Download Programme - Nicholas Ashton, pianist

The
Archduke Trio
of
London
Nicola Thomas, cello
Richard Ireland, violin
Nicholas Ashton, piano
Mozart Kv. 548
Beethoven op 1 no 1
Brahms op 8
Neuadd y Dderwen, Rhosygilwen Mansion
Friday 14th November 2014 at 8.00pm
Programme
W.A Mozart (1756-1791
Trio Kv 548 C major
Allegro
Andante cantabile
Rondo: Allegro
L. van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Trio op 1 no 1, Eb major
Allegro
Adagio cantabile
Scherzo: Allegro assai
Finale: Presto
Interval
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Trio op 8, B major
Allegro con brio
Scherzo: Allegro molto
Adagio
Allegro
Programme Notes by Nicholas Ashton
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Trio Kv. 548, C major (1788)
1. Allegro 4/4
2. Andante cantabile 3/4
3. Allegro 6/8
This work is the sixth of seven trios for piano (with violin and ‘cello , except for the
Kegelstatt Trio Kv. 498, which has alternative instrumentation for clarinet and viola) and
was composed — at the composer’s customary speed — in 1788, while he was
simultaneously engaged in writing the three final symphonies Kv. 543 in Eb, Kv. 550 in
G minor and Kv. 551 in C.
Despite the apparent haste, it is remarkable how much precision, emotional depth and
inventiveness Mozart brings to all these works; it is as if they had been in careful
preparation in the composer’s mind long before they were committed to paper. It is a
paradox with which all performers and listeners of Mozart are confronted — on the one
hand the freshness and immediacy of creative thought, and on the other an expressive
complexity which seems perfectly realised yet disturbing and with often hidden layers of
tragedy.
Here, the first movement exposition is brisk and with operatic propulsion, much in the
manner of the overtures to the great comic operas Cosi fan Tutte and Nozze di Figaro the writing is brilliant, discursive, and witty. At the development, there is an abrupt shift
to an altogether darker, more uncertain mood; short, cut-off phrases, heard first by the
piano, are shared, interrupted and modulated in successive minor key shifts. The
melodic material here has elements of Don Giovanni and of the Magic Flute (in its lost
forest episodes). Within the space of a few bars, this altogether exceptionally unsettling
development regains clarity, optimism and focus in the recapitulation — both in mood
and outward brightness.
The serene andante cantabile which follows it sustains and enlarges the contemplative
and somewhat double-edged moods of the allegro — here the longer, vocal melodic
lines presented by all three partners in tandem evokes the peacefulness-if transitory —
of the departure trio soave sia il vento at the end of Act 1 of Cosi, and also shares
similar construction of phrases with the last, valedictory piano concerto, the Bb Kv 595
and the slow movement of his last piano sonata Kv. 576. It seems clear to me that the
physical proximity of all of these works in terms of composition dates are somehow
related in a continuum of mood, of thought, of personal expression.
The finale returns to the quicksilver intelligence and seeming effortlessness of melodic
invention of the first; housed in the graceful dancelike qualities of the 6/8 meter and
rhythmic propulsion and the inventiveness which Mozart brings to rondo form, so clever,
so polished and so subtle that one may almost miss the resignation of the central
episode in the dark key of C minor.
L. van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Trio op 1 no 1, Eb major
1. Allegro 4/4
2. Adagio cantabile 3/4
3. Scherzo: Allegro assai 3/4
4. Finale: Presto 2/4
Beethoven composed the three trios which comprise his op 1 in 1793 and dedicated
them the the Count Carl von Lichnowsky, who was a major supporter and patron. The
works were premiered at a private concert, hosted by the Count, in Vienna late in the
year. Josef Haydn was in the audience for this; he complimented the first two works
warmly, feeling that the third, in C minor - perhaps the most obviously experimental of
the set - was so advanced in ideas that the general public was not ready for it. From a
musician who was no stranger to experimentation, that should be regarded as astute
praise and this was not lost on Beethoven, who had great admiration for Haydn contrary to popular myth.
Although they are not his first works in this medium, Beethoven was sufficiently
confident in the trios to entitle them as his first formal compositions - and with very good
reason; all three are packed to the brim with material of the best quality of his early
work; an instinctive yet immensely sure grasp of structure and of harmonic
development, melodic fluency and rhythmic vitality (which demonstrates the
extraordinary gifts he must have possessed as an extemporizer), and perhaps even
above these, a searching expressive intensity and powerfulness of thematic utterance
which was to be of such tremendous influence on the course of serious art music in the
early 19th century and beyond.
In the case of this trio, it was the second movement Adagio which particularly caught
attention at the time and when Beethoven contacted his publisher Simrock to authorise
the printing of the works, he mentions also to his friend Andreas Streicher that it was at
a performance of this movement that he felt confident in the quality of the work.
