1. Art and Diseño

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Arizona Friends
of Chamber Music
2014–2015 Season
Contents of Book Three
2
Sunday, February 1, 2015, at 3:00 pm
Stefan Jackiw, violin, and Anna Polonsky, piano
6
Wednesday, February 25, 2015, at 7:30 pm
Auryn Quartet
10
Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at 7:30 pm
Artemis Quartet
15
Sunday, April 12, 2015, at 3:00 pm
Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello,
and Noreen Cassidy-Polera, piano
20
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is the official piano of AFCM
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prohibited during performances.
1
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Sunday, February 1, 2015
3:00 pm
Stefan Jackiw, violin
Anna Polonsky, piano
Opus 3 Artists
470 Park Avenue South 9th Floor North
New York, NY 10016
Stefan Jackiw
Born in 1985 to physicist parents of
Korean and German descent, Stefan
Jackiw began playing the violin at
the age of four. His teachers have
included Zinaida Gilels, Michèle
Auclair, and Donald Weilerstein,
and he holds a Bachelor of Arts
from Harvard University as well as
an Artist Diploma from the New
England Conservatory.
Piano & Friends
20th Season
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In 2002, Mr. Jackiw was awarded the
prestigious Avery Fisher Career
Grant. Also in 2002, he made his
European debut in London to great
critical acclaim, playing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the
Philharmonia Orchestra under
Benjamin Zander. His sensational
performance was featured on the
front page of London’s Times, and
The Strad reported, “A 14-year-old
violinist took the London music
world by storm.” He has since performed with orchestras and in recital throughout the world. A recent
solo performance of Mendelssohn’s
Violin Concerto with the YouTube
Symphony Orchestra at Australia’s
Sydney Opera House was seen live
on YouTube by more than 30 million
people worldwide.
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PROGRAM
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Tzigane
Witold Lutosławski (1913–1984)
Partita for Violin and Piano
I. Allegro giusto
II. Ad libitum
III. Largo
IV. Ad libitum
V. Presto
Anna Polonsky
Anna Polonsky made her solo
piano debut at the age of seven at
the Special Central Music School
in Moscow, Russia. She emigrated
to the United States in 1990, and
attended high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.
She received her Bachelor of Music
diploma from The Curtis Institute
of Music, where she worked with the
renowned pianist Peter Serkin, and
continued her studies with Jerome
Lowenthal, earning her Master's
Degree from the Juilliard School.
Ms. Polonsky is widely in demand
as a soloist and chamber musician,
having performed throughout
the US and Europe. In addition to
performing, she serves on the piano
faculty of Vassar College.
INTERMISSION
Kaija Saariaho (b. 1952)
Nocturne for Solo Violin
(to the memory of Witold Lutosławski)
César Franck (1822–1890)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major
Allegretto ben moderato
Allegro
Recitativo — Fantasia: Ben moderato
Allegretto poco mosso
3
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Program Notes
RAVEL CALLED HIS Tzigane (the French word
for gypsy) “a piece of virtuosity in the style of a
Hungarian rhapsody.” The young Hungarian
violinist Jelly d’Arányi had captivated Ravel with
her performances of Bartók, and he resolved to
create his own showpiece for her. Described by
Ravel’s contemporaries as “a forest of snares for
the violinist,” Tzigane bristles with technical
challenges. The work was a huge success at its
1924 premiere, despite revisions so recent that
d’Arányi had only a few days to prepare.
The opening violin recitative introduces thematic
ideas. In the main section, these colorful quasi-ethnic tunes are developed freely to suggest improvisation. Brilliant passagework appears throughout.
WITOLD LUTOSŁAWSKI WAS BORN in a dark time
in Poland’s history. Once landed gentry, his family
survived the two World Wars with difficulty after
his father was executed by firing squad. Witold
managed to secure a musical education in Warsaw;
he hoped to continue studies in Paris, but was
drafted into the Polish army. After a narrow escape
from prison camp, he played in cafes and composed resistance songs. During the Stalinist era,
he composed “functional” music to earn a living.
When Stalin died in 1953, Lutosławski, now age 41,
came into his own artistically. His 1954 Concerto
for Orchestra secured his reputation as a significant composer with a penchant for formal and
harmonic experimentation.
By nature an innovative thinker, Lutosławski wrote
three forward looking works entitled “Chain” in the
1980s. The title refers to the manner in which his
music is constructed by strands that function as
connective links to one another. He wrote the
second “Chain” for violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter
and also orchestrated his earlier Partita for her to
create “Interlude,” a link between his two works for
violin and piano. The three compositions — Partita, Interlude and Chain 2 — are often performed
together as one coherent work.
4
Lutosławski writes about his Partita: “I composed
Partita for Violin and Piano in the autumn of 1984 at
the request of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for
Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug. The work
consists of five movements. Of these the main
movements are the first (Allegro giusto), the third
(Largo), and the fifth (Presto). The second and
fourth are but short interludes to be played ad
libitum. A short ad libitum section also appears
before the end of the last movement.
“The three major movements follow, rhythmically
at least, the tradition of pre-classical (18th century)
keyboard music. This, however, is no more than an
allusion. Harmonically and melodically, Partita
clearly belongs to the same group of recent
compositions as Symphony No. 3 and Chain 1.
“Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug gave the
first performance of Partita on 18 January 1985 at
the Ordway Music Theatre, Saint Paul, Minnesota.”
FINNISH COMPOSER KAIJA SAARIAHO studied
violin and piano at the Sibelius Academy and
composition in Freiburg and Paris. Known for her
luxuriant fusions of traditional instruments with
electronics, her primary influence has been
post-serialism. However, she resists restrictive
categories: “I don’t want to write music through
negations. Everything is permissible as long as it’s
done in good taste.”
Saariaho wrote her brief Nocturne in 1994 and
dedicated it to the memory of Witold Lutosławski.
