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The Seventh SeasonBeing Mendelssohn July 17–August 8, 2009
David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic DirectorsCHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL AND INSTITUTE
1www.musicatmenlo.org
Music@Menlo Being Mendelssohnthe seventh seasonjuly 17–august 8, 2009david finckel and wu han, artistic directors
Contents
3 AMessagefromtheArtisticDirectors
5 WelcomefromtheExecutiveDirector
7 Being Mendelssohn:Program
Information
8 Essay:“MendelssohnandUs”byR.LarryTodd
10 EncountersI–IV
12 ConcertProgramsI–V
29 MendelssohnStringQuartetCycleI–III
35 CarteBlancheConcertsI–III
46 ChamberMusicInstitute
48 PreludePerformances
54 KoretYoungPerformersConcerts
57 OpenHouse
58 CaféConversations
59 MasterClasses
60 VisualArtsandtheFestival
61 ArtistandFacultyBiographies
74 Glossary
76 JoinMusic@Menlo
80 Acknowledgments
81 TicketandPerformanceInformation
83 Music@MenloLIVE
84 FestivalCalendar
Cover artwork: untitled, 2009, oil on card stock, 40 x 40 cm by Theo Noll. Inside (p. 60): paintings by Theo Noll. Images on pp. 1, 7, 9 (Mendelssohn portrait), 10 (Mendelssohn portrait), 12, 16, 19, 23, and 26 courtesy of Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY. Images on pp. 10–11 (landscape) courtesy of Lebrecht Music and Arts; (insects, Mendelssohn on deathbed) courtesy of the Bridgeman Art Library. Photographs on pp. 30–31, Pacifica Quartet, courtesy of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Theo Noll (p. 60): Simone Geissler. Bruce Adolphe (p. 61), Orli Shaham (p. 66), Da-Hong Seetoo (p. 83): Christian Steiner. William Bennett (p. 62): Ralph Granich. Hasse Borup (p. 62): Mary Noble Ours. Colin Carr (p. 62): Courtesy of Alliance Artist Management. Eugene Drucker (p. 63): Andrew Eccles. Jorja Fleezanis (p. 63): Anneliese Varaldiev. Jeffrey Kahane (p. 63): Michael Amsler. Paul Neubauer (p. 64): Emiliano Loconsolo. Pacifica Quartet (pp. 29, 65) and St. Lawrence String Quartet (p. 66): Anthony Parmelee. Thomas Sauer (p. 66): Peter Schaaf. Arnaud Sussmann (p. 67): NyghtFalcon. Joseph Swensen (p. 67): Eric Richmond. R. Larry Todd (pp. 8, 68): Les Todd, Duke University Photography. William VerMeulen (p. 68): Eric Arbiter. Paul Watkins (p. 68): Nina Large. Carol Wincenc (p. 69): Cori Wells Braun. Photograph on p. 83 (Music@Menlo LIVE): Nick Stone. Photographs on pp. 3, 5, 15, 40, 42, 46–59, 61 (David Finckel and Wu Han), 63 (Ara Guzelimian), 75–78, 82 (David Finckel, Wu Han, Anthony McGill), and 81: Tristan Cook. Image on p. 82 (The Center for the Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton) courtesy of Hodgetts + Fung.
Art direction and design: Nick Stone Design, www.nickstonedesign.com.
2 Music@Menlo 2009
AnnS.Bowers
Jim&MicalBrenzel
Iris&PaulBrest
Mr.&Mrs.HenryD.Bullock
ChubbGroupofInsuranceCompanies
Jennifer&MichaelCuneo
TheJeffreyDeanandHeidiHopperFamily
DavidFinckel&WuHan
Joan&AllanFisch
Marcia&PaulGinsburg
TheDavidB.andEdwardC.GoodsteinFoundation
Sue&BillGould
WallaceR.&AlexandraHawley
Libby&CraigHeimark
KathleenG.Henschel
TheWilliamandFloraHewlettFoundation
TheHurlbut-JohnsonFund
MichaelJacobson&TrineSorensen
KoretFoundationFunds
MaryLorey
HughMartin
TheMartinFamilyFoundation
Nancy&DuBoseMontgomery
TheDavid&LucilePackardFoundation
Laurose&BurtonRichter
George&CamillaSmith
Marcia&HapWagner
Melanie&RonWilensky
2009 Season DedicationMusic@Menlo’s seventh season is dedicated to the following individuals and organizations that share the festival’s vision and whose tremendous support and commitment continue to make the realization of Music@Menlo’s mission possible.
