Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
T h e W i l l i a m T. K e m p e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l c h a m b e r M u s i c s e r i e s Jonathan Biss, Piano And the Elias Quartet Friday, April 5 The Folly Theater 8 pm Jonathan Biss Sara Bitlloch Donald Grant Martin Saving Marie Bitlloch piano violin violin viola cello MOZART Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, K. 493 Allegro Larghetto Allegretto JANÁČEK String Quartet No. 2, JW VII/13, "Listy durvene" ("Intimate Letters") Allegro con moto; Allegro Adagio; Vivace Moderato; Adagio; Allegro Allegro; Andante; Adagio INTERMISSION ANDRES Piano Quintet - World Premiere SCHUMANN Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47 Sostenuto assai; Allegro ma non troppo Scherzo: Molto vivace Andante cantabile Finale: Vivace The International Chamber Music Series is underwritten, in part, by the William T. Kemper Foundation. This concert is supported, in part, by the ArtsKC Fund. This concert is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Financial assistance for this project has been provided, in part, by The Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. the friends of chamber music | the intimate voice of classical music program notes Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, K. 493 Wolfgang Amadè Mozart (1756-1791) Considering Mozart’s prolific output of chamber music, it may seem odd that he only composed two piano quartets. He wrote many violin sonatas, string quartets, viola quintets, divertimenti, piano trios, and dozens more works for other instrumental combinations. But why so few piano quartets? The answer is that, in writing for keyboard, violin, viola, and violoncello, Mozart was something of a trailblazer. In the late 18th century, this combination of instruments was unusual. There are examples of earlier works for keyboard and three strings by Johann Schobert and Johann Christian Bach, but the specific grouping of what we call a ‘piano quartet’ was a bold stroke on Mozart’s part. His two works for this particular combination of instruments, his K. 478 in G Minor (1785) and K. 493 in E-flat Major (1786), were the first of their kind to carve a permanent niche in the repertoire. Effectively, he invented the genre. Mozart and his publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister hedged their bet. Originally, Hoffmeister commissioned three such quartets from Mozart. When the first of them – the G minor work – was published in December 1785, the title page left the keyboard instrument to the player’s choice: Quatuor pour le Clavecin ou Forte Piano, Violin, Tallie (a misprint for taille, French for tenor part, i.e., viola) et Basse (bass, which, in this context, meant violoncello). The fortepiano was gaining in popularity in the mid-1780s, but Mozart and Hoffmeister both knew that many households still owned harpsichords (clavecin). By giving the players a choice, they hoped to increase sales; however, the harpsichord was impractical for music of such turbulence and subtlety, particularly combined with three string instruments. Furthermore, Mozart’s keyboard writing bears no relationship to Baroque continuo. Rather, it is a direct offshoot of his piano concerto style. He composed three splendid keyboard concerti in that same year (1785): No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466; No. 21 in C Major, K. 467; and No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482. The following year, he wrote No. 23 in A Major, K. 488, No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491, and No. 25 in C Major, K. 503. His command of the Viennese fortepiano’s expressive and technical capabilities was unparalleled. Similarly, he endowed this new genre – the piano quartet – with a profound and secure mastery of string writing. By 1785 he had completed the six string quartets dedicated to Haydn, each one a masterpiece. He brought that skill and experience to the piano quartet, combining it with his marvelous facility and depth of the knowledge of keyboard writing. The E-flat Major piano quartet was completed in June 1786. A richly balanced work, it is expansive and refined; a finely cut, polished jewel of classical architecture. Among its marvels is a roller coaster journey through a rapid series of modulations in the development section of the opening movement. Mozart passes through no fewer than nine keys before the recapitulation. In both Haydn’s and Mozart’s piano trios, the keyboard dominates, relegating the violin to a largely obbligato status and the cello to duplicating the bass line. Mozart’s piano quartets are markedly different from these piano trios in that the instruments share thematic material more judiciously. In K.493, the exchange and interchange of musical ideas is most evident in the Larghetto, where all four instruments explore Mozart’s gentle, lyric chromaticism. In the finale, Mozart favors the pianist, whose virtuosic runs link this movement closely to the piano concerti. String Quartet No. 2 (“Intimate Letters”) Leos Janáček (1854-1928) If Bedřich Smetana is regarded as the greatgrandfather