BOHEMIA ARTIST NOTE PROGRAMME NOTE A couple of years ago I was immersed in the Antonìn Dvořák (1841-1904) composed his worlds of Stephen Zweig, who has long been Violin Sonata in two weeks during March 1880, Sonata in F Major for Violin & Piano, Op. 57 Antonin Dvořák 1 I. Allegro, ma non troppo [11.05] one of my favourite writers, and of Philip only months after his Violin Concerto and not 2 II. Poco sostenuto [6.17] Roth, when the idea occurred to me to make an long before his Sixth Symphony. Before he 3 III. Allegro molto [5.45] album that could encapsulate that moment was ready to publish the sonata, he played it in time, the ‘world of yesterday’ of central through with the great violinist Joseph Joachim. Four Romantic Pieces for Violin & Piano, Op. 75 Antonin Dvořák Europe. Culturally, it was perhaps unparalleled Whereas the musically conservative Joachim 4 I. Allegro moderato [3.29] in its richness and complexity, and was in its had been unconvinced by the unorthodox 5 II. Allegro maestoso [2.36] twilight. I have always loved the music of features of Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, persuading 6 III. Allegro appassionato [2.24] central Europe, its freshness, folk inflections, him to make extensive changes yet never 7 IV. Larghetto [5.25] beauty of melody, but particularly the directness performing it in public, he thoroughly approved Four Romantic Pieces for Violin & Piano, Op. 17 Josef Suk of emotional content, that I feel is present in of the sonata. The first subject is a subtle 8 I. Quasi ballata [5.39] the works on this album. Within a few deeply theme ending with a triplet figure which 9 II. Appassionato [4.21] poignant notes, Janáček conjures an intensity Dvořák fondly repeats, until some forthright 0 III. Un poco triste [4.23] of emotional experience filled with the often transition/development takes over, with many q IV. Burleska [3.29] ambiguous and conflicted complexity of the forzando markings. Introduced pianissimo by human spirit, and visceral in its power. Dvořák, the piano, the D major second subject has Sonata for Violin & Piano Leoš Janáček more loquaciously, transports the listener a playful rhythm but maintains the essentially w I. Con moto [5.31] instantly to a world where the joy of living reigns lyrical character. Again the music assumes a e II. Ballada [5.10] supreme. His music imparts a life-affirming stronger profile, with some fortissimo muscle- r III. Allegretto [2.39] energy and a sense of wonder at the beauty of flexing, whereas the actual development t IV. Adagio [5.49] the world, even in its occasional sadnesses. section is less assertive and more exploratory. Total timings: [74.06] Suk’s pieces, which were a new discovery for me The wonderfully imaginative coda, calm and thanks to Huw’s suggestion, evoke a world of evocative, seems to enter a new territory. Among reminiscences in their bitter sweet beauty and its felicitous rescorings is a new version of TAMSIN WALEY-COHEN VIOLIN unexpected strangeness, still close enough to the opening theme, now played gently in left- HUW WATKINS PIANO taste, yet slipping away. hand octaves with repeated quavers above. Tamsin Waley-Cohen www.signumrecords.com - 3 - The rather Brahmsian Poco sostenuto in 6/4 is titles – Cavatina, Capriccio, Romance and undervalued composer, not merely an important signatures of 3/2 and 4/2. Subtitled “Un poco nobly expansive and serene, but accumulates Elegy. In the first piece – Dvořák at his most figure in Czech musical history. Many of his triste”, the third piece juxtaposes two alternating considerable tension towards two big climaxes, unselfconscious and captivating – the violin composer-contemporaries – whether progressive tempos and moods, and is suggestive of the the first approached by a stringendo/crescendo. plays a heartfelt melody (molto espressivo) or conservative – admired his works, but dumka, a form originating in the Ukraine. In a The final Allegro molto in sonata form has a above a buoyantly rhythmic piano part. Marked music historians usually pay more attention to typical dumka, as in this piece, melancholy gives dance-like main theme and subsequent themes Allegro maestoso, the second piece is based on those more “important” figures who, unlike way to exuberance - here Andante espressivo of relaxed character (in F minor and E flat major a theme comprising three spread chords and a Suk, broke new ground. He composed the leading to Moderato (poco scherzando). In the respectively), but also a development section staccato answer. The interval of an augmented Four Pieces in 1900 for Karel Hoffmann, leader Moderato passages Suk adapts a group of based on a new idea derived from elements second gives pungency to the theme, though of the Czech Quartet in which Suk played four notes from the second bar of the original of two existing themes. This all amounts to in one subsequent C major passage this is second violin. This ensemble (until 1918 known melody. Moto perpetuo semiquavers – based an engaging movement of wide expressive “normalised” into a major second. The third as the Bohemian Quartet) flourished for over on the same four-note group from the previous range. Dvořák’s Violin Sonata has always been piece begins molto espressivo in joyful, forty years, during which period they premiered piece - dominate the final Burleska, but the overshadowed by Brahms’ examples of this genre untroubled mood, with an animated piano part, major works by Dvořák and Janáček. The middle section (scherzando) is steadier, with and has never been as popular as Dvořák’s own whereas the tonally unsettled, rather dramatic opening piece of Suk’s Opus 17, Quasi Ballata a new, sprightly theme comprising arpeggio Sonatina, but it is a work of many beautiful middle section intensifies to a fortissimo (Andante sostenuto), presents an innocent patterns in leaping intervals and incorporating qualities, unfortunately neglected. passage of violin octaves. Again marked but haunting idea above a chromatically semiquavers from the first section. This set molto espressivo, the final piece is in 9/8, with inflected piano accompaniment. In the middle of pieces, richly and diversely characterised, Early in 1887, the year in which he also flowing semiquaver arpeggios in the piano section Suk dramatically transforms the mood is a remarkably mature composition from a produced the Terzetto for two violins and viola, almost throughout, and frequent double-stopping with an impassioned quasi-recitative section 26-year-old. the Mass in D and the A major Piano Quintet, enriching the violin part. which incorporates bravura writing for both Dvořák composed a set of Miniatures for two instruments. The second piece (Vivace) is Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), the most outstanding violins and viola, but only a few days later Josef Suk (1874-1935) studied violin, organ and characterised by simple cross-rhythms, while Czech composer active in the twentieth century, he transcribed the group for violin and piano piano with his father, subsequently pursuing there is a fantastic element, with the repeated wrote two much earlier violin sonatas before as Four Romantic Pieces, Opus 75. This later music theory with several other teachers, of augmented fourths suggesting even a demonic his recognised, representative work in this version is the form in which this music is whom Dvořák was the most inspirational. streak. With a slight slackening of tempo form. Dating from 1880, they were either lost known today. (The Miniatures were not heard in He became one of his favourite pupils, and the incisive rhythmic character softens to or destroyed. The mature Violin Sonata dates their original scoring until 1938.) Three married his daughter Otilie. His magnificent espressivo, but it is the middle section from a period (1914-28) in which he composed moderately fast pieces are followed by a Asrael Symphony and Four Pieces, Opus 17 (tranquillo) which brings absolute contrast, several chamber works including two string Larghetto. Curiously, Dvořák withdrew his original are occasionally performed, but he remains an an extended melodic line in alternating time- quartets. In the summer of 1917 Janáček, aged - 4 - - 5 - sixty-three, met Kamila Stösslová, a married in this piece, begun around the outbreak of At a slight increase of tempo the violin woman of twenty-five. In this final period his World War I, such disturbances, as well as introduces a tender theme (dolce), before the obsessive but unrequited love for Ms Stösslová, the more anguished passages – may well be original piano melody is subjected to anguished to whom he wrote more than a thousand letters, connected to the trauma of this specific conflict. and increasingly animated development. A generated a tremendous creative impulse. As Janáček wrote: “[in this sonata] I could just fortissimo restatement of the opening theme Most of his greatest works – operas, orchestral about hear the sound of steel clashing in my (violin with powerful accompaniment) dominates and chamber works and a song-cycle – date troubled head.” Although the music conveys the final section, although the subversive from these extraordinarily productive years. an episodic, often rather improvisatory violin figure has the last word, fading to a Although he began the Violin Sonata in August impression, close motivic relationships provide whisper. The Violin Sonata has the mature 1914, its very protracted and complicated a connecting thread. Much of the Ballada has Janáček’s stylistic hallmarks – concentrated, history involves several revisions. Over a the character of an exquisitely tender lullaby. intensely emotional melodies, motivic ideas period of seven years Janáček reworked the Although the mood intensifies – there is one often based on the natural rhythms of his piece, completely discarding entire movements strenuous climax – this music is generally native language, and rapid patterns of notes and changing the order at least three times.