PLEASE Williamsburg NOTE Symphony String

The taking of photographs and the use of Quartet recording equipment of any kind during performances is strictly prohibited

JANUARY Saturday 30, 8:30pm St. Peter’s Church, Their Majesties Chappelle, St. George‘s

Irina Muresanu Violin Programme Alana Carithers Violin Quartet in D major, Op. 76 No. 5 Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) Kimberly Sparr Viola Schuyler Slack Cello Allegretto Largo cantabile e mesto Menuetto Allegro Finale Presto

Novelletten, H.44 Frank Bridge (1879 – 1941)

Andante moderato Presto - Allegretto Allegro vivo

Intermission

Quartet no. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 12 Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847)

Adagio non troppo - Allegro non tardante Canzonetta - Allegretto Andante espressivo Molto allegro e vivace

Oblivion Astor Piazzolla (1921 – 1992) About the programme String Quartet in D major, Op. 76, No. 5 The Largo, cantabile e mesto second movement is in the unwieldy key of F-sharp major (six sharps). Such keys were Franz Joseph Haydn (Hob.III:79) almost unheard of during the Classical period. Some 50 years later, Chopin popularized them because all the black keys fit We owe the ascendancy of the string quartet as the primary so nicely under the fingers. The following Menuetto in D major form in chamber music to Franz Joseph Haydn. His first works opens with the same melodic motive as the preceding Largo, in this genre, written when he was in his 20s, were modest a subtle device often used by Mozart to provide a multi- five-movement affairs, still called divertimenti, indicating movement work with a sense of unity. The Trio features a solo their unpretentious musical origin. By the time he finished the for the cello in D minor. six quartets Op. 76 in 1797, 40 years and 60 quartets later, he was the most admired musician in Europe and the undisputed The finale, one of Haydn’s frequent musical jokes, opens master of the string quartet. backwards with a theme that is actually a final cadence (of

the Menuetto?). Out of the cadence motive emerges a little Haydn’s early quartets were still a vehicle for the first ascending and descending three-note figure over a nervous violinist to shine with the other three players serving merely ostinato. Haydn reuses the combination for his second theme as accompaniment, a feature in keeping with the Baroque as well. The sudden key changes in the short development trio sonata for soloist plus basso continuo. But beginning reuses the “surprise” function that he had just pulled off so with his ground-breaking Op. 20 quartets and increasingly effectively in London (Symphony No. 94). And, of course, the thereafter, Haydn began giving all four players equal billing. movement ends exactly as it began. With his penchant for novelty, encouraged by his music-loving patron Count Esterházy, Haydn gradually transformed the string quartet from a vehicle for home music making to public concert calibre. And it is no mere flattery that caused both Novelletten Mozart and Beethoven to dedicate some of their own works in Frank Bridge this genre to the master. The son of a printer and passionate amateur musician, English The six quartets Op. 76, dedicated to Count Joseph Erdödy composer, conductor and violist Frank Bridge is remembered were written in 1796, shortly after Haydn’s return to Vienna today primarily for the tremendous influence he had on his one from his second successful sojourn in London where he had and only composition student, Benjamin Britten. Bridge’s own taken the city by storm with his 12 “London” symphonies. composition teacher at the Royal College of Music, Charles London’s musical life was very different from Vienna’s, Villiers Stanford was notorious for his domineering and supported by the newly emerging affluent middle class rather stifling pedagogy. Bridge’s early compositions, before World than by the aristocracy. Part of this social change involved War I, were, therefore late Romantic in style, and although making concerts more public for larger audiences in bigger Bridge accrued awards and prizes at RCM, his creativity was halls. It also supported a large pool of highly accomplished attenuated until he was able to emerge from Stanford’s performers. Such social developments were also beginning to influence. Before World War I, he was known more as a brilliant take place on the continent. Haydn adapted his style to the new conductor and chamber musician than as a composer. His circumstances and his new more “modern” musical language oeuvre was dominated by chamber works. was reflected in such things as minuets that were really scherzi in all but name, more serious and challenging finales The term Novelletten was coined by Robert Schumann for a and weighty, emotionally charged slow movements. set of piano pieces, although the term has never quite gained traction. Bridge composed his Novelletten – as set of three Haydn never rested on his laurels, rarely creating cookie- independent pieces for string quartet – in 1904, but they fit cutter background music for his patrons; rather, he was nicely together as a three-movement quartet. The first two constantly tinkering with musical form. Op. 76, No 5, one (Andante moderato, Presto-Allegretto) recall the chamber of his last works in this genre, is a good example. He often music of Gabriel Fauré, while the third (Allegro vivo) has an composed movements based on a single theme, rather than air associated with Edwardian grandiosity and ties the three the customary two or three melodies for a sonata-allegro pieces together with brief quotes from the first two. movement. In this case, he creates something of a hybrid with elements of the rondo, a development section from a sonata- In World War I, however, all sides of the conflict were allegro form, as well as the theme and variations – all deriving traumatized and deflated by the unspeakable atrocities of from a single theme. There’s even a long section in a new the new trench warfare. Although because of his age, Bridge accelerated tempo. did not serve in the military, he was in such despair over the futility of the War that he would pace the streets in the early hours of the morning unable to sleep. His bitterness began to The third movement Andante espressivo has the gentle pervade his music, which became increasingly dissonant and character of one of Mendelssohn’s songs without words. It atonal, and he became a lifelong pacifist; his feelings may have serves as an extended introduction to the finale, which follows influenced Britten, who fled England at the beginning of World without a pause. The Finale is a passionate perpetual motion in War II. rapid 3/8 in C minor, providing a startling contrast to the rest of the Quartet. The goal of this movement is to transition back In 1922, Bridge had the great fortune to meet Elizabeth to the real key of the piece, moving from emotional darkness Sprague Coolidge, America’s grand patroness of music who to light. In the end, Mendelssohn recycles the main theme from established the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood. Her the first movement Allegro, with both movements sharing a support enabled him to devote himself to composition for the coda. rest of his life.

