UMS PRESENTS Ariel and

Gershon Gerchikov, Violin Alexandra Kazovsky, Violin Jan Grüning, Viola Amit Even-Tov, with Alisa Weilerstein, Cello

Wednesday Evening, February 5, 2014 at 7:30 Rackham Auditorium • Ann Arbor

46th Performance of the 135th Annual Season 51st Annual Chamber Arts Series

Photo: Ariel Quartet. 3 4 Ariel Quartet and Alisa Weilerstein WINTER 2014 ums Italian Serenade Hugo Wolf PROGRAM Alisa Weilerstein appears by arrangement withOpus3Artists, N The ArielQuartet appears by arrangement with Melvin Kaplan, Inc.,Burlington, VT. Media partnership provided by WGTE 91.3FMand Detroit Jewish News. This evening’s performance issupported by Jerry andGloria Abrams. Quintet inCMajor, D. 956 Intermission Quintet inEMajor, Op. 11,No. 5 Allegretto Scherzo: Presto —Trio: Andante sostenuto Adagio Allegro manontroppo Rondeau Minuetto Allegro econ spirito Amoroso Ms. Weilerstein, Cello Ms. Weilerstein, Cello

ew Y ork, NY .

be present WINTER 2014 5 … Five years after completing the the completing after years Five Frank Walker gave a vivid description description vivid a gave Walker Frank story imagining a romantic of the work, of the The opening behind the music. of the the strumming clearly evokes work young an enamored which with guitars The expressive man serenades his beloved. theme the main passage following of the passionate the voice represents the first after The cello recitative lover. man’s the is theme rondo the of return plea for the lady’s heart, thrice-repeated of the “mocking comments” by surrounded — episode Another instruments. the other — ensues, and dance-like in turn humorous themerondo the of return final the before and a coda, which brings back “the twang and the drone of guitars.” it for arranged Italian Serenade, Wolf he thought point, that At small . composing by the work of expanding these never but additional movements, sketches. preliminary beyond progressed it was: aSo the Serenade remained what shows that single movement delightful and side of this complex the brightest contracted (Having . tormented suffered man, Wolf as a young syphilis in 1897 breakdown mental a complete in an insane asylum and ended his days and a passion Romantic later.) six years brooding, melancholy disposition always sense with an unbridled co-existed in the Italian music; in Wolf’s of humor off a day the first two Serenade he gave dreaming sunshine, the enjoyed and dreams. happy seat our series Sunflower n 1887: y…I y ’re in ou (1887) first performed first The one-movement work is cast in a work The one-movement

lya Repin paints his portrait of Tolstoy of his portrait paints Repin lya Vincent van Gogh begins to paint his paint to Gogh begins van Vincent The Michelson-Morley experiment is performed performed is experiment Michelson-Morley The the basis for an empirical producing in Cleveland, relativity theory of Otello Verdi’s his Double composes Brahms I (now Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia) Slovenj (now connections. In his biography of Wolf, of Wolf, connections. In his biography episodes is tempered by strong thematic by is tempered episodes between the rondo theme and the two the rondo theme and the two between modified rondo form in which the contrast