The Nocturne develops unexplored themes from
drafts of her violin concerto, Graal Theatre,
composed that same year and premiered in London
by Gidon Kremer at the BBC Promenade Concerts.
A companion piece, Nocturne was premiered in
Helsinki in 1994 by John Storgards.
CÉSAR FRANCK, BORN IN BELGIUM, was one of the
most significant French romantic composers. His
Sonata in A Major, composed late in his career
(1886), continues to be one of the most popular
duos in the chamber literature. Originally scored
for violin and piano, it has also become an important part of the flute and cello repertoire. Franck
dedicated the work to the renowned Belgian
violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, founder of the Franco-Belgian school of playing, which emphasized a flexible
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wrist and free bow arm. Franck presented him with
the autograph as a gift on his wedding day, and the
work was premiered in Brussels later that year. The
violinist soon launched the sonata as a staple of the
concert circuit. Ysaÿe extravagantly wrote: “We
have carried the Sonata around the world like a
torch, and gave to Franck, that misunderstood,
unrecognized saint, one of the few earthly joys he
knew before regaining Paradise.”
The sonata has been described as an outstanding
example of cyclic form, a unifying structural
organization in which the same thematic material
permeates all movements. To achieve this coherence, Franck follows a process of thematic transformation. His melodies, which grow from small
fragments, are altered in their harmony, rhythm,
or dynamics from one movement to the next but
still remain recognizable. Franck rather sweetly
called them “cousins.”
“We have carried the Sonata
around the world like a torch,
and gave to Franck, that misunderstood, unrecognized
saint, one of the few earthly
joys he knew before regaining
Paradise.”
— EUGÈNE YSAŸE
Ysaÿe influenced the sonata’s tempo markings
toward a faster pace, most effectively in the vibrant
opening movement, which Franck thought should
be very slow. Written in sonata form (exposition,
development, and recapitulation) but with a
minimal development section, this Allegretto ben
moderato movement explores two themes in a
calmly flowing triple meter. The turbulent D minor
Allegro movement that follows, also in sonata
form, develops its two agitated themes with
virtuosic passagework.
The Ben moderato, which Franck described as a
“recitative fantasy,” begins as a free rhapsody that
refers to earlier material. Numerous lyrical ideas
are explored in the latter section.
The finale is a free sonata-rondo form (a theme
returns several times with new material interspersed between statements) with canonic treatment of the main idea (the same melody begins at
different times in the two instruments). Its section
of development brings in material from the earlier
movements. An exuberant return of the canonic
melody leads the work to a triumphant conclusion.
Notes by Nancy Monsman
5
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Wednesday, February 25, 2015
7:30 pm
Auryn Quartet
Matthias Lingenfelder, violin
Jens Oppermann, violin
Stewart Eaton, viola
Andreas Arndt, cello
Shupp Artists Management, Inc.
202 Michigan Avenue
Port Jefferson, NY 11777
Auryn Quartet
An outstanding career spanning
more than three decades has made
the Auryn Quartet one of the most
sought-after and respected ensembles performing around the globe.
The Quartet has not changed its
personnel over this long period,
and continues with its fresh and
pioneering approach to all genres
of music. The Auryn's main mentors
were the Amadeus Quartet and
the Guarneri Quartet, with whom
they studied between 1982 and 1987
in Cologne, Germany, and at the
University of Maryland.
Evening Series
67th Season
6
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The Quartet won its first prizes
at the London International
Competition and the ARD Munich
competition, both in 1982, only one
year after the group's inception.
The ensemble also won the main
prize at the European Broadcasting
Competition in Bratislava in 1989.
Invitations to most international
music festivals followed in quick
succession: Lockenhaus, Salzburger
Festspiele, Edinburgh International
Festival, Musiktage Mondsee,
Schwetzinger Festspiele, and
Stavangar, to name a few. Recent
tours have taken the Quartet from
Lincoln Center in New York to the
Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as
well as the Wigmore Hall in London,
where they performed a complete
cycle of the Beethoven quartets.
The Auryn Quartet has a compelling
discography, working exclusively
with the Tacet Company since 2000.
In addition to the complete quartets
of Beethoven and Brahms, the
Quartet concluded its ambitious
CD set of all 68 Haydn quartets in
2010. The complete recital series of
the Haydn quartets, each comprising 18 concerts, was performed by
the Quartet in Detmold, Cologne
(West German Radio), and Padova,
Italy, to commemorate the Haydn
bicentennial year 2009.
The four musicians of the Auryn
Quartet play on wonderful Italian
instruments: a Stradivari violin
(1722, ex-Joachim), a Petrus Guarneri
violin, a Brothers Amati viola (1616),
and a Niccolo Amati cello. Since
2003 the Auryn Quartet has been
sharing its wealth of experience
with musicians of younger generations, in the form of a teaching
position at the Music Academy in
Detmold, Germany, where they are
professors of chamber music.
7
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PROGRAM
Program Notes
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
BEETHOVEN COMPLETED HIS SIX Opus 18 string
Quartet in A Major, Op. 18, no. 5
Allegro
Menuetto
Andante cantabile
Allegro
INTERMISSION
Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130
Adagio ma non troppo — Allegro
Presto
Andante con moto, ma non troppo
Alla danza tedesca: Allegro assai
Cavatina: Adagio molto espressivo
Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
“I maintained to Beethoven
that this fugue, which
departed from the ordinary
and surpassed even the
last quartets in originality,
should be published as a
separate work and that it
merited a designation as a
separate opus.”
— KARL HOLZ
quartets in 1801 and dedicated them to his patron
Prince Karl Lobkowitz, an Austrian nobleman who
hosted their premieres at his new Viennese palace.
