Download Antonín Dvořák: Čempresi za gudački kvartet, op. 97

56. dubrovačke ljetne igre
56th Dubrovnik Summer Festival
2005
Hrvatska Croatia
BEČKI GUDAČKI KVARTET
VIENNA STRING QUARTET
Werner Hink
violina violin
Hubert Kroisamer
violina violin
Peter Ochsenhofer
viola
Fritz Dolezal
violončelo cello
Jasminka Stančul
glasovir piano
Atrij Kneževa dvora
Rector's Palace Atrium
2. kolovoza 2 August
21.30 9.30 pm
Antonín Dvořák:
Čempresi za gudački kvartet, op. 97
Cypresses for the string quartet, Op. 97
4. Poco adagio
6. Andante moderato
2. Allegro ma non troppo
9. Moderato
3. Andante con moto
12. Allegro animato
Antonín Dvořák:
12. gudački kvartet u F-duru, Američki, op. 96
String Quartet No. 12 in F major, American, Op. 96
Allegro ma non troppo
Lento
Molto vivace
Finale (Vivace ma non troppo)
***
Antonín Dvořák:
2. glasovirski kvintet u A-duru, op. 81
Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81
Allegro ma non troppo
Dumka (Andante con moto)
Furiant (Molto vivace)
Finale (Allegro)
Bečki gudački kvartet utemeljio je godine 1964. koncertni majstor Bečke
filharmonije Werner Hink, a u tome su mu se pridružili njegovi kolege iz orkestra,
violinist Anton Sraka, violist Klaus Peisteiner i violončelist Reinhard Repp.
Godine 1977. dionicu druge violine preuzeo je Hubert Kroisamer, 1985. dionicu
violončela Fritz Dolezal, a 1998. dionicu viole Peter Ochsenhofer. Iza sastava je
dugogodišnja i intenzivna umjetnička djelatnost koja ga vodi na najpoznatije svjetske
koncertne pozornice; još godine 1974. održali su svoju prvu, nadasve uspjelu turneju
po Japanu. Česti su gosti najuglednijih glazbenih festivala, među kojima su oni su
Beču, Salzburgu, Bregenzu, Ossiachu itd. Njihov repertoar obuhvaća širok spektar od
bečke klasike (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven) i rane romantike (Schubert) do slavenskih
autora (Smetana, Dvořák, Janáček) i glazbe 20. stoljeća (Berg, Webern, Respighi,
Ginastera, Šostakovič i dr.). Praizveli su i djela mnogih suvremenih skladatelja.
Nerijetko se udružuju i s drugim solistima i sastavima, pa je tako bila zapažena
njihova suradnja sa solo klarinetistom Berlinske filharmonije Karlom Leisterom s
kojim su izvodili klarinetske kvintete Mozarta, Webera i Brahmsa, a s kolegama iz
Bečke filharmonije godinama su djelovali unutar Novoga bečkog okteta. Često su
snimali za radijske i televizijske potrebe, a u njihovu bogatome diskografskom opusu
s više od 50 izdanja osobito se ističu snimke Mozartovih, Schubertovih, Bergovih,
Webernovih i Zemlinskyjevih djela. Njihova ploča s izvedbom Schubertova
gudačkoga kvarteta Smrt i djevojka u Japanu je godine 1984. proglašena najboljim
komornim izdanjem te godine. U Mozartovoj godini (1991.) objavljene su snimke
njihovih izvedbi svih Mozartovih gudačkih kvarteta, a pročuli su se i s diskografskim
izdanjem svih Schubertovih istovrsnih skladba.
Violinist Werner Hink, rođen u Beču, počeo je učiti violinu sa šest godina, najprije
na bečkome Konzervatoriju, a zatim na bečkoj Visokoj glazbenoj školi (danas
Glazbenome sveučilištu) kod Franza Samohyla. Godine 1964. bio je angažiran u
Orkestru Bečke državne opere, gdje uskoro postaje vođom prvih violina, a od 1974.
koncertni je majstor Bečke filharmonije. Od godine 1964. vodi Bečki gudački kvartet
s kojim je obišao svijet, a dugogodišnji je vođa i Novoga bečkog okteta s kojim je
nastupao u glazbenim središtima Europe, SAD-a i Japana. Kao solist koncertira od
svoje petnaeste godine, pri čemu su bili posebno zapaženi njegovi nastupi s Bečkom
filharmonijom. Na svojim solističkim koncertima redovito surađuje s pijanisticom
Jasminkom Stančul. Djeluje i kao pedagog: od godine 1982. vodi violinistički razred
na bečkome Konzervatoriju.