Oblivion String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 12 Astor Piazzolla Felix Mendelssohn Astor Piazzolla’s name has been inseparably associated with If ever there was a composer born with a silver spoon in his the tango. During the Depression, Piazzolla’s family moved mouth, it was Felix Mendelssohn. Raised in affluence and to New York, where he studied piano and the bandoneón, a comfort, his precocious musical talent was recognized and type of concertina with 38 notes that had become the central nurtured by his whole family. His home was a Mecca for the instrument in the tango ensembles of his native Argentina. artistic and intellectual elite of Germany, and the many family After a stint in Paris, studying composition with no less visitors encouraged the prodigy and his talented sister Fanny. an eminence that Nadia Boulanger, Piazzolla returned to A composer from early childhood, he wrote dozens of works Argentina to form his first Tango Octet and later his renowned in all genres for performances to invited luminaries in the Tango Quintet. The Quintet featured the bandoneón, violin, family’s palatial home and burst on the world at large at 17 piano, electric guitar and bass. with two masterpieces, the Octet, Op. 20 and the Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Influenced by his studies in Paris and by classical forms, Piazzolla’s compositions were a cut above the traditional Mendelssohn composed his first published string quartet, tangos. No longer dance music, they became concert music, Op.13, a year later, in 1827, and his next, Op. 12, in 1829. although for the nightclub rather than the concert hall. Because of publication delays – with his family’s resources he Nevertheless, the psychological intensity and sophistication did not need the income – his opus numbers rarely reflect the of his music so infuriated the traditionalists that he was chronology of composition. After this quartet he did not return repeatedly physically assaulted and even threatened with a to the genre for over nine years. gun to his head during a radio broadcast.

