Download Misha Dichter Harlem Quartet - University of Florida Performing Arts

University of Florida Performing Arts
presents
Misha Dichter
and the
Harlem Quartet
Sunday, April 26, 2015, 2 p.m.
University Auditorium
Misha Dichter
and the
Harlem Quartet
Program
Adventures of Hippocrates
Chick Corea (Harlem Quartet)
1. Quasi Tango
2. Waltz
3. Ballad
4. Rock Feel
5. Quasi Fugue
Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 Robert Schumann
Allegro Brilliante,
In modo d’una Marcia,
Scherzo: Molto vivace
Allegro, ma non troppo
Intermission
Piano Quintet in A Major, B. 155
Antonín Dvořák
Allegro, ma non tanto
Dumka
Scherzo (Furiant) : Molto vivace
Finale: Allegro
Program Notes
Adventures of Hippocrates
Chick Corea (b. 1941)
American composer and pianist Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea is one of the most well
known jazz musicians alive today, and his half-century career has influenced the very
nature of what we call jazz. His first gig was with legendary bandleader Cab Calloway,
followed by a stint with Blue Mitchell in the early 1960s, and a lengthy residency in the
bands of Mile Davis in the late ’60s. His greatest contribution has been as a composer
and bandleader, co-leading the progressive group Circles with Dave Holland, and then
forming the Return to Forever band in 1972 that drew from rock, funk, Brazilian samba
and bossa nova, Cuban son, and a host of other genres to help create a style that is now
labeled “jazz fusion.” That band, and his later ensembles – the Elektrik Band, Akoustic
Band, Origin, the Five Peace Band, and The New Trio – have been at the forefront of jazz
ever since. Many of his jazz compositions are standards, and several of his nearly 100
recordings as a leader – not to mention the countless albums in which he performed
as a sideman – are considered classics. He has won 22 Grammy Awards, three Latin
Grammys, and is one of the most Grammy-nominated musical artists ever.
Corea’s interest has frequently turned to “classical” music. As early as 1980, he recorded
an album called The Greatest Hits of 1790, which featured Corea with the Philharmonia
Virtuosi of New York. His first classical compositions of note include the Piano Concerto
No. 1 (1999), his first string quartet (2004), and his Piano Concerto No. 2 in honor of
Wolfgang Mozart’s 250th birthday (2006). In 2009 he completed The Continents, a
concerto for jazz quintet and chamber orchestra.
Corea’s string quartet Adventures of Hippocrates got its name from a character in a science
fiction story by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology (Corea is a longstanding member). In the five-movement work, he creates a true hybrid: a classical work
that also is infused with the rhythmic vibrancy and sophisticated harmonic palette of jazz.
The first movement is a quasi tango. Listen as the string players use their instruments
in a decidedly percussive manner at times. Listen also for a brief tip of the hat to Astor
Piazzolla, the Argentine tango master. The brief second movement is lilting waltz infused
with the rich harmonies of modern jazz. The slower middle movement is like a passionate
musical dialogue, with each instrument getting its moment to speak. The fourth movement
draws on the energy and syncopation of Corea’s own jazz fusion bands. The Finale
channels 20th century modernism, with its unsettling rhythms and quasi-tonal harmony.
Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
German composer Robert Schumann had more than his fair share of sorrow, but also
a goodly amount of success and good fortune. Some of his good fortune came in the
form of a woman, Clara Weick, a piano student of his who would eventually become his
wife and champion. Schumann’s sorrow was caused by his mental state, called “nervous
prostration” at the time, what we likely would diagnose as bipolar disorder today, a
debilitating mental condition marked by wild mood swings. At one point, it got so bad
that Schumann hurled himself into the Rhein River in an attempt to commit suicide.
Though he was rescued, he never totally recovered and spent the last two years of his life
in an asylum.
When he was on the upside of the mood swings, Schumann was a prodigious worker and
singular intellect. He established his credentials as a critic and writer by founding the
Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New Journal for Music) at age 24. He also found his voice
as a composer at an early age and in his relatively short life left an impressive catalog of
works for orchestra, solo piano works, concertos, choral works, chamber music, and a vast
catalog of songs, among many other works.
The year 1840 marked the beginning of three upbeat years in which the composer was
tirelessly active, finishing over 100 songs, two symphonies, and in 1842 alone – his socalled “year of chamber music” – he finished three string quartets and the Piano Quintet
in E-flat Major, Op. 44 (1842). The Quintet is dedicated to Clara, who played its public
premiere in Leipzig in 1843.
