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Home , Johannes Brahms, Rusalka (opera)

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL CONCERT #4 - Released July 20, 2020

Johannes Brahms for and in , Op. 120 No. 1 Allegro appassionato Andante, un poco Adagio Allegretto grazioso Vivace Jean Johnson clarinet / Steven Osborne piano

Osmo Vänskä Duo for the Clarinet and Violin Dialogue Sorrow Leikari Dance Erin Keefe violin / Osmo Vänskä clarinet

Michael Brown “Relationship” for Violin and Clarinet World Premiere The Meeting Connection The Argument(s) Ballad Finale: Hora Erin Keefe violin / Osmo Vänskä clarinet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / ARR. Osmo Vänskä “Là ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni Erin Keefe violin / Osmo Vänskä clarinet

Antonín Dvořák Trio for Violin, , and Piano in , Op. 90 “Dumky” Lento —Allegro vivace Poco adagio—Vivace non troppo Andante—Vivace non troppo Andante moderato—Allegretto scherzando Lento maestoso—Vivace James Ehnes violin / Edward Arron cello / Andrew Armstrong piano

Concert was originally scheduled for July 10, 2020 Johannes Brahms dynamic variety, however, the movement is unified (1833–1897) by an implicit tension that relaxes only in the slower- Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in F minor, paced coda that ends in reflective calm. Op. 120 No. 1 (1894) Most recent SCMS performance: Summer 2013 Gentle, songlike, and sparingly scored, the slow movement’s opening section contrasts with the In 1890, Brahms notified his publisher that “the anima of the Allegro appassionato and with its own time has come for you to say good-bye to any subsidiary theme, flowing and more richly textured further compositions of mine.” Confirmation for than its primary material. Though Brahms wrote this decision came from yet another source, the several powerful and insistent in several composer’s close friend, physician , of his chamber works (that of the F-minor Piano who said of Brahms that “he rejects the idea he is comes to mind), here in the third movement, composing or will ever compose again.” Fortunately all is gentleness and equanimity. Marked Allegretto for and chamber lovers ever since, grazioso, the first section employs the lilting 3/4 Brahms changed his mind after hearing clarinetist meter of the rustic Ländler (precursor to the citified Richard Muhlfeld in 1891. Muhlfeld had started Viennese waltz), while the B section explores the low, as a violinist in the highly esteemed chalumeau register of the clarinet to exotic effect. before teaching himself to play clarinet and switching positions to the new instrument in The concluding rondo is a vivacious assertion of 1876. Brahms admired especially what he termed major-key optimism. Its main theme is good cheer Muhlfeld’s fluency and “feminine sensitivity,” dubbing incarnate and shows Brahms to have a good feel for him “my prima donna.” Thus inspired, Brahms late 19th-century “popular” taste. Adding impetus composed four masterly works for the clarinetist, to and youthful joie de vivre, the rondo is regularly wit: his hauntingly beautiful (with its punctuated by three strong notes that make their typically Brahmsian inclusion of a wild Hungarian/ appearance at the beginning moments of this joyful Gypsy interlude), the knottier , and finale. the two Op. 120 Clarinet , which he also arranged for or violin and piano (though the violin version is rarely encountered). Osmo Vänskä (b. 1953) The four-movement format of the F-minor Sonata is Duo for the Clarinet and Violin (2018) orthodox in layout, though this doesn’t tell us much Most recent SCMS performance: Summer 2018 about the vigor and sense of renewal one hears in this music. It is customary to describe late Brahms The following note is provided by the composer: as “autumnal,” an adjective that is accurate but not the whole truth. The opening Allegro appassionato As a full-time conductor and part-time clarinetist, can serve as a case in point. Dramatic outbursts composing is something I have always dreamed of remind us of the fiery passion of young Brahms, doing but rarely had the time to pursue. When I was just here skillfully balanced against an overall mood out of school, I had the op-portunity to conduct a local of melancholy. The makes the first move in gospel and that is when I first started arranging a short introductory paragraph, which effectively music and do-ing a bit of composing on a regular sets up the energetic first theme catapulted by the basis. We were constantly expanding our repertoire, so clarinetist. Alternating between vibrant muscularity often I would take pieces which others had composed and quiet serenity, the music takes a number of side and arrange them to fit the needs of our ensemble. trips ranging from a quiet and mysterious new theme Sometimes that could be as simple as taking something about one minute in, to an unexpected key change which was already written for choir and just changing about half a minute later. Within its thematic and the style of it (to fit our gospel genre), but oftentimes I