This early set of string quartets is considered the
high point of Beethoven’s “first style period,” a time
when he found both inspiration and guiding
principles in the works of Haydn and Mozart but
pushed classical boundaries with his own characteristic energy and daring. The last three quartets of
the set, including the A Major Quartet (no. 5), suggest
his restless quest for new forms of expression.
The inspiration for Opus 18, no. 5, was Mozart’s
innovative Quartet in A Major, K. 464 (1785), a
technically brilliant yet profound work written to
honor Haydn. Seeing the score for the first time in
1800, Beethoven was heard to exclaim: “That’s what
I call a work! Mozart is telling the world, ‘Look what
I could do if you were ready for it!’ ” To study
Mozart’s compositional techniques, Beethoven
wrote out a copy of the third and fourth movements of K. 464. Soon afterwards, Beethoven began
sketches for his Opus 18, no. 5.
The Allegro opens with a graceful group of themes
that evoke Mozart’s songful idiom. A contrasting
subject follows in the minor mode. After development of these ideas, the opening material is
recapitulated, and the movement concludes with a
brief coda based on a fragmentary A major scale.
Beethoven most often placed his slow movement
after the opening Allegro, but in Opus 18, no. 5, he
observed Mozart’s preference for the Menuetto as
the second movement. A delicate waltz, the
movement is varied by a three-voice canon and a
brusquely accented trio section.
The Andante cantabile explores a simple theme,
which Beethoven described as “pastoral,” through
five increasingly complex variations. Beethoven
dramatically moves beyond the traditional
18th-century concept of variation achieved
through altered embellishment or rhythm; rather,
in Opus 18, no. 5, each variation reveals a new
aspect of the theme’s character — lyrical, mystical,
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or robust. In the substantial coda the theme
reappears in its original form against rapid scale
figures. Near the end the tempo slows to create a
subdued conclusion.
register while the other instruments play countermelodies. Movement four, “Dance in the German
Style,” functions as a second scherzo. It resembles a
gentle Ländler, a rustic triple-time German dance.
The sonata-form finale is propelled by an incisive
four-note motto heard at the outset. A theme
from Mozart’s own A major quartet is quoted
in long note values near the end of the
development section.
The Cavatina (little aria) is a continuous outpouring of melody loosely organized into a three-part
form. Beethoven’s friend Karl Holz wrote that the
Cavatina was composed “amid sorrow and tears;
never did his music breathe so heartfelt an inspiration, and even the memory of this movement
brought tears to his eyes.”
BEETHOVEN WAS ESPECIALLY FOND of his Opus
130, which he referred to as the “Dear Quartet”
(“Liebquartett”) in his conversation books. Perhaps
because of his deafness he chose not to attend the
work’s premiere in March, 1826 but rather to wait in
a nearby tavern for word of the audience’s response.
His nephew Karl soon brought positive news
that two of the six movements met with such favor
that they had to be repeated. Karl also gave less
favorable news — the fugal finale confused
listeners (“as incomprehensible as Chinese,” said
one present). Beethoven exploded with anger. Soon
after the premiere his publisher and several friends
persuaded Beethoven to compose a new finale
for Opus 130 and to allow the original movement,
the “Great Fugue,” to stand as a separate composition (now Opus 133). Tonight’s performance
includes the Grosse Fuge as the finale Beethoven
originally intended.
Although Opus 130 was described by Beethoven’s
biographer Schindler as “the monster among all
quartets,” its framework of movements follows
the basic classical scheme — a fast movement,
a scherzo, a slow movement, and finale. However,
Beethoven expands this scheme by adding an extra
scherzo and slow movement before the finale.
Although the serene opening Adagio appears to
be an introduction to the work, it surprisingly
reappears between statements of the spirited
Allegro. The resulting shifts of mood led Aldous
Huxley to describe the movement as “majesty
alternating with a joke.”
The brief Presto, based on repetitions of short
melodic units, develops with a simplicity that
contrasts to the opening movement. The Andante
(third movement) mingles gaiety with melancholy.
The viola states its principal theme in its lower
The remarkable finale also stands by itself as
Beethoven’s Opus 133, published posthumously in
1827.This intense and driving Great Fugue begins
with an overture (Allegro) that introduces the
concise, somewhat jagged, motto theme. After a
variation of this theme in a brief passage marked
“less motion, moderate tempo,” the powerful
fugue begins to develop (Allegro). The motto
passes in turn from the first violin to the second
violin, then to the viola and cello. A variation of the
motto becomes a countersubject to the main
theme. The fugue builds over a tremendous
crescendo and comes to a dramatic pause. A quieter
variant of the motto is developed in a pianissimo
section again marked “less motion, moderate
tempo” (G-flat major). The fugue returns at a
fortissimo section marked “very fast and with
spirit” (B-flat major). After a robust development
that emphasizes the fervent and jagged character
of the theme, the marking “less motion, moderate
tempo” returns (F minor). The tempo gradually
accelerates, and the marking “very fast and with
spirit” returns. On the final pages the themes are
transformed into a dance of victory.
Throughout the fugue one hears unique thematic
links to the quartet’s earlier movements — compelling evidence that the Grosse Fuge belongs to Opus
130 as its appropriate finale.
Notes by Nancy Monsman
9
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Wednesday, April 8, 2015
7:30 pm
Artemis Quartet
Vineta Sareika, violin
Gregor Sigl, violin
Friedemann Weigle, viola
Eckart Runge, cello
Arts Management Group
37 West 26th Street Suite 403
New York, NY 10010-1006
Artemis Quartet
The Berlin-based Artemis Quartet
was founded in 1989 at the
Musikhochschule Lübeck, and is
recognized today as one of the
foremost quartets in the world.
Their mentors include Walter Levin,
Alfred Brendel, the Alban Berg
Quartet, the Juilliard Quartet and
the Emerson Quartet. The ensemble
had its international breakthrough
with first prizes at the ARD
Wettbewerb in 1996 and at "Premio
Borciani" half a year later. Subsequently, the musicians received an
invitation to the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, where they were able
to expand their musical studies and
enjoy interdisciplinary exchange
with renowned scholars.
