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Our 2011-2012 Past Seasons: 2010--2011 |
PROGRAM NOTESJoaquin Turina entered the Madrid Conservatory to study piano with Jose Trago, who also taught Manuel de Falla. In 1905, Turina entered the Paris Conservatory to study composition with Vincent d'Indy and piano with Moritz Moszkowski. Turina remained in Paris eight years, making a name for himself as a pianist. At the urging of de Falla and Isaac Albeniz, Turina turned to Spanish folk music for his compositional inspiration. In 1914, Turina returned to Madrid and began his career as a composer. He composed two symphonic works, a variety of chamber music, music for solo piano, operas, guitar music, and incidental music for the theater. In 1930, he was appointed a professor of composition at the Madrid Conservatory. Turina wrote the Piano Quartet in A Minor in 1931 during the period of his peak creativity. Like all of his chamber music, this piece is infused with the characteristic grace of Spanish folk music, containing numerous Gypsy and Andalusian references. The three movements of the piano quartet are approximately equal in length and have no formal structure. The piano has a preeminent role in the work, reflecting Turina's mastery of the instrument. Most listeners are captivated by the fiery rhythms and beautiful lyricism of the piece.
Schumann tended to cluster his compositions, often writing only in one major genre in a given year. In 1840-41 he composed his first two symphonies, the Piano Concerto in A Minor, and over 15 sets of lieder (art songs). 1840 is often called his "song year." In 1842 he turned to a remarkable string of chamber works. From June 2 to the end of July he wrote three string quartets (Opus 41); the Quintet for Piano and Strings (Opus 44) was written from September 23 to October 12; then he composed tonight's work, the Quartet for Piano and Strings (Opus 47) from October 24 to the end of November. The Quartet for Piano and Strings in E-Flat Major was composed for Count Matvei Wielhorsky, an accomplished amateur cellist. The centuries-old practice of dedicating music to aristocrats was done in the hope of receiving money or a gift of appreciation, as noted by Melvin Berger in his Guide to Chamber Music. The first movement opens with a slow hymn-like theme. Then in the Allegro ma non troppo the theme takes on a rhythmically incisive guise in the piano and then a more cheerful rendition in the cello. The introductory theme returns again before the development section. The mood grows louder and more frenzied, but after the recapitulation, Schumann introduces a completely new cello theme. All ends with a quick recollection of the initial theme. The scherzo is interspersed with two trios. It unfolds in high spirits, but at times a somber mood is injected. The third movement is the emotional high of the quartet, beginning with a sumptuous melody played by the cello, then imitated by the violin. The Finale contains a multitude of flowing lyrical themes, the first of which becomes the subject of a strong fugal section. This movement exhibits a joyful mood, moving with great élan and energy to the climax.
Peteris Vasks was born in Aizpute, Lativia in 1946. He studied the violin at the Riga Music Academy in Latvia and the double bass at the Lithuanian Music Academy in Vilnius, Lithuania. Finishing his education as a performer in 1970, he played in various symphony and chamber orchestras including the Lithuanian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Latvian Radio and Television. Vasks also studied composition with Valentin Utkin at the Latvian State Conservatory, graduating in 1978, after which he began his career as a composer and teacher. Vasks has been an honorary member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences since 1994 and became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2001. He currently resides in Riga and is Latvia's most prominent composer. Many of Vasks' works are rooted in the Latvian folk tradition and are grounded in a secure tonal base, but with departures into grating dissonance and unconventional harmonic progressions. Vasks is interested in the connection between man and nature, in the environment, and in life and threats thereto. Many of his works are informed by the tragic dichotomy between humanity's ideal relationship with nature and the historical reality of their relationship. Accordingly, many of his compositions have programmatic* titles that reflect his absorption in environmental and ecological issues. The six-movement Piano Quartet heard on tonight's program was composed in 2001. Modal melodic fragments in open intervals abound; Latvian folk-rhythms are incorporated, providing an earthy counterpoint to the static chorales of the work's hymn-like sections. The tense, emotionally strained passacaglia movement brings these elements together particularly effectively. The third movement, Canti drammatici, is stunning in its unfolding via cadenzas (solo passages) for each of the stringed instruments, and the work achieves its apogee in the searingly effective Canto principale. The Quartet is an impressive and powerful work full of emotional tension and anguish -- in its entirety often defined by listeners as "a spiritual journey." *Program music vis-à-vis absolute music is music inspired by extra-musical ideas and, absent lyrics, the ideas are often explicitly set forth in prefaces or explanatory remarks or at least adumbrated in the titles of the compositions or their movements. Without such direction one wonders whether a listener would be able to decipher the extra-musical messages. Perhaps she would have to rely solely on the music as an art in its own right for her enjoyment - sans edification.
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