Wolf himself never had a chance to visit. himself never Wolf sunlit southern regions of Europe that that regions of Europe sunlit southern cycles, the Serenade seeks to capture the the Serenade seeks to capture cycles, and Spanish Songbooks. Like those songand Spanish Songbooks. Like Mediterranean region; witness his ItalianMediterranean Mörike), was also strongly attracted to the was also strongly attracted Mörike), Johann Wolfgang Goethe to Eduard Eduard to Goethe Wolfgang Johann and the German poetic tradition (from tradition and the German poetic steeped in the music of Richard Wagner of Richard Wagner in the music steeped most brilliant and the best known. Wolf, Wolf, and the best known. most brilliant for small orchestra) stands out both as the both stands out for small orchestra) for (later arranged (later quartet Serenade for string Italian life. Among these, the Italian short instrumental music during his tragically music instrumental art song, wrote only a few works of purely works only a few song, wrote art • German the of master great the Wolf, Hugo • • • of Histor Snapshots 1927 at Hill Auditorium 1927 at UMS premiere: Flonzaley Quartet, November November Quartet, UMS premiere: Flonzaley Died February 22, 1903 in 22, 1903 Died February Born March 13, 1860 in Windischgraz, Austria Windischgraz, Born March 13, 1860 in Hugo Wolf dreams about a country he never had a chance to visit in real life. chance to visit in had a he never a country dreams about Italian Serenade • , he dreamed happy, he dreamed Italian Serenade in his popular moods; but tragic and even melancholy Hugo Wolf, the greatest Austrian composer of art song after Schubert, was often drawn to drawn was often Schubert, song after art of Austrian composer the greatest Hugo Wolf, Schubert, in his last great piece of , also opted for this darker, deeper sound. deeper for this darker, also opted music, piece of chamber in his last great Schubert, the quartet by a second viola. But Luigi Boccherini, a cellist, preferred a second cello, and a second cello, a cellist, preferred viola. But Luigi Boccherini, a second by the quartet When four strings no longer seemed enough, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms augmented and Brahms Beethoven, Mozart, enough, seemed no longer strings four When y that Now 6 Ariel Quartet and Alisa Weilerstein WINTER 2014 ums Quintet inEMajor, Op.11,No.5 becoming universally known incountless half ofthe19th century, eventually popularized in France in the second out because itsthirdmovement was of whichthepresent work stands was thestringquintet with two , to hisdeath. to theearly1780sandagain from 1797 with Spain,whereheresidedfrom1769 Germany, Boccheriniismostlyassociated Mozart. Yet despite his long stint in uninvited visitor fromVienna named preferred hismusic tothat ofacertain the Prussian Kingwhoseemstohave chamber composer toFriedrich Wilhelm, and foradecade,helived inBerlinas Italian native concertized allover Europe, need not necessarily be Viennese. The music. Hiswork shows that allClassicism prolific composer, mostlyofinstrumental time, Boccheriniwasalsoanextremely Boccherini.” Oneofthegreat cellistsofhis to listenmusic, Hewould choose through Haydn’s music, but if He wanted wanted to talk to men, He would do so two ofhisfamous contemporaries: “IfGod Baptiste Cartier oncesaid,comparing Eighteenth-century composer Jean- • • • • • Snapshots ofHistor Bocherrini’s Died May 28,1805inMadrid,Spain Born February 19,1743inLucca,Italy Luigi Boccherini has never beenperformedonaUMSconcert (1771) Benjamin Franklin beginswork onhisautobiography completed The first edition of theEncyclopedia Britannica is having explored Australia andN James Cook returns to Englandfrom hisfirst voyage, Ascanio inAlba The 15-year-old Mozart writes hispastoral opera Regulation,” aprecursor to theRevolutionary War An uprisingintheCarolinas known astheWar of One ofBoccherini’sfavorite genres Quintet inEMajor, Op.11,No.5 ew Zealand y…In 1771:

• • • • • Snapshots ofHistor April 1992at RackhamAuditorium Fischer (UMSPresident KenFischer’sbrother), UMS premiere: andNorman Died November 19,1828in Vienna Born January 31,1797inHimmelpfortgrund Franz Schubert Quintet inCMajor, D.956 is amasterpiece ofthevery firstorder, period. What is more,eachoftheseworks (“Swan Song”)were allwrittenduringthis later published as Schwanengesang No. 6inE-flat Major , andthe14songs piano , the monumental Mass terms ofsheerquantity. Thelastthree November 19that isunmatched even in work inthemonths beforehisdeath on at afeverish speed,producing abodyof suffering fromsyphilis —hecomposed compromised —itisnosecret that hewas running out? Withhishealthseriously the summer of 1828 that his time was Did the31-year-old Schubert know in fast-slow-fast layout. (church ) tradition withitsslow- on toavestige oftheoldsonata dachiesa and placed the “Allegro” second, holding Boccherini opened withaslow movement to be “celebrated.” It is interesting that quartet, not onlyitsminuet, deserves movement work. Certainly theentire scoring andcontext aspart ofamulti- is rarely heard,however, initsoriginal Boccherini’s “Celebrated .” It transcriptions andarrangements as (now part ofVienna) Baltimore, theworld’s oldest railroad bridge still inuse Construction beginsontheCarrollton Viaduct in American Dictionaryof theEnglish Language N Sir Walter ScottThe Fair publishes Maid of Perth electric motor Hungarian inventor Ányos Jedlik creates the first Andrew Jackson iselected President of theUS oah Webster publishesthefirst editionof An y…In 1828:

