Download concert - Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

CHAMBER
CONCERT
29 Sept 2015 Tue, 6.30 p.m.
PROGRAMME
PORUMBESCU
Balada 10 mins
DIMITRESCU
Dans Ţărănesc, Op.15 3 mins
MOZART
Divertimento in E flat Major 45 mins
CIPRIAN PORUMBESCU (1853-1883)
Balada (1880)
If you’ve never heard of Ciprian Porumbescu, don’t despair.
Neither of the world’s largest music encyclopedias (Grove in
English, MGG in German) includes an entry for him. He was
born under a different name (Gołęmbiowski), and even his
country of origin remains elusive. At the time of his birth,
the town of Șipotele Sucevei was in the Duchy of Bukovina,
which belonged to the Austrian Empire; the region is now split
between Romania and Ukraine. (Today this town is Shepit, in
Ukraine.) Porumbescu’s place of death is less confusing: the
city of Stupca in Romania. Romanian was his language, and he
is regarded as a Romanian composer. Porumbescu died four
months before his thirtieth birthday, depriving his country
of its first internationally recognized composer. (Enesco was
CONSTANTIN DIMITRESCU (1847-1928)
Dans Tărănesc, Op.15 (date unknown)
Constantin Dimitrescu was one of the earliest composers
to emerge from Romania. He was also a renowned cellist,
and served in the principal chair with both the Bucharest
Philharmonic and the National Theatre Orchestra. In
addition, he conducted both orchestras and taught at
the Bucharest Conservatory. Following initial studies in
Bucharest, he furthered his education in Vienna and Paris.
In the latter city he studied with the famous cello virtuoso
Auguste Franchomme. Dimitrescu particularly enjoyed
Two short, charming, salon pieces by late nineteenthcentury composers of Romanian descent serve as
appetizers to the main work on this programme, Mozart’s
six-movement, 45-minute Divertimento for string trio, one
of his chamber music masterpieces.
born only two years before Porumbescu died.) In his short life,
Porumbescu studied in Vienna (with Bruckner) and wrote a
substantial catalogue of mostly vocal, choral and stage music
in his native language, as well as works for patriotic purposes
– not a repertory likely to be performed anywhere but in
Romania. Porumbescu’s reputation within Romania, however,
remains high. Several conservatories bear his name, and the
city where he died has been renamed in his honour.
If you know any music by Porumbescu, it is probably his Balada
(Ballade), a ten-minute work of heartbreaking beauty originally
written for violin and orchestra in 1880, but which transfers
easily to many other combinations.
MPO CHAMBER PLAYERS Laurentiu Gherman cello
Tan Keng Hong harp
playing chamber music (he founded the first string quartet
in Bucharest) and writing for this medium. His compositions
include seven string quartets, but his best-known piece is
probably the little Dans Tărănesc (Rustic Dance or Peasants’
Dance), originally for cello and piano but arranged for
just about any instrumental configuration, including full
orchestra, string orchestra, cello orchestra, clarinet quartet,
and various solo combinations, played anywhere from a
languid andante to a fiery presto.
MPO CHAMBER PLAYERS Laurentiu Gherman cello
Tan Keng Hong harp
WOLFGANG AMADÈ MOZART (1756-1791)
Divertimento in E-flat major, K.563
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Menuetto: Allegro - Trio
IV. Andante
V. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio I - Trio II
VI. Allegro
The Background
To many concertgoers, it comes as something
of a surprise to learn that the string trio (violin,
viola, cello) is a medium used relatively rarely
in chamber music. Aside from Mozart, famous
composers of the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries who wrote works of this genre include
Haydn (but only as arrangements of some of his
piano sonatas ), and Beethoven (the Serenade Op.
8 and the three Trios Op. 9). All the best known
trios are for other instrumental combinations,
mostly piano trio (piano, violin, cello).
Reasons for this paucity have been put forth
and argued, but no clear explanation emerges.
One possibility is that, contrary to expectation,
writing for three string instruments is not
easier, but rather more difficult than writing
for four. Assuming that all parts are given
equal importance, the extra violin in the string
quartet allows the composer to achieve a more
balanced texture and to avoid the problem of a
sustained, monochromatic sonority. The quartet
also seems to give the composer greater
flexibility in matters of form. Part of the problem
may also stem from the classic chicken-and-egg
phenomenon: lack of a significant repertory
channeled musicians into other ensemble
formations, further reducing composers’
incentive to write for this combination.
When Mozart wrote the Divertimento K. 563
in September of 1788, he had not written a
work with this title for eleven years.
In choosing to score it for violin, viola and
cello, it was probably the first time anyone
had composed a piece of chamber music in
the high classical style for this combination
of instruments. Its genial nature and selfassurance totally belie Mozart’s miserable
life at this time, when financial pressures
were at their height, his wife was ailing, and
both the Viennese court and public had
suddenly shifted their musical attention
elsewhere from Mozart. It was during this
period that Mozart began writing that
pathetic series of letters of appeal for funds
to the Viennese merchant Michael Puchberg.
The Divertimento was written for Puchberg,
probably as the only way Mozart could
foresee of repaying his loyal friend and
fellow music lover. The first performance was
probably given at Puchberg’s home with
Mozart playing the viola part.
Among other special qualities of this
masterpiece, it is worth noting that the viola
part is no mere filler between the bass of the
cello and the soprano of the violin. It is the
full equal of its partners, resulting in one of
the most gratifying works in the chamber
repertory for violists to play. Although a work
entitled “divertimento” in Mozart’s day usually
implied music written in a light-hearted vein
more for background entertainment than for
earnest listening, this Divertimento definitely
transcends the genre in its expressive depth
and seriousness of purpose, particularly in
the Adagio and Andante movements.
The Music
A sonata-form Allegro launches the
Divertimento. The Adagio is another sonataform movement employing some of the
previous movement’s motivic elements.
Then comes the first of two minuets, cast in
traditional form with a contrasting Trio.
The Andante constitutes the emotional heart
of the work, consisting of a theme and four
variations, or rather, double variations, as each
half of the theme is varied in alternation.
Of particular interest is the way Mozart at
times combines violin and viola into a single
melodic line. So far afield does he take the
theme by the final variation (viola playing long
tones as a skeletal outline of the theme against
florid accompaniment above and below from
violin and cello) that he sees fit to present part
of the theme in its original form as a coda.
The second minuet (this one with two
contrasting Trios) breathes the air of the
hunt as much as it does of the ballroom. The
concluding sonata-rondo employs for its
main subject a folklike tune as beguiling as
any Mozart ever wrote.
MPO CHAMBER PLAYERS Marcel Andriesii
violin, Ayako Oya viola, Laurentiu Gherman cello
ABOUT THE WRITER
Formerly a horn player in the Montreal Symphony, Robert Markow now writes programme notes
for that orchestra and for many other musical organizations in North America and Asia. He taught at
Montreal’s McGill University for many years, has led music tours abroad, and writes for many leading
classical music journals, including American Record Guide, Fanfare, Opera, Opera News, The Strad and
Symphony. He travels regularly to Europe, Asia and Australia in search of musical stimulation.
PRINCIPAL DONOR
All details of concerts, artist and repertoire are correct at the time of printing. For concert listings, please visit mpo.com.my
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