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Sonata form is central to the classical tradition. It has a narrative arc in three main parts: exposition, development, and recapitulation. Key melodies and ideas are introduced in the exposition. They run into conflict in the development section but return, often subtly transformed, in the recapitulation. Sonata form is the basis of each work on this program, a testament to its flexibility and relevance. W.A. Mozart: “Dissonance” Quartet, in C major, K.465 (1785) The “Dissonance” is the last of six quartets Mozart dedicated to Haydn. His study of Haydnʼs Quartets Op 20 and Op 33 inspired him to new heights of expression and structural elegance. Though Mozart was 24 years younger, he and Haydn developed a great mutual admiration. They premiered the work with a pair of their Masonic lodge brothers in Vienna in 1785. The opening Andante gives the piece its nickname: its strange harmonies grind and clash in search of a key. It vexed many at the time, even Haydn, who said, “Well, if Mozart wrote it, he must have meant it.” Mozart uses a melodic idea from the Baroque era, the passus duriusculus, or “difficult path.” By arduous, expressive half steps, the figure descends to its resolution. The tribulations abate with a chord hovering above C major, and the upbeat allegro begins. The second movement is lyrical and inwardly expressive. The Menuett, elegant and playful, gives way to a stormy Trio. Scurrying eighth notes in the middle voices propel rapid, antagonistic imitation between first violin and cello. The Finale, a combination of rondo and sonata form, reuses its opening three-note figure in ingenious ways. Perhaps its harmonic surprises and unexpected pauses owe something to Haydnʼs wit. Thomans Adès: Piano Quintet (2000) Thomas Adèsʼ Piano Quintet takes some cues from the classical tradition (it is in sonata form) but its sound world is unprecedented. Adès writes in exotic time signatures (along with the usual 4/4, he writes 4/5, 4/6, 4/7, etc), making for a subtle push and pull from measure to measure, sort of a controlled rubato. Some sections sound chaotic: seemingly unrelated lines occur at the same time then suddenly converge. Yet, classical and baroque references are never far away. On Adèsʼ music, the critic Andrew Porter writes, “In work after work- non-repeating, non-formulaic, untainted by ʻhype,ʼ each score an excited new adventure- he has created personal sounds and forms while generously and gratefully embracing sonic and technical inspiration suggested by masters from Couperin and Mussorgsky to Ligeti and Kurtág…. The old basics are freshly heard and ordered: the clash or consonance of note against note; the force of an intervallic leap; ticking time against time disordered; traditional timbers invaded and challenged by strange sounds never made before….” Béla Bartók: Quartet No. 5 (1934) In Quartet No. 5, Bartók seamlessly integrates Eastern-European folk elements with his own rigorous style. Its five movements form an arch. The outer movements are vigorous Allegros that share motivic material. The first movement, in sonata form, is full of symmetry: for example, the second theme, introduced in the exposition by the second violin, has an ascending shape that reappears in descending mirror image in the recapitulation. The ending gesture of the first movement is the motivic seed of the final movement. The inner slow movements are related and exemplify Bartókʼs ʻnight music.ʼ The central Scherzo is perhaps inspired by Balkan folk rhythms: the nine notes in each measure are divided into a boisterous and off-kilter 4+2+3 pattern. The Finale is based on short blocks of ascending and descending chromatic figures, introduced in the first movement, that compete with each other. Pairs of instruments play in close imitation, converge, and trade roles. The driving eighth notes abate for charming scherzando interludes, but the frenzy resumes. The terse motives hash it out until they reach the unanimous conclusion. -Ben Jacobson Gloria Cheng Pianist Gloria Cheng is widely recognized as a colorful and communicative interpreter of contemporary music, garnering universal acclaim for her unassuming virtuosity and eloquence. On the world premiere of Salonen’s Dichotomie, dedicated to Cheng, the Los Angeles Times described her performance as “miraculous in the sheer speed and sureness of her fingers, in the rich depth of color and sonority she obtained from the piano, and in the sheer expression of joy she brought to a demanding new work.” Gramophone has depicted her as “technically fearless,” and the New York Times