(1828)

be present WINTER 2014 7 The third movement is a greatly is a greatly The third movement in continue and ambiguity Contrast seemingly endless melodic line that that line melodic endless seemingly and peace of image beguiling a projects a tinge without not (though harmony awaits, surprise great A sadness)? of passionately a of in the form however, whose key, middle section, dramatic above is a half-step unusually, rather as (f minor key initial the movement’s When the opening to E Major). opposed adds some the first violin melody returns, enhances melodic filigree that exquisite melody of the beauty excruciating the more. even elements dance with “Scherzo” expanded harmonies. As and highly innovative the maximized in is before, contrast almost independent middle section, an tone a tragic strikes that movement slow (once more emphasizing key in a distant D-flat the main key, above the half-step against C). the finale which is ostensibly a cheerful of c it begins in the dark key rondo; yet throughout intruding minor which keeps the end of a spirited At the movement. all the think that coda, when one would the finally been resolved, tensions have against C of D-flat juxtaposition dramatic in a truly to conclude the quintet returns manner. startling Laki. Peter by notes Program

And what is one to say about the the about is one to say And what The wonders of the Schubert quintet Schubert the of wonders The the slow movement, with its pizzicato movement, the slow of melody opening floating serenely the central portion of the movement. of the movement. portion the central a single and , (plucked) waves of rising and subsiding tension in waves another wonder, as are the successive as are the successive wonder, another its unspeakably sweet parallel thirds, is thirds, parallel sweet its unspeakably soon follows. The second theme, with The second theme, with soon follows. measures to the great explosion that that explosion measures to the great from the somewhat hesitant first first hesitant from the somewhat rising by almost imperceptible degrees almost imperceptible rising by that gathers its momentum gradually, gradually, its momentum gathers that begin right at the outset, with an opening the outset, at begin right

instruments.) either form, sound, or the handling of the or the handling either form, sound, has little in common with Boccherini inhas little in common before Schubert; but in fact, Schubert Schubert in fact, but before Schubert; had written many quintets with two cellos with two quintets had written many passages. (As we have seen, Boccherini have passages. (As we orchestral sound in the most powerful the most powerful in sound orchestral the resonance and creating an almost creating the resonance and weight to the bass register, increasing weight as Mozart had done), Schubert gave extra extra gave had done), Schubert as Mozart the string quartet (and not a second viola a second not (and quartet the string all by itself. By adding a second cello to itself. By adding a second all by lyrical intensity place this work in a class this work place lyrical intensity the extraordinary rhythmic drive, and drive, rhythmic the extraordinary literature. The vastness of its concept, concept, its of The vastness literature. year, is a composition like no other in the no other like is a composition year, crowning achievement of Schubert’s last of Schubert’s achievement crowning the , perhaps Major in C Quintet The anything Schubert had ever written. had ever Schubert anything richer in both form and expression than expression form and in both richer ums ARTISTS