The Quartet in E-Flat was secretly dedicated to Betty Pistor, Piazzolla has not only taken his influences from classical, folk a childhood companion and first long-time flame of his early and jazz music but has also himself been an inspiration to such youth. The autograph was initialed BP; but, when Mendelssohn jazz artists as Jerry Mulligan and Chick Corea. His tangos have found out in 1830 that Betty had become engaged, he been arranged for classical violinist Gidon Kramer and for the asked his friend the violinist Ferdinand David – who had the renowned eclectic Kronos Quartet. manuscript for performance – to change it with a stroke of the pen to BR. Betty learned of the dedication only 30 years later, When you write for something as restricted geographically as long after the composer’s death. a bandoneón ensemble, transcriptions are inevitable. Oblivion, a dreamy, slow tango, expressing longing and pain, has been The slow opening of the Quartet pays homage in key, rhythm transcribed for many combinations, including a piano trio. and mood to the opening of Beethoven’s “Harp” Quartet, Op. 74. In the Allegro, all the themes are warm and gentle, with Programme notes by Joseph & Elizabeth Kahn little contrast. The charming second movement Canzonetta www.wordprosmusic.com (a light-hearted vocal piece popular in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries) used to be performed as an independent piece, often as an encore; its fleet-footed middle section provides a change in texture, reminiscent of the Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture. About the artists

Irina Muresanu Irina Muresanu earned a B.M. from the Music Academy in Bucharest and a M.M. from the University of Illinois. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Artist Diploma and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the New England Conservatory (NEC). Muresanu has performed in renowned concert halls throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Her most recent engagements as soloist include performances with the Boston Pops, Miami Symphony, The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Orchestra (Montreal), Syracuse Symphony, the Transvaal Philharmonic (South Africa), the Orchestre de la Radio Flamande (Brussels), the New England String Ensemble and the Romanian National Radio Orchestra (Bucharest), among others. Muresanu is a member of the Lewin-Muresanu Duo, the Boston Trio, the Walden Chamber Players and the Andover Chamber Music Society. She can often be heard on major radio stations such as NPR, Boston’s WGBH, New York’s WQXR, Radio France Classique, Hong Kong Radio and Romanin Radio Classical.

Alana Carithers Alana has played with The Williamsburg Symphony since 2013 and sits Principal 2nd Violin. She graduated in 1999 from Northwestern University with a double Master of Music degree in violin performance and pedagogy. She served as Assistant Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Principal Second Violin of the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra. She was one of the founding members of the MusiCorp program in Chicago, a grant-funded chamber music program to take music into the inner city schools and churches of the Chicago area. She began her orchestral career as the Associate Principal Second Violin of the Colorado Springs Symphony in 2000 and held that post until 2003. She played as a member of both the DaVinci String Quartet and the Hausmusik String Quartet, and currently is a member of the Oberon quartet and Atlantic Chamber Encemble (ACE). She has appeared as a guest soloist with the Bob Jones University Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Youth Symphony Orchestra, Masterworks Festival Orchestra and on the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Kimberly Sparr Violist Kimberly Sparr is currently Assistant Professor of Viola at Texas Tech University. Prior to joining the Texas Tech faculty, Dr. Sparr was the assistant principal violist of the Richmond Symphony and instructor of viola at the College of William & Mary and played with the The Williamsburg Symphony for many years. Kimberly is a founding member of the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble (ACE). During the summer, she is the assistant principal viola of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and also serves as mentor faculty at the National Music Festival on Maryland’s eastern shore. Sparr has performed with the National Symphony, Washington National Opera, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Kimberly has toured Europe and Asia with both the Verbier and National Symphony Orchestras. She previously served on the faculty of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. An advocate of contemporary music, Kimberly is actively commissioning and collaborating with composers to expand the viola repertoire. She has worked on commissions while in residence at the Avaloch Institute and has recently collaborated with artists in conjunction with Expressions for Justice in the Netherlands.

Schuyler Slack Cellist Schuyler Slack started playing with The Williamsburg Symphony in July 2015. He has performed in orchestral, chamber music, and recital settings across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. He studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Cleveland Orchestra principal cellists Stephen Geber and Mark Kosower. From 2012-2014 Schuyler served as Artist in Residence at the University of Evansville in Indiana and played as principal cellist of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. Today he lives and teaches in the Washington area, where he is Associate Principal Cellist of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra frequently performs in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestras. Following a firm belief that classical music is equally at home outside the concert hall as inside, Schuyler has performed chamber music in churches, nursing homes, bars, shopping malls, museums, grocery stores, lakesides, canyons, and on mountaintops.

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