The first movement presents a boldly stated rising arpeggio which becomes the focus of
some highly inventive variation throughout the work -it appears at the start of the last
movement as a skip of a tenth. The piano and violin lead most of the material - the
whole work is marked by a high degree of virtuosity - although the cello increasingly
begins to take on a much more substantial role in the discursive nature of the work,
marking a departure form that customary in most of Haydn’s and Mozart’s work in the
medium.
The second movement- gloriously set in Ab major ( a favourite key for Beethoven at his
most lyrical) presents an extremely vocal opening subject in the piano, responded to
with warmth and tenderness by the strings. The move to the dark key of Eb minor in the
central section of the this movement introduces a vivid contrast of mood and expressive
range, exploiting a richness of texture in the piano writing which is quite unlike anything
present in much of the Classical chamber repertoire at the time.
The incandescent Scherzo displays Beethoven at his most irrepressible - this surely
must have been the product of many joyous improvisations - yet it maintains a clear
head for symmetry and a subversive displacement of expected symmetry. This mood
and this invention is continued in the dazzling brilliant Finale.
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Trio op 8, B major
1. Allegro con brio 4/4
2. Scherzo: Allegro molto 3/4
3. Adagio 4/4
4. Allegro 3/4
The three trios for violin, cello and piano ( op 8, op 87 in C major and op 101 in C
minor), together with the Horn Trio in Eb major op 40 and the wonderful Clarinet Trio in
A minor op 114, represent an almost ideal portrait of the composer at the various stages
of his development, although the tendency to regard Brahms, firstly as an experimental
innovator, albeit heavily influenced by Beethoven and Schumann at the start of his
career, then as a custodian of stolid, “pure” Germanic values, and latterly (and most
incorrectly) as a conservative, can all be challenged comprehensively by simply
listening and appreciating the music for itself, without attaching banners.
In fact, Brahms was perhaps all of these things at the same time and in the same place;
this trio, written in its original version at the age of twenty-one, displays a remarkably
secure sense of form and of expressive range, yet respects the established prior works
in the medium. The revision of the work, which is that most commonly performed (as
here this evening), was made thirty-five years later in1889 and carefully edits out some
of the more experimental episodes (especially in the first movement) but maintains a
pact with the directness and concentrated emotional power which is always a feature of
Brahms’ major work. In particular, the third movement stands level with the exalted
moments of the German Requiem, the Alto Rhapsody, the slow movement of the C
minor piano quartet, the third movement of the second piano concerto, the last of the
fourth symphony. We should, incidentally be grateful to Brahms that he considered the
original work so highly that he undertook a re-think; he was notoriously unsparing of any
work which he considered inferior.
The opening allegro is richly scored for all three instruments, with the cello floating a
first subject melody of immense tenderness, this giving way to a highly charged
rhythmic climax. The ensuing second subject, appearing in unison octaves in the piano,
is more exploratory and disjunct; these ingredients are masterfully combined in a
development of lucid structural construction, dissolving through recapitulation into a
coda of translucent peace; the movement could stand alone as a work in tis own right.
The Scherzo displays all of the qualities of lightness, intelligence and drive as in
Beethoven, with the addition of an unashamedly sentimental (in the best sense of the
word) Laendler as the trio. The third movement I have tried to describe above. The
fourth, a disturbing, unsettling Rondo - set in B minor to underscore the peace and
serenity of the major ( the first and third movements) - possesses an ambiguity even
from the start, with the opening cello again speaking first in a melody which oscillates
indecisively around G, sharp and E sharp. The trio is a masterpiece of the form.
Biographies
Nicola Thomas, cello
Nicola attended Chetham’s School of Music aged twelve. She began lessons aged
fourteen with William Pleeth, who encouraged the numerous performance opportunities
that Chetham’s provided. She participated in a public master class with Paul Tortelier
and attended the Britten Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies.
Aged seventeen Nicola went to the Royal Northern College of Music and gained a
Young Music Makers Broadcast on Radio 3 playing Brahms E Minor cello sonata, as
well as winning the Bach Cello Prize and the Barbarolli Cello Prize. She was
subsequently invited to perform Elgar’s Cello Concerto (in Elgar’s home county),
Boccherini Bb cello Concerto, Haydn C major Concerto and Bloch’s ‘Schelomo’. Whilst
at the RNCM Nicola was a member of a Piano Trio that performed extensively
throughout the UK including a performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in London.
Nicola attended Prussia Cove a year before graduating from the RNCM, and had the
privilege of several lessons and public master classes with Jacqueline Du Pre, before
she moved to London to continue her studies and begin a busy freelance career.
Nicola worked extensively with The London Mozart Players, London Bach Orchestra,
Kent Opera, and The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, with whom she toured
internationally, playing at major venues in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San
Fransisco, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Salzburg, Berlin and Vienna.
Chamber music has always been an important part of Nicola’s musical life, and whilst
living in London she worked in many ensembles playing contemporary music as well as
standard chamber repertoire. When Nicola moved to West Wales her commitment to
playing, teaching and chamber music led her to becoming Artistic Director of The West
Coast School of Chamber Music. She has had works commissioned for her and
subsequently recorded for Signum Records. She is now a professor at the Royal Welsh
College of Music and Drama.