has praised her “commanding technique, color and imagination.” She has twice been featured with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group at Alice Tully Hall, and made her solo debut with the L.A. Philharmonic in December, 1998, performing Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques and Couleurs de la cité céleste under the direction of Zubin Mehta. In May 2003, Cheng was the soloist, at the personal invitation of Pierre Boulez, in the L. A. Philharmonic's historic final concerts in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, again performing Messiaen's Oiseaux exotiques. Recent engagements include appearances with the Pacific Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Opus Novum (Hawaii), Composers Inc., and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. Additional projects have brought Cheng to festivals at Ojai, Tanglewood, Aspen, Bad Gleichenberg, and Kuhmo (Finland), to the Chicago Humanities, Other Minds (San Francisco), and Composer-to-Composer (Telluride) Festivals, and to venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio France, Kennedy Center, and the Théatre du Châtelet. As the 1992 winner of the League of Composers/ISCM performer competition, Cheng was sponsored in a highly acclaimed solo debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. In Los Angeles she appears annually on the Piano Spheres concert series founded by Leonard Stein, and is regularly invited to participate on film scores by numerous composers including Don Davis, Danny Elfman, James Horner, Maurice Jarre, David Newman, and John Williams. Cheng collaborates with a number of chamber ensembles, most notably with the Calder Quartet and on the Jacaranda Music series. Cheng's solo discography includes her first CD of music by Olivier Messiaen on Koch, and Telarc releases: Piano Music of John Adams and Terry Riley and Piano Dance: A 20th-Century Portrait. In July 2008, Telarc released Cheng’s newest disc: Piano Music of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Steven Stucky, and Witold Lutoslawski, which has received international critical acclaim including an Editor's Pick in Gramophone Magazine’s 2008 Awards Issue. Prior to post-graduate studies in Paris and Barcelona, Cheng earned her B.A. in Economics from Stanford University, and graduate degrees in Music from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California. Her primary teachers were Isabelle Sant'Ambrogio, Aube Tzerko, and John Perry. She is on the faculty at UCLA. Calder Quartet Inspired by the innovative American visual artist Alexander Calder, the Calder Quartet continues to expand the boundaries of chamber music by performing both traditional quartet repertoire as well as partnering with innovative modern composers and performing works by emerging young musicians. The juxtaposition of old and new serves to foster a broad understanding of chamber music and continues to excite and surprise the group's fans. Praised for its "splendor and substance," (Alan Rich, LA Weekly) the Calder Quartet embarks on their upcoming performance schedule "fully prepared for the world stage" (Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times). They have enjoyed debuts with the Washington Performing Arts Society's Kreeger String Series at the Kennedy Center, the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, UCLA Live, San Francisco Performances, the Aspen Music Festival, and La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest and have recently been featured in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Cleveland's The Plain Dealer, Orange County Register, Washington Post and San Diego Union Tribune. Radio appearances include performances and commentary on NPR's Performance Today, WQXR and WNYC in New York, WGBH in Boston, and KUSC in Los Angeles. Formed at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the Calder Quartet also studied at the Colburn Conservatory of Music and was part of the institution's first graduating class. The group has appeared with guest artists such as pianists Claude Frank, Menachem Pressler, and Anne-Marie McDermott, cellist and mentor Ronald Leonard, double- Grammy Award winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, flutist Ransom Wilson, harpist Nancy Allen, violinist Robert McDuffie, and mandolinist Mike Marshall. Violist Jonathan Moerschel performs on a Gasparo da Salò viola (1590) on loan from the Stradivarious Society of Chicago. Violinist Benjamin Jacobson performs on a Joseph Rocca (1837) on loan from the Mandell Collection. .

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