haracterized by its youth, Quartet continues to astonish with its brilliant playing, and soulful performances of complete works by C interpretations, the Ariel memory and has remained committed to Quartet has quickly earned a glowing performing extensively in Israel. international reputation. In October 2013 In addition to performing the the Quartet was awarded the prestigious traditional quartet repertoire, the Ariel Cleveland Quartet Award, and in January Quartet regularly collaborates with many 2012 the Quartet was named quartet in- musicians and , including residence at the University of Cincinnati’s pianists Menahem Pressler and Roman College-Conservatory of Music, a Rabinovich; the American and Jerusalem remarkable accomplishment for such a String ; violist Roger Tapping; young ensemble and a testament to the and cellist Paul Katz. Additionally, the Ariel’s skill and dedication to their craft. Quartet was quartet-in-residence in the Formed in Israel, the Quartet Steans Music Institute at the Ravinia moved to the US in 2004 to continue Festival for two consecutive years. its professional studies. The resident Taught by Paul Katz, Donald ensemble in the New England Weilerstein, Miriam Fried, Kim Conservatory’s prestigious Professional Kashkashian, and Martha Strongin Katz, String Quartet Training Program among others, the Quartet has received through their graduation in 2010, the extensive scholarship support for the Ariel has won a number of international members’ studies in the US from the prizes, including the Grand Prize at the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, Dov 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music and Rachel Gottesman, and the Legacy WINTER 2014 Competition. After they won the Székely Heritage Fund. Most recently, they were Prize for their performance of Bartók, as awarded a substantial grant from The A. well as the overall Third Prize at the Banff N. and Pearl G. Barnett Family Foundation. International String Quartet Competition For more information, please visit in 2007, the American Record Guide www.arielquartet.com or visit the described the Ariel Quartet as “a Quartet’s Facebook page. consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power” and called their performance of merican cellist Alisa Beethoven’s Op. 132 “the pinnacle of the Weilerstein has attracted competition.” A widespread attention worldwide Highlights of the 2013–14 season for playing that combines a natural include two record-setting performances virtuosic command and technical of the complete Beethoven cycle, precision with impassioned musicianship. performed — for the first time ever — In September 2011 she was named a before all the members of a quartet turn MacArthur Foundation Fellow and in 30 years old; a series of performances with 2010 she became an exclusive recording the superstar cellist Alisa Weilerstein; a artist for Decca Classics, the first cellist performance at New York’s 92nd Street Y; to be signed by the prestigious label in a collaborative concert with the brilliant over 30 years. Ms. Weilerstein’s debut

and A lisa W eilerstein A riel Q uartet pianist Orion Weiss; and three residencies album with Decca, released in the US in for the Perlman Music Program. The November 2012, features performances 8 be present WINTER 2014 9

Born in 1982, Ms. Weilerstein made Born in 1982, Ms. Weilerstein . She made her Carnegie Hall Variations Youth York New with the debut is a in March 1997. Ms. Weilerstein at Program Artist of the Young graduate Institute of Music, where the Cleveland In May she studied with Richard Weiss. from Columbia 2004, she graduated with a degree in York in New University 2008 Ms. In November Russian history. Advocate a Celebrity became Weilerstein Research Diabetes the Juvenile for Foundation. Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. She will Orchestra. Radio Philharmonic Wigmore London’s at a recital give also of a European as part Hall in December with pianist Inon Barnatan.tour age at debut Orchestra her Cleveland “” Tchaikovsky the 13, playing

chives UMS Ar recorded with Jirˇí recorded with Jirˇí Ms. Weilerstein has appeared with appeared has Weilerstein Ms.

debut in October 2009 in a recital with Inon Barnatan at Hill Auditorium. at 2009 in a recital with Inon Barnatan in October debut with James Gaffigan and the Netherlandsthe and Gaffigan with James her UMS following this evening, second performance under UMS auspices her makes Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to perform in Amsterdam Concertgebouw Symphony Orchestra, and to the and to the Orchestra, Symphony with Kirill Karabits and the Bournemouth with Kirill Karabits Alisa Weilerstein ’s UMS debut. performance marks the Ariel Quartet This evening’s She will return to London to perform to London to perform She will return Israel, and Los Angeles philharmonics. Israel, Toronto and the Chicago, and the Chicago, symphonies Toronto Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, and and San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, engagements with the Boston, Cincinnati, engagements and Europe. Her 2013–14 season includesand Europe. renowned conductors throughout the US conductors throughout renowned all of the major and with and with orchestras all of the major

Dvorˇák Dvorˇák and the Czech Philharmonic. Beˇlohlávek released in January 2014, features the features 2014, released in January the Staatskapelle Berlin. Her next album, Berlin. Her next the Staatskapelle and the Elliott Carter Cello Concerto Carter and the Elliott and with conductor Daniel Barenboim Cello Concerto in e minor e in Concerto Cello Elgar the of Photo: Alisa Weilerstein; photographer: Jamie Jung. Jamie photographer: Weilerstein; Alisa Photo: