Fischer Duo at Danforth University Center Oct. 26

In a musical partnership stretching back nearly 40 years, the Fischer Duo has drawn critical acclaim for its performances of classical repertoire by Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss and other familiar composers.

Yet equally impressive is the Duo’s reputation for rediscovering neglected works of the past, by the likes of Ferruccio Busoni, Nadia Boulanger and Ildebrando Pizzetti; and for commissioning new works by contemporary composers such as George Rochberg, Augusta Read Thomas and Pierre Jalbert.

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, the Fischer Duo will showcase all three of those themes for the Danforth University Center Chamber Music Series.

Sponsored by the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, the performance will take place in the Goldberg Formal Lounge of the Danforth University Center, 6475 Forsyth Blvd. The performance is free and open to the public, though seating is limited.

For more information, call (314) 935-5566 or email daniels@wustl.edu.

The program will open with Jalbert’s “Dual Velocity,” which was commissioned for the duo, followed by Boulanger’s “Trois Pièces.” Next will be “Sonata in F Major, Op. 6,” by Richard Strauss. Concluding the performance will be “Sonata in D Major, Op. 102,” No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven.

The Fischer Duo consists of Norman Fischer, a distinguished concert cellist and founder of the Grammy-nominated Concord Quartet, and his wife, pianist Jeanne Kierman Fischer, a former member of the Alcott Piano Quartet.

Both Fischers are currently on faculty at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston. In addition, since 1985, Norman has taught at the Tanglewood Music Center (summer home of the Boston Symphony), in Lenox, Mass., where he also serves as coordinator of chamber music.

The Duo’s extensive discography includes Imaginées: Music of French Masters and American Music in the 1990s, the latter featuring four of their commissioned works. Other recordings include Robert Sirota: Works for Cello, Born in America in 1938 and Chopin & Liszt: Music for Cello and Piano.

The Duo’s latest CD is a compilation of William Bolcom’s cello music. Current projects include recording the complete Beethoven sonatas and variations.

The Fischer Duo has been called “boldly imaginative and technically assured” by the Boston Globe and “intense and persuasive” by Gramophone, while The New York Times praised its performances as “soaring lines with both beauty and intensity.”

Subsequent concerts in the Chamber Music Series will include:

Nov. 10
Jura Margulis, piano
Music of Franz Liszt

Born in Russia and raised in Germany, Margulis is internationally recognized for his consummate virtuosity.

Major orchestral appearances include performances with the Russian National Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit, the Südwestrundfunk Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Venezuela, the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and the Prague Symphony Orchestra.

Margulis also has recorded seven CDs covering a wide range of repertoire for Sony, Ars Musici and Oehms Classics.

Dec. 1
WINDFIRE: Flute and Percussion Spectacular
Program TBD

WINDFIRE, an ensemble specializing in the performance of flute and percussion music from around the world, is led by the husband-and-wife duo of John and Paula Kasica.

John is distinguished percussion chair with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO), which he joined in 1971. He also enjoys the distinction of having made more solo appearances with major American orchestras — 70 — than any other orchestral percussionist in U.S. history.

Paula plays as an extra flute with the SLSO and has performed with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Ballet Orchestra of St. Louis, the Aspen Music Festival and the Bach at the Seminary Series.