The Quintet is among Schumann’s most performed chamber works. It is an interesting
musical balancing act, the piano and the four string players of a traditional string quartet
paired together: think of the piano and quartet as two equal parts of an orchestra.
The opening theme of the Allegro brillante (Fast and vibrant) is as upbeat and ebullient
as any in Schumann’s catalog. This is offset by the contrasting, tuneful second theme
introduced by the cello and viola in a musical dialogue. The middle section seems to
concentrate on the first theme above all, and its positive energy permeates the entire
movement. The second movement, In modo d’una marcia (In the style of a march), is a
marked contrast with the first movement. This is not a celebratory march; rather, it is a
somber funeral processional, granted with moments of almost ecstatic hopefulness and
light. The Scherzo is positively shimmering, with the instruments of the Quintet running
up and down passages of scales like birds swooping on the wind. The Finale is bold,
reminiscent of the first movement, led by piano in the first theme, and a subdued second
idea led by strings. The noteworthy ending of the Finale combines the first theme of this
movement with the first theme of the first movement in a compositional (quasi-fugal)
tour de force.
Piano Quintet in A Major, B. 155
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Antonín Dvořák was not supposed to become a composer. His father, from the small
village of Nelahozeves in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), really had hoped that his
son might become a butcher and innkeeper and take over the family businesses. It didn’t
happen, and in spite of what he thought to be his son’s unusual choice of occupations, he
sent the young Antonín off to acquire the necessary skills to succeed in music: lessons in
piano and harmony, composition, violin and viola, and German (the prevalent language
of the elite in Bohemia at the time). Oh, and one more thing from his practical father:
learn to play the organ so you can find steady work!
The young Antonín did all of the above, though ironically his first professional work was
in a Prague theater band in which he played viola, though he did secure a steady church
gig on organ a few years later. With enough steady work, he was able to devote himself
in his spare time to composing.
An important moment for his development was meeting Bedřich Smetana, the leading
Bohemiam musician of the day, who was hired to conduct the Prague Theater orchestra
in which Dvořák performed. In Smetana, Dvořák found a mentor who encouraged him
as a composer and supported his love of folk music; Dvořák’s work soon garnered a solid
following in Prague and its environs. The composer’s life changed even more when
Johannes Brahms “discovered” him, and subsequently championed his music in Vienna,
Europe’s most important music city at the time. The composer’s reputation grew, though
he continued to find inspiration in folk melodies and rhythms of his native Bohemia
(not to mention folk music in the U.S., where he spent time from 1892-95). His catalog
eventually came to include many works for the stage including operas; choral works,
songs, oratorio, and masses; more than 40 chamber works, including some 14 string
quartets and four piano quintets; and numerous orchestral works, with several popular
concertos and nine symphonies among them.
The Piano Quintet in A Major, B. 155, has an intriguing history. Much like Robert
Schumann, who was known to destroy scores he didn’t think worthy of publication or
public performance, Dvořák tossed this Piano Quintet into the dustbin. Instead, he
decided to write another quintet, in the same key, that became extremely popular (The
so-called “Dumky” Quintet). It was nearly 15 years later that he reconsidered the “first”
quintet, retrieved a copy he had given to a friend, and used it as inspiration for the
Quintet we hear on this program.
The first movement – Allegro, ma non tanto (Fast, but not too much) – begins with a
memorable melody that features cello, yielding immediately to a boisterous ensemble
interjection inspired by Czech folk music. The melancholy second theme begins with
viola, though again the rowdy ensemble takes over. By the end of the movement, the
music is big and almost brassy, practically symphonic in nature.
The second movement is a dumka, a Slavonic folk ballad. A mournful opening theme,
introduced by piano and viola and passed around the ensemble, gives way to sprightly,
dance-like themes in alternating sections. The middle section is even more energetic,
followed by the entire ensemble taking turns with the melancholy first theme; the ending
is wistful, almost gloomy.
The brief Scherzo, by contrast, is a fast-moving and lively waltz, which serves as a musical
palette cleanser for the energetic Finale. The Finale, marked Allegro, may be the most
folk-inspired music yet. An imitative middle section begins with a feverish violin melody,
which is answered by every instrument one by one until the whole ensemble seems
possessed by it. The choral-style interlude that precedes the passionate ending seems
almost in homage to his homeland’s musical heritage.
— Program notes provided by Dave Kopplin
Misha Dichter
Now in the fifth decade of an illustrious
international career, Misha Dichter traces his
musical heritage to the two great pianistic
traditions of the 20th century: the Russian
Romantic School, as personified by Rosina
Lhevinne, his mentor at The Juilliard School, and
the German Classical style that was passed on to
him by Aube Tzerko, a pupil of Artur Schnabel.
Mr. Dichter exhibits this dual legacy in his solo
recitals and appearances with virtually all of the
world’s major orchestras, performing the grand
virtuoso compositions of Liszt, Rachmaninoff and
Tchaikovsky, as well as music from the central
German-Viennese repertoire, which embodies
more introspective qualities, such as works by
Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms.
Mr. Dichter’s acclaimed recordings for Philips,
Photo © Stefan Cohen
RCA, MusicMasters and Koch Classics further
illustrate where his musical interests lie. They include the Brahms piano concerti with
Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Brahms solo works including the
Handel Variations, Beethoven piano sonatas, the complete Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies,
the Liszt Piano Concerti with André Previn and the Pittsburgh Symphony, and
Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Neville Marriner and the Philharmonia Orchestra, as
well as music of Chopin, Mussorgsky, Schubert, Schumann, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.
Fanfare called Mr. Dichter’s recording of Stravinsky’s Piano Concerto, conducted by
Robert Craft, “one of the few really important Stravinsky discs to come out in recent
years.” A noted exponent of Liszt’s piano works and a champion of the composer’s
forward-looking contributions to the development of music, Mr. Dichter was honored
in 1998 with the Grand Prix International du Disque Liszt, presented for his Phillips
recording of Liszt piano transcriptions.
PentaTone Classics has reissued, on Super Audio CD, two albums of previously recorded
music by Mr. Dichter. Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2,
Op. 83 with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Kurt Masur comprise the
first, and the second, released in March 2009, is a recording of Beethoven’s “Moonlight”
Sonata and Brahms’ First Piano Concerto, also with Mr. Masur and the Leipzig
Gewandhaus Orchestra, a performance which Audiophile Audition said, “ranks among
the best, and that means the versions by Rubinstein (and Reiner), Serkin (and Szell) and
Arrau (and Haitink).”
An avid chamber musician, Mr. Dichter collaborates with many of the world’s finest
players, including duo-piano and concerto performances with his wife, pianist Cipa
Dichter. With Cipa, he has performed throughout North America and in Europe, as well
as top summer music festivals in the U.S., such as Ravinia, Caramoor, Mostly Mozart
and the Aspen Music Festival. They have brought to the concert stage many previously
neglected works of the two-piano and piano-four-hand repertoires, including the world
premiere of Robert Starer’s Concerto for Two Pianos, the world premiere of the first
movement of Shostakovich’s two-piano version of Symphony No. 13 (Babi Yar), and
the world premiere of Mendelssohn’s own four-hand setting of Songs Without Words,
Op. 62 and 67 for piano four hands. Mr. Dichter’s master classes at conservatories
and universities such as Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, Yale, Harvard and the Amsterdam
Conservatory, as well as his classes at music festivals, are widely attended.
Mr. Dichter’s first recording with Cipa Dichter is a three-CD album of Mozart’s complete
piano works for four hands and is available on the Nimbus label. American Record Guide
called the recording “an unmitigated delight,” and Music Web International named the
album a 2005 Record of the Year.
Mr. Dichter was born in Shanghai in 1945, his Polish parents had fled Poland at the
outbreak of World War II. He moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of 2 and
began piano lessons four years later. In addition to his keyboard studies with Aube
Tzerko, which established the concentrated practice regimen and the intensive approach
to musical analysis that he follows to this day, Mr. Dichter studied composition and
analysis with Leonard Stein, a disciple of Arnold Schoenberg. He subsequently came to
New York to work with Mme. Lhevinne at The Juilliard School.
At the age of 20, while still enrolled at Juilliard, he entered the 1966 Tchaikovsky
Competition in Moscow where his choice of repertoire, music of Schubert and
Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky, reflected the two major influences on his
musical development. Mr. Dichter’s stunning triumph at that competition launched his
international career. Almost immediately thereafter, he performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano
Concerto No. 1 at Tanglewood with Erich Leinsdorf and the Boston Symphony, a concert
that was nationally broadcast live on NBC and subsequently recorded for RCA. In 1968,
Mr. Dichter made his debut with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic,
performing this same concerto. Appearances with leading European ensembles, including
the Berlin Philharmonic, Concertgebouw of Amsterdam and the principal London
orchestras, as well as regular performances with major American orchestras, soon followed.
