August 19 at 7:30pm at the Gloucester Meetinghouse;

and Sunday, August 20 at 4pm at Abbot Hall in Marblehead.

Please visit our website for tickets and more info!

We look forward to staying in touch all season long. Don’t wander too far.

All our best,

Andrea and Thomas