Richard Ireland, violin
London-born into a family of string quartet players (his father Patrick was in the Allegri
Quartet, and his brother Robin in the Lindsays), Richard is one of the UK’s leading
chamber musicians and has been a regular performer at London’s Wigmore Hall, South
Bank Centre, Kings Place, and at all of the major chamber music venues across
Europe. He has performed alongside many great international artists and was a
member of the Chilingirian Quartet until 2010.
Richard studied with Eli Goren and with Shmuel Ashkenasi, both eminent quartet
leaders (Allegri Quartet and Vermeer Quartet). He became Teaching Assistant to
Shmuel Ashkenasi and stayed in the USA for three years.
On return to the UK Richard was professor of violin and chamber music at the Royal
Northern College of Music for thirteen years and professor of chamber music at the
Royal College of Music. He is currently professor of violin at the Royal Academy of
Music with extra responsibilities for chamber music.
Richard is a visiting professor for the Chamber Music in Residence series at Aldeburgh
Music. Outside the UK, Richard is on the faculty of the International Summer Academy
of Chamber Music in Germany, has been Artist in Residence at Musica Mundi in
Belgium, and is a guest professor at the Netherlands String Quartet Academy.
He is on the jury for national and international chamber music competitions, and also for
Award bodies such as Help Musicians UK (formerly the Musicians Benevolent Fund).
Richard dedicates much of his time and energy to the training of young musicians. He
was invited to Caracas to work with players from the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra in
chamber groups, and he leads workshops in the UK for the government’s Music and
Dance scheme for teenagers.
In 2010 Richard created and is now Artistic Director of ChamberStudio
http://chamberstudio.org/ at Kings Place in London which provides high-level
masterclasses and support to young professional chamber groups in the early stages of
their careers.
In recognition of his teaching and the work he has done creating ChamberStudio,
Richard was awarded the 2104 Cobbett Medal by the Worshipful Company of
Musicians. Previous recipients include Emanuel Hurwitz, Hugh Maguire, Yehudi
Menuhin, Gerald Moore, Dame Myra Hess, and even Sir Edward Elgar in 1928!
Nicholas Ashton, piano
Nicholas was educated at Chetham’s School, Manchester, at RNCM, the Conservatoire
de Musique, Geneva and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Frankfurtam-Main.
Following a formal debut at the 1980 Manchester International Festival, he proceeded to
perform widely throughout Europe for ten years as a concerto soloist and recitalist. He
subsequently worked for three years as a teacher and translator in Frankfurt and one
year in London as an assistant opera agent at Anglo-Swiss Artists’ Management.
Nicholas resumed performing as a result of encouragement from Murray Perahia, at the
Centre for Advanced Studies, Snape and Menahem Pressler at the Centre for Music
and Arts, Banff. His first public recital in Scotland was highly praised and resulted in
regular offers to play. A live recording of a subsequent recital at the Queen’s Hall in
Edinburgh was brought out on CD. Since then he has given seven solo recitals at the
venue and has performed to critical acclaim in concerts throughout the UK and in
Germany. He has also contributed regularly as a performer and in interview for the
BBC, NDR 2 and 4, Bayern 4, Radio Suisse Romande, Radio New Zealand and in the
USA.
He performed over forty separate solo and chamber programmes at the Stock
Exchange Hamburg for the Hamburg Chamber Music Society (of which he was Artistic
Director in 2002). He has performed regularly in the Glasgow and Edinburgh University
Recital series (2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 , 2009, 2010, 2013) and at RNCM (2002
and 2003). In 2005 he was invited to give recitals and masterclasses at Central
Washington University as part of the ISEP international exchange programme, in 2009
to Pirkenmaa University for the Applied Arts, Tampere, Finland, in 2009 the University
of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2010 again to Tampere, Finland and in 2013 to Udine Italy
for the Amice della Musica concert series.
A CD recording of the complete works for piano and the piano quintet by the
distinguished Scottish composer Robert Crawford, released on the widely respected
Delphian Records label in February 2008, attracted very high praise in the media,
including International Record Review, The Scotsman, The Herald, Musical Opinion and
The Gramophone.
Nicholas is a regular chamber music partner with the Artists in Residence at Edinburgh
Napier University, the Edinburgh Quartet, having performed with them a substantial part
of the core piano quintet and quartet repertoire which has been warmly received by both
the public and press. He works regularly with the Lithuanian pianist, Lauryna
Sableviciute, in two piano repertoire; a CD recording of new works in this medium is in
preparation.
Nicholas combines his playing activity with an academic career, currently as Senior
Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University. His carefully nurtured students have been
regularly successful in competition and as postgraduates at RNCM, RSAMD/RCS,
RCM, Guildhall, RWCMD and RAM. From 2010-2012 he was Specialist External
Assessor for Keyboard at RCS. He is also in demand as an adjudicator, including at St
Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh and Eton College, and was a member of the Board of
Directors for the Scottish International Piano Competition 2014.