Z Emtsov Viola Quartet
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Zemtsov Viola Quartet PAPINI BOWEN VON WEINZIERL WERKMAN MALCYS ZEMTSOV PIAZZOLLA GUIDO PAPINI (1846-1912) YORK BOWEN (1884-1961) Quartet for four Violas Fantasy Quartet op. 41 for four violas 1 Moderato assai, 2 Allegro moderato, 3 Andante sostenuto, 4 Allegretto con spirito York Bowen was recognised as a prodigious talent at an early age and achieved consider- Born in Camagiore, Guido Papini was an able success as both a composer and con - Italian violinist and composer who studied cert pianist in his early career. Camille under a teacher named Giorgetti in Florence Saint-Saëns was so impressed at the 1903 and made his debut there in 1860, per form- premiere of Bowen’s Piano Concerto No. 1 ing Spohr’s third violin concerto. He was in E-flat major, Op. 11 that he named him subsequently leader of the City of Florence ‘the finest of English composers’, an Quartet Society. In 1874 he made his opinion shared by many of Bowen’s London debut at the Musical Union where contemporaries. York Bowen preferred he was to appear frequently, also performing the tone quality of the viola to that of the at concerts for the Philharmonic Society violin, and he composed several works and at Crystal Palace. In 1876 he took part for the instrument. He played a part in in the Pasdeloup concerts at Paris, and assisting the great viola player Lionel Tertis also at those of the Bordeaux Philharmonic. in increasing the popularity of the viola as His compositions include a concerto for a solo instrument and frequently performed the violin and one for the cello, as well as as Tertis’s accompanist. Tertis premiered romances, nocturnes and Feuilles d’album. Bowen’s Viola Concerto in C minor, Op. 25 His works for violin solo include Exercises in 1908. Bowen added considerably to the du mecanisme and a Violin School, as well viola repertoire, his compositions including as several arrangements and transcriptions. a fantasy and two sonatas for viola and He also edited a number of classical works, piano, as well as the Fantasy Quartet for and is known as one of the earliest editors four violas recorded on this CD. Bowen of Paganini’s 24 caprices. In 1893 he became was one of the first English composers head of the violin department of the Royal to add original works to the modern viola Academy of Music in Dublin, but gave up repertoire, alongside his contemporaries the position in 1896 and returned to London Arnold Bax and Benjamin Dale. where he lived as a teacher and prolific composer. 2 MAX VON WEINZIERL and read musicology at the Université de (1841-1898) Genève where he graduated with ‘Music Nocturne (Nachtstück) op. 34 for four violas in Commercial Advertising’. He further developed with studies in composition Originally from Bohemia, Max von Weinzierl with the late Tristan Keuris at the Utrecht spent most of his life in Vienna where he Conservatory in the Netherlands. His music studied cello and composition at the Con- has been written for and performed by many ser vatory of the Gesellschaft der Musik- outstanding musicians in the Netherlands freunde. He worked mainly as a theatre as well as the USA, Russia, Italy, France, director and choral conductor, and his com- England, Switzerland and Germany. He positions are largely of vocal works. He took the initiative in 1992 to write three also spent some time in Salzburg, and his ‘Intermezzi’ which were performed in the Nachtstück is dedicated to his friend Dr. presence of H.M. Queen Beatrix of the Wenzel Sedlitzky who served as President Netherlands during the opening ceremony of the Mozarteum during the late 1880s. of parliament. His compositions are fre- Weinzierl’s publisher insisted that he create quently broadcast on Dutch radio and many a more commercial instrumentation of the of his works have been recorded on CD. Nachtstück for conventional string quartet, Quatre Movements was written for the but the setting for four violas is the original Zemtsov Viola Quartet. The composer says version. about the piece that, ‘a viola quartet offers a unique combination of range, compass and variety of tone suited to ensemble as well as ARNE WERKMAN (b. 1960) solo playing. In these four short pieces both Quatre mouvements pour quatre altos op. 59 aspects alternate between a more rhythmic (written for the Zemtsov Viola Quartet) approach, such as the ‘alla marcia’ in the 1 Sempre moderato, 2 Alla Marcia, second movement and ‘mosso, ma sempre 3 Quasi largo, 4 Mosso, ma sempre giusto giusto’ in the last movement. In both parts the ensemble alternates with or accompa- Arne Werkman was born in The Hague, nies solo material performed by one or two Netherlands, and grew up in Geneva, instruments. In the first movement, ‘sempre Switzerland. He had his musical training moderato’, the quartet is treated as a whole at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève with distinctive motives of semiquavers 3 strolling through the four instruments. In DANIIL ZEMTSOV (b. 1996) the second movement, ‘quasi largo’ the ‘The circle of diminished fifths’ for four violas quartet is singing as if it were one voice, in a measured pensive tranquillity.’ Daniil was born on 28th August 1996 in Moscow into a musical family. His musical education began officially at the age of six ARVYDAS MALCYS (b.1957) when his mother began to teach him piano. Elegy for four violas He started to have lessons on the viola at (written for the Zemtsov Viola Quartet) the age of ten. He joined the Whitgift School in London in 2007, participating in orches- Arvydas Malcys (b.1957) graduated twice tras and chamber ensembles. Daniil later from the Lithuanian Academy of Music, attended the junior department of the Royal obtaining diplomas both in cello playing Academy of Music where he continued his and composition. Works by Arvydas Malcys education on viola and piano. ‘The circle have been showcased in Norway, Sweden, of Diminished Fifths’ is the name given to Belgium, Switzerland, Latvia, Russia, a piece that Daniil composed in 2012 as Germany, Italy, Finland, France, USA coursework for his GCSE in Music at the and elsewhere. Malcys is well acquainted Whitgift School. Since 2014 Daniil has been with the special characteristics of instru- studying viola and composition at the Royal ments and especially strings, and as a Conservatoire in The Hague. result he is able to work with the widest The Circle of Diminished Fifths’ (2012) is a range of expressive possibilities of indi- short piece written for the Zemtsov Viola vidual instruments and their combinations, Quartet. The structure is through-composed shaping them to serve as strongly-flavoured and consists of two contrasting sections. It personalities, and indeed almost ‘theatrical’ is evident that the main inspiration comes characters. Alexander Zemtsov has per- from the first two movements of the String formed Arvydas Malcys’s Viola Concerto Quartet No. 8 in C minor by Dmitri Shosta- and has recorded his ‘Narcyss’ for Viola kovich, particularly in the second section. Solo. Elegie for four violas was specially The title is conveyed within the first few written for the Zemtsov Viola Quartet. bars of the piece, where it is shown that ‘the circle of diminished fifths’ is in fact not a very big circle, spanning only an octave in 4 terms of pitch. Melodic material is based tango into a new style termed ‘tango nuevo’, upon an exploitation of motivic ideas. The incorporating elements from jazz and two sections are deliberately very different classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, not only in terms of tempo but also in the he regularly performed his own compo- ideas involved. The vigorous second section sitions with a variety of ensembles. The is shared between Shostakovich’s rhythmic composer Evgeni Zemtsov (father of Mikhail motif presented at the start and an original and Alexander) arranged three of Piazzolla’s six-note idea which appears later. This motif most famous pieces for the Zemtsov Viola is in fact a respelling of ‘Daniil’ (notated as Quartet. Evgeni Zemtsov graduated with D-A-G-B-B-E) based upon a system in which distinction from the Moscow Tchaikovsky the white part of the keyboard represents Conservatory, where he studied with D. the English alphabet. Although the nomen- Kabalewski and A. Pirumov. He was named clature for notes stops at letter G, the alpha- Composer Emeritus of Russia and he be- bet continues nevertheless. This means that came a member of the Union of Composers many letters will sound the same (for exam- of the Soviet Union. He worked as compo- ple, letters H, O and V sound the same as sition teacher at the Gnesin Institute in the note A). Although Shostakovich used a Moscow. Evgeni Zemtsov currently lives slightly different system, his ‘DSCH’ motif is in Hamburg, Germany and he is a member can be heard in many of his works. of the Deutsche Componisten Verband and GEMA. Many of his compositions have been published in the former Soviet ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) Union and later in Belgium (New Conso- Verano Porteño nant Music) and Germany (Gitarmonia), Milonga del Angel and these include two symphonies, an Muerte del Angel oratorio, an opera, two sonatas for violin (arranged for the Zemtsov Viola Quartet and piano, string quartet, choral, vocal by Evgeni Zemtsov, b. 1940) and chamber music, as well as numerous arrangements for instrumental and vocal Astor Piazzolla was the most famous ensembles. Argentine tango composer, bandoneon His works are frequently performed and player and arranger of the 20th century. broadcast in Germany, the Netherlands, His oeuvre revolutionised the traditional Russia, Bulgaria, Italy and Mexico.