Crypt Sessions 2016 Season
We’re excited and honored to announce the first full season of the Crypt Sessions, presented by Unison Media and the Church of the Intercession, and sponsored by Yamaha. The performances will take place in the magnificent Crypt Chapel of the Church of the Intercession, Harlem, and will feature an extraordinary lineup of artists: Alexandre Tharaud, Matt Haimovitz, The Attacca Quartet, Christina & Michelle Naughton, Gregg Kallor, Di Wu & Adrian Daurov, and Haskell Small.
There will be a complimentary wine & cheese reception for an hour before each concert, before descending into the crypt space.
There will be no ticket sales at the door and concerts will sell out quickly!
2016 Crypt Sessions
Alexandre Tharaud
April 4, 2016, 8PM
The Long Version: Internationally-renowned French pianist Alexandre Tharaud will perform Bach’s towering Goldberg Variations, one of the most technically-demanding, transcendent works ever written. Tharaud’s recent recording of the piece was among the New York Times‘ “Best Recordings of 2015,” and he performed the work by candlelight shortly after the ISIS shootings in Paris.
The Short Version: An intimate, intense evening of music with one of today’s greatest pianists.
Haskell Small
May 10, 2016, 8PM
The Long Version: Pianist/composer Haskell Small performs works by Pärt, Beethoven, Hovhaness and himself before delving into Tavener’s Pratirupa, giving the New York premiere of a work which attempts to “reflect the most beautiful, the Divine Presence which resides in every human being.” Small, known for his “devotion to subtle beauty” and his “shattering performances,” brings his quiet focus to the Crypt in this special program.
The Short Version: A program of music that reaches for the heavens without forgetting all that makes us human.
*Instead of cheese and crackers, Indian hors d’ouvres will be provided by acclaimed chef Yamini Joshi, as seen on Stephen Colbert!*
The Attacca Quartet
June 8, 2016, 8PM
The Long Version: One of chamber music’s brightest voices, the Attacca Quartet perform with a sense of commitment and maturity far beyond their years. For the Crypt, they will perform Haydn’s great masterwork The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross, arranged for quartet by Andrew Yee and the Attacca themselves. The work is an extended meditation on the final moments of life.
The Short Version: Four young stars perform a work that could not be more perfectly suited to the Crypt space.
Di Wu & Adrian Daurov
August 24, 2016, 8PM
The Long Version: Pianist Di Wu and cellist Adrian Daurov are a classical music power couple – Di a prizewinner at the prestigious Van Cliburn Competition and Adrian a founderof the ASCAP Award-winning string quartet Voxare, and a collaborator with the likes of Alicia Keys, Josh Groban and Sigur Ros to name a few. The pair will play Beethoven’s Fifth Cello Sonata, Pärt’s searching Spiegel im Spiegel, and more.
The Short Version: Two tremendous players joining together for an evening of masterful music-making.
Christina & Michelle Naughton
August 25, 2016, 8PM
The Long Version: The beautiful, talented young twin sister piano duo Christina and Michelle Naughton bring their near-telepathic talents to the Crypt, performing one of the most staggering works ever written: Messiaen’s haunting, gripping, wrenching Visions de l’Amen.
The Short Version: Just don’t miss this one.
Matt Haimovitz
September 23, 2016, 8PM
The Long Version: Cellist Matt Haimovitz is, quite simply, one of the greatest and most utterly individual performers of his generation. Dissatisfied with the standard classical music scene, he broke off and followed his own muse, performing Bach’s immortal cello suites in bars and clubs around the country. Now he brings these moving, solitary works to the Crypt, accompanied by newly-commissioned pieces by Philip Glass, Vijay Iyer and more.
The Short Version: One of the greatest cellists in the world will take you on a journey through a fusion of old and new works.
Gregg Kallor
October 26, 2016, 8PM
The Long Version: When you’re pianist/composer Gregg Kallor, instead of celebrating Halloween with a $5 mask and one too many Kit Kats, you give the world premiere of your new musical rendition of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-tale Heart for piano and mezzo-soprano-slash-rockstar Kristen Gornstein. And you perform your cello sonata as well, for good measure.
The Short Version: The perfect way to end the 2016 season and enjoy the work of one of NYC’s fastest-rising musical talents.