Violinist Hubert Kroisamer studirao je na Brucknerovu konzervatoriju u Linzu i na
bečkoj Visokoj glazbenoj školi kod Franza Samohyla. Bio je pobjednikom
Međunarodnoga violinističkoga natjecanja Kocian u bivšoj Čehoslovačkoj. Od godine
1976. članom je Bečke filharmonije u kojoj od 1982. vodi prve violine. Od 1977.
djeluje u Bečkome gudačkom kvartetu, a također je i koncertni majstor Bečkih solista.
Violist Peter Ochsenhofer rođen je u Grazu, gdje je na Visokoj glazbenoj školi
studirao violinu (kod Michaela Schnitzlera) i trublju (kod Hansa Meistera). Studij
violine nastavio je na bečkoj Visokoj glazbenoj školi u razredu Franza Samohyla.
Godine 1971. postao je članom Bečkih simfoničara, gdje je godine 1975. prešao na
sviranje viole. Nakon dvije godine diplomirao je i violu kod Siegfrieda Führlingera na
bečkoj Visokoj glazbenoj školi. Od 1977. bio je članom Orkestra Bečke državne
opere, gdje je iduće godine postao vođom violske dionice. Od 1980. članom je Bečke
filharmonije, a od 1998. Bečkoga gudačkog kvarteta. Bavi se i pedagoškim radom: od
1983. profesor je na Bečkome Konzervatoriju, a od 1993. redovni profesor na
bečkome Glazbenom sveučilištu.
Violončelist Fritz Dolezal rođen je u Beču, gdje je godine 1968. diplomirao na
Visokoj glazbenoj školi u razredu Friede Litschauer-Krause. Usavršavao se je kod
Enrica Mainardija i Vladimira Orloffa. Od 1968. članom je Orkestra Bečke državne
opere, a od 1974. vođom dionice violončela u Bečkoj filharmoniji. Od godine 1985.
svira u Bečkome gudačkom kvartetu, a s Novim bečkim oktetom nastupao je na
mnogobrojnim turnejama po Europi, SAD-u i Japanu.
Pijanistica Jasminka Stančul, rođena u Subotici, počela je učiti glasovir sa sedam
godina u svojemu rodnom gradu. Poslije je studirala na Umjetničkoj akademiji u
Novom Sadu kod Arba Valdme, a usavršavala se kod Noela Fluresa na Visokoj
glazbenoj školi u Beču i Marije Tipo u Ženevi. Dobitnicom je mnogobrojnih nagrada,
među kojima se osobito ističe pobjeda na Međunarodnome pijanističkom natjecanju
Beethoven u Beču (1989.). Otada traje njezina sve zapaženija međunarodna karijera.
Nastupala je na poznatim festivalima (Beč, Dubrovnik, Karintsko ljeto, Firenca,
Toulouse, Stressa, Montpellier, Bratislava, Schleswig-Holstein, Besançon itd.) te
surađivala s istaknutim orkestrima (Pariški orkestar, Mađarska, Varšavska i
Losangeleska filharmonija, Bečki, Praški, Pittsburški i Tokijski simfoničari,
salzburški Mozarteum i dr.) pod palicom dirigenata kao što su Lorin Maazel, Kurt
Sanderling, Hans Graf, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Fabio Luisi,
Horst Stein, Jerzy Semkov, Alexander Rahbari itd. S uspjehom se bavi i komornom
glazbom nastupajući sa solistima i sastavima kakvi su Boris Pergamenščikov,
Christian Altenburger, David Geringas, Werner Hink, Bečki gudački kvartet,
Ansambl Wien, Bečki virtuozi i drugi. Snimala je za Sjevernonjemački, Hesenski i
Austrijski radio te za poznate diskografske kuće; u njezinoj su diskografiji osobito
hvaljene snimke svih Beethovenovih glasovirskih koncerata i Schubertovih
glasovirskih trija.
