Download August 6, 2015 Program Notes

Young Artist Series Concert
Monday, August 10 at 7:00pm
Riley Center for the Arts, Burr & Burton
Power Trio +2
Thursday, August 13 at 7:30pm
Arkell Pavilion, SVAC
Young Artist Series Concert-Final Concert
Monday, August 17 at 7:00pm
Riley Center for the Arts, Burr & Burton
A Night at the Opera
Thursday, August 20 at 7:30pm
Arkell Pavilion, SVAC
Program Notes
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Allegro for four string quartets
Johannes van Bree
A chamber quartet may often be perceived as a conversation between four instruments and, as a tasty hors-d’oeuvre for an evening of
strings, what better than four quartets all on stage at the same time.
What unfolds is a spirited conversation among friends as first one, then
another, makes a statement, followed by each group contributing to the
exchange, sometimes in agreement, sometimes posing a different
thought, and sometimes all talking at once. At times, it is as if one can
even hear them thinking what to say next as the familiar discourse develops and all happily finding mutual agreement at the end.
Johannes Bernardus van Bree was trained as a violinist and composer. He became the conductor of Amsterdam’s leading music ensemble
and composed in nearly every genre. In the 1830s, he founded the renowned Amsterdam String Quartet and served as its first violinist for
over 20 years. He wrote operas, voice and choral works, and orchestral
and chamber compositions. This short work was composed in about
1845.
Concerto No. 1 for piano, trumpet and strings, Op.35
Dimitri Shostakovich
PO Box 33
Manchester, VT 05254
(802) 362-1956 or out of state 800-639-5868
Visit our website at www.mmfvt.org
Dmitri Shostakovich was one of the most prominent and prolific
composers of 20th-century Russian music, writing art music, film scores
and material for the ballet and theater. Unlike his older contemporaries
Prokofiev and Stravinsky, Shostakovich is alone in that his entire compositional life was spent within the confines of Soviet aesthetics. Although
often at odds with the will of the state, Shostakovich maintained his compositional integrity, at times delaying the release of works until the political atmosphere was more favorable. Twice in his lifetime, Shostakovich
was subjected to intense political scrutiny: in 1936 when his internationally successful opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District was criticized
suddenly in the Pravda, and in 1948, when Stalin's cultural minister issued
a decree denouncing a number of composers, including Shostakovich and
Prokofiev. In his apartment in Moscow he always kept a bag packed for
use if the KGB knocked on the door to take him off to a Siberian gulag.
Shostakovich's Concerto No.1, written before his troubles with the
Stalinist regime began in earnest, was premiered in Leningrad in 1933
with the composer at the piano and is full of prankish humor, possibly as a
challenge to the traditional Russian concerto. It begins immediately with a
series of rhythmic and harmonic clashes reminiscent of Stravinsky. The
solo trumpet part, while playing a more accompanimental role, consists of
commentaries influenced by military calls and by jazz. The composition
includes quotations and allusions from both classical and popular music,
as well as being strongly influenced by techniques used in film editing. In
an interview in 1975, two years before his death, Shostakovich described
the concerto as “written under the influence of American folk music”.
This concerto has been described as “dynamic and mischievous,
with a touch of bravado” because of its extreme contrast in dynamics, the
impulsive character of the music, quotations from other composers and
popular music, the use of dance rhythms, and the triumphant ending in C
major with trumpet obbligato. The work keeps a humorous and light
mood, rushing from one theme to another without preparation, but it is
also serious with the grave main theme in the first movement and the sad
and passionate second movement.
from Jung Hwa Lee
Intermission
Serenade for strings in C major, Op.48
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikowsky
During the autumn of 1880, Tchaikovsky composed two of his
most popular and enduring works: the Serenade for Strings, written between September 21 and November 4; and the 1812 Overture, written between October 12 and November 19. Given the popularity that both of
these works have attained in the concert stage, it is interesting to note that
the two works could not have been farther apart when it came to the composer's affection toward each; while he loved the former, he loathed the
latter. The Serenade was a labor of love, growing out of his own inner impulse. Among his own works, it became one of the closest to his heart. In a
letter to his friend and publisher Pyotr Jurgenson, Tchaikovsky wrote:
"Whether because it is my latest child or because it really is not bad, I am
terribly in love with this Serenade."
The first movement, Pezzo in forma di sonatina, features a lyrical
introduction marked Andante non troppo. The Allegro moderato that follows constitutes the main section of this movement; it is cast in classic
sonata form and presents a passionate first theme and a second theme of
a more playful nature. After the recapitulation of these themes, the movement concludes with a reprise of the introductory material, this time
treated with more energy and animation. The composer wrote to Mme.
von Meck, "The first movement is my homage to Mozart. It is intended to
be an imitation of his style, and I should be delighted if I thought I had in
any way approached my model."
The Valse second movement is marked Moderato. Among the
many waltzes by Tchaikovsky, this is certainly one of the most festive and
musically interesting. The richness and variety of ideas that are manifest
within the limitations of the string ensemble are remarkable. It is significant to note that there are no repeats; all material is written out freshly,
and seemingly recurrent sections have in fact been subtly altered.
The third movement, Élégie, is built upon a simple A-B-A structure. The outer, framing sections have a darker mood that is lightened
somewhat in the middle section. This movement is musically similar to and in fact, anticipates - the second movement of Tchaikovsky's own
Pathétique Symphony. For the return to the opening material, the entire
orchestra is muted to produce a delicately veiled tone. In the coda, the
proceedings climb resolutely up to serene harmonies as the dynamics
gradually reach their softest point of expression (marked "pppp").
The Finale begins with an Andante introduction based on a Russian folk tune, a Volga "hauling song." This introduction aptly serves as a
bridge between the somber third movement and the Allegro con spirito
main section of the Finale. The first theme of the main section is melodically similar to the slow introduction to the first movement. The second
theme is presented by the cellos playing cantabile while the violins produce a pizzicato accompaniment. The recapitulation is interrupted by a
restatement of the introduction to the first movement, after which, a coda
based on thematic material from the Finale concludes the work.
from Ileen Zovluck