An accomplished writer, Mr. Dichter has contributed many articles to leading
publications including The New York Times. He has been seen frequently on national
television and was the subject of an hour-long European television documentary. Mr.
Dichter is also an avid tennis player and jogger, as well as a talented sketch artist. In
July 2012, an ebook of Mr. Dichter’s music-related illustrations titled A Pianist’s World
in Drawings was released by Rosetta Books. Available on Amazon.com, BN.com and on
iTunes, the ebook compiles more than 50 original black and white drawings that were
created over the span of Mr. Dichter’s more than 40-year career. For more information,
visit www.apianistsworldindrawings.com.
Mr. Dichter lives with his wife, pianist Cipa Dichter, in New York City. They have two
sons and five grandchildren. More information is available at www.mishadichter.com.
Harlem Quartet
Ilmar Gavilan, violin
Melissa White, violin
Jaime Amador, viola
Matthew Zalkind, cello
Harlem Quartet, praised for its “panache” by The New York Times, is “bringing a new
attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing and intelligent,” says the Cincinnati
Enquirer. The quartet’s mission is to advance diversity in classical music, engaging
young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire
that includes works by minority composers.
Since its public debut in 2006 at Carnegie Hall, the New York-based ensemble has
performed throughout the U.S. as well as in France, the U.K., Belgium, Panama, Canada
and South Africa, where under the auspices of the U.S. State Department in May 2012, they
spent two weeks performing concerts and engaging in outreach activities. In 2013, they
completed their third and final year in the Professional String Quartet Training Program
at New England Conservatory and participated in NEC’s string quartet exchange program
in Paris, working with violinist Günter Pichler in a master class setting.
In addition to performing on chamber-music series around the country, they have
collaborated with such distinguished performers as violinist Itzhak Perlman; cellist
Carter Brey; clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera; pianist Misha Dichter, with whom the quartet
made their Kennedy Center debut in February 2013; and jazz legends Chick Corea and
Gary Burton, whom they joined for their six-month “Hot House” tour that began at
Tanglewood in summer 2012. Later that year the quartet made their performance debut
with another jazz virtuoso, the British saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Tim Garland.
Each member of the quartet is a seasoned solo artist, having appeared with such
orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, and the Atlanta, Baltimore,
Cleveland, Detroit, National, New World and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras. As an
ensemble they perform not only in chamber-music settings but with orchestra. Their
most recent such collaboration was with Music Director Mei-Ann Chen and the Chicago
Sinfonietta, where in June 2012 they gave the world premiere of Bernstein’s West Side
Story as arranged for string quartet and orchestra by Randall Craig Fleischer. The
quartet reprised their performance of that score in September 2012 with the Anchorage
Symphony Orchestra under Fleischer’s direction, and again in December 2012 with the
Santa Fe Concert Association. Chicago Sinfonietta and the quartet recorded the West
Side Story arrangement, along with works for string quartet and orchestra by Michael
Abels and Benjamin Lees, for the Cedille label.
Harlem Quartet has been featured on WNBC, CNN, the Today Show, WQXR-FM and the
News Hour with Jim Lehrer. In 2009, they performed for President Obama and First Lady
Michelle Obama at the White House and appeared Christmas morning on NBC’s Today
Show. They made their European debut in October 2009 performing at the residence
of the U.S. ambassador to the U.K., and returned to Europe as guest artists and faculty
members of the Musica Mundi International Festival in Belgium. In early 2011, they were
featured guest artists at the Panama Jazz Festival in Panama City. In June 2012, they
made their debut with the Montreal Jazz Festival.
Their recording career began in 2007 when White Pine Music issued Take the “A” Train,
a release featuring the string quartet version of that jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn;
the CD was highlighted that year in the November issue of Strings magazine. A second
CD, featuring works of Walter Piston, was released in 2010 by Naxos. The quartet’s
third recording, released in early 2011, is a collaboration with pianist Awadagin Pratt
and showcases works by American composer Judith Lang Zaimont. More recently, the
quartet collaborated with jazz pianist Chick Corea in two recording projects, including
a Grammy-winning Hot House album that included Mozart Goes Dancing, which won a
separate Grammy as Best Instrumental Composition.
Harlem Quartet was founded in 2006 by The Sphinx Organization, a national nonprofit
organization dedicated to building diversity in classical music and providing access to
music education in underserved communities. The quartet is managed by Sciolino Artist
Management in New York City.