Uz Bedřicha Smetanu češki je skladatelj Antonín Dvořák (1841.-1904.) onaj temeljni
organski završetak gotovo svih kreativnih nastojanja čeških glazbenika iz druge
polovice 19. stoljeća. Ali, dok je Smetana prvenstveno operni skladatelj i predstavnik
programske glazbe, Dvořák, premda autor brojnih glazbeno-scenskih ostvaraja,
postiže najviše u apsolutnim glazbenim oblicima. Umjetničko-ideološka povezanost
dvojice čeških stvaratelja dvaju osnovnih smjerova tadašnje europske avangarde
(Smetane uz Liszta i Wagnera, a Dvořáka uz Brahmsa) pomogla je češkoj glazbi da
prione uz glavne smjernice tadašnje glazbene moderne, da pomogne izgradnji novoga
tipa programne glazbe, obnovi okamenjene tradicionalne oblike, dalekosežno
reformira operu, te da na mudar način učvrsti folklor unutar zidina tzv. ozbiljne
glazbe. Romantičnost i lirskost Dvořákova govora možda bi se izgubile u sivoj masi
mnogobrojnih suvremenika da on nije imao rijedak dar jednoga od posljednjih velikih
europskih melodičara. Bit takve prave i velike melodijske jednostavnosti možda je
posljednji put prepoznata u neshvatljivoj melodijskoj invencioznosti jednoga Mozarta
ili Schuberta. I kao što Schubertove melodije odaju blizinu svježe, izvorne narodne
umjetnosti, tako je i Dvořákova melodika sva izrasla iz folklora. No dok Smetana
njeguje i upotrebljava gotovo isključivo slavenski folklor, Dvořáka zanima i narodno
stvarateljstvo drugih civilizacija. Pritom majstor gotovo nikada ne poseže za
doslovnim citatima; on najprije upija nepoznate zvukove, a zatim ih snagom svoje
kreativnosti preobražava u nešto više od njih samih.
Osamnaest popijevki za glas i glasovir pod naslovom Čempresi stvorio je Dvořák
godine 1865., upotrijebivši lirske odnosno patriotske stihove iz istoimene zbirke
Gustava Pfleger-Moravskoga. To su bila prva djela takve vrste tada 24-godišnjega
skladatelja, a njihovi najlirskiji trenutci bili su potaknuti autorovom ljubavlju prema
Josefini Čermakovoj, starijoj sestri svoje buduće supruge. Poštujući intimnost svojih
mladenačkih ostvaraja, Dvořák ih nije nikada javno objavio u njihovoj izvornoj
inačici, a tek je kao zreo stvaratelj shvatio njihovu pravu vrijednost. Osim što je
mnoge njihove motive, i formalno i sadržajno znatno preuređene, poslije upotrijebio u
svojim drugim skladbama, on je temeljito preuredio dvanaest spomenutih popijevki te
ih dao tiskati kao dva ciklusa, prvi pod naslovom Četiri pjesme, op. 2 (Prag, 1882.), a
drugi s osam pjesama nazvan Ljubavne pjesme, op. 83 (Berlin, 1889.). Svih dvanaest
pjesama skladatelj je naknadno obradio za gudački kvartet bez glasa, i u tome se
obliku one danas najčešće izvode. Njih deset nanovo je obradio i godine 1921.
objavio Dvořákov zet Josef Suk, a kritičko izdanje čitava ciklusa iz 1957. potječe iz
pera Jarmila Burghausera. Pretopivši ih u drugi tonski medij, Dvořák ih je, s malim
izuzetcima, u slogovnome pogledu ostavio gotovo netaknute, nadasve im vješto
sačuvavši izvornu melodijsku liniju, kao i sve bitne harmonijske i ritmičke elemente.
Izvorni su naslovi pjesama s večerašnjega rasporeda: Nikada nas ljubav nije vodila
toliko traženoj sreći, O, ti ružo puna sjaja, Pomisao na smrt caruje u mnogim
ljudskim srcima, Samo za tebe, moja jedina ljubavi, Pod slatkom vlašću tvojih očiju i
Pitaš me zašto su moje pjesme tako žarke.
Godine 1893. Dvořák je ljetovao u sjevernoameričkome gradiću Spillvilleu i tamo
stvorio svoj Dvanaesti gudački kvartet u F-duru, opus 96, poslije nazvan Američki.
Spillville je bio središte čeških doseljenika pa je skladatelj – dotad prisiljen dulje
vremena samovati u Americi – mogao provesti nekoliko sretnih mjeseci među svojim
sunarodnjacima. Kvartet je nastao nedugo nakon popularne Simfonije iz Novoga
svijeta, pa s njom dijeli slične impulse lirsko-dramatskoga spajanja čežnje za
domovinom i američkoga narodnog melosa; no ti impulsi u mlađem djelu imaju
pročišćeniji i diferenciraniji odjek. Skladbom istodobno odjekuje i izraz svojevrsna
olakšanja koje su njegovu autoru, nakon razdoblja newyorškoga naporna rada i
društvena angažmana punoga raznoraznih obveza, pružili ljetovališni mir i blizina
prirode. Činjenicu da je skladatelj mogao ponovno udahnuti puna pluća svježega
zraka i uroniti u bezbrižnu radost jasno dočaravaju uvodni i završni stavak Kvarteta,
dok polagani stavak i scherzo govore o osjećajima usamljena promatrača ljepote
kojega gotovo u redovitim razmacima preplavljuju valovi nostalgije za zavičajem.
Glazbena je građa efektnoga djela raspoređena iznimno promišljeno i štedljivo;
uostalom, radi se o Dvořákovoj najkraćoj komornoj skladbi. Ona je prepuna raskošnih
tema koje su u melodijskom i ritmičkom pogledu ocrtane iznimno rafinirano. I
premda se u njima mjestimice javlja pokoji prepoznatljiv znak, karakterističan
melodijski obrat ili harmonijska nijansa preuzeta iz češkoga ili američkoga folklora,
ovdje se ipak radi o remek-djelu autentične majstorove invencije. Tipičan je primjer
za to već prva tema prvoga stavka (Allegro ma non troppo) koju donosi viola praćena
tajanstveno tihim tremolom dviju violina; začuđujuća dinamičnost i vitalnost tih
četiriju taktova svojevrstan je simbol autorova glazbenog razmišljanja tijekom čitava
djela. Ili, dovoljno je promotriti osobit dojam koji stvara druga tema istoga stavka.
Radi se o tipično američkome koloritu koji se melodijski i harmonijski rađa iz agilno
kontrapunktirajućih dionica dviju violina. Takav se kolorit, uostalom, očituje i u
završnoj temi koračajućega ritma, koju donosi prva violina. Emotivno napregnuta,
gotovo bolna melodika drugoga, polaganog stavka (Lento) sjedinjuje u sebi elemente
crnačke i češke narodne pjesme u teško dostižno jedinstvo izraza. Na drugim
mjestima i situacijama nadasve pokretne linije u tome se stavku nekako ukipljuju,
ukotvljuju u sasvim osebujan koloplet statičnosti i nepokreta, pri čemu svako od
četiriju glazbala od početka do kraja stavka slijedi istu, na samome početku zadanu
funkciju. (Pritom viola samo na trenutak, unutar nekoliko taktova, prepušta drugoj
violini harmonijski rastvorbeno gibanje u monotonim šesnaestinkama, a to samo
pojačava ukupnu neutješnost sive ugođajne pozadine čitava stavka.) Melodijsko iverje
koje je Dvořáku dalo ishodišnu zamisao za treći stavak, scherzo (Molto vivace)
proisteklo je, prema svjedočenju nekoga glazbenika, majstorova sunarodnjaka, iz
ptičjega cvrkuta koji je skladatelj, slijedeći mnoge velike prethodnike, čuo i zabilježio
u Spillvilleu. Završnica Kvarteta (Vivace ma non troppo) oblikovana je na način
ronda, a svojim je temperamentnim tonskim izrazom vrlo srodna prvome stavku.