Evening Series
67th Season
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Since its successful debut at the
Berlin Philharmonie in 1999, the
quartet has performed in all the
great music centers and international
festivals in Europe, the U.S., Japan,
South America and Australia. In
July 2007, the ensemble welcomed
new members Gregor Sigl and
Friedemann Weigle; in August 2012,
the Latvian violinist Vineta Sareika
took up the post of 1st violin.
The Artemis Quartet has had an
exclusive recording contract
with Virgin Classics/EMI since
2005. Their recordings have been
recognized with the prestigious
"Gramophone Award" as well as the
"Diapason d'Or" and the “ECHOKlassik” (twice). As a celebration of
its special affinity for Beethoven's
music, as well as its 20th anniversary
as an ensemble, the Artemis Quartet
embarked on a Beethoven cycle in
2009, which was performed over
two seasons in Berlin, Brussels,
Florence, Cologne, London, Paris
and Rome. The project culminated
in a recording of the complete
quartets, which was awarded the
prestigious French "Grand Prix de
l'Académie Charles Cros." In recognition of its 2012 recording of the
three great Schubert quartets, the
Quartet was invited to design a
concert series featuring these works
and many guest artists in the Salle
Pleyel in Paris for the 2013-14 season.
A focus on contemporary music is
an important part of the ensemble's
work, in part because they wish to
keep developing an eye for new
elements in already well-established
music. Composers such as Mauricio
Sotelo (2004), Jörg Widmann (2006)
and Thomas Larcher (2008) have
written pieces for the Artemis
Quartet. They performed the premiere of a concerto for quartet and
orchestra by Daniel Schnyder
in 2014.
In addition to their concert careers,
the four musicians are professors at
the Universität der Künste in Berlin
and at the Chapelle de la Reine
Elisabeth in Brussels.
11
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PROGRAM
Program Notes
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
BEFORE BEETHOVEN LEFT BONN for Vienna in
1792, his friend Count Waldstein told him that
there “he would receive the spirit of Mozart from
Haydn’s hands.” Beethoven had hoped to study
with Mozart once in Vienna, but since he had
recently died, Beethoven undertook instruction
from Haydn instead. However, the young composer was too impatient to absorb the master’s lessons,
and the studies soon ended because of their
temperamental differences. But when Beethoven
began to write his Opus 18 quartets in 1798 he
closely examined the mature quartets of Mozart
and especially Haydn for guiding principles.
Beethoven completed these six Opus 18 string
quartets for Prince Karl Lobkowitz in 1800, and
they were premiered at the nobleman’s Friday
palace musicales. Despite Haydn’s position as
Beethoven’s early mentor, it was reported that
when the aging composer heard these inventive
and deeply expressive quartets at Lobkowitz’s
concerts, he decided to abandon string quartets
and devote himself to religious choral music. Since
Viennese composers typically avoided competing
genres, this observation most probably has truth.
Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, no. 1
Allegro con brio
Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
Scherzo: Allegro molto
Allegro
Pe¯teris Vasks (b. 1946)
Quartet No. 5
being present
so distant…yet so near
INTERMISSION
Bedrˇ ich Smetana (1824–1884)
Quartet No. 1 in E Minor (“From My Life”)
Allegro vivo appassionato
Allegro moderato alla Polka
Largo sostenuto
Vivace
“[The first movement]
depicts my youthful
leanings toward art, the
romantic atmosphere, the
inexpressible yearnings…
and also a warning of
my future misfortune
(deafness).”
ˇ ICH SMETANA
— BEDR
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Although Beethoven’s sketchbooks show that the
Opus 18, no. 1, was the second of the set to be
written, he placed it first because he favored its
brilliant inventiveness. He was annoyed that Nos. 2
and 4 received greater favor, and moved to profanity
by a review in Vienna’s leading music journal: “It is
difficult to perform and not at all popular.”
The Allegro con brio opens with a concise idea
played in unison by all the strings. A second theme
is introduced by the first violin; as in the quartets
of Haydn, these two generative ideas expand to
create a large sonata design. The concluding coda
introduces a scalar motive that combines with
the earlier motives.
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Beethoven’s affinity with the growing romantic
movement is heard in the profound and intense
Adagio (D minor), which develops three expressive
themes. According to Beethoven’s friend Karl
Amenda, this movement was inspired by the tomb
scene from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
Beethoven penned the words “Les derniers
soupirs” over the original end of the movement
in his sketchbook.
The Scherzo movement (F major) unfolds with
Mozartean grace. A robust group of octave exchanges introduce the flowing trio section; a repeat
of the opening material follows. The Allegro finale,
written in sonata-rondo form, recalls the spirited
finales of Haydn’s quartets. It opens with a witty,
rapid figure played in turn by each instrument.
Contrasting episodes enter between the virtuoso
thematic statements.
THE WORK OF LATVIAN COMPOSER Pete¯ris Vasks
has been widely performed, recorded, and broadcast throughout Russia and Europe. Much of his
work has been commissioned by Europe’s leading
publishers and music festivals. A professional
violinist, Vasks studied composition at the State
Conservatory of Lithuania after he was barred
from the Latvian Academy because of his Baptist
affiliation. Although the aleatoric (from the
Latin “throw of the dice”) experiments of Witold
Lutosławski were an important early influence,
Vasks’s music has matured into a harmonically
clear, melodically lyrical style energized by
pungent dissonances and contrasting tempos.
Essentially an eclectic, Vasks fuses traditional and
contemporary western European elements and
frequently incorporates motifs from Latvian folk
music. A composer with both a strong religious
background and deep love of nature, Vasks strives
to convey his humanistic philosophy through
his compositions.
