PREVIEW NOTES

Bella Hristova, violin and Amy Yang, piano Friday, January 31 – 8:00 PM American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut Street

Program Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, “Spring” Louange à L’immortalité de Jésus Ludwig van Beethoven Olivier Messiaen Born: December 16, 1770 in Bonn, Germany Born: December 10, 1908 in Avignon, France Died: March 26, 1827 in Vienna, Austria Died: April 27, 1992 in Clichy, France Composed: 1800‐01 Composed: 1940‐41 Last PCMS performance: Elizabeth Pitcairn, 2010 Last PCMS performance: Musicians from Marlboro I, Duration: 24 minutes 2009 Duration: 11 minutes Beethoven’s fifth violin sonata was the first of his to break away from the Classical three‐movement sonata From one of the most significant and famous chamber format. It is a tentative breach, as the new scherzo compositions of the twentieth century, Louange à movement is just over a minute in length. The work’s I’lmmortalité de Jésus is the fifth movement of the final movement begins in a pleasant, rather courtly Quatour pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Mozartean style. This refrain returns in various guises, Time). Messiaen, a devout Catholic, drew his title and though never significantly altered; in between are minor musical imagery from Revelations 10:1‐7, concerning mode passages of some agitation and modest drama, the Angel that announces the end of time. Written while although the sunny disposition of the main theme wins Messiaen was being held as a prisoner of war, Eulogy to out in the end. the Immortality of Jesus represents Christ’s ascension into Heaven. Subito Witold Lutosławski Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, “Kreutzer” Born: January 26, 1913 in Warsaw, Poland Ludwig van Beethoven Died: February 7, 1994 in Warsaw, Poland Composed: 1802‐03 Composed: 1992 Last PCMS performance: Viviane Hagner, 2013 First PCMS Performance Duration: 38 minutes Duration: 5 minutes In Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata, this work Commissioned by the 1994 International Violin symbolizes the ultimate in the powerful sensuous Competition of Indianapolis, Subito stands as one of appeal of music. Beethoven described the piece as Lutosławski’s final works. The piece opens with a series "written in a very concertante style, like that of a of short chromatic gestures that become the theme of concerto," explaining the internal conflict generally the work. Written in rondo form, this theme is repeated associated with his larger works. Furthermore, the piano four times with developmental episodes in between. writing is much more powerful than in preceding works, These episodes, as the title suggests, give the listener a anticipating the piano sonatas Op. 53 and 54. sudden change in style and mood in comparison to the Beethoven's "new path" is everywhere evident in the sharp, pointillistic theme. sonata’s first movement. The only slow introduction Beethoven ever wrote for a violin sonata is the only portion of the movement in A Major, which gives way to A Minor at the beginning of the Presto sonata‐form section.