Chamber Music Society of Louisville

Transcription

1 Chamber Music Society of Louisville and the University of Louisville School of Music present the 77th Season Three Hundred Sixty-First Concert of the Society Los Angeles Piano Quartet October 19, :00 p.m. Three Hundred Sixty-Second Concert of the Society Johannes String Quartet November 23, :00 p.m. Three Hundred Sixty-Third Concert of the Society Amernet String Quartet February 15, :00 p.m. Three Hundred Sixty-Fourth Concert of the Society Music from Copland House March 22, :00 p.m. Three Hundred Sixty-Fifth Concert of the Society Emerson String Quartet April 12, :00 p.m.

2 Los Angeles Piano Quartet October 19, 2014 Piano Quartet in C Major, WoO 36, Nr. 3 Ludwig van Beethoven ( ) Allegro vivace Adagio con expressione Rondo. Allegro According to Beethoven s own account he began to study music at the age of four. The history of his early training and the beginning of his active practical musicianship is not a particularly cheerful one, but it is interesting to learn that already at the age of about 12, he began to work as the assistant organist and the cembalist in the orchestra of the Electoral Chapel, where his duty was to accompany the rehearsals of the opera orchestra without pay. He composed some works, a concerto, a rondo and a song, and the last two were published when he was 14. His life began to take a turn about 1787 with his first trip to Vienna, which more or less coincided with the time that he began to attract the attention of people who became important to his musical, social and intellectual development. In other words, in 1785, the time of the composition of the Piano Quartet in C Major, he had had little training other than what his father, local teachers and practical experience could provide. The works that pre- date 1787 pretty much sum up what a talented youngster could do with provincial resources in 18th- c. Germany. These resources included published music, and in this case, a set of sonatas for violin and piano by Mozart perhaps play a role. The three piano quartets, WoO 36, Nos. 1-3, are the only works Beethoven composed for this particular ensemble, whereas later in Vienna he composed mighty works for piano trio (Opps. 1, 11, 70, 97), works that were meant to be, at least in part, vehicles for his own performance as a pianist- composer. Though the early quartets weren t published, neither did he discard them, for later in Vienna he culled ideas and tunes from them for his first set of sonatas for piano, opus 2. Listeners may recognize two passages from the quartet in the opening movement of the C major Sonata Op.2, No.3, and the initial theme of the Adagio movement, basis for the Adagio of the Sonata, Op.2 No.1. The manuscripts for the three piano quartets, discovered after his death, were acquired by Artaria, and published in According to some commentary, the strongest outside influence on Beethoven s Piano Quartet in C Major was Mozart s sonatas for violin published in In particular, the material for the central section of the last movement, the rondo, seems to reflect Beethoven s knowledge and response to Mozart s sonata for violin in C Major, K. 296, although the form of Mozart s movement is significantly more developed, while Beethoven s treatment is quite in keeping with a young person s understanding of a standard form. The quartet in C major is in three movements, with the middle movement in the subdominant key of F Major. The piano is the principal instrument in the first movement, at most trading off melodic ideas with the first violin; the cello only occasionally has some independence from the piano bass line and the viola has a brief melodic moment or two. The thematic character is bright and the material is varied, featuring mostly arpeggiated ideas and running sixteenth- note themes. The special, short- lived moments are the several quick tradeoffs in modes and extensions to third- related keys (G minor, E- flat Major, C minor). Early in the development section, a brief statement of the first theme in the subdominant that seems to initiate a recapitulation is soon converted into more development with the recapitulation coming later at a more appropriate point. Even this early in his development Beethoven s melodic genius is evident, for the second movement is one that could only be identified as his. The strings become progressively more prominent in the second, and more so in the third movement, where the piano and strings trade off thematic activity and are on more of an equal par than in the first movement. Was the central

3 section of the rondo influenced by a similar moment in the violin sonata by Mozart? If so, Beethoven was already thinking about it when he composed the first movement, as a very similar motive of rising leaps and falling 2nds or 3rds with a dotted rhythm is found there. Perhaps this is rather evidence of Beethoven s own early ability and comprehensive thought? Piano Quartet Christopher Stark (b. 1980) When Christopher Stark mentions in his biography that early years in rural Montana played a role in his development as a composer, one imagines that he is one of those westerners who thinks longingly of broad Western vistas when he finds himself living in the densely- populated east where there are only a few small mountains wedged in between forests. Beginning his studies at the University of Montana, he moved east in stages: first to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and then to New York State where he completed his doctorate in composition under Steven Stucky and Roberto Sierra at Cornell. The list of awards, prizes and recognition that Christopher Stark has received is too numerous to list in full: commissions from the Fromm Foundation, the American Composers Orchestra., and the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings; winner of numerous competitions, among them the Utah Arts Festival, Cincinnati Conservatory Orchestra Composition Competition, 2011 SCI/ASCAP Student Commission; and, performances by members of eighth blackbird, Dinosaur Annex, Buffalo Philharmonic, Israeli Chamber Project, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, among others. Christopher Stark has his own publishing company, Sommerso Publishing, a well- designed web site, and a presence on YouTube. He is an Assistant Professor of Composition at Washington University in St. Louis. The following is Christopher Stark s commentary about his work which is receiving its premiere performances on today s concert: Piano Quartet is a three- movement work, approximately fifteen minutes in duration, which was written for the Los Angeles Piano Quartet and made possible by a grant from the Fromm Music Foundation. The first movement is based on my impressions of Assisi, Italy, which I visited in The movement s development is based on the transformation of the manmade to the natural inspired by St. Francis teachings and in memory of English composer Jonathan Harvey. The opening has two principal manmade ideas: a long twelve- tone melody played at various points by the different stringed instruments (later translated into bell- like chords in the piano), and dense synthetic overtone series arpeggiated in the strings and piano (labeled synthetic because they are based on ratios other than Pythagoras s). These ideas trade back and forth until high string harmonics are introduced which lead to the central meditation. It is distinguished by string and piano techniques which highlight harmonics and overtones, and it is followed by a climactic statement of the natural overtone series. Brief and nostalgic recollections close out the movement. The second movement begins as a quirky and pointed gigue that ultimately comes unhinged and disintegrates into bouncing bows and austere piano chords. Icy versions of previous motifs follow and slowly accelerate toward a sudden echoing lament. The trajectory of this movement was unexpected for me because it was written during this past summer s tumultuous events in St. Louis, where I live. I found it increasingly difficult to continue developing the spritely opening material when there was such intense injustice happening nearby. The unfastened form and crumbling development were my attempt to respond to this. The third and final movement is an arrangement of a previous work of mine entitled Borrowed Chords. The original composition was for clarinet, violin, and piano, and due to its short duration (five minutes), it always felt like an orphan. I am glad to have finally found it a suitable home within this quartet. The title comes from an assignment I

4 was given as a doctoral student at Cornell University, where I was asked to compose a piece using two four- note pitch collections; therefore, everything in this work is based on those two collections, as heard through various guises and transpositions. It is brisk, direct, and energetic. It is dedicated to my mentor, who gave me the assignment, Roberto Sierra. Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op. 25 Johannes Brahms ( ) Allegro Intermezzo. Allegro, ma non troppo. Trio. Animato Andante con moto Rondo alla Zingarese. Presto In the late 1850s, having spent several years working in Detmold, a small provincial court with limited resources, Brahms was determined to forge a future for himself in Hamburg, his native city. Accordingly, he developed and perfected a number of compositions, among them the Handel variations, the first of the Magalone songs, and two piano quartets, one in G Minor and one in A Major. Meanwhile Vienna and its many attractions beckoned, and in the autumn of 1862 he left the north with the intention of achieving success in the Imperial city in order to strengthen his application for the position he coveted in Hamburg, a dream he was never to realize. Despite its relatively low opus number, this quartet is a mature work, an accomplished essay in classical form as is evident immediately with the exposition of the first movement. The first movement is a rich complex of themes and motives that Brahms combines and recombines progressively into logical and expressive conclusions, which makes any attempt at discussion complicated. Brahms expands the classical sonata form by composing not two, but three quite different themes, each one of which is the major part of a thematic complex. In addition, each complex is unlike the others, making the whole rich and varied. The first theme is a small ternary structure with an antecedent, a contrasting theme and a consequent from the same material as the antecedent. The second theme is different: a short passage of thematic development intervenes between its two thematic statements. The third theme is stated, repeated, sequenced, and broken into smaller units before it dissolves into a closing section that refers to the beginning of the movement. (Extraordinary how the description is more complex than the reality of what one actually hears how logical and smooth it all is!) The first theme is remarkable for its structure: we have four measures (in the piano) of quietly expressive octaves in steady quarter notes a quick upward sweep followed by a slow fall to the dominant cadence- - followed by six- measures of strings, entering one by one, and drawing to a close on the tonic. The secondary tune is new, in a new key, with a pulsing rhythm in contrast to the bare octaves of the first theme. The second theme is a soaring line heard first in the cello in D minor, and then later in the ensemble in D Major. In contrast to the foregoing, the third theme is an endlessly flowing line of unaffected eighth- notes that continue throughout the passage in one form or another. Throughout the exposition, Brahms exercises extraordinary skill in bringing clarity to the relationships between the themes, contrasting themes and thematic derivations by exploiting harmonic relationships that are too complex to allow superficial description. Having reached the end of the exposition, Brahms feints a repeat of the exposition by restating the first ten measures, but then changes to development mode with the cello theme played in unison by the violins. From here he rigorously pursues development of material from the exposition, carefully maintaining an equality between the instrumental forces, balancing piano and strings phrase for phrase. Listen for the lyrical theme from the first theme group as it makes its gentle, thoughtful way to the opening thematic octaves, now fortissimo and now in unison. The recapitulation revisits all the themes and motives in the exposition, and nothing is a simple repeat

5 of anything heard previously even the passage marked ff animato in the closing of the exposition, is restated, p, tranquillo. In this movement, eventually everything becomes or is a variation of everything else. The second movement is an Intermezzo and Trio, both in 9/8 meter and the composer s instruction to the performers to mute the violin (con sordino) and use the piano s soft pedal (una corda), male the scherzo and trio seem more like a ballade or romanza. As the dynamics hardly rise above sempre molto p, dolce, and reach mezzo f and poco f only rarely, there is no high drama to distract from the constant rhythmic variety and play of registers between the instruments in the ensemble. In this case, the Intermezzo is repeated exactly, and the coda, Animato, takes the Trio as the starting point for an extended cadence. The Andante con moto is a ternary form, and each part has contrasting elements; smaller ternary or even rondo- like returns make up the larger contrasting segments. While the broad main theme in Eb Major luxuriates with a rhythmically flexible accompaniment, the central section that emerges out of an extended transition is a dynamic, quasi militaristic, episode in C Major. This short- lived and sudden contrast to the melodic lyricism of the middle movements anticipates the last movement, a rousing rondo with a gypsy tune for the principal theme. Breathless from beginning to end, the structure of the final movement comprises highly diverse elements. The three principal contrasting sections each a complex of segments play off the tune with its 6- measure phrases. One runs and scampers, one postures in a grandiose style, and another is a sultry, alluring wail for strings in their low registers. Already Presto at the beginning, it gets faster and faster, and trade- offs between the instruments become more and more dangerously complicated. A vigorous coda manages to balance everything that has come before. Arnold Schoenberg was so impressed by the cohesive thought of the Piano Quartet in G Minor that he orchestrated it, the better to hear its polyphonic weave. There are several performances of this transcription on YouTube; Paavo Jarvi with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony or Simon Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic are highly recommended. Composer Christopher Stark, will present comments about his work, Piano Quartet, which receives its world premiere performance on today s concert. The presentation will begin at 2 PM in room 130. All are welcome to attend on this special occasion.