CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES. String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 76, No. 2, Die Quinten

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1 CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES SAMUELI THEATER March 4, 2018 Sunday at 2 p.m. Preview talk by Dr. Byron Adams at 1:15 p.m. This concert celebrates the lives of Dagmar and Walter Rios, supporters of great music in Orange County Pierre Colombet, violin Gabriel Le Magadure, violin Marie Chilemme, viola Raphaël Merlin, violoncello String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 76, No. 2, Die Quinten Andante o più tosto Menuetto: ma non troppo Fivace assai JOSEPH HAYDN ( ) String Quartet in E minor, Op. 121 moderato Andante GABRIEL FAURÉ ( ) The Center applauds: String Quartet in e minor, Opus 59, No. 2 LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN ( ) Molto adagio. Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento Allegretto Finale: Presto 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. ARTS MANAGEMENT GROUP 1

2 About the Program JOSEPH HAYDN Born: March 31, 1732, Rohrau, Austria Died: May 31, 1809, Vienna String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 76, No. 2, Die Quinten The quartet s subtitle, The Fifths, comes from the principal theme of the first movement, which starts with two descending melodic intervals of the fifth. Since these same four notes start the melody marking the third quarter on Big Ben, the quartet is also nicknamed The Bells. The concentration of musical material and the impelling logic of its construction make Op. 76, No. 2, in the words of noted Haydn scholar H. C. Robbins Landon, One of the most serious, learned and intellectually formidable works he ever wrote. Every note, every musical gesture, is used for a telling, expressive purpose. The quartet opens with a bold, dominant, four-note motif from which the composition derived its subtitle. As soon as the theme is stated, once loudly and once softly, Haydn introduces a series of new motifs, all related, closely or distantly, to the two pairs of descending fifths. This constitutes the spacious exposition, without a formal second theme, but with built-in contrasts growing out of the original musical concept. The development and recapitulation that follow seem compressed by comparison and give way to a driving, relentless coda that plunges on to the powerful concluding chords. The slow movement is faster and less emo- tional than comparable movements in other Op. 76 quartets, focusing more on grace and charm than on depth of feeling. The movement, though, serves as a perfect interlude between the intensity of the first movement and the ardor of the following Menuetto. The first violin states the simple, poised melody over an extremely thin accompaniment. The same theme, melodically varied in minor, serves as the contrasting middle section and is then embellished for the return of the initial major-key part. For the Menuetto, Haydn reduces the quartet to only two voices the two violins, and the viola and cello with both pairs playing in octaves. And from the beginning to the end the lower instruments faithfully echo the violins three beats later, creating a note-perfect canon. This most striking effect earned the movement the subtitle Hexen-Menuett (Witches Minuet). The trio is as different from the Menuetto as it can be. It is exclusively chordal, compared to the faultless twopart counterpoint; it changes dynamic level gradually from soft to very loud, compared to the consistently loud dynamic level; it feels like it is faster and should be played with only one heavy beat in each bar, compared to the previous three slow, heavy beats to a bar. The canon returns to round out the ternary form. The syncopated main theme of the Finale, with its two held notes right in the middle, effectively captures the spirit of Hungarian peasant music, even though its full strength and vigor is not apparent until the second violin rings it out loudly. Haydn next presents a section that can be interpreted as a free development, after which he brings back the principal theme and, in an absolutely inspired way, transforms the minor-key theme to major. By simultaneously stopping all rhythmic motion in the accompanying second violin and viola, he gives this comparatively rough-hewn theme an exceptional spiritual quality. From here he proceeds to a wonderfully gladsome ending. GABRIEL FAURÉ Born: May 12, 1845, Pamiers, France Died: November 4, 1924, Paris String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 121 Fauré s works might well be described as possessing the art of understatement. The pure and classic beauty which pervades his greatest works is derived from simplicity, restraint and refinement. It is the kind of beauty that lends itself to smaller, more intimate mediums of musical expression. He was a classicist by nature, but as the musicologist Paul Landormy pointed out, a classicist of the French type, more closely related to Couperin and Rameau than to Mozart or Beethoven. His language, always moderate, is like well-bred discourse. He never raises his voice too high. He works in quiet colors and is most discreet. He leaves much to be inferred. And his reserve is something quite as eloquent as louder outbursts. Fauré received thorough training in composition from Saint-Saëns and was an accomplished organist, serving in various churches in France until 1896 when he was appointed professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire. An illustrious teacher, his students included Ravel, Enesco, and Nadia Boulanger. He served as director of the prestigious school from 1905 to 1920, when he resigned because of increasing deafness. The composer limited himself to composing mostly chamber music, songs and piano pieces, which he fashioned with broad singing melodies and exquisite harmonic designs. 2