Vasks composed the last of his five string quartets
in 2006 for the Kronos Quartet. He writes:
“String Quartet No. 5 consists of two contrasting
movements. The first movement, ‘being present,’
immediately leads to an atmosphere of high
emotional tension. The prevailing atmospheric
elements of the music are dramatic and passionate,
alternating with each other like a kaleidoscope.
In contrast to that, a second theme is intoned three
times — an invitation, a memory of an existence
of another world, a light-house which illuminates
the twilight in which we live so often. But this
invitation remains unheard. The first movement
concludes with dissonances in the upper register
— a cry of utter desperation.
“The second movement, ‘so distant . . . yet so near,’
is the calm, unhurried vocal section of the quartet,
a forgiving, loving look at a world tortured by grief
and contradictions. Gradually, the singing becomes more personal, more emotional, and more
dramatic. The rhythmic figure of a funeral march
in the recapitulation of the second movement is a
gesture of loss. Eventually, the quartet loses itself
in an atmosphere of light-filled grief.”
ALTHOUGH HE WAS A disciple of the cosmopolitan
Franz Liszt, Bedrˇich Smetana became the first
Czech to compose with a true nationalist voice.
A programmatic composer, Smetana created
numerous works that evoke particular events and
images of his native Bohemia. After his sudden
onset of deafness at age 50, Smetana boldly wrote
two quartets entitled “From My Life.” Intended to
be heard as an autobiographical tonal portrait,
the first quartet (1876) casts the violist as its
protagonist — an honor Dvorˇ ak enjoyed as one
of the performers at the premiere.
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Smetana provided his quartet’s program in a letter
to his close friend Josef Srb-Debrnov. The first
movement, he writes, “depicts my youthful
leanings toward art, the romantic atmosphere, the
inexpressible yearnings . . . and also a warning of
my future misfortune (deafness).” The opening
theme, an impassioned descending phrase in the
viola, represents the misfortune that will soon
overtake him. This poignant motive, which recurs
throughout the quartet, is followed by a gentler
second theme that suggests his delight in artistic
pursuits. After development of the first theme and
a recapitulation of the second, the movement
concludes with somber pizzicato notes in the cello.
Smetana describes the second movement as
“a quasi-polka that recalls the joyful days of youth
when I composed dance tunes and was known
everywhere as a passionate lover of dancing.”
The movement begins with a spirited dance motif.
The viola introduces a vigorous contrasting idea
that Smetana states should be played “like a
trumpet.” In the trio section the violins intone
chord progressions over a rhythmic pattern
articulated by the viola and cello. An abbreviated
version of the opening section and a brief coda
conclude the movement.
Smetana continues: “The third movement (the
one which, in the opinion of the gentlemen who
play this quartet, is unperformable) reminds me
of the happiness of my first love, the girl who
later became my wife.” Essentially an extended love
song, the movement develops two ardent and
lyrical themes with rich romantic harmonies and
challenging rhythmic figuration. A pensive
coda suggests yearning for happier times that
have passed.
14
“The fourth movement describes the discovery
that I could develop nationalistic elements in
music and my joy in following this path until it
was checked by the catastrophe of the onset of my
deafness and the prospect of my sad future; and
remembering all the promise of my early career,
a feeling of painful regret.” The movement opens
with a joyous dance that suggests native Bohemian
folk music. Vigorous passages alternate with
graceful sections, and the dance ends abruptly.
After a moment of silence, the first violin plays
a piercingly high E over an ominous tremolo in the
other strings. “This is the fateful ringing in my
ears that announced the beginning of my deafness.
I permitted myself this little joke, such as it is,
because it was so disastrous for me.” After a
synopsis of themes from the earlier movements,
the work ends in a mood of quiet resignation.
Notes by Nancy Monsman
.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
3:00 pm
Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello
Noreen Cassidy-Polera, piano
Opus 3 Artists
470 Park Avenue South 9th Floor North
New York, NY 10016
Narek Hakhnazaryan
Narek Hakhnazaryan was born
in 1988 in Yerevan, Armenia, into
a family of musicians: his father
is a violinist and his mother is a
pianist. His early studies were at
the Sayat-Nova School of Music in
Yerevan with Zareh Sarkisyan. At
the age of 12, he began studies at the
Moscow Conservatory with Alexey
Seleznyov, and went on to work with
Lawrence Lesser at the New England
Conservatory of Music in Boston.
Mentored by Mstislav Rostropovich,
Mr. Hakhnazaryan was the only
cellist invited to travel on behalf of
the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation. As First Prize winner in the
2008 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he debuted in the
Young Concert Artists Series in New
York at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, and
at the Kennedy Center in Washington,
DC. He was also awarded the Gold
Medal at the 2011 XIV International
Tchaikovsky Competition, the most
prestigious prize given to a cellist.
His career has since taken him to
North and South America and
throughout Europe.
Piano & Friends
20th Season
15
.
PROGRAM
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Adagio and Allegro for Cello and Piano, Op. 70
Adagio con molto espressione
Allegro con brio
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)
Suite Italienne for Cello and Piano
Noreen Cassidy-Polera
Noreen Cassidy-Polera holds
Bachelor of Music and Master of
Music degrees from The Juilliard
School, where she studied with
Martin Canin. Winner of the
Accompanying Prize at the Eighth
International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, she regularly
collaborates with laureates of the
Queen Elisabeth, Tchaikovsky,
and Naumburg international
competitions. Ms. Cassidy-Polera
ranks among the most highly-regarded and diverse chamber artists
performing today, and maintains
a career that has taken her to every
major American music center and
abroad to Europe, Russia, and Asian
centers of Hong Kong, Shanghai,
Beijing, and Seoul.
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Introduzione
Serenata
Tarantella
Gavotte con due variazioni
Scherzino
Minuetto
Finale
Adam Khudoyan (b. 1921)
Sonata No. 1 for Solo Cello
INTERMISSION
César Franck (1822–1890)
Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Major
Allegretto ben moderato
Allegro
Recitativo — Fantasia: Ben moderato
Allegretto poco mosso
.
Program Notes
SCHUMANN ORIGINALLY SCORED his Opus 70
Adagio and Allegro (1849) for the newly popular
valved horn, a technical improvement over the
natural horn because it enabled secure playing of
half steps. Opus 70 was welcomed as the first
important chamber work for this essentially new
instrument. The previous year, Schumann had
suffered a lingering bout of depression, but in 1849
he enjoyed a period of emotional stability. He now
concentrated his energies on chamber works that
could be performed by a variety of instruments.
Because of its popularity, he soon rescored Opus
70 for cello, the instrument he began to study after
he had permanently injured a right hand finger
through zealous piano virtuosity training.
Originally entitled Romanze and Allegro, Opus 70
opens with an eloquent Adagio section. Its pensive
theme recurs as an introspective reminiscence near
the conclusion of the brilliant Allegro.
STRAVINSKY ENJOYED A LONG collaboration with
the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev, whose
company Ballets Russes premiered such successes
as “The Rite of Spring” in Paris. Searching for a
simpler post-World War I project, Diaghilev
showed Stravinsky scores attributed to Giovanni
Battista Pergolesi, the short-lived Italian who
crafted ingratiatingly lyrical comic operas in the
early 18th century. Although initially cool to the
idea, Stravinsky was persuaded to write a ballet
based on “Pulcinella,” the story of the longnosed stock figure of Neapolitan puppetry. This
twenty-movement ballet score (1920), equipped
with sets and costumes designed by Picasso, gained
additional popularity as an eleven-movement
orchestral suite. In both scores Stravinsky retained
the 18th-century melodies, sung by three vocalists,
but transformed the original framework with
rhythmic ostinatos, pungent harmonies, and
brilliantly colorful orchestration. He wrote:
“ ‘Pulcinella’ was my discovery of the past, the
epiphany through which the whole of my late
work became possible. It was a backward look, of
course — the first of many love affairs in that
direction — but it was a look in the mirror too.”
With the assistance of his violinist friend Samuel
Dushkin, Stravinsky wrote a seven-movement
transcription of his Pulcinella Suite for violin and
piano, and later he scored it for cello and piano with
the collaboration of Gregor Piatigorsky. Entitled
“Suite Italienne,” this virtuoso neoclassical work
has become one of Stravinsky’s most popular
instrumental creations.
ARMENIAN COMPOSER ADAM KHUDOYAN was
educated at the Yerevan State Conservatory and
subsequently directed the Composer’s House of
Armenia. A fervent nationalist, he later served
as Secretary of the Composer’s Union of Armenia.
Appreciative of the cello’s darkly expressive
timbres, Khudoyan wrote significant works for
this instrument — three cello sonatas, a cello and
violin duo sonata, and a fantasia entitled “Cello
Nostalgia.” Khudoyan has been compared to
Russian Five member Modest Mussorgsky, who
favored strong harmonies and free chordal
progressions in his music.
Khudoyan dedicated his Sonata No. 1 for Cello
Solo (1961) to the 1,500,000 Armenians who were
killed by Turkish forces at the end of the Ottoman
Empire. The work opens with a fervent passage that
suggests the tolling of funeral bells. Through
passages alternately declamatory and sorrowfully
melodic, the sonata develops as a profound elegy.
Pizzicato passages, high harmonics, and traditional
Armenian melodies create a colorful but
melancholy atmosphere.
17
.
ALTHOUGH BELGIAN COMPOSER (and significant
French romanticist) César Franck wrote prolifically
throughout his career, he is best known for the
works created during the last decade of his life.
These include his Sonata in A Major, composed in
1886 for violin but edited for cello by Franck’s Paris
Conservatory colleague Jules Delsart soon after it
was published. The Sonata is one of the most
popular duos for both string instruments, as well
as flute, in the chamber literature. Franck dedicated the work to violin virtuoso Eugène Ysaÿe and
presented the score to him on his wedding day.
Upon receiving it, Ysaÿe promptly borrowed a
violin and sightread the work on the spot. He
performed the sonata often, and he announced at
one of his concerts: “This work was given to me by
the composer as a wedding present, and whenever I
play it, I do so ‘avec amour,’ with love.”
One of the organizing features of Franck’s work is
thematic transformation, a technique that alters a
theme’s rhythm, meter, and dynamics to change its
emotional affect. In the Sonata the opening theme
of the vibrant Allegretto ben moderato (for which
Ysaÿe requested Franck to adjust tempo markings
from slow to fast) reappears as a transformation in
all other movements. This thematic repetition also
creates a “cyclic” form that Franck amplifies by
bringing second and third movement themes into
the finale. Although Franck was not the most
academic of composers, he builds this last movement on a canon, a long established contrapuntal
device in which the same melody begins at different times in the two voices. In this free sonata-rondo form movement, the piano’s charming melody
is echoed by the cello and developed in alternation
with earlier themes.
Notes by Nancy Monsman
18
“This work was given to me
by the composer as a wedding
present, and whenever
I play it, I do so ‘avec amour,’
with love.”
— EUGÈNE YSAŸE
.
Coming in March 2015
22nd Annual Tucson Winter
Chamber Music Festival
PETER REJTO, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sunday, March 15, 2015, 3:00 pm
Tuesday, March 17, 2015, 7:30 pm
Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 7:30 pm
Friday, March 20, 2015, 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 22, 2015, 3:00 pm
MASTER CLASSES
Saturday, March 21, 2015, at 3:00 and 4:00 pm
GALA DINNER AND CONCERT
AT THE ARIZONA INN
Saturday, March 21, 2015, at 6:00 pm
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
Festival Musicians
Philip Alejo, double bass
Bernadene Blaha, piano
Katerˇina Englichová, harp
Jirˇi Gemrot, composer
Marie Catherine Girod, piano
Clive Greensmith, cello
Bernadette Harvey, piano
Bil Jackson, clarinet
Lowell Liebermann, composer
Joseph Lin, violin
Paul Neubauer, viola
Nokuthula Ngwenyama, viola
Axel Strauss, violin
Prazak Quartet
All events at the Leo Rich Theater unless
otherwise indicated.Tickets available
at the box office and online.
19
.
AFCM Donors
A special thanks to the
Louisa Slomkowska
Living Trust for a gift
of $40,000
$10,000 & above
Jean-Paul Bierny & Chris Tanz
David & Joyce Cornell
Jim Cushing
Mr. Wesley C. Green
Mrs. Ghislaine Polak
Boyer Rickel
$5,000 – $9,999
Arizona Commission on the Arts
Stan Caldwell & Linda Leedberg
Robert & Ursula Garrett
Joan Teer Jacobson
Mr. Thomas Polk
Drs. John & Helen Schaefer
Walter Swap
Ms. Carla Zingarelli Rosenlicht
$2,500 – $4,999
Nancy Bissell
EOS Foundation
Dr. & Mrs. Elliott
& Sandy Heiman
Dan Leach
Tom Lewin
Grace McIlvain
Mr. Hal Myers
Mr. Thomas Polk
Serene Rein
Jayant Shah & Minna Mehta
Jerry & Kathy Short
Randy Spalding
Wendy & Elliott Weiss
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$1,000 – $2,499
Ms. Nevenka Bierny
Celia A. Balfour
Ted & Celia Brandt
Ms. Dagmar Cushing
Mr. & Mrs. Bryan
& Elizabeth Daum
Caleb & Elizabeth Deupree
Mr. & Mrs. John & Terry Forsythe
Ms. Beth Foster
Thomas Hanselmann
Drs. John Hildebrand
& Gail Burd
Arthur & Judy Kidder
Claire B. Norton Fund
Mr. & Mrs. Charles M. Peters
Herschel & Jill Rosenzweig
Mr. & Mrs. John Rupley
Si & Eleanor Schorr
Paul A. St. John & Leslie Tolbert
Mrs. Betsy Zukoski
$500 – $999
Anonymous
Mr. & Mrs. Frank & Betsy Babb
Ms. Selma Bornstein
Luis & Maritza Dabdoub
Richard & Galina De Roeck
Raul & Isabel Delgado
Philip & Nancy Fahringer
Mr. Richard E. Firth
Leonid Friedlander
Milton Francis
Harold Fromm
Drs. J. D. & Margot Garcia
Elizabeth Giles
Dr. Marilyn Heins
Ms. Ruth B. Helm
Helen & Jerry Hirsch
Dr. & Mrs. Robert
& Harriet Hirsch
Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Hirsh
Mr. & Mrs. Joe & Janet Hollander
Robert & Deborah Johnson
Paul & Marianne Kaestle
Mr. I. Michael Kasser
Keith Kumm & Sandy Pharo
Dr. & Mrs. Wayne Magee
Mr. & Mrs. Larry
& Rowena G. Matthews
Mr. Eddy Muka
George & Irene Perkow
Mr. John Raitt
Reid & Linda Schindler
Ted & Shirley Taubeneck
George Timson
John Wahl & Mary Lou Forier
$250 – $499
Mr. Robert Alpaugh
Ms. Anna Anderson
Gail Bernstein
Mr. & Mrs. Dennis
& Anna Bourret
Mr. & Mrs. Tim & Diane Bowden
Cynthia & Lee J. Cannon
Peter & Deborah Coogan
James & Frances Dauber
Mr. Philip M. Davis
Bob Foster
Linda Friedman
Mr. Brad Holland
Dr. & Mrs. Henry Koffler
Dr. Daniela Lax
Dr. Alan Levenson
& Rachel Goldwyn
Karla van Drunen Littooy
Ms. Mary Lonsdale Baker
Ms. Martha Mecom
Harry Nungesser
Nancy Pitt
.
