Close Encounters With Music presents On the Wings of Song, a program that brings together two distinct expressions of Romanticism in a single, compelling arc.

Schumann’s Dichterliebe is anything but a conventional love story. Fragmented, introspective, and emotionally elusive, it unfolds in fleeting moments that resist easy resolution. As pianist Adam Golka describes it, “the cycle feels like an entire lifetime… the ultimate illusion of the perception of time.” Each song offers a different emotional world, leaving the listener to piece together what remains unsaid.

Set alongside it, Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor offers a striking shift in perspective. Lyrical, urgent, and deeply expressive, the trio channels both refinement and intensity. Violinist Miranda Cuckson notes that beneath its polished surface lies “hot-blooded passion… gutsiness and dark storms,” plunging the listener into a world of momentum and release from the very first notes.

Together, these works create a rare listening experience—one that moves from inward reflection to expansive expression without sacrificing intimacy.

Performed by an extraordinary ensemble: Tyler Duncan, baritone; Adam Golka, piano; Miranda Cuckson, violin; and Yehuda Hanani, cello.

Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington