Gil Kalish and Joel Krosnick. (Photo by Peter Schaaf)

On November 14, Juilliard cello faculty and department chair Joel Krosnick will be joined by longtime musical partner, pianist Gilbert Kalish, for a recital in Paul Hall at 8 p.m. The duo will present a tribute to their close friend and great American composer Ralph Shapey, who was born in 1921 and passed away last June. The program will include the 1954 Sonata for Cello and Piano, which is among the early milestones of Shapey's creative output. According to Gilbert Kalish, this work "already has the 'grandeur' and is extremely contrapuntal"—two salient aspects of Shapey's musical language. Following the Sonata, the duo will consort with guest soprano Carol Meyer for the 1988 Songs of Life. This work is a celebration of the positive forces of Life, as well as of Art and Dreams. The words are excerpted from poetry by Whitman, Rostand, Wilde, and Shakespeare, among others. The Songs of Life are dedicated to Mrs. Shapey, soprano Elsa Charlston. The duo will also perform the Kroslish Sonate, written for them in 1985. In the Songs of Life and the Kroslish Sonate (and in the 1983 Krosnick Soli), the C string of the cello is tuned down to A, reaching to a commanding and deep tone, in an already demanding cello part often rooted in four-pitch chords. And, as an extended homage to Shapey's admiration for Beethoven's music, the duo will present the 1815 Sonatas for Piano and Cello, Op. 102, Nos. 1 and 2, at the outset of the evening.

Throughout his career, Shapey persevered with his own distinct musical language, regardless of the current trends in composition, and without compromising with the predominant (European) systems or schools. His use of chromatic language was flexible and never self-indulging, which denotes the early influence by Stefan Wolpe. The treatment of motives is similar to "developing variations" and presented in juxtaposed sections. The music is rugged, powerful, and can also be extremely lyrical. The composer described himself as "a classicist structurally, a romantic emotionally and a modernist harmonically" (Steven Johnson, "Shapey, Ralph," in The New Grove Dictionary of Music Online). Shapey received the MacArthur Prize (1982); first prize in the Kennedy Center Friedheim Competition (1990, for Concerto for Cello, Piano, and String Orchestra); and the Paul Fromm Award in 1993. He was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Joel Krosnick, cello, and guests Paul Hall, Thursday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m. Free tickets available at the Juilliard Box Office.

Cellist Joel Krosnick joined the Juilliard String Quartet in 1974 and has since toured around the world and recorded extensively with that ensemble. In particular, the quartet recorded the complete string quartets by Bartok, Beethoven, and Brahms for Sony. Mr. Krosnick is a major proponent of American music, including that of Elliott Carter, Milton Babbitt, David Diamond, and Charles Wuorinen.

Pianist Gilbert Kalish distinguishes himself in chamber music collaborations with the world's greatest artists and ensembles, including regular partnerships with Dawn Upshaw, Jan DeGaetani, and Timothy Eddy; as a founding member of the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble; and as the former pianist of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players. Among numerous recognitions, he was presented with the 2002 Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award by Chamber Music America. His association with cellist Joel Krosnick dates back to 1976. Together, they have recorded all of the works on this program on the Arabesque and New World labels. Both the scores of the works by Shapey (published by Theodore Presser) and the recordings are available in the Juilliard library.