Njezina se gotovo raspojasana radost stišava samo na dva mjesta, kako bi otvorila
prostor pobožnome koralnom napjevu koji je, kao što tvrdi Otakar Sourek u svojim
raščlambama Dvořákovih djela, majstor utkao u glazbeno tkivo kako bi ovjekovječio
svečani ugođaj bogoslužja u spillvilleskoj crkvi svetoga Václava.
Drugi glasovirski kvintet u A-duru, opus 81 napisao je Dvořák godine 1887. To je
doba velikih uspjeha i potpuna priznanja; osobito u Engleskoj, kao nekada Händel, on
doživljava trijumfalne trenutke. Narudžbe se množe do nemogućnosti: trebala bi mu
rubensovska majstorska radionica s mnoštvom mladih pomoćnika. Brahms ga poziva
da se preseli u Beč koji bi «znao još bolje služiti njegovu talentu». No Dvořák ni ne
pomišlja na to. On je ostao isti kao nekada: običan i skroman čovjek iz naroda kojega
zbunjuje sva ta pompozna slava koja u histeričnim zamasima vijori oko njega.
Dapače, trpi neizrecive napadaje čežnje i izgubljenosti kad god je silom prilika
otrgnut iz svojega intimno-domaćega češkog okružja. «Ne razumijem što se zapravo
dogodilo», piše on prijatelju. «Pa ja samo najbolje što mogu i znam radim svoj
glazbenički posao». Glasovirski kvintet u A-duru tvore četiri raznovrsna i kontrastna
stavka. Prvi od njih (Allegro ma non troppo) – što ga najavljuje kratka, tipično
dvořákovski elegična misao u violončelu, koju odmah energično razrađuju sva ostala
glazbala, a na to se nadovezuje još karakterističnija druga tema – građen je u
promišljeno zatvorenome obliku dovoljnome samom sebi pa se nerijetko izvodi kao
samostalna cjelina. Drugi stavak (Andante con moto) jedna je od mogućih inačica
dumke, nostalgične lirske pjesme improvizantnoga karaktera podrijetlom iz Ukrajine,
često oblikovane na način balade s naglim provalama razdražljivosti, koju su, pored
Dvořáka, u svojim djelima ovjekovječili Čajkovski, Balakirjev, Lisjenko i
Moniuszko. Dvořák ju je na sebi svojstven način obrađivao još i u svojim
glasovirskim skladbama, a posvetio joj je i svoj glasoviti Glasovirski trio Dumky, op.
90. Guy Erismann kaže da u tome odsječku ima nešto od schubertijanski sanjarskih
rasvijetljenja. Treći je stavak (Molto vivace) osebujan scherzo koji Dvořák gradi u
obliku furianta, brza i temperamentna češkoga narodnog plesa uz pjev, u kojemu se
3/4 mjera izmjenjuje s 2/4 , a ritam je oštro naglašavan (u umjetničku ga je glazbu u
svojoj Prodanoj nevjesti uveo Smetana). Taj stavak ne donosi dramatične sukobe
kakvi ispunjavaju prva dva odsječka; njime više vlada prava bezbrižnost proizašla iz
duha neukrotive narodne igre i zabave. Sličan iako tonski drukčije obrađen ugođaj
najavljuje i efektna završnica djela (Allegro), u kojoj mukli ritmovi nacionalne polke
oslobađaju glazbu i u njoj podjaruju odjeke zdrave narodske radosti i šaljivosti.
D. Detoni
The Vienna String Quartet was founded in 1964 by the Vienna Philharmonic
concertmaster Werner Hink, together with his colleagues from the orchestra,
violinist Anton Sraka, violist Klaus Peisteiner and cellist Reinhard Repp. In 1977
Hubert Kroisamer took over the second violin part, Fritz Dolezal the cello part in
1985 and Peter Ochsenhofer the viola part in 1998. The Quartet has extensively
appeared on major concert stages all over the world; its first tour in Japan in 1974
turned out to be a tremendous success. Among the most prestigious festivals the
Quartet has performed at, are those in Vienna, Salzburg, Bregenz and Ossiach. The
Quartet's repertoire covers a large span of works by the Viennese classic composers
(Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven) and early romantic ones (Schubert) to Slavic composers
(Smetana, Dvořák, Janáček) and 20th century music (Berg, Webern, Respighi,
Ginastera, Shostakovich, etc.). The Quartet has also first performed the works of
many contemporary composers. It often plays together with other soloists and
ensembles. Particularly successful was the cooperation with clarinettist Karl Leister,
the soloist of the Berlin Philharmonic, with whom the Quartet performed clarinet
concertos by Mozart, Weber and Brahms. Together with their colleagues from the
Vienna Philharmonic, the Quartet members performed in the New Vienna Octet for
many years. The Quartet has made many recordings for radio and television. Its huge
discography includes more than 50 editions, those with the works of Mozart,
Schubert, Berg, Webern and Zemlinsky being particularly successful. Its 1984
recording of Schubert's string quartet Der Tod und das Mädchen (Death and the
Maiden), released in Japan, was announced the recording of the year. In the year of
Mozart (1991) the Quartet released the complete Mozart's string quartets, and its
recording of the complete Schubert's string quartets received great acclaim.
Violinist Werner Hink, born in Vienna, began to study violin at the age of six, at first
at the Vienna Conservatory and later at the Vienna High School of Music (the present
day Music University) with Franz Samohyl. In 1964, he was engaged in the Orchestra
of the Vienna State Opera, where he soon became leader of the first violins and since
1974 concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic. Since 1964 he has been leader of the
Vienna String Quartet, with whom he toured the world. He has also been a long time
leader of the New Vienna Octet, with whom he performed in the music centres of
Europe, USA and Japan.
Werner Hink began to appear as soloist at the age of fifteen. Particularly well received
were his performances with the Vienna Philharmonic. He has had an extensive
collaboration with pianist Jasminka Stančul in his recitals. Since 1982 he has been
head of the violin department at the Vienna Conservatory.
Violinist Hubert Kroisamer studied at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz and at the
Vienna High School of Music with Franz Samohyl. He won the Kocian International
Violin Competition in former Czechoslovakia. In 1976 he joined the Vienna
Philharmonic, where he become leader of the first violins in 1982. A member of the
Vienna String Quartet since 1977, he has also been concertmaster of the Vienna
Soloists.
Violist Peter Ochsenhofer was born in Graz, where he studied violin (with Michael
Schnitzler) and the trumpet (with Hans Meister). He continued his violin studies at the
Vienna High School of Music with Franz Samohyl. In 1971 he become a member of
the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, where he began to play viola in 1975. Two years
later he also graduated in viola from the Vienna High School of Music under
Siegfried Führlinger. In 1977 he was engaged in the Orchestra of the Vienna State
Opera, where he became leader of the viola section the following year. A member of
the Vienna Philharmonic since 1980, he became a member of the Vienna String
Quartet in 1998. Since 1983 Peter Ochsenhofer has been a professor at the Vienna
Conservatory, and since 1993 a full time professor at the Vienna Music University.
Cellist Fritz Dolezal was born in Vienna, and graduated from the High School of
Music under Frieda Litschauer-Krause in 1968. He continued his music studies with
Enrico Mainardi and Vladimir Orloff. From 1968 he was a member of the Orchestra
of the Vienna State Opera and in 1974 became leader of the cello section in the
Vienna Philharmonic. He has been a member of the Vienna String Quartet since 1985
and has extensively toured Europe, USA and Japan with the New Vienna Octet.
Pianist Jasminka Stančul, born in Subotica, began to study piano at the age of seven
in her native town. She studied at the Novi Sad Art Academy with Arbo Valdma, at
the Vienna High School of Music with Noel Flures, and in Geneva with Maria Tipo.
She has been awarded many times and won the International Beethoven Piano
Competition in Vienna (1989). This launched her international career. She has
performed at major festivals (Vienna, Dubrovnik, Karinthian Summer, Florence,
Toulouse, Stressa, Montpellier, Bratislava, Schleswig-Holstein, Besançon, etc.) and
worked with renowned orchestras (Orchestre de Paris, Hungarian Philharmonic,
Warsaw Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony Orchestra,
Prague Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony
Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra from Salzburg, etc.) under the baton of Lorin
Maazel, Kurt Sanderling, Hans Graf, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste,
Fabio Luisi, Horst Stein, Jerzy Semkov, Alexander Rahbari, etc. A successful
chamber musician, she has appeared with soloists and ensembles such as Boris
Pergamenschikow, Christian Altenburger, David Geringas, Werner Hink, the Vienna
String Quartet, the Vienna Ensemble, the Vienna Virtuosi, etc. She has made
recordings for the Norddeutsche radio, Hessen radio and Austrian radio, as well as for
many renowned labels. Her discography includes the acclaimed recordings of all
Beethoven's piano concertos and Schubert's piano trios.