3www.musicatmenlo.org
DearFriends,
Inourrolesasmusicians,educators,musiclovers,parents,and
citizensoftheartisticcommunity,weareperpetuallyinspired
bythepromiseoftoday’syouth.Fromthetimeandconversa-
tionweenjoyatthisfestivaleachsummer,weknowitisan
excitementthattheMusic@Menlocommunitysharesinequal
measure.Eachseason,weallarerejuvenatedbytheenergyand
charismabroughtbythestudentsofourChamberMusicInsti-
tute,anintegralcomponentofMusic@Menlosincethefestival’s
inception.Thefortyyoungartistswhoembarkonthismusi-
caljourneywithuseachsummernotonlyrepresentthenext
generationofgreatchambermusiciansbutalsoarethetorch-
bearersforthespiritandwayoflife—whetherthroughmusicor
anyothervocation—thatwecelebrateandstrivetocultivateat
Music@Menlo:awayoflifemarkedbydeepengagement,insa-
tiablecuriosity,andthestimulatingexchangeofideas.
Thesevaluesareespeciallysalienttothethemeof
Music@Menlo’s2009festival, Being Mendelssohn,whichcom-
memoratesthebicentennialofthebirthofFelixMendelssohn.
ThatMendelssohnbecametheworld’sgreatestcomposer,pia-
nist,andconductorbyhisearlytwentieswouldberemarkable
enoughtowarrantthiscelebration.ButMendelssohnmoreover
complementedhisastonishinggiftswitharavenousappetite
forknowledgeandamotivatingsenseofduty.Thedepthand
breadthofhisartisticlifearestaggering:hisinterestsand
accomplishmentsencompassedliterature,thevisualarts,and
theology;hebroughttothemusicdirectorshipoftheLeipzig
GewandhausOrchestraasenseofcivicresponsibilitythat
revitalizedGermanculturallifeatlarge;andasthefounding
directoroftheLeipzigConservatory,Mendelssohnensuredthat
thetraditionofartisticexcellencetowhichhedevotedhislife
wouldcontinuetothriveforgenerations.
Tohonorthisgreatartist’slegacy,itfallstoeachoneofus
toembraceitasourownandtonurtureitspotentialintheris-
inggenerationofmusiciansandmusiclovers—toprovidethem
witheveryopportunitytoabsorbandbeinspiredbytheMen-
delssohniantraditionofartisticexcellence,intellectualcuriosity,
andpersonalexploration.ThistraditionhasmadeMusic@Menlo
afontofspiritualnourishmentfromwhichweourselvesdraw
inspirationyearafteryear.
Thisseason’stributetoMendelssohnisafittingendeavor
forMusic@Menlo,notonlyincelebrationofhisbicentennial
butbecausetheessenceofhisartistryandwayoflifeexempli-
fiestheidealsthatdefineMusic@Menloandsetitapartthe
worldover.Asyoujoinusforthissummer’sconcerts,Encoun-
ters,masterclasses,andotherofferings,wehopeyouwill
experiencefirsthandtheembodimentandcontinuationofMen-
delssohn’slegacy.Wearepleasedtowelcomeyouas,together,
wediscoveranewtherewardsofBeingMendelssohn.
