Pacifica Quartet CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES. Simin Ganatra, violin Austin Hartman, violin Guy Ben-Ziony, viola Brandon Vamos, cello

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Pacifica Quartet CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES. Simin Ganatra, violin Austin Hartman, violin Guy Ben-Ziony, viola Brandon Vamos, cello"

Hester Rogers
6 years ago
Views:

2017 18 CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES SAMUELI THEATER October 9, 2017 Monday at 8 p.m.

1 CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES SAMUELI THEATER October 9, 2017 Monday at 8 p.m. Preview talk by Dr. Byron Adams at 7 p.m. Pacifica Quartet Simin Ganatra, violin Austin Hartman, violin Guy Ben-Ziony, viola Brandon Vamos, cello with Johannes Moser, cello Splendid Hopes (2016) JULIA WOLF West Coast Premiere (1958 ) Splendid Hopes Commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting for Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The Center applauds: String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 Allegro ma non troppo Adagio Scherzo Allegretto FRANZ SCHUBERT ( ) Media Partner: Out of courtesy to the artists and your fellow patrons, please take a moment to turn off and refrain from using cellular phones, pagers, watch alarms and similar devices. The use of any audio or videorecording device or the taking of photographs (with or without flash) is strictly prohibited. Thank you. The Pacifica Quartet is represented by MKI Artists Johannes Moser appears in cooperation with Opus3 Artists 5

JULIA WOLFE Born: December 18, 1958 in Philadelphia Splendid Hopes (2016) West Coast Premiere Splendid Hopes refers to Schubert s emotional words, near the end of his short life, written in a letter

The piece does not quote Schubert (whose quintet shares this program) but reflects the reach, desire, optimism, and struggle so often a part of hope.

2 JULIA WOLFE Born: December 18, 1958 in Philadelphia Splendid Hopes (2016) West Coast Premiere Splendid Hopes refers to Schubert s emotional words, near the end of his short life, written in a letter to a friend. Though the letter is incredibly sad, the idea of splendid hopes somehow shines out and gave me pause to think about the idea of hope. The piece does not quote Schubert (whose quintet shares this program) but reflects the reach, desire, optimism, and struggle so often a part of hope. Splendid Hopes was written for cellist Johannes Moser and the Pacifica Quartet inspired by the power and depth of their playing. Program note by Julia Wolfe Splendid Hopes Commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting for Segerstrom Center for the Arts. FRANZ SCHUBERT Born: January 31, 1797, Vienna Died: November 19, 1828, Vienna Cello Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956 Music lovers are in general accord that Schubert s cello quintet is the greatest work in the chamber music repertoire. In his book, Chamber Music, Homer Ulrich writes of the quintet, In nobility of conception, beauty and melody, and variety of mood, it is without equal. William Mann s article on Schubert s chamber music describes it as his masterpiece, and perhaps the greatest of all his works in range of emotion, quality of material and formal perfection. Pianist Arthur Rubenstein asked that the slow movements be played at his funeral, and violinist Joseph Saunders had the second theme of the first movement engraved on his tombstone. Through the loftiness of its conception, the spiritual quality of its melodies, and the masterfulness of its technique, the quintet touches listeners in a very special and personal way. Musicologists have long wondered why Schubert chose to add a cello to the basic string quartet in this, his sole string quintet; the precedent, established by Mozart and Beethoven, was for an extra viola. The explanation probably lies in the vastly expanded range of sonorities that Schubert is able to elicit from the two cellos, and which he exploits to the fullest, particularly in his ever-changing pairings and combinations of instruments. The quintet opens very simply. The four upper voices play a basic C major chord the swells from soft to loud and ends with a melodic extension in the first violin. Schubert then repeats the entire phrase with the four lower voices playing a D minor chord producing a magical transformation of color and character, and serving notice that a most exciting musical journey is about to begin. The music grows more and more agitated until three ringing chords announce the appearance of the second theme, heard first as a duet for the two cellos. Schubert repeats and expands this exquisitely shaped melody until everyone joins in a marchlike rhythmic unison, the third theme, which concludes the exposition. The second and third themes furnish the motifs on which the spacious development section is based. After building to a climax that is orchestral in effect, the first violin starts a series of slow, deliberate arpeggios that hide the start of the recapitulation in the other instruments. The rather free recapitulation follows the general outline of the exposition, and the short coda whips itself up into a frenzy before fading away to a gentle ending, capped by two loud chords. The principal subject of the Adagio combines sublime lyricism with dolorous Weltschmerz ( universal weariness ) in equal measure. This theme, which is played in rich harmonies by the three muddle voices, moves so slowly that it seems suspended in time, isolated from all temporal concerns. Beneath it, the second cello, supplies an underpinning of solemn pizzicato figures; above are the first violin s muted cries, heard in short fragments. The section closes with a second statement of the theme, shorter and softer than the first. With no warning, Schubert then unleashes a unique musical onslaught. The second violin and viola join in a convulsive syncopated pattern; the second violin stubbornly repeats its low-pitched growling; and the first violin and first cello sing out a vaulting lyrical line that binds together these disparate elements. The middle section perseveres, finding new strength when it seems to falter, until finally it grows too weak. There are long silences between the gasps of sound. The opening section then returns with the melody intact, but with decorative elaborations. Just before the end, there is a brief return of the fiery middle section, but the flame is quickly extinguished, 6

3 and the movement ends in quiet resignation. The Scherzo sweeps in like a fresh breath of country air dispelling the morose mood of the Adagio. The five players sound like a roughand-ready rustic band playing a boisterous peasant dance. But the vigor and vitality do not last long; the mood alters from exultancy to hopelessness and despair as Schubert changes all the musical elements in the trio. The tempo goes from Presto ( very quick ) to Andante sostenuto ( sustained moderate speed ) the major key changes to minor; the triple meter changes to duple; and the rhythmic melody is replaced by a wailing plaint. In what is surely the emotional high point of the piece, we glimpse the plight of the individual, victim of inexorable fate and inevitable death. Before things get maudlin, though, Schubert inserts a transition section, which reverts to the opening of the Scherzo, the irresistible triumph of life and hope over despondency and gloom. The finale is a stirring paean to the indomitability of the human spirit; after two movements of soul-searching and torment, Schubert emerges hopeful and optimistic. The principal theme is a rollicking dance tune that seems to be of Hungarian origin. The equally positive subsidiary theme, though, is more suave and legato, slightly suggestive of Viennese café music. Falling between sonata and rondo form in organization, these two subjects provide the thematic framework for the last movement. Just in case there are any lingering doubts as to the movement s meaning, Schubert twice picks up the tempo in the coda, making for a brilliant, exciting finish. Schubert composed his quintet in August and September of 1828, completing it just weeks before his death on November 18. In a letter of October 2, he offered it to a publisher, who refused. The premiere did not take place until 1850; the publication had to wait three years beyond that. Program note from Guide to Chamber Music, Melvin Berger,

About the Artists Pacifica Quartet Simin Ganatra, violin Austin Hartman, violin Guy Ben-Ziony, viola Brandon Vamos, cello Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring

Named the quartet-in-residence at Indiana University s Jacobs School of Music in March 2012, the Pacifica was previously the quartet-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and received a

Formed in 1994, the Pacifica Quartet quickly won chamber music s top competitions, including the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Award.

Also in 2006 the Quartet was featured on the cover of Gramophone and heralded as one of five new quartets you should know about, the only American quartet to make the list.

4 About the Artists Pacifica Quartet Simin Ganatra, violin Austin Hartman, violin Guy Ben-Ziony, viola Brandon Vamos, cello Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring repertory choices, over the past two decades the Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. Named the quartet-in-residence at Indiana University s Jacobs School of Music in March 2012, the Pacifica was previously the quartet-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and received a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance. In 2017, the Pacifica Quartet was appointed to lead the Center for Advanced Quartet Studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Formed in 1994, the Pacifica Quartet quickly won chamber music s top competitions, including the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. In 2002 the ensemble was honored with Chamber Music America s Cleveland Quartet Award and the appointment to Lincoln Center s CMS Two, and in 2006 was awarded a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. Also in 2006 the Quartet was featured on the cover of Gramophone and heralded as one of five new quartets you should know about, the only American quartet to make the list. And in 2009, the Quartet was named Ensemble of the Year by Musical America. The Quartet s season features two complete Beethoven cycles in just four days at the Ravinia Festival and for the University at Buffalo s famed Slee Cycle, performances with the guitar legend Sharon Isbin, and multiple performances of the Mendelssohn octet with the Dover Quartet. Highlights of the season included a return performance at New York s famed 92nd Street Y; the culmination of a two-season residency at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston; tours with Johannes Moser, Jörg Widmann, and Marc-André Hamelin; and the debut of a new cello quintet by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Julia Wolfe. The Pacifica Quartet has carved a niche for itself as the preeminent interpreter of string quartet cycles, harnessing the group s singular focus and incredible stamina to portray each Simin Ganatra Guy Ben-Ziony Austin Hartman Brandon Vamos composer s evolution, often over the course of just a few days. Having given highly acclaimed performances of the complete Carter cycle in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Houston; the Mendelssohn cycle in Napa, Australia, New York, and Pittsburgh; and the Beethoven cycle in New York, Denver, St. Paul, Chicago, Napa, and Tokyo (in an unprecedented presentation of five concerts in three days at Suntory Hall), the Quartet presented the monumental Shostakovich cycle in Chicago, New York, Montreal and at London s Wigmore Hall. The Quartet has been widely praised for these cycles, with critics calling the concerts brilliant, astonishing, gripping, and breathtaking. An ardent advocate of contemporary music, the Pacifica Quartet commissions and performs many new works including those by Keeril Makan and Shulamit Ran, the latter in partnership with the Music Accord consortium, London s Wigmore Hall, and Tokyo s 8

5 Suntory Hall. The work entitled Glitter, Doom, Shards, Memory had its New York debut as part of the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center series. In 2008 the Quartet released its Grammy Award-winning recording of Carter s quartets Nos. 1 and 5 on the Naxos label; the 2009 release of quartets Nos. 2, 3, and 4 completed the two-cd set. Cedille Records recently released the third of four volumes comprising the entire Shostakovich cycle, along with other contemporary Soviet works, to rave reviews: The playing is nothing short of phenomenal. (Daily Telegraph, London) Recent projects include recording Leo Ornstein s rarely-heard piano quintet with Marc-André Hamelin with an accompanying tour, the Brahms piano quintet with the legendary pianist Menahem Pressler, and the Brahms and Mozart clarinet quintets with the New York Philharmonic s principal clarinetist, Anthony McGill. The members of the Pacifica Quartet live in Bloomington, Indiana, where they serve as quartet-in-residence and full-time faculty members at Indiana University s Jacobs School of Music. Prior to their appointment, the Quartet was on the faculty of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana from 2003 to 2012, and also served as resident performing artist at the University of Chicago for 17 years. The Pacifica Quartet is endorsed by D Addario and proudly uses their strings. For more information on the Quartet, please visit Johannes Moser Cello Hailed by Gramophone magazine as one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists, German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser has performed with the world s leading orchestras and works regularly with conductors of the highest caliber. In the season, Moser s engagements in North America included returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Engagements in Europe included the BBC Scottish Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Staatsoper Hannover Orchestra, and Radio Orchestra Berlin RSB, where he will be artist in residence in Season debuts include the National Symphony Orchestra, Laguna Beach Music Festival, and will give the world premiere of a new work by Julia Wolfe with the Pacifica Quartet. Johannes premiered the Kalitzke Concerto by composer Johannes Kalitzke with Deutsches Symphonie- Orchester Berlin in January of Known for his efforts to expand the reach of the classical genre, his passionate focus on new music, and his commitment to reaching out to young audiences, Moser aims to present classical music in ways with which listeners of all ages can engage and connect. Recent and notable projects include the premiere of Enrico Chapela s electric cello concerto Magnetar with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and new works with Julia Wolfe and Andrew Norman. Moser won the top prize at the 2002 Tchaikovsky competition and was the recipient of the 2014 Brahms prize. His recordings have earned him two Echo Klassik awards and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. He is an exclusive Pentatone recording artist and released a Rachmaninov and Prokofiev album with Russian pianist Andrei Korobeinikov in fall

CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES. I. Allegro II. Andante III. Menuetto: Allegretto IV. Allegro ma non troppo

CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES. I. Allegro II. Andante III. Menuetto: Allegretto IV. Allegro ma non troppo 2016 17 CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES SAMUELI THEATER February 2, 2017 Thursday at 8 p.m. Preview talk by Dr. Byron Adams at 7:15 p.m. String Quartet in D Minor, K. 421 and Pacifica Quartet WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART