Manhattan Chamber Players
By Gina Malone
The Asheville Chamber Music Series (ACMS) welcomes the Manhattan Chamber Players (MCP) along with pianist David Fung on Sunday, February 8, at 4 p.m. at the Central United Methodist Church of Asheville. The concert will mark a first appearance by the musicians with ACMS, although Fung is already known to Asheville audiences.
“David Fung came to our attention after he received rave reviews for his 2024 solo recital in Asheville, which was sponsored by the Asheville Symphony,” says Polly Feitzinger, ACMS program committee chair. “He has performed with major orchestras on many continents and, in the US, he has performed concertos with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A native of Australia, Fung now resides in New York and is a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music.”
David Fung
On the program are Robert Schumann’s Märchenerzählungen for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano, Op. 132; Johannes Brahms’ Trio for Piano, Clarinet, and Cello in A minor, Op. 114; and Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15. “This concert features a wide variety of different chamber music combinations, which is an aspect of chamber music-making we love to showcase in MCP,” says Dr. Luke Fleming, artistic director and violist with the MCP. “It also presents a great range of styles within the Romantic period, which is arguably the richest period of chamber music composition in terms of genre diversity and volume. The audience should expect a program that is deeply emotional and features compelling storytelling in terms of the history and context of the pieces being performed.”
Fleming formed the New York-based MCP in 2015 as a way for first-rate musicians to have diverse playing experiences outside of their regular music careers. “At the core of MCP’s inspiration is its members’ joy in playing this richly varied repertoire with longtime friends and colleagues, with whom they have been performing since they were students,” states MCP’s website. The collective is recognized for its commitment to community engagement, including free concerts and its leadership of the Crescent City Chamber Music Festival.
“The concert will especially please those who want a program featuring pieces from the Romantic and Impressionistic periods,” says Feitzinger. “A fitting selection for ‘Valentine’s Month!’”
Fleming says that he has visited Asheville many times and anticipates returning with the MCP. “We are looking forward to playing and presenting a concert for this vibrant community,” he says, “and enjoying some time in this beautiful part of the country.”
To purchase tickets or for more information, visit AshevilleChamberMusic.org, call 828.575.7427 or email support@ashevillechambermusic.org.