In addition to Bedřich Smetana, the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904)
presents the fundamental organic ending to nearly all the creative endeavours of
Czech composers in the second half of the 20th century. Yet, while Smetana is in the
first place the composer of operas and representative of programme music, Dvořák,
although the author of numerous works for the stage, gave his best in the absolute
music forms. The artistic-ideological connection of these two Czech composers with
the two main streams of European avant-garde at the time (Smetana with Liszt and
Wagner, and Dvořák with Brahms) helped Czech music to join the main streams of
the then modern music, to develop a new kind of programme music, to restore
petrified traditional music forms, to make a thorough reformation of opera and to
wisely include folklore into so called serious music. Romantic and lyric features of
Dvořák’s musical language might have been lost in the mass of his contemporaries,
had he not possessed a rare gift of one of the last European masters of melody. The
essence of such genuine and great melodic simplicity might have been recognised for
the last time in the unfathomable melodic invention of Mozart or Schubert. Schubert's
melodies show influence of fresh, original, traditional art and so does the melodic of
Dvořák, which stemmed in its entirety from folklore. Yet, while Smetana cherishes
and employs Slavic folklore almost exclusively, Dvořák is also interested in the
folklore of other civilisations. In the process, he almost never employs folk fragments
literally; he first listens to the unknown sounds and then, by the power of his
creativity, transforms them into something greater than themselves.
Dvořák composed a cycle of eight songs for voice and piano Cypresses in 1865,
employing lyric, i.e. patriotic verses from the namesake collection of Gustav PflegerMoravsky. These were the first pieces of their kind composed by the 24-year-old
composer. Most of the lyric parts were inspired by his love for Josefina Czermakova,
the elder sister of his wife-to-be. Preserving the intimacy of his adolescent works,
Dvořák never published them in the original version and did not realise their real
value until reaching his composing maturity. Apart from using many of their motifs,
with considerably rearranged form and contents, in his other compositions later in life,
Dvořák thoroughly rearranged the twelve mentioned songs and had them printed in
two cycles: the first called The four songs, Op. 2 (Prague, 1882) and the second one
including eight songs under a title Love Songs, Op. 83 (Berlin, 1889). He additionally
arranged all the twelve songs for string quartet without voice, and they are nowadays
most often performed in that form. Dvořák's son in law, Josef Suk, rearranged ten of
those and published them in 1921, whereas Jarmil Burghauser edited the entire cycle
in 1957. While arranging them, Dvořák, with minor exceptions, left them almost
intact in the structural sense, above all skilfully preserving their original melodic line,
as well as all essential harmonic and rhythmic elements.
The original song titles are Our Love Will Never Blossom To A Happy End; Oh,
Golden Lovely Rose; Death Reigns In Many A Human Breast; Oh, Dear Soul, Only
One; In The Power of Your Sweet Glances and You Ask Why My Songs.
In 1893 Dvořák spent his summer holiday in a North American town Spillville and
composed his String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, later named The
American. Spillville used to be a centre for Czech immigrants, so that Dvořák - who
by then had lived in solitude for a long time – could spend several happy months with
his compatriots. He composed the Quartet shortly after his popular symphony From
the New World, so they both share impulses of lyric-dramatic amalgamation of
longing for the homeland with the American folklore. However, these impulses are
more refined and differentiated in the Symphony. The Quartet simultaneously
resounds with a certain feeling of relief that the composer felt while resting in the
quietness and vicinity of nature, after a period of hard work and intensive social
engagements in New York. That the composer could again draw deep breathes and
feel the joy released from worries is clearly felt in the introductory and final
movement of the Quartet. The slow movement and scherzo, however, conjure up the
feelings of the lonely observer of beauty, overwhelmed by the repeating intervals of
nostalgia for his homeland. The music structure of this effective piece is composed
with exceptional caution and sparingness; this is, after all, Dvořák's shortest chamber
composition. It is filled with an abundance of luxurious themes portrayed with
exceptional refinement in the melodic and rhythmical sense. Although a scarce
recognisable element appears occasionally, a typical melodic shift or harmonic
nuance taken over from the Czech of American folklore, this is, nevertheless, a
masterpiece of the composer's authentic invention. A typical example of this is
already the first theme of the first movement (Allegro ma non troppo) in the viola,
accompanied by the obscurely quiet tremolo of the two violins; amazing dynamics
and vitality of these four bars in a way symbolize the composer's music thought
throughout the entire piece. Or, one should only observe the special effect created by
the second theme of the same movement. It is the typical American tone-colour,
melody and harmony-wise born out of the agile counterpointing sections of the two
violins. Such tone-colour is, after all, also present in the final theme of the march
rhythm, carried by the first violin. Emotionally tense, almost painful melodic of the
second, slow movement (Lento) amalgamates elements of the Negro and Czech folk
song into expression unity that is difficult to match. The melodic lines, which are
extremely agile elsewhere, somehow become stiff and static in this movement and
each of the four instruments performs its assigned task from the beginning to the end.
(In the process, the viola, only for a moment, relinquishes the harmonic articulation in
semiquavers to the second violin, which only intensifies the inconsolability of the
grey mood of the entire movement.) According to a Czech musician, inspiration for
the third movement, scherzo (Molto vivace) was the bird song that Dvořák, like many
of his great predecessors, heard and recorded in Spillville. The Quartet's finale
(Vivace ma non troppo) is composed in a rondo form, and its temperamental
expression very much resembles the one in the first movement. Its almost debauched
joy calms down only on two occasions, in order to open space for a pious choral chant
which, according to Otakar Sourek, Dvořák introduced in order to save for eternity
the solemn atmosphere of the mass in the St. Václav Church in Spillville.
Dvořák composed his Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81 in 1887. It was the
time of his great success and an overall acclaim; particularly in England, the time of
triumph as it once used to be for Händel. He was receiving a huge number of
commissions. He would have needed a Rubens-like workshop with many young
assistants in order to complete the work. Brahms invited him to move to Vienna so
that « he could serve his talent in a better way.» Yet, Dvořák did not even think of
that. He remained the same: an ordinary and unpretentious man, a person of humble
origins, confused with all that pompous glory swirling around him. Whenever the
circumstances force him to leave the intimate and domestic atmosphere of his
homeland, he is filled with an immense longing and desolation. «I do not perceive
what actually happened», wrote Dvořák to a friend of his. “I simply do the work of a
musician the best way I can». The Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major consists of four
varied and contrasting movements. The first one (Allegro ma non troppo) –
announced by a short elegiac cello theme typical of Dvořák, which is at once
vigorously articulated by all other instruments and followed by a more typical second
theme – is carefully composed in a closed self sufficient form, so that it is often
performed independently. The second movement (Andante con moto) is one among
possible variants of the dumka, the nostalgic lyrical song of improvising character,
originating from Ukraine, often composed as a ballad, with sudden outbursts of rage,
which Tchaikovsky, Balakirev, Lysenko and Moniuszko saved for posterity before
him. Dvořák had in his own manner treated the dumka in his piano pieces as well, and
also dedicated it his famous Dumky Piano Trio, Op. 90. Guy Erismann claims this
fragment to possess the dreamy enlightenment of Schubert to some extent. The third
movement (Molto vivace) is a distinctive scherzo which Dvořák composed in the form
of the furiant, a rapid and animated Czech folk dance accompanied with singing, in
which the 3/4 measure interchanges with the 2/4, with sharply accentuated rhythm
(Smetana introduced it in the classical music in his opera The Bartered Bride). This
movement does not contain the dramatic conflicts from the first two movements; it is
filled with a true carelessness springing from the spirit of unrestrained folk dance and
fun. A similar, although differently arranged mood is also announced by the effective
quintet finale (Allegro), in which the husky rhythms of the national polka release the
music, inflaming the echoes of healthy folk joy and humour.
D. Detoni