Mr. Herbert Ploch
Dr. Glenn Prestwich
Mr. Teresa Pusser
Dr. Elaine Rousseau
Dr. & Mrs. Richard Sanderson
Susan S. Small
Mr. Steven Strong
Ms. Pamela Sutherland
Mr. & Mrs. Lester
& Carol Welborn
Jan Wezelman & David Bartlett
Mr. & Mrs. John & Helen Wilcox
Mr. James Wittenberg
Mrs. Peggy Wolf
$100 – $249
Helmut Abt
Thomas & Susan Aceto
Syd Arkowitz
Mr. & Mrs. Mark & Jan Barman
Mrs. Margaret Bashkin
Dr. Nathaniel Bloomfield
Gary Blumenshine
Ms. Joyce Bolinger
Ms. Laurie Camm
William & Barbara Carpenter
James Cassady
Shirley Chann
Nancy Cook
Phyllis Cutcher
Ms. Ruth Davis
Ms. C. Jane Decker
Mr. Raul Delgado
Anne Denny
Marilyn & John Dettloff
Mr. Martin Diamond
Stephen Doctoroff
Mr. & Mrs. John
& Mary Enemark
Dr. & Mrs. Lionel
& Karen Faitelson
Carol & Peter Feistmann
Mr. & Mrs. James & Ruth
Friedman
Mr. Tommy Friedmann
Dr. & Mrs. Gerald
& Barbara Goldberg
Mr. & Mrs. Marvin
& Carol Goldberg
Mr. Ben Golden
Ms. Rachael Goldwyn
Ms. Kathryn Gordon
Ms. Marilyn Halonen
Ms. Clare Hamlet
Mr. Ted & Jeanne Hasbrook
Dr. & Mrs. M.K. Haynes
James Hays
Dr. Matt Heintz
Evan & Lydia Hersh
May Lou Hutchins
Dr. David Johnson
Ms. Lee L. Kane
Carl Kanun
Barbara Katz
Boris & Billie Kozolchyk
Keith & Adrienne Lehrer
Mr. & Mrs. Amy
& Malcolm Levin
Ms. Mary Ellen Lewis
Mr. Robert Lupp
Dr. Dhira Mahoney
Ms. Ana Mantilla
Dr. & Mrs. Frank Marcus
Mrs. Marjory Margulies
Mr. & Mrs. Warren
& Felicia May
Mr. William McCallum
Ms. Sally McGreevy-Gorman
Joan Mctarnahan
Mr. Lawrence & Nancy Morgan
Ms. Gisele Nelson
David & Cookie Pashkow
Drs. Lynn Nadel
& Mary Peterson
Donn Poll
Mr. & Mrs. Jim & Debbie Quirk
Ms. Lynn Ratener
Richard & Harlene Reeves
Ms. Kay Richter
Jo Riester
Jay & Elizabeth Rosenblatt
Dror & Lea Sarid
Howard & Helen Schneider
Dr. Stephen & Janet Seltzer
Goldie & Isidore Shapiro
Barbara Silvian
Ms. Donna Somma
Ms. Jennalyn Tellman
Carl Tomizuka & Sheila Tobias
Mr. Stokes Tolbert
Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Tolliver
Allan & Diane Tractenberg
Ms. Ellen Trevors
Ms. Barbara Turton
Mr. Clague Van Slyke III
Ms. Iris C. Veomett
Mrs. Rudolf von Glinski
Angel Voyatzis
Ms. Gail Wahl
Ms. Patricia Wendel
Sam & Grace Young
Stephen Zegura
Ms. Carol Zuckert
21
.
AFCM Donor Tributes
Gifts in honor of
Gifts in memory of
JEAN-PAUL BIERNY
DR. MURRAY BORNSTEIN
by William & Bonnie Carpenter
by Raul & Isabel Delgado
by Joe & Janet Hollander
by Barbara Katz
by Dan Leach
by Paul A. St. John
& Leslie Tolbert
by Sam & Grace Young
by Selma Bornstein
JEAN-PAUL BIERNY
& CHRIS TANZ
by Marilyn Halonen
by Luis & Maritza Dabdoub
MARILYN HEINS
by Anonymous
ERIC HOLTAN
by Raul & Isabel Delgado
ANNE NARD
by her daughter,
Linda Leedberg
PETER REJTO
by Stefanie Fife
ALLAN & DIANE
TRACTENBERG
by Mark Barmann
JACK CHAIKIN
by Goldie & Isidore Shapiro
CLIFFORD & WENDY
CROOKER
by Beth Foster
MIKE CUSANOVICH
RUDOLF VON GLINSKI
by Elfriede von Glinski
ANN JENSEN
by Barbara Katz
KATHY KAESTLE
by Paul & Marianne Kaestle
PATTE LAZARUS
by Jean-Paul Bierny
& Chris Tanz
by Nancy Bissell
by Dagmar Cushing
by Beth Foster
by Joan Jacobson
by Randy Spalding
by Joseph Tolliver
RHODA LEWIN
by Tom Lewin
DANA NELSON
by Carla Zingarelli-Rosenlicht
HARRY & LOUISE RICKEL
by their son, Boyer Rickel
ALAN ROSENLICHT
by his mother,
Carla Zingarelli-Rosenlicht
LEA SARID
by Lee Kane
NORMAN VAINIO
by Marilyn Halonen
22
This program lists contributions
made to the Arizona Friends of
Chamber Music from January 1,
2014 through December 31, 2014.
Space limitations prevent us
from listing contributions less
than $100. We are grateful,
however, for every donation,
each of which helps us to secure
the future of AFCM.
Please advise us if your name
is not listed properly or
inadvertently omitted.
Please advise us if your donation
is composed of stocks or bonds,
so that we can properly credit
you in our donor list.
To donate, please call our office
at 520–577–3769 or e-mail
“[email protected].”
.
Upcoming 2015–2016 Season
Evening Series
68th Season
EMERSON QUARTET
Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 7:30 pm
ZEMLINSKY QUARTET
WITH NIKITA MNDOYANTS
Wednesday, November 4, 2015, 7:30 pm
ESCHER QUARTET
Wednesday, December 16, 2015, 7:30 pm
MINGUET QUARTET
WITH ANDREAS KLEIN, PIANO
“Homage to Glenn Gould”
Wednesday, January 27, 2016, 7:30 pm
MODIGLIANI QUARTET
Wednesday, February 17, 2016, 7:30 pm
JERUSALEM QUARTET
Wednesday, April 13, 2016, 7:30 pm
Piano & Friends
21st Season
DENIS KOZHUKHIN, PIANO
Sunday, November 1, 2015, 3:00 pm
NIKKI CHOOI, VIOLIN
Sunday, January 17, 2016, 3:00 pm
ISTVÁN VÁRDAI, CELLO
Sunday, April 10, 2016, 3:00 pm
23rd Annual
Tucson Winter Chamber
Music Festival
PETER REJTO, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Festival Musicians
Clive Greensmith, cello
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
Bernadette Harvey, piano
Yura Lee, violin/viola
Johannes Moser, cello
Volkan Orhon, bass
Cynthia Phelps, viola
Eric Ruske, horn
Axel Strauss, violin
Svet Stoyanov, percussion
Pacifica Quartet
Special Encore Performances
THE COMPLETE CELLO SONATAS
OF BEETHOVEN
Sharon Robinson, cello
Benjamin Hochman, piano
Two Concerts:
Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3:00pm and 7:30pm
Contact us for more information
Phone: 520–577–3769
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.arizonachambermusic.org
23
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