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47Th SEASON PROGRAM NOTES Week 4 August 4–10, 2019

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47Th SEASON PROGRAM NOTES Week 4 August 4–10, 2019 th SEASON PROGRAM NOTES 47 Week 4 August 4–10, 2019 Sunday, August 4, 6 p.m. a series of quick detours along the way for A String Around Autumn. Takemitsu fills Monday, August 5, 6 p.m. some nicely contrasted episodes before the the solo part with double, triple, and even trio races to an emphatic close on a great quadruple stops and employs a technique JEAN FRANÇAIX (1912–97) pizzicato stroke. utilized earlier by Olivier Messiaen: String Trio (1933) —Eric Bromberger harmonics combined with glissandi. Aside from this specific link to the French Jean Françaix was born into a musical family. TO ¯ RU TAKEMITSU (1930–96) composer, Messiaen was, of course, widely His mother was a choral conductor and A Bird Came Down the Walk for Viola & known for his fascination with, and use of, violinist, and his father, who gave him his Piano (1994) birdsong in many of his compositions. first composition lessons, was the director of While the “flock” of the earlier piece is the Le Mans Conservatory. Françaix studied The forces that shaped the creative powers now represented by a single bird, Takemitsu privately with Nadia Boulanger before of To¯ ru Takemitsu were certainly varied and described it this way: “The bird theme goes attending the Paris Conservatory, where he far less traditional than those associated walking through the motionless scroll studied composition and became a virtuoso with most composers. Even the great painting like a landscape, a garden hushed pianist. He began composing at age six, and 20th-century radicals such as Schoenberg, and bright with daylight.” his Eight Bagatelles were performed at the Stravinsky, and Bartók were all grounded in —Greg Hettmansberger 1932 International Society for Contemporary conservatory training before blazing their Music (ISCM) festival in Venice a few weeks individual paths. WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–91) after his 20th birthday. Françaix composed Takemitsu graduated from Keika High String Quartet in A Major, K. 464 (1785) works in larger forms (operas, ballets, School in Tokyo in 1948, and while it’s symphonies, concertos, an oratorio) as well significant to note that he studied privately We too often think of Mozart as an utterly as for chamber ensembles and piano, and with Yasuji Kiyose, he was largely self- natural composer—someone who could his music shows virtues that are invariably taught. In 1951, he co-founded a Tokyo- conceive an entire piece in his head to the thought Gallic: it’s well-crafted, elegant, based composers’ group known as the point where writing it out was a purely witty, and sometimes ironic. Experimental Laboratory, whose purpose mechanical task. There may be some The String Trio for violin, viola and cello was to create new music that combined substance to that stereotype but it wasn’t dates from 1933, shortly after Françaix modern compositional techniques with invariably true, and on certain works Mozart had completed his studies at the Paris Japanese modalities. But almost at once he worked long and hard. In this category fall Conservatory; the Trio Pasquier premiered began writing for films, scoring the work of the six string quartets he began shortly the work on June 15, 1934. Jascha Heifetz directors such as Kurosawa and Shinoda. after moving to Vienna in 1781. He’d been was a great admirer of this work, and in It’s worth noting that the piece that astonished by Haydn’s string quartets and 1964 he recorded it with Joseph de Pasquale launched Takemitsu’s international by the possibilities the older composer had and Gergor Piatigorsky. reputation was the 1967 work November found in that form, and these six works— The trio is concise—its four movements Steps, scored for a Japanese lute (biwa) composed between 1782 and 1785—show span a total of barely 10 minutes—and and a traditional flute (the shakuhachi) Mozart taking command of this difficult something of its energetic character is accompanied by full orchestra. That same form and making it fully his own. Mozart suggested by the fact that three of its year saw the publication of New Sounds was honest enough, though, to acknowledge movements are marked Vivo (“Lively”). for Woodwinds, a compendium of timbral the example of a master, and he dedicated The opening Allegretto vivo is muted techniques compiled by the Italian composer these six quartets to Haydn when they were throughout, and that subdued sound makes Bruno Bartolozzi. Suddenly, Takemitsu saw published in 1785. the constant motion of this movement all new and vital links between modern Western Haydn, in turn, was blown away by these the more impressive. That same impression techniques and certain Japanese traditions works. He heard the final three (which of unending motion characterizes the that had been in place for centuries. included the A-Major Quartet heard on Scherzo, whose lilting outer sections frame Takemitsu based the short piece heard on tonight’s program) at a concert in Vienna a rhythmic trio. The Andante, again muted tonight’s program, A Bird Came Down the in February 1785, and he pulled Mozart’s throughout, is a variation-movement based Walk, on the opening of his 1977 orchestral father, Leopold, aside to offer one of the on its lullaby-like opening melody, while work A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal most generous compliments one composer the concluding Rondo vivo explodes to life Garden. He wrote it for violist Nobuko Imai, ever paid another: “Before God and as an on its saucy central tune. Françaix makes who, in 1989, had premiered his concerto honest man, I tell you that your son is the Program notes for Music at Noon concerts are sponsored by Barbara & Ronald Balser with thanks to the gifted Festival musicians who inspire us all. greatest composer known to me either in idea has subtle thematic and rhythmic links The Andante is dominated by a single person or by name. He has taste and, what with the main theme of the first movement. theme that’s initially introduced in the upper is more, the most profound knowledge of Mozart makes this music sing beautifully, register of the cello and concludes in a composition.” and the ending is wonderful: the music duet of typical poignancy between the two Haydn wasn’t the only composer stunned grows quiet as fragments of this theme are stringed instruments. The Scherzo is bouncy by this music. A decade later, the young passed from instrument to instrument, and and playful, offset by a contrasting section Beethoven, embarking on his own first set suddenly the music, like smoke, vanishes that subtly harkens back to the previous of string quartets, copied out the entire before us. Beethoven and Haydn—and movement. Schubert titles the finaleRondo, last movement of the A-Major Quartet as everyone else who has heard this quartet— but where one would expect the returns of a way of studying it in detail. Beethoven’s were quite right to be astonished by it. the first theme to alternate with contrasting friend Carl Czerny reported that Beethoven —Eric Bromberger episodes, Schubert instead delivers a more once took up the score of this quartet and sonata-like structure with unexpected exclaimed in wonder: “That’s what I call a FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828) changes to the principal theme each time it work! In it, Mozart was telling the world: Piano Trio in B-flat Major, D. 898 (1827) returns. Look what I could create if the time were —Greg Hettmansberger right!” Throughout the course of his unbelievably Yet at first glance there seems nothing creative career, Schubert showed he could remarkable, formally, about this quartet: a get things right from the very beginning (for sonata-form opening movement, a minuet, a example, composing the compelling song variation-form slow movement, and a quick- “Erlkönig” at the age of 17) and at the very paced finale. Such a description, though, end (writing the Quintet for Strings, doesn’t begin to define what’s distinctive D. 956, during the last weeks of his life). about this music, such as the evolution of In his final years, Schubert also revealed a its themes, the utter ease of the writing for seeming nonchalance about not just creating the four voices, or the emotional effect of memorable music but about elevating a the ending. The quartet is neither stormy nor form to greater heights of expression as well. melancholy, but by the time it reaches its He wrote both of his piano trios during his understated conclusion, Mozart has distilled final year, and while each one offers unique stunning emotional power into what had charms, either can be said to have set a new seemed very straightforward music. standard for this relatively new genre. The Allegro that opens the quartet seems More than most composers of his day, simplicity itself: a flowing and easy first idea Schubert forged a voice of true distinction. (its two opening pulses will recur in various Accordingly, no matter how much he forms throughout the movement), followed likely admired Beethoven’s final trio (the by a second subject in the unexpected key “Archduke”), for example, neither of his of C major. The Menuetto opens with a firm piano trios hint in the least at being unison that quickly gives way to a dancing derivative of that masterpiece. Schumann’s counterstatement from the violins, and famous comment about the trio heard on the trio is also in an unexpected key (this tonight’s program could well have captured time E major). The Andante is the longest the reality of the composition’s creation. movement in this set of six quartets—and “One glance at Schubert’s B-flat Trio,” one of the greatest.
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