3 Fauré achieved an intimacy, elegance and sophistication that is, nevertheless, richly expressive and communicative. The 1870s were a particularly eventful period in the life of Gabriel Fauré. In 1871 he was invited by Saint-Saëns to join the newly formed Société nationale de Musique Française where he became acquainted with Franck, D Indy, Lalo, Bizet, Duparc and other prominent French musicians and heard many of Saint-Saëns compositions for the first time. A love for Fauré s music is an acquired taste and is generally found among those with a particular lack of enthusiasm for Wagner and Brahms. He can be considered one of the principal sources of French neo-classicism with an emphasis on restraint, long melodic lines and modal-sounding harmonies. The six chamber works of Fauré are in a separate category from other post-romantic chamber music. While similarities exist in general harmonic content, melodic type and form, there is a vigorous expression of honest sentiment, a mood that is forthright, delicate or merry with a fluency of expression. It has been said that Fauré is so typically French that only those born in France can enjoy his music. However, anyone with an ear for sensitive expression and subtle shading of tone quality can benefit from the serene and dignified language which is reflected in his music. Fauré is worthy of remembrance for more than the beauty of his music. He set an example of personal and artistic integrity by holding to tradition, logic, moderation and the poetry of pure musical form in an age when these ideals were not generally valued. His harmonic language may have offered some suggestions to Debussy, but his influence on his student, Ravel, and through the famous teacher, Nadia Boulanger, as well as countless later composers places him as one of the most important factors of twentieth-century music. The piano is central to all his work. It is used in all his songs and in his two concertante works, the Ballade and the Fantaisie. In Fauré s chamber music the piano is also prominent he freed himself from it only in his last work, the String Quartet Op.121. Showing the utter modesty of an established composer faced with a significant genre, in a letter to his wife, dated September 23, 1913, Fauré wrote I ve started a quartet for strings, without piano. This is a genre made particularly famous by Beethoven, so that anyone who is not Beethoven is scared stiff of it. The String Quartet Op. 121 is a swansong, an apotheosis for the composer who died less than a year later. The work opens in a form Fauré loved the most, an moderato in 2/2 sonata form. The violin begins its opening legato phrases in quarter notes that are surprisingly melancholy for an allegro tempo. The central development adds a diverse pallet of color to the original phrases. The final section is an exercise of serious counterpoint, concluding in a pianissimo. French musicologist and expert on the music of Fauré, Jean-Michel Nectoux described the Andante in 4/4: The Andante is one of the finest pieces of string quartet writing. From start to finish it bathes in a supernatural light There is nothing that is not beautiful in this movement with its subtle variations of light-play, a sort of white upon white. The composer recalling the final as a recalling of his own earlier Trio. Fauré returns to sonata form in the closing in 4/4. While there is no mention of it in the score, this lengthy movement is actually an ingeniously concealed scherzo. The cello introduces and develops the theme over a pizzicato accompaniment by the violins and bass. The restrained melody, now with the cello carrying the pizzicato gradually builds to a sustained crescendo, where all instruments take turns playing melody and pizzicato. The work concludes on a joyful progression in E parallel Major Ileen M. Zovluck LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN Born: December 16, 1770, Bonn Died: March 26, 1827, Vienna String Quartet in e minor, Opus 59, No. 2 Of the three Rasoumowsky Quartets, the E minor is probably programmed the least often. Perhaps this is because it offers less overall bravura display than other quartets, But for interest, appeal, and musical worth, this predominately lyrical work surely ranks as high as either of the others. The quartet opens with two sharp, imperious chords, followed by a tense measure of silence. The subsequent tender, melodic phrase also ends abruptly. The melody, repeated one note higher, is again cut off. Then the mystery and foreboding end as a phrase after energetic phrase pour forth, each one little more than a fragment, yet all seamlessly interwoven into an extended musical line that continually pulls the listener forward. While the form is somewhat obscured by the plethora of themes, Beethoven organizes them according to the standard principals of sonata form. The concluding coda, which almost seems to be another development, climaxes in an affirmative unison statement of the opening motif, after which the movement very quickly fades away to a quiet ending. Like the Adagio molto in Op. 59, No. 1, this movement is sublimely eloquent, exhibiting a majestic calm that rises serenely above human 3

