concert program iii: Metamorphosis, 1822–1824 FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828) July 25 and 26 Sonata in a minor, D. 821, “Arpeggione” (November 1824) Allegro moderato Saturday, July 25, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Adagio MS Arts at Menlo-Atherton Allegretto MS A Paul Neubauer, viola; Juho Pohjonen, piano A R Sunday, July 26, 6:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School R Abendstern, D. 806 (Mayrhofer) (March 1824) G G Der Wanderer (“Ich komme vom Gebirge her”), op. 4, no. 1, D. 489 (Schmidt von Lübeck) (1816) Program Overview Nikolay Borchev, baritone; Juho Pohjonen, piano Schubert’s determination to become an acclaimed com- Fantasy in C Major, op. 15, D. 760, “Wanderer” (November 1822) poser of significant instrumental works is spectacularly Allegro con fuoco, ma non troppo – Adagio – Presto – Allegro manifested in Concert Program III. His command of the Juho Pohjonen, piano ERT PRO ERT virtuoso idiom is convincingly demonstrated in his brilliant PRO ERT INTERMISSION C Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano, his unbroken mastery of C the lied in a pair of exquisite songs, and his fearless con- FRANZ SCHUBERT quest of the piano in his tour de force keyboard work the Octet in F Major for Winds and Strings, op. posth. 166, D. 803 (February–March 1, 1824) ON “Wanderer” Fantasy, tackled only by history’s most intrepid Adagio – Allegro ON C Adagio C pianists. The program concludes with Schubert’s fitting Scherzo: Allegro vivace response to Beethoven’s Septet: his epic Octet for Winds Andante and Strings, one of the greatest masterpieces of the chamber Minuetto: Allegretto Andante molto – Allegro music literature. Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet; Peter Kolkay, bassoon; Kevin Rivard, horn; Sean Lee, Arnaud Sussmann, violins; Pierre Lapointe, viola; Dmitri Atapine, cello; Scott Pingel, bass SPECIAL THANKS Music@Menlo dedicates these performances to the follow- ing individuals with gratitude for their generous support: July 25: Bill and Bridget Coughran and also to Elizabeth Wright July 26: Dave and Judith Preves Anderson and also to Harold and Jan Thomas Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder (1722–1789). Apollo and Daphne, 1771. bpk Berlin/Art Resource, NY Program Notes: Metamorphosis, 1822–1824 Notes on the Program by Patrick Castillo FRANZ Schubert The development section begins with a sunnier statement of the opening theme in F major in the piano, accompanied by pizzicati in (Born January 31, 1797, Vienna; died November 19, 1828, Vienna) the viola (the instrument heard on tonight’s program). The mood Sonata in a minor, D. 821, “Arpeggione” quickly darkens again, and the rambunctious second theme, which Composed: November 1824 had offered the lightheartedness of the exposition, is now exploited to more introverted ends. Following a standard recapitulation, a Dedication: Vincenz Schuster brief coda ends the movement on a solemn note. Published: 1871, by which time the arpeggione had fallen out of The meditative tenderness of the gentle Adagio second move- fashion. The first published edition included an alternative cello part; ment owes equally to its ravishing harmonies and to its melodic modern arrangements exist for instruments ranging from the cello to lyricism. Long sustained notes in the viola seem to change inflection, the flute. colored by new harmonies in the piano accompaniment. Midway Other works from this period: The year 1824 saw an explosion through the movement, the music enters into another world, as if of masterworks for smaller forces, including the “Death and the passing from drowsiness into sleep. The eighth-note accompaniment Maiden” String Quartet, D. 810; the “Grand Duo” Sonata for Piano, suddenly stops, and the rhythmic motion doubly slows into a drugged Four Hands, D. 812; and the Octet for Winds and Strings, D. 803. waltz. A delicate cadenza arcs upwards as if tracing a rainbow, from Approximate duration: 28 minutes the bottom of the viola’s range to the top, before returning to middle ground and leading directly into the third movement Allegretto. The arpeggione (ar-pej-ee-oh-nay) was a bowed, fretted six-string The sonata concludes with a delightful rondo. The amiable instrument invented in 1824 by the Viennese guitar luthier Johann opening subject alternates with contrasting sixteenth-note episodes Georg Staufer; it was also referred to as a bowed guitar, the instrument in minor, recalling the contrasting characters of the first movement’s that it most resembled. Though more standard instruments—pri- main themes. Schubert includes delicious moments throughout that marily the viola and cello—frequently fill in for this now obsolete are similarly bipolar but on a smaller scale—as, for instance, in the sud- instrument in performances today of Schubert’s “Arpeggione” Sonata den yet seamless transitions from agitation to lyricism between the (the only significant work in the repertoire for the instrument), the movement’s main sections. At the center of the movement, Schubert MS arpeggione in fact had a significantly wider range. Its six strings, ver- inserts a second episode, evocative again of the Austrian Alps. The A sus the viola’s and cello’s four, allowed for certain virtuosic passages to sonata closes quietly, with the viola reaching into its uppermost regis- ter for a final statement of the theme. R be played easily across the strings in one position, avoiding the manual G acrobatics required on the cello and viola in modern practice. Similarly to the viola and cello, the sound of the arpeggione bore an expressive, speech-like quality, especially in its upper register. FRANZ Schubert Schubert was a quick study of the new instrument and wrote with superb sensitivity to its timbre. The melodies and harmonic textures Abendstern, D. 806 (Mayrhofer); Der Wanderer, op. 4, no. 1, to be found in the sonata are vintage Schubert, and it is worthy of D. 489 (G. P. Schmidt von Lübeck) being ranked among his greatest works. Composed: Abendstern: March 1824; Der Wanderer: 1816 ERT PRO ERT In a short work of prose entitled Mein Traum (My Dream), Published: Abendstern: 1833; Der Wanderer: 1821, as Opus 4 Number 1 C Schubert wrote, “Whenever I attempted to sing of love, it turned to Opus posth. 137 sonatinas for violin pain. And again, when I tried to sing of sorrow, it turned to love.” This Other works from this period: and piano: no. 1 in D Major, D. 384; no. 2 in a minor, D. 385; and no. 3 polarity can be heard in the unabashed contrasts in mood of the sona- ON in g minor, D. 408 (1816); Trio in B-flat Major for Violin, Viola, and ta’s opening Allegro moderato. The music begins with a long, somber C Cello, D. 581 (1817); “Death and the Maiden” String Quartet, D. 810 melodic line; a lively transition from this plaintive opening melody to (1824); “Grand Duo” Sonata for Piano, Four Hands, D. 812 (1824); the buoyant second theme transforms the music from tragic to idyllic. Octet for Winds and Strings, D. 803 (1824) The sixteenth-note pattern of the second theme resembles numerous moments from Schubert’s lieder illustrating the serenity of a brook, Approximate duration: 8 minutes one of the composer’s favorite poetic images. A yodeling octave leap completes the figure, conjuring images of Schubert’s beloved Austrian Schubert’s Abendstern (The Evening Star), composed in 1824, sets a Alps. œ >œ œ >œ poem by the composer’s friend Johann Baptist Mayrhofer. The song Arpeggione œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ begins with the singer addressing a lone star in the evening sky. pp j j j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Why do you linger alone in the sky, & ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ Piano pp œ œ œ œj œ œ œ . o beautiful star? and you are so mild; ? ‰ œ œ . œ œ œ œ ‰ j ‰ j ‰ . œ œ. why does the sparkling crowd J ‰ Jœ œ œ œ œ of your brothers shun your sight? œ >œ œ >œ & œ œ# {œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Schubert surrounds these lines with searching harmonies. The melodic setting likewise probes the text: particularly expressive are & œ œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j j j j the dissonant appoggiaturas that urge the line forward—melodic œ œ œ œ . ? ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ . œ œ œ ornaments that lean into the next note. Note also the piercing quality œ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ . œ œ. J œ œ œ. œ. J J Jœ of the ascending melodic contour on the words “o schöner Stern”—“o { beautiful star.” *Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 94. Ziemlich langsam ™ ™ 3 j œ j œ™ œ j j œ œ œ œ œ™ œ FRANZ Schubert &4 ‰Œ ∑∑Œ‰œ J œ œ J œ œ œ# œ J R J J R Wasweilst du ein- samJ an demJ Him- mel, oschön- er Stern? und bist so Fantasy in C Major, op. 15, D. 760, “Wanderer” Composed: November 1822 3 j œ ˙™ œ™ ™ œ œ œ™ j 4 œ œ œ œ™ œ œ ˙™ œ™ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ™ œ ˙ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ™ œ #œœ œ ˙™ œ™ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ™ œ# œ œœ œœ ˙ œ #œ p J pp Published: 1823, as Opus 15 ™ œ ™ ™ ™ ™ œ œ 3 œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ™ œœ œœ œœ ˙ œ œ Other works from this period: Tantum ergo in D Major, D.