of Czech music and Antonín Dvořák as the grandfather, then Leos Janáček must be dubbed the logical heir to their tradition and, in his turn, the father of modern Czech music. Born in Hukvaldy, Moravia in 1854, Janáček was a late bloomer. Although his musical talent manifested itself quite early on, most of his youthful works were cloaked in the forms and style of the late 19th-century romantics, garb that ill-suited Janáček. Eventually he abandoned those models, seeking a more personal expression. Like his younger contemporaries 37th season 2012-13 87 program notes compositions. These include the operas “Kát’a Kabanova” (1919-21), “The Cunning Little Vixen” (1921-23) and “The Makropoulos Affair” (1923-25) (all with heroines for whom Kamila served as the model); a wealth of instrumental music such as the Piano Concertino (1925), the Sinfonietta (1926), the wind quintet Mladi (1927), and the two string quartets (1923 and 1928, respectively). There is no evidence to suggest that the affair was ever consummated, and, indeed it Grace Adams, Betty Allison, Andrea Casola, Leslie Davis, Michael Sheridan, Amanda Casola and Rowan Lalonde in The Cunning Litle Vixen at The Banff Centre. Photo Credit: Donald Lee is well documented that it was more than one-sided. Kamila Bartók and Kodály in Hungary, he became absorbed and her husband, to whom she appears to have been with the folk music of his native land, developing a happily married, enjoyed a friendship with Janáček highly individual musical language. His mature style until his death. There is no question that she provided derives in large part from the speech cadences of Slovak tongues, and the rhythms and melodies of Moravian folk spiritual support and artistic inspiration for him, and a companionable haven from his own unhappy marriage music. to Zdenka Schulzová, which soured shortly after the Janáček considered his operas to be his most friendship with Kamila began in 1881. important compositions. Yet instrumental works figured Janáček is essentially a programmatic composer. prominently during the last decade or so of his life, Very little of his absolute music survives. Both of his and contributed considerably to his reputation. The string quartets have strong extramusical associations. astonishing creative efflorescence of his old age can be The first, subtitled “The Kreutzer Sonata,” is based on attributed to two principal factors. The first was the the Tolstoi story of love, adultery, and jealousy -- highly independence of Czechoslovakia at the close of the charged material for a man enamored of a woman young Great War. Three provinces that formerly belonged to enough to pass for his granddaughter who was another the Habsburg Empire – Bohemia to the west, central man’s wife. The second quartet, subtitled “Intimate Moravia, and eastern Slovakia – were merged to form Letters,” is Janáček’s more direct declaration of his love a modern nation. Janáček’s intense nationalistic pride for Kamila. He was 74 years old. found magnificent expression in his late works. The other reason for his enormous productivity was Kamila Stosslová, a young woman 38 years his junior with whom Janáček fell headlong in love. Married to a Moravian antique merchant who had helped Janáček with daily provisions during the war, Kamila met the composer in 1917. He was strongly attracted to her. She became his obsession, inspiring an almost unceasing stream of letters, a “Kamila diary” in the last year of his life, and, most important, an autumnal rainbow of major Originally the quartet was to have been entitled “Love Letters,” but in February of 1928 Janáček changed the title, writing to Kamila, “I don’t deliver my feelings to the tender mercies of fools.” He planned to use the viola d’amore, a member of the baroque viol family that was widely played in the 18th century. The instrument probably attracted him as much for its name as for its particular tuning and timbre. Eventually he abandoned that plan, because the older, gentler instrument did not blend with the three modern instruments, nor could the friends of chamber music | the intimate voice of classical music program notes its volume hold its own against the other instruments. But the viola remains the dominant voice in “Intimate Letters.” Letters to Kamila reveal that, in the opening movement, Janáček sought to capture his impression upon seeing her for the first time. A sort of free rondo, the movement begins with a dramatic fortissimo trill from the cello, with a response in thirds and sixths from the two violins. Thereafter, the viola has the most prominent role, its themes taking on an eerie quality by extensive playing sul ponticello (on the bridge). Perhaps Janáček was attempting to approximate the sound of the older viola d’amore. Rapid shifts in mood and texture contribute to the emotional charge of this music. One can almost imagine the composer’s heart racing. on every beat. Near the end, all four players are sul ponticello. Janáček told Kamila that this movement reflected the anguish he felt about her. Throughout the Second Quartet, Janácek’s musical language is diatonic, with an emphasis on chords built on fourths. Its significance lies as much in its meaning to the composer as its intrinsic musical value. Quintet for Piano and Strings World Premiere Timothy Andres (b.1985) Pianist and composer Timothy Andres was born in the California Bay Area, grew up in rural Connecticut, and is currently based in Brooklyn. A keen proponent of new music, he is active as a performer of his contemporaries’ music as well as his own. He describes his compositions as a “melding a classical music upbringing with diverse interests in the natural world, graphic arts, technology, cooking, and photography.” Andres is also an avid cyclist. The second movement is marked Adagio, at least in the beginning, and centers on B-flat minor. But its structure is as free as the preceding movement, with tempo markings changing rapidly. The tempo listings are actually Adagio - più mosso -Maestoso in espressione Vivace - Andante - Adagio - Adagio - Grave - Allegro - Vivo - Adagio, making it very similar in quixotic spirit to the preceding movement. This movement is more like a set of variations rather than a rondo. Once again the viola is awarded an ardent melody, though the second violin has a brief cadenza marked flautato (literally “flute-like;” This is an instruction to bow the instrument over the fingerboard which produces a “flute-like” sound. that is built on whole tone scales. Poignant and graceful in 9/8 meter, the third movement has a Russian flavor, with accompaniment in octaves and thirds. Janáček wrote to Kamila: “I want to make it particularly joyful and then dissolve it into a vision like your image.” This love music is the emotional heart of the work. After he completed it, he wrote: “Today I have written down my sweetest longings. . . . Today I have succeeded in writing a piece in which the earth begins to tremble. This will be my best. Here, I can find a place for my most beautiful melodies.” “Intimate Letters” concludes with an earthy peasant dance. Presently a four-note pattern interrupts, becoming more dominant. Emphasizing the conflict between the two ideas, Janáček calls for the cellist to play alternate notes pizzicato vs. arco [bowed], changing Composer Timothy Andres 37th season 2012-13 89 program notes Andres began his formal study of composition at Juilliard’s pre-college division and subsequently earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Yale University. His teachers have included Martin Bresnick, Ingram Marshall, Aaron Jay Kernis, and Christopher Theofanidis. His debut CD, Shy and Mighty, issued by Nonesuch in May 2010, features ten of Andres’s pieces for two pianos, performed with himself and David Kaplan. (This evening’s Piano Quintet had not been completed at press time. Please refer to the program insert for more information about this world premiere.) Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47 Robert Schumann (1810-1856) We live in an era of Prozac, Zoloft and Effexor, where depression is not only accepted as a legitimate medical disorder, but also can be treated successfully in all but extreme cases. Sadly, Robert Schumann was unable to benefit from modern psychiatry or medicine. We believe he suffered from what we now call acute manic/depressive disorder, experiencing severe attacks that led him to attempt suicide. Before his escalating mental illness forced his incarceration in an asylum in Endenich (near Bonn), where he died in 1856, he was capable of intense periods of creativity frequently touched with genius. In fact, Schumann’s work patterns were often manic. During the 1830s, he composed almost exclusively for solo piano. In 1840, the year he married the young virtuoso pianist Clara Wieck, he poured forth his love in a stream of glorious songs and song cycles. The following year he became obsessed with the orchestra, composing two symphonies and two other major orchestral compositions. Then, in 1842, he focused on chamber music. Immersed in the study of string quartets by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, Schumann penned three quartets of his own (Op. 41), followed within months by a Piano Quintet (Op.44), the piano quartet we hear this evening, and a trio for piano, clarinet, and violin called “Phantasiestücke” (“Fantasy Pieces”) (published later as Op. 88). Few would dispute the supremacy of Schumann’s Quintet among his chamber works. As a result, the quartet, Op. 47 has been somewhat neglected. This is unfortunate since the quartet is one of the greatest works of its kind ever written. To some extent, the quartet suffers when compared with the quintet because the two works share the same key of E-flat major, and yet they are very different in character. By eliminating just one instrument, the piano quartet becomes a much more intimate work, especially when compared with the more orchestral-like piano quintet. The quartet’s phrasing tends to be foursquare with a piano part that tends to dominate. It is a lovely work, filled with characteristic Schumannesque gestures and a glorious fount of lush, romantic melodies. Unlike the quintet with its bold opening, the quartet commences with a stately, slow introduction that has been called Beethovenian. A comparison to Beethoven’s late Op. 127 string quartet (also in E-flat) is plausible in light of our knowledge that Schumann was a great admirer of Beethoven and had been studying his string quartet scores. (Schumann reiterates the introductory material at the beginning of his development section, another Beethovenian touch.) The seeds of melodic material that dominate the ensuing Allegro are all present in the opening 12 measures of this first movement. Following the slow introduction is a section marked Allegro ma non troppo. The piano is off and running with little letup for the balance of the movement. While the string parts are not without interest, the piano is clearly placed in the limelight. The cello part is almost inseparable from the pianist’s left hand. The union of the string instruments makes for a thicker, accompanied texture that supports the dominant pianist. The Scherzo, which switches to G minor, is a standout movement: fleet, imaginative and far more equable in its distribution of parts. An unusual feature shared with the Quintet is the inclusion of two trio sections rather than one. Schumann’s individual touch is the insertion of brief allusions to the opening staccato figure interspersed with the contrasting material in each of the trios. This movement, on a level with Mendelssohn’s finest chamber music scherzos, is highly effective in performance. the friends of chamber music | the intimate voice of classical music program notes The cello has its big moment to shine in the slow movement, a Lied that shows Schumann, the melodist, at his best. The gorgeous love song is heard first in the cello, which is then heard in duet, in the form of a canon, between the violinist and the cellist. Then the viola takes up the song by itself. The piano is the only instrument of the four that never gets to state the song. Its role is to provide the harmonic framework and other important commentary for the work. The constant, rhythmic pulse and occasional delicate filigree interlaces the melody with playful charm, affection and a kind of freedom that moves spaciously and easily in contrast to the stately, weightiness of the love song itself. After a brief, hymn-like interlude, the cello makes the final statement of the love song, alone and over a sustained pedal tone in the piano, as if to signify the love song’s transcendence over time. Midway through, a note in the score instructs the cellist to tune the C string down a whole step (to B-flat). This abnormal tuning process, called scordatura, dates to early Baroque times. It permits a composer to achieve unusual harmonic progressions. Schumann’s idea was for the scordatura to enable such a progression via the cello’s extended pedal point on that low B-flat. (Cellists have devised alternative solutions to this perilous instruction. Many players opt to retune the C string before the movement begins, then transpose the few other notes necessary on that string.) With the Finale, Schumann recaptures the briskness of his opening movement, adding even more elaborate contrapuntal elements. Perhaps he was playing out the energy begotten by the splendid coda to his Piano Quintet. He succeeds brilliantly, bringing the quartet to a stylish and convincing close. THe Elias Quartet T he Elias String Quartet take their name from Mendelssohn’s oratorio, “Elijah,” using the German form of the name. They have quickly established themselves as one of the most intense and vibrant quartets of their generation. Formed in 1998 at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, the quartet worked closely with the late Dr. Christopher Rowland. Additionaly, the quartet studied at the Hochschule in Cologne with the Alban Berg quartet. Other mentors in the Quartet’s studies include Hugh Maguire, György Kurtág, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Henri Dutilleux and Rainer Schmidt. The Quartet received second prize and the Sidney Griller prize at the 9th London International String Quartet Competition in 2003 (as the Johnston String Quartet) and were finalists in the Paolo Borciani Competition in 2005. For four years they were resident String Quartet at Sheffield’s “Music in the Round” as part of Ensemble 360, taking over from the Lindsay Quartet. 2012-13 projects include a five concert series at Wigmore Hall, a US tour including their Carnegie Hall debut, returning to Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, and participating in Jonathan Biss’s Schumann project. With the support of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust, the Elias Quartet are embarking on their Beethoven project: Learning and performing all Beethoven string quartets, with cycles starting in 2012/13 in various venues including Southampton, Bristol, Brighton, Tonbridge, London, and documenting their journey, learnings and findings on a dedicated website, www.thebeethovenproject.com For more information visit www.eliasstringquartet.com The Elias String Quartet appears courtesy of David Row Artists – Laurie Shulman ©2012 Jonathan Biss’ biography can be found on page 49. 37th season 2012-13 91