PROGRAM: SUNDAYS WITH THE ST. LAWRENCE APRIL 12 / 2:30 PM BING CONCERT HALL

ARTISTS PROGRAM St. Lawrence String Quartet Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 1, no. 0, Hob. II:6 Geoff Nuttall, violin (ca. 1757–1759) Mark Fewer, violin Presto Lesley Robertson, viola Menuet Christopher Costanza, cello Adagio Aiyun Huang, percussion Menuet Finale: Presto

Alikeness was commissioned for the Erwin Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet (1923) St. Lawrence String Quartet with the Alla valse Viennese (allegro) support of Joan and Allan Fisch. Alla serenate (allegretto con moto) Alla Czeca (molto allegro) There will be a pre-performance discussion Alla tango milonga (andante) at 1:30 pm with Geoff Nuttall and Jaroslaw Alla tarantella (prestissimo con fuoco) Kapuscinski. INTERMISSION

Jaroslaw Kapuscinski: Alikeness (2015) (World premiere) Eight movements for string quartet and percussion

Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 33, no. 2, Hob. III:38, The Joke (1781) Allegro moderato Scherzo: Allegro Largo e sostenuto Finale: Presto

PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Please be considerate of others and turn off all phones, pagers, and watch alarms, and unwrap all lozenges prior to the performance. Photography and recording of any kind are not permitted. Thank you.

32 STANFORD LIVE MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732–1809) in the 1930s when it was rediscovered. At the Music festival in Salzburg in 1924. These STRING QUARTET NO. 5 IN E-FLAT same time, it replaced another quartet in the short pieces show considerable technical skill MAJOR, OP. 1, NO. 0, HOB. II:6 set, now known to have been an arrangement and confidence, great variety with economic (CA. 1757–1759) of a symphony. A taut rising theme, just three means, and rhythmic ingenuity. Together, as a notes plus a trill, opens the quartet and is series of complementary dance movements, Who “invented” the string quartet? With passed from instrument to instrument. It is they bring a modern face to the tradition of his ten earliest quartets—the ones we now heard in combination and expanded into other the Baroque suite. know as Op. 1 and Op. 2 and today’s quartet brief ideas in a sprightly, polished movement known as Op. 0—Franz Joseph Haydn was of great charm. Like the majority of the ten The first piece is a Viennese waltz with an the first composer to have international early quartets, Op. 1, No. 0 contains two edge, cunningly notated. Next comes a 5/8 success with a string quartet. Editions of his contrasted minuets, here separated by a serenata, a stylized dance with a Spanish early quartets were assembled by publishers soulful aria for first violin. The first violin again flavor whose recurring rhythm ranges from in Paris, Amsterdam, and London into the leads the chase in the scurrying Presto finale. the exuberant to the ghostly. The rhythm and Op. 1 and Op. 2 collections. Many more were —© 2015, Keith Horner energy of the third dance bring to mind the copied by hand and circulated throughout music of Béla Bartók in a rhythmically driven Europe. The entire set even found its way to piece reminiscent of the Czech skocná. The the United States as early as 1770 and was ERWIN SCHULHOFF (1894–1942) two closing pieces are again finely drawn among the first works of Haydn to be played FIVE PIECES FOR STRING QUARTET dances, deriving from the Argentinean in the New World. So Haydn’s ten quartets (1923) tango and Neapolitan tarantella respectively. were certainly the earliest to have real success Speaking of his passion for dances of all types, with the public. This success also helped Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff, one of the Schulhoff said, reasonably enough, “If Bach establish the distinctive combination of two most gifted of a lost generation of composers and his contemporaries—not to mention violins, viola, and cello as the medium that to die in concentration camps, was born ahead Mozart, Brahms, and Schubert—wrote and evolved into the classical string quartet. Later of his time. His magpie-like interest in music loved the dances of their day, why shouldn’t I in life, Haydn acknowledged his originality in of all sorts would make him right at home in love and write these dances of my own time?” writing for four-part strings but was reluctant today’s culture. In the 1920s, when he wrote —© 2015, Keith Horner to overstate his position. He did not call the Five Pieces, Schulhoff was a prominent these early work quartets. He originally pianist and composer, appearing regularly at called them cassations or nocturnes. Later international contemporary music festivals. JAROSLAW KAPUSCINSKI (B. 1964 ) in life, he referred to them as divertimentos. His interests tended toward modernism, often ALIKENESS (2015) And that is what they really are: collections combining Arnold Schoenberg’s free atonality of five-movement quartet-divertimentos. with the strong dance rhythms of folk music. Alikeness is a suite of eight movements As a pianist, Schulhoff championed the imagined and composed for a Sunday Haydn wrote them in the late 1750s as a quarter-tone music of his fellow countryman afternoon at Bing Concert Hall with the St. young freelance musician in Vienna for a Alois Hába. He soaked up the neoclassicism Lawrence String Quartet and Aiyun Huang— commission from a government official, of Igor Stravinsky. He followed developments an unhurried occasion with magnificent Count von Fürnberg. He hosted a regular in Paris and was an enthusiast of the music of musicians and lush acoustics. The invitation to meeting of a quartet ensemble made up of his Darius Milhaud and other members of Les contribute in this way to the 25th-anniversary estate steward, his chaplain, Albrechtsberger Six. He also played in nightclubs and drew celebration of the St. Lawrence String Quartet (either the composer or his cellist brother), inspiration from the then new and exciting was a joy, an honor, and a tempting challenge. and Haydn playing violin. The new medium phenomenon of jazz and ragtime, integrating One of the characteristics of percussion and of two violins, viola, and cello provided them into his music as successfully as any string quartet is their inherent dissimilarity. Haydn with a springboard for music that is composer of the time. Like his almost exact Percussion became a solo instrument only immediately entertaining and pleasing. It contemporary Bohuslav Martinů, Schulhoff in the 20th century as the aesthetic trends fired his imagination and led directly to a was something of an outsider. He wrote the promoted an appreciation for complex sound substantial cycle of 68 quartets that shines like first of his five works for string quartet while colors and noise. On the other hand, the a beacon in the chamber music of the 18th still a student. The Five Pieces are the first idiomatic vocabulary of the string quartet century. This E-flat quartet moved in and out of his mature works for the medium and had was formed almost two centuries earlier of the various published Op. 1 collections. It immediate success when given their premiere by Joseph Haydn, and since then the form was eventually given the designation “Op. 0” at the International Society for Contemporary continuously thrived on pitch, harmony, and

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purity of tone. The contrast appeared even great value to me. To fully internalize that Their popularity is reflected in the number stronger in my mind as the performers of feeling and then share it with the audience, I of nicknames that have become attached to this concert are some of the world’s most tend to redance, repaint, or remusic the world. the collection (Russian, Jungfernquartette). sophisticated proponents of these qualities. I have done intermedia “remixes” of Chopin, Another nickname, Gli scherzi (Italian for Hybridism is something I have been dealing Webern, Scarlatti, and Mondrian as well as joke), reflects the fact that Haydn adopts with in most of my work as it usually mixes poetic reinventions of airports, typewriters, the newer, more folk-like scherzo in place media, so the attempt to marry the seemingly or fruit. I think of these as my little battles of of the older, more stately minuet. The slow incompatible musical pair was both a welcome affirmation against entropy. movements of Op. 33 are generally deeper continuation and an irresistible new challenge. and more complex in texture. And elements Finally, I wish to express great gratitude to of popular folk music find their way into the My approach to the disparity was inspired the St. Lawrence String Quartet musicians finales. Mozart, just launching a career as by Jazz, a series of cutouts by Henri Matisse. and Aiyun Huang for their contribution to a freelance composer in Vienna when the This masterpiece from late in the artist’s the creation of the piece. The warmth of the quartets were first published in 1782, admired life builds on careful arrangement of simple word like hiding within the title feels most their compactness; their perfect balance of shapes cut out from single colored sheets of appropriate as a permanent testimony. character, form, and technique; and the way gouache painted paper. The power of line and —Notes by the composer in which Haydn gives all four instruments color contrast has been perfectly harnessed. equal importance. He painstakingly Similarly, I decided to expose contrasting composed a set of six in emulation of edges and differences between strings and FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1723–1809) Haydn’s Op. 33, with several of Haydn’s percussion. At first, I imagined never letting STRING QUARTET IN E-FLAT MAJOR, movements clearly used as direct models. the two play a single note together. Everything OP. 33, NO. 2, HOB. III:38, THE JOKE was to be rhythmically offset. Later, as the (1781) The opening movement of Haydn’s E-flat piece progressed, that literal approach was quartet is built rigorously on the good- expanded by other configurations that In music, what goes around comes around. natured rhythmic figure of its first few bars. Its allowed dynamic hiding and revealing of Toward the end of 1781, Haydn kick-started musical argument is intricate. Very little in the one sound world from behind the other. his own crowdfunding platform. He mailed a movement has to do with anything other than series of letters to likely backers who might this thematic material. In the Scherzo, Haydn’s The title Alikeness refers to two conceptual have an interest in a series of quartets he was focus moves from high culture to folk culture, notions as well. The first is an interest in about to create. There are to be six “entirely to accessibility and innovation. It begins portraiture—in this case, my fascination with newly produced quartets,” he said in his pitch, as a country dance, a Deutsche Tanz, with the almost disturbing resemblance of people’s “written in an entirely new special manner, suggestions of thigh slapping, stamping, and eyes in Rembrandt’s work. Their depth and for I have not composed any [quartets] for the swirling movement of a peasant dance. wise expression seem to transcend pictorial ten years.” In return for their pledges, backers Later, Haydn makes the first documented realism. Each of my movements is based on (read “patrons”) would receive prepublication use of the wavy line in a score to indicate that a character but despite external differences manuscript copies and their names would typically Viennese glissando, famous shortly of instrumentation and pace, all are shown be included in the list of subscribers in the afterwards from the waltzes of the Strauss with a certain calm nostalgia. None of the printed edition. Haydn’s aim in the six Op. family and others. It’s a rustic touch in a rustic characters or movements is named to avoid 33 quartets was to broaden his audience movement and was viewed with suspicion by distracting listeners from gazing directly into without dumbing down his style or in any way generations of editors. In fact, it wasn’t until music’s eye. All that is given are numbers compromising his integrity as a composer. 1974 that Haydn’s original directions were representing their order of appearance. To His innovation largely lies in the sense of restored to a printed score. The mood swings reveal another important, recent inspiration, humor and wit that runs throughout the again in the highly sophisticated variations of I should say that the constancy may quartets. At the same time, he makes the the slow movement, in which a transparent, resemble that of the masks in Noh drama, medium of the string quartet—rather than eight-measure melody is shared among the which change under the stage lights with his symphonies, piano sonatas, or operas—a instruments in every possible permutation. the slightest movement of the actors. vehicle for his most sophisticated writing. The E-flat quartet is often called The Joke because of the witty “false ending” of its Second, I have a great interest in the When published, the new quartets, rondo finale. Here, in a touch of self-mockery ostensibly familiar. Seeing things with a fresh combining accessibility with artistic perhaps, Haydn deconstructs the much- and simple mind as if for the first time is of excellence, immediately created a stir. repeated theme, giving us the melody phrase