summer festival // would be given just a mel-ody and the lyrics and I would even for the fellow artists of the festival after a glass have to arrange it for a four-voice choir in harmony or two of wine. It was after one of these fun reading with accom-panying instruments. After becoming more sessions filled with laughter that I sat down to write a comfortable with this process - which in a way is a form movement dedicated to the Aldas. Arlene in particular of composing- I decided to start working on my own is rarely without a smile on her face; therefore, I was original compositions for the choir. My time inclined to write a movement which is fun and uplifting and arranging for that group lasted about five years, and a relief from the sorrow of what comes before it. and after that I became too busy, first with my job as a clarinetist in the Turku Philharmonic followed by The title “Leikari Dance” refers to Finnish (as well Helsinki Phil-harmonic, and after that with family life as Nordic) leikaris who were minstrels back in the and my conducting career, to do much composing on a sixteenth century. They sang songs and played musical regular basis. instruments, and oddly enough, once they had finished their performance, people were allowed to hit them. It’s I was inspired to write a piece for me and my wife Erin a strange way to show their appreciation, but that is Keefe after my friend Kalevi Aho wrote EROS for us as a Finland! wedding gift in 2015. There are very few original pieces written for the combination of vio-lin and clarinet and I decided to tie these two separate movements together I saw how successful Kalevi was in composing for two into a complete duo by writing the first movement complimentary, but quite different instruments. entitled “Dialogue.” Rather than being inspired by others, it is more a reflection on our relationship I sat down to write what ended up being the second together as a couple. As with any relationship there are movement of the Duo for Violin and Clari-net in the moments of tension, but the general feeling reflects summer of 2017 following the news that a friend of comfort and harmony. ours was terminally ill. We were staying with his family at the time in Napa while performing at the Music in the Vineyards festi-val, and I found composing to be a very Michael Brown emotional and cathartic outlet to process my feelings. (1920–2014) Our friend passed away shortly thereafter, before I had a “Relationship” for Violin and Clarinet (2018) chance to finish writing the movement, so unfortunately, World premiere he never had the chance to hear it. The following note ia provided by the composer: While I didn’t necessarily set out to write more than one movement, I was inspired yet again by friends and Michael Brown is a renowned pianist and composer. people we were staying with that summer. Following As a ipanist, he is an artist of the Napa, Erin was playing at the Bridgehampton Chamber Society of Lincoln Center, and has appeared at Music Festival on Long Island. Her hosts for the past numerous festivals including Tanglewood, Marlboro, fourteen years have been Arlene and Alan Alda Music@Menlo, Ravinia, and Bridgehampton. whom she befriended many years ago through fellow musicians while she was living in New York. Alan is of As a composer, Brown has received commissions course most well-known as an actor, but he and Ar- from the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Concert Art-ists lene are two of the most incredible human beings (as Guild, Shriver Hall; the New Haven and Maryland well as lovers!) I have ever encountered. ; Osmo Vänskä and Erin Keefe; They are constantly involved in various projects of all Orion Weiss, Adam Golka, and Roman sorts, and their positive and energetic outlook on life Rabinovich. are a source of inspiration for all who have the pleasure of knowing them. Arlene was once a professional Relationship for Violin and Clarinet is dedicated to clarinetist, so we have shared many afternoons filled the wonderful couple Erin Keefe and Osmo Vänskä. with reading clarinet duos in the living room and once