4 concerns and interests. About its genesis, Beethoven s friend Carl Czerny wrote, The Adagio occurred to him when contemplating the starry sky and thinking of the music of the spheres. Another possible musical association comes from the fact that the main theme s first four notes are derived from a transposition of the musical spelling of Bach s name. (In German, B,A,C,H are the notes B flat, A,C, B.) At one point in the development section, the cello actually plays these exact notes. The individual sections of the sonata form are molded so unobtrusively that they flow one into another to create the impression of one extended glorious song. The Allegretto, falling between a scherzo and an intermezzo in character, starts quietly, as though not to disturb the lofty sentiment of the Adagio molto. Despite its surface grace, however, it is immediately apparent that this movement is based on a quirky and highly eccentric rhythmic pattern. The middle section melody, in major, is a Thème Russe, the patriotic hymn slave, taken from Ivan Pratsch s collection of Russian folk songs and included either to pay homage to Count Rasoumowsky or at his request. The anthem was also used by Moussorgsky in his opera, Boris Godunov, and by Rimsky-Korsakov in The Tsar s Bride. Instead of varying or developing this theme, Beethoven repeats it a number of times, scored differently and with an assortment of countermelodies. Following the traditional scherzo form, the opening section reappears, but then, in a departure from the ordinary, Beethoven brings back both the Thème Russe and the beginning part one more time. The brilliant Finale sets off at once on a high-speed, high-spirited rhythmic gallop. The organization combines elements of rondo and sonata form. The first violin plays the lyrical second theme, while the other instruments echo the turns of melody. A return of the opening leads to another section, which can be considered a third theme or a development of the first. After bringing back the various themes in a spirit of playful liveliness Beethoven picks up the tempo for a spectacular dash to the final chords. COMING NEXT: Brentano Quartet Brentano Quartet with Dawn Upshaw, soprano Samueli Theater, April 27 Now in its 25th year, the Brentano Quartet is known for its adventurous spirit and imaginative collaborations, combining old and new music in unique pieces for vocals and strings. Here, the quartet s collaborator is five-time Grammy Award winner and beloved American soprano Dawn Upshaw, who will lend her warmth and vocal dexterity to two pieces. On its own, the Brentano will offer a novel juxtaposition of a pair of works by Viennese composers, each from a different century. The Brentano named for Antonie Brentano, whom many scholars consider to be Beethoven s mysterious Immortal Beloved and has been the resident string quartet at the Yale School of Music since Photo by Juergen Frank 4

5 About the Artists What began in 1999 as a distraction in the university s practice rooms for the four young French musicians has become a trademark of the Quatuor Ebène, and has generated lasting reverberations in the music scene. The four breathe new life into chamber music through their consistently direct, open-minded perspective on the works. Regardless of the genre, they approach the music with humility and respect. They change styles with gusto, and yet remain themselves: with all the passion that they experience for each piece, and which they bring to the stage and to their audiences directly and authentically. There is no single word that describes their style: they ve created their own. Their traditional repertoire does not suffer from their engagement with other genres; rather, their free association with diverse styles brings a productive excitement to their music. From the beginning, the complexity of their oeuvre has been greeted enthusiastically by audiences and critics. After studies with the Quatuor Ysaÿe in Paris and with Gábor Takács, Eberhard Feltz and György Kurtág, the quartet had an unprecedented victory at the ARD Music Competition This marked the beginning of their rise, which has culminated in numerous prizes and awards. The Quatuor Ebène s concerts are marked by a special elan. With their charismatic playing, their fresh approach to tradition and their open engagement with new forms, the musicians have been successful in reaching a wide audience of young listeners; they communicate their knowledge in regular master classes at the Conservatoire Paris. The quartet was one of the award winners of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust in 2007 and received support from the BBT between 2007 and In 2005, the ensemble won the Belmont Prize of the Forberg-Schneider Foundation. Since then, the Foundation has worked closely with the musicians, who are performing on instruments chosen with and loaned by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider since Pierre Colombet: Violin by Francesco Rugeri, Cremona (ca.1680) Bow by Charles Tourte (Paris, 19th century.) Gabriel le Magadure: Violin with a Guarneri label (mid 18th century) Bow by Dominique Pecatte (ca.1845) Raphaël Merlin: Violoncello by Andrea Guarneri, Cremona (1666/1680) The Quatuor Ebène s CDs, featuring recordings of music by Haydn, Bartók, Debussy, Fauré, Mozart and the Mendelssohn siblings have won numerous awards, including the Gramophone Award, the ECHO Klassik, the BBC Music Magazine Award and the Midern Classic Award. Their 2010 album Fiction with jazz arrangements, has only solidified their unique position in the chamber music scene, as well as their 2014 crossover CD Brazil, a collaboration with Stacey Kent, and their recent recording with Michel Portal, Eternal Stories (Mai 2017). In fall 2014, Erato released A 90th Birthday Celebration, a live recording (on CD and DVD) of Menahem Presslers birthday celebration concert with the Quatour Ebène in Paris. In 2015/2016 the musicians focussed on the genre of the Lied. They collaborated with Philippe Jaroussky for the CD Green (Mélodies françaises) which won the BBC Music Magazine Award 2016 and published a Schubert CD. On the one hand, it includes Lieder, recorded with Mathias Goerne (arranged for string quartet, baritone and bass by Raphël Merlin) and on the other hand, the string quintet, recorded with Gautier Capuçon. The fundamental classical repertoire for string quartet will remain a cornerstone: this season, the Quatuor Ebène will focus on Ludwig van Beethoven s string quartets. The quartet will indeed present the complete Beethoven cycle in 2020 for their 20th birthday as well as for 250th birthday of the composer. The 2017/2018 season will see the Quatuor Ebène perform at the Berliner Philharmonie, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Wiener Konzerthaus, Stockholms Konserthus and Carnegie Hall New York, among others, as well as in festival venues such as the Musikfest Bremen and the Verbier Festival. 5