34 STANFORD LIVE MAGAZINE APRIL 2015 by phrase, each separated by a measure of at Stanford, the members of the SLSQ are She is also a researcher at the Centre for silence. Three more measures of silence and visiting artists at the University of Toronto. Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media he now gives us the opening phrase again, The foursome’s passion for opening up and Technology in Montreal. In 2012, Mode pianissimo—and with it, a good chuckle. musical arenas to players and listeners Records released Save Percussion Theater —© 2014, Keith Horner alike is evident in its annual summer featuring Ms. Huang and friends documenting chamber music seminar at Stanford. important theatrical works in the percussion ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET repertoire. Ms. Huang’s research focuses on Currently celebrating its 25th-anniversary Lesley Robertson and Geoff Nuttall are the cross-pollination between science and season, the St. Lawrence String Quartet founding members of the group and hail music from the performer’s perspective. Her (SLSQ) has developed an undisputed from Edmonton, Alberta, and London, current research project, Memory in Motion, reputation as a truly world-class chamber Ontario, respectively. Christopher Costanza focuses on the understanding of memory in ensemble. The quartet performs over is from Utica, New York, and joined the percussion ensemble playing. 120 concerts annually worldwide and group in 2003. Mark Fewer, a native of calls Stanford University home, where Newfoundland, began his first season with In May 2013, she cohosted the festival the group is ensemble-in-residence. The the quartet in 2014, succeeding violinist Random Walks: Music of Xenakis and Beyond SLSQ continues to build its reputation for Scott St. John. All four members of the with Canada’s leading research institutions: imaginative and spontaneous music-making quartet live and teach at Stanford. the Perimeter Institute, Fields Institute for through an energetic commitment to the Research in Mathematical Sciences, and great established quartet literature as well AIYUN HUANG Institute for Quantum Computing. In 2013, as the championing of new works by such The ever-evolving Aiyun Huang enjoys a she produced Inflorescence: Music from composers as John Adams, Osvaldo Golijov, musical life as a soloist, chamber musician, SoundSCAPE on New Focus Recordings. Ezequiel Viñao, and Jonathan Berger. researcher, teacher, and producer. She won Upcoming releases include a recording on first prize and the Audience Award at the Naxos Records featuring Canadian composer The quartet maintains a busy touring Geneva International Music Competition Chris Harman’s percussion and keyboard schedule. Its 2014–15 season includes a three- in 2002. Her past highlights include music produced by Ms. Huang. concert series at the Library of Congress in performances at the Victoria Hall in Geneva, Washington, DC, during which the quartet Weill Recital Hall in New York City, Los Born in Kaohsiung, a southern city of Taiwan, will play Stradivari instruments from the Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella Ms. Huang holds doctor of musical arts and library’s prized collection. In January 2015, series, Los Angeles County Museum of master of arts degrees from the University the SLSQ premiered at Stanford University Art’s concert series, Holland Festival, Agora of California, San Diego (UCSD) and a a string quartet by John Adams—his third Festival in Paris, Banff Summer Arts Festival, bachelor of arts degree from the University of work composed for the group. The quartet 7ème Biennale d’Art Contemporain de Toronto. Her teachers included Steven Schick, will also perform and give master classes Lyon, Vancouver New Music Festival, CBC Russell Hartenberger, Gaston Sylvestre, Robin around North America, with visits to Radio, La Jolla SummerFest, Scotia Festival Engelman, Bob Becker, and Francois Bedel. Houston, Toronto, Philadelphia, Oberlin, of Music, Cool Drummings, Montreal New Between 2004 and 2006, she was a faculty Montreal, and many other cities. The SLSQ Music Festival, Centro Nacional de las Artes fellow at UCSD. She currently holds the is proud to continue its long association with in Mexico City, and National Concert Hall position of associate professor in percussion the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South and Theater in Taipei. She is a founding at the Schulich School of Music at McGill Carolina, during the summer season. member of the Canadian trio Toca Loca with University in Montreal, Canada. She regularly pianists Gregory Oh and Simon Docking. teaches and performs in summer festivals Since 1998, the SLSQ has held the position Since 2011, she has been performing including the National Youth Orchestra of of ensemble-in-residence at Stanford with Musicians from SoundSCAPE with Canada, SoundSCAPE in the Italian Alps, University. This residency includes soprano Tony Arnolds and pianist Thomas and Roots and Rhizomes at the Banff Centre. working with music students as well as Rosenkranz. Her recent highlights include She is a proud endorser of Sabian, Yamaha collaborating extensively with other faculty concerto appearances with the Taipei Canada, and Innovative Percussion.• and departments to use music to explore Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre a myriad of topics. Collaborations have de la Suisse Romande. Ms. Huang has involved the School of Medicine, the commissioned and championed more than School of Education, the Law School, and 100 works in the last two decades, working others. In addition to their appointments with composers internationally.

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