july 20, 2020 // program notes Set in five brief and self-explanatory movements, with the harmonies, rhythms, and ranges of our the work portrays a relationship from its inception two in-struments throughout the accompanying to a finale celebratory wedding dance, with plenty figures. While this has been an incredibly trying time of tenderness and conten-tion in between. Knowing for us all for a myriad of reasons, working on these Osmo and Erin for a few years now, I did my best to arrangements has brought unexpected creativity and capture their unique dynamic, from its fun-loving joy to my life when I have needed it most. nature to some raw, brutal honesty. There are musical depic-tions of their initials throughout, and the Finale combines quotes from the Finnish. Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) / ARR. Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano in E minor, Osmo Vänskä Op. 90 “Dumky” (1891) (1756-1791) Most recent SCMS performance: Summer 2015 “Là ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni (1787) Dvořák’s early support came from captivated SCMS premiere musicians and audiences throughout non-Czech areas. Among fellow composers his strongest ally The following note is provided by Osmo Vänskä: was Johannes Brahms who viewed the unification of under Bismarck as one of the two greatest I set out to arrange Mozart’s “La si darem la Mano” joys of his life—the other being the publication of the from his Don Giovanni in April, near the complete works of Bach. Brahms knew a good non- beginning of this current COVID-19 crisis. Like all of German composer when he heard one and was quick my fellow musicians, I found myself in the abnormal to recommend Dvořák’s music to his own publisher, and worrisome position of being without any work Simrock. Dvořák’s musical enthusiasms reached far for the foreseeable future and I had more time on my beyond his beloved Bohemian countryside, and many hands than I am used to, being that I am a complete of his orchestral works revel in a Wagnerian sound workaholic. As a way to distract myself from the world, while others demonstrate a Brahmsian cast disturbing news we were being inundated with on most noticeable in the great Symphony No. 7 in D the news, Erin suggested that I could occupy and minor. A third group, typified by the immerse myself once again in music and arrange a and Eighth Symphony, speaks in native Bohemian few pieces which are more familiar and audience- accents, his “natural” musical language. friendly to fill out our ever-expanding repertoire (we have now commissioned eight living composers to Dvořák’s abundant chamber music reveals these write pieces for us). influences, especially his virtually innate Czech musical blood mixed with Brahms’ magisterial A few years ago, Erin and I purchased a book of grandeur and structure. Even when strongly Mozart opera arias arranged by Gunther Joppig for Brahmsian, Dvořák infuses the textures with melodic two , and I ended up using that as the basis for snippets and chord progressions unequivocally my own arrangement. After reading them all through, Czech, and, in the midst of his most unbuttoned we picked our favorites and I started rearranging Czech rusticity, a rigorous formal schema evokes the them for our needs, much like I did back in my gospel mental processes of Brahms. choir days. Because the clarinet has a wider range than the , and the violin is capable of playing Four works constitute Dvořák’s canon, multiple notes at once, I was able to utilize more though at least two early trios failed to survive the intricate and com-plex harmonies, amongst other composer’s trash bin. Dating from 1891, the “Dumky” changes. I, of course, left the beautiful melodies of Trio is the last of the lot and the best known. Unlike Mozart’s aria untouched, but it was fun to experiment the first three extant trios—each cast in traditional

summer festival // classical sonata structure and overall layout—the A is a Slavic folk song conveying melancholy “Dumky” is more like a suite, but of mood rather than and wistfulness relieved by contrasting interludes of dance rhythms. Six two-part dumky (plural of the that range from the quietly lyrical to near mania. singular dumka) constitute this folk-inspired work. Though forward looking, Dvořák keeps one toe in Dvořák was clearly laying the groundwork for a the past: there is an internal unity in this work that retreat from the classical forms of his middle years nods toward classical form and avoids the pastiche. (most tellingly represented by the ultra-Brahmsian The first three dumky, played without pause, more F-minor Trio, Op. 65 of 1883), a journey that would or less correspond to a first movement, albeit one culminate in his late-life and the opera with an engaging variety of moods. The fourth . dumka, somber and deliberate, is the traditional slow movement, while the two remaining movements function respectively as a and a rondo finale.

Program Notes by Steven Lowe

july 20, 2020 // program notes