Download PROGRAM NOTES by Steven Lowe VICTOR EWALD Quintet No. 3

PROGRAM NOTES by Steven Lowe
VICTOR EWALD
Quintet No. 3 in D-flat major, Op.11
Born: November 27, 1860, in St. Petersburg
Died: April 16, 1935, in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg again)
Work composed: ca. 1912
Many classical music lovers know that Alexander Borodin was an esteemed chemist as well as the
composer of the Polovstian Dances and In the Steppes of Central Asia. But who among this diverse group
has even heard of Victor Ewald? In common with his better known Russian colleague, Ewald was a noted
professor of civil engineering in St. Petersburg, his primary profession. Yet the musically gifted musician
entered the prestigious St. Petersburg Conservatory at age 12 in 1872 where he studied cornet, piano,
horn, cello plus harmony and composition. As an adult he worked alongside fellow musical nationalists
known collectively as the Mighty Handful—Borodin, Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky and
the most famous of all, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. All of these men had “day jobs” in non-musical fields.
Ewald’s contributions as a composer reflected an abiding love for brass instruments for which he wrote
four quintets scored originally for a pair of cornets (now played on trumpets), alto horn (now “French”
horn), tenor horn (now trombone) and tuba (originally performed by Ewald himself). Now counted as No.
3, the quintet in D-flat was actually the last composed.
A perky theme topped by a trumpet and urged on by chirping figures from the other instruments opens
the Allegro moderato first movement, clothed in traditional tonal harmony. After a brief pause a flowing
variant on the opening theme softens textures somewhat, providing subtle contrast. A rising and
emphatic rhythmic figure maintains forward motion enhanced by the insistent chirping figures that are
nearly constant throughout the movement.
The ensuing and less assertive Intermezzo radiates a dose of lyricism graced by a sinuous main theme
interrupted by a skittish middle section reminiscent of both the hunt and military tattoos. Ultimately,
however, it is the lyrical vein that dominates.
Marked Andante the third movement begins with a 3-note descending motif shared and echoed by the
ensemble. Soon a longer chromatic theme emerges replete with upward leaps couched within a long
flowing melody that conveys a kind of rapture that intensifies as the music continues its course.
The jaunty Vivo finale opens with an energetic motive that returns to the spirit of the Allegro moderato
first movement. A chromatic second theme follows, quieter but steadfastly energetic. More than in the
previous movements Ewald posits a number of key changes that add contrast to the proceedings.
© 2016 Steven Lowe