Premiere of 'Ithaka'
Sunday: Former Minnesota Orchestra concertmaster Jorja Fleezanis and her late husband, Michael Steinberg, used to read C.P. Cavafy's poem "Ithaka" at poetry recitals, and it provides the basis for a new work in Steinberg's memory by Justin Merritt, a composer from Northfield. Fleezanis will premiere the piece with David Pharris on clarinet, Tony Ross on cello, Karl Paulnack on piano and Stephen Yoakam as narrator on Sunday at MacPhail Center. Fleezanis chose this work as the initial commission of the Michael Steinberg and Jorja Fleezanis Fund because it was a favorite of theirs, and also because "it evokes, in vivid, richly textured images, the ancient landscapes and towns through which Homer's Odysseus travels," Fleezanis wrote in a statement. The message, she said, is clear: "Accept each day as a full measure of life, rather than considering the present as a mere stage to pass through on the way to a supposedly better future." The recital also features Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. (4 p.m. Sun., MacPhail Center, 501 S. 2nd St., Mpls. $10-$25. 1-800-838-3006)
Terry BlaiN
