Franz Schubert Forellen Quintet “The Trout” Variations on “Trockne Blumen”- “Notturno”
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Franz Schubert Forellen Quintet “The Trout” Variations on “Trockne Blumen”- “Notturno” Martin Helmchen Christian Tetzlaff - Antoine Tamestit Marie-Elisabeth Hecker Alois Posch - Aldo Baerten Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828) Piano Quintet in A, Op. posth. 114 – D. 667 Forellenquintett – Trout Quintet 1 Allegro vivace 13. 21 2 Andante 6. 51 3 Scherzo – Presto 4. 07 4 Theme (Andantino) – Variations 1-5 – Allegretto 7. 28 5 Allegro giusto 6. 30 Variations on Trockne Blumen for flute and piano, Op. posth. 160 – D. 802 6 Introduction (Andante) 2. 50 7 Theme (Andantino) 2. 05 8 Variation 1 1. 52 9 Variation 2 1. 41 10 Variation 3 2. 04 11 Variation 4 1. 46 12 Variation 5 2. 15 13 Variation 6 2. 43 14 Variation 7 3. 12 Piano Trio (Notturno) in E flat Op. posth. 148 – D. 897 15 Adagio 9. 45 Total playing time : 69. 00 Martin Helmchen - piano Christian Tetzlaff - violin (1-5, 15) Antoine Tamestit - viola (1-5) Marie-Elisabeth Hecker - cello (1-5, 15) Alois Posch - double bass (1-5) Aldo Baerten - wooden flute by A. Braun (6-14) Recording Venue : Siemens Villa, Berlin, Germany (08/2008) Executive Producers: Maja Ellmenreich (Deutschlandfunk) • Job Maarse (PentaTone) Recording Producer: Job Maarse Balance Engineer: Jean-Marie Geijsen Recording Engineer : Ientje Mooij Editor: Roger de Schot / Jean-Marie Geijsen A co-production of PentaTone Music and Deutschlandfunk Biographien auf Deutsch und Französisch finden Sie auf unserer Webseite. Pour les versions allemande et française des biographies, veuillez consulter notre site. www.pentatonemusic.com Of obscure origins any rate, for the writer of the text, Christian and far from kitschy Daniel Friedrich Schubart (1739 – 1791). intimacy Schubart wrote the poem while imprisoned in the mountain fortress Hohenasperg near he overly serious musicologist shrinks Stuttgart. Duke Karl Eugen of Württemberg Tfrom pronouncing the words Trout had sent an informer to lure Schubart back Quintet. He is well aware that this “subtitle” to Württemberg (from whence the poet had did not originate with Franz Schubert, who previously been exiled for his heavy public wrote the quintet for piano, violin, viola, criticism of Karl Eugen), in order to throw cello and double bass in A major, D. 667 (Op. him into the dungeon. In the mountain posth. 114) in 1819. And indeed, the choice fortress, Schubart wrote the poem of the of epithets for works by other composers trout, thus symbolizing the loss of his own has at times been unfortunate; indeed, tak- freedom in the fable of the little creature, at ing into consideration the content of the first still so merry, which is deceived, impris- entire work, one might even say misrepre- oned and deprived of its natural habitat. So sentative, or distracting. For instance, take the origin of Schubart’s poem had nothing the occasionally odd popular titles given to to do with cheerfulness or a leisurely fable Haydn’s symphonies – frequently based only for children. And yet the song itself and, in on passing phenomena – which, of course, particular, the quintet as a whole is a zippy had never been the intention of the creator. piece of music in the truest sense of the The popular title of the Quintet, D. 667, word, and the title Trout Quintet (without which was completely ignored in Schubert’s quotation marks) sits well on it, in spite of day, refers to the lied Die Forelle, which the any musicological scruples. composer had written sometime between The brilliant, sparkling sound in many the winter of 1816 and the following sum- parts of the quintet is due mainly to the mer. He provides variations of this song in frequent shifts made by the piano to the the fourth movement, which often sound higher registers, which is made possible by humorous and cheerful. However, the story the astute move of expanding the range of behind the creation of the poem is neither resonance past the usual cello by means of buoyant nor cheering. On the contrary: including a double bass, unusual in such it is serious and extremely unpleasant, at an ensemble. This creates an effervescent sound image, often stuffed with (or should songs, the section written in the major key one perhaps say: drenched by?) turbulent is so overdone, that only the last four bars in triplets in the piano, which tempts one to the piano return to the minor key. To a cer- claim that “not just in the fourth movement tain extent, the disillusioning is left entirely is Schubert’s Trout Quintet truly a Trout to the wordless instrument – and thus has Quintet!”. an even more earth-shaking effect. Similarly, the variations on Schubert’s In view of the – on the whole – sur- own lied “Trockne Blumen” from Die schöne prisingly lively, virtuoso and positively Müllerin (text by Wilhelm Müller), announced flamboyant Variations in E minor for flute in the New Schubert Edition simply as the and piano (written in 1824, one year after Variations in E minor for flute and piano, D. completing work on the Müllerin lieder), 802 (Op. posth. 160), have their origins in one could be forgiven for assuming that a poem that is anything but optimistic. In the comparatively long introduction that fact, they refer – as do Schubart’s lines on dramatically delays the first appearance of the trout – to subjects such as transience the theme was perhaps added only at a later and “inner [and in Schubart’s case, also date. After all, the introduction first gives a “outer”] captivity”. The “Blümlein alle”, which, pianissimo outline of the powerful and dra- once received from the beloved, now adorn matic sections of the work, thus referring the grave of the lonely youth, the tears that specifically to the “dark side” of the varia- “tote Liebe nicht wieder blühn machen” (= tions; and thus to the “dark origins” of this do not make dead love bloom again): all this ultimately self-possessed work, which takes Schubert turned into a “graveyard medley” its leave in splendour. in his music, accompanied by correspond- It is not known exactly when the Trio ingly insipid (!) piano chords. A brilliantly for piano, violin and cello in E flat major, despairing song, in which Schubert, as he so D. 897 (Op. posth. 148) was written. (It often does, writes about hope in the middle received its subtitle Notturno from a pub- section (“Und wenn sie wandelt am Hügel lisher.) Frequently, the soaring “nocturnal” vorbei und denkt im Herzen: der meint’ es song, which might once have been part treu! Dann Blümlein alle heraus, heraus!”), of the Piano Trio in B flat major, D. 898 (Op. only to expose this in hindsight as mere 99), is classed as dating from 1828, the year false hope. However, contrary to many other of Schubert’s death. However, it is rather unlikely that this single Adagio movement Like the Adagio of the String Quintet in has been ignored for reasons of qual- C major, D. 956 (Op. Posth. 163), the Notturno ity; although we could well believe that Trio movement is one of the works that Schubert had taken this stance, as he was refuse to loosen their grip on the listener, extremely critical of his own work through- that plunge the music aficionado into deep out his life. reflection and baffle the musicologist. The The movement begins with “festoons” in latter ends up wondering why it is, that the piano part, joined by the violin and cello, only Schubert manages to couple in such a which play the main theme. The tranquil, manner the greatest of intimacy with drama, melancholy movement at the beginning without ever sounding kitschy… does not yet hint at the harmonic audacity and structural surprises awaiting the listener. Arno Lücker After just a few bars, for instance, the music English translation: Fiona J. Stroker-Gale modulates to E major, just a single semitone higher: a new sound sphere, supported by Martin Helmchen triplets in the piano, that just for a short artin Helmchen was born in Berlin while returns once again to the tranquil Min 1982. He received his first piano E-flat major key, after a number of harmonic lessons at the age of six. From 1993 until interruptions. Only after a further section in graduating from school in 2000 he was a triplets (this time in C major), does Schubert student of Galina Iwanzowa at the Hanns once again turn to the E-flat major theme, Eisler Academy in Berlin. After 2001, he stud- and thus concludes the movement; however, ied with Arie Vardi at the “Hochschule für not without having first made clear that the Musik und Theater” in Hannover. His career harmonic “deviations” have left quite an received its first major impulse after winning impression on the initially easygoing song. the Clara Haskil Competition in 2001. In the second but last bar, the music experi- Orchestras with which Martin Helmchen ences a final moment of ecstasy, a moment has performed include: the Deutsche of silent contemplation. Only then does the Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, RSO Stuttgart, piano spiral up into the heady E-flat major Bamberg Symphoniker, NHK Symphony altitudes, with the violin and cello providing Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, a steady basis. Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Rheingau Music Festival, the Spannungen Orchestra, and the chamber orchestras Chamber-Music Festival in Heimbach, the of Zurich, Amsterdam, Vienna, Lausanne, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Cologne and Munich. He has worked Schwetzinger Festival, the Schleswig- with conductors such as Marek Janowski, Holstein Festival, as well as the Marlboro Philippe Herreweghe, Marc Albrecht, Festival in Vermont (USA). Vladimir Jurowski, Jiri Kout, Bernhard Klee, Chamber music is a highly valued part and Lawrence Foster.