Bestwishes,
DavidFinckelandWuHan
ArtisticDirectors
TheMartinFamilyArtisticDirectorship
A Message from the Artistic Directors
5www.musicatmenlo.org
Welcome from the Executive Director
DearFriends,
IamdelightedtowelcomeyoutoMusic@Menlo’s2009
festival!Ithasbeenanexcitingandeventfulyear.Through-
outthemanymonthsofpreparationandplanning,Ioften
foundmyselflookingforwardtothereturnofsummerand
withitthewonderfulweeksofmusicsharedwithyou.At
longlast,itistimefortheMusic@Menlocommunityto
cometogether,torenewthemanyfriendshipsamongaudiencemembersand
musicians,andtoengageintheenjoymentandexplorationofgreatmusic.
Oneofthedefiningcharacteristicsofthesummerseasonistheslow-
ingoftime—thedaysgrowlonger,andthewarmthgivesourlivesafeeling
ofslowingdown,ifonlyinperception.Likewise,thefullexperienceof
Music@Menlogivesustheopportunitytoslowdown,totakesometimeand
stepbackfromthechaoticrealityofourmodernlives,andtoreconnectto
thespirit,immersingourselvesintheimpulsesthatmakeushuman.Withthe
greatuncertaintiesofthistime,itisevenmoreessentialtocometogetheras
acommunityandjoinourneighborsinthisjourney.
Thissummer’stheme,Being Mendelssohn,isparticularlyappropriatetoourtimes.DavidFinckelandWuHansoeffectivelypointoutthatasyou
learnmoreaboutFelixMendelssohn,youwillrealizethathecanserveasa
rolemodelforusinourpresentlives.Withinthegreaterculturalhistoryof
theWest,hestandsoutastheultimateexplorer.Inhisalltoobrieflife,he
examinedallfacetsofcreativelifewithinsociety,asacomposer,performer,
visualartist,andeducator.
Inthatspiritofexploration,Iwouldurgeyoutotakesometimetowalk
aroundcampus,stopbyoneofourclassroomsandobserveacoaching
session,attendamasterclass,andmeetsomeofourstudentsandfaculty.
Music@Menloisatitscoreaneducationalexperience.Oureducationalmis-
sionisnotlimitedtotheyoungartistsoftheChamberMusicInstitute;it
includestheentirefestivalcommunity.Weencourageeveryonetopartici-
pateandtobeabsorbedintothelearningprocess.Usethissummeroasisto
expandandnourishyourownculturallife.
IwanttoextendourthankstotheentireMusic@Menlocommunity.This
wonderfulfestivalcouldnothappenwithoutthehardwork,dedication,and
financialsupportofallofyou:ourfantasticboard,themanydonorswhogive
sogenerously,thecountlessvolunteerswhogivesoliberallyoftheirtime
andenergy,andastaffthatworkstirelesslythroughouttheyeartomakethis
seasonofmusichappen.
Thankyouall,andenjoythefestival.
EdwardP.Sweeney
ExecutiveDirector
Music@Menlo
BoardAnnS.Bowers
PaulM.Ginsburg
KathleenG.Henschel
MichaelJ.Hunt
EffW.Martin
HughMartin
TrineSorensen
DavidFinckelandWuHan,ArtisticDirectors
WilliamR.Silver,ex officioEdwardP.Sweeney,ExecutiveDirector,ex officio
AdministrationDavidFinckelandWuHan,ArtisticDirectors
EdwardP.Sweeney,ExecutiveDirector
PatrickCastillo,ArtisticAdministrator
ErinHurson,DevelopmentAssociate
MarianneLaCrosse,OperationsDirector
DavidLorey,PlanningDirector
ShayneOlson,MarketingDirector
KatherineRaymond,PatronServicesCoordinator
AdrienneStortz,AdministrativeAssistant
SallyTakada,DevelopmentDirector
DaphneWong,OperationsCoordinator
Mission StatementToexpandthechambermusiccommunityandenhance
its enjoyment and understanding of the art form by
championingthehighestartisticqualityinliveperfor-
mance, promoting extensive audience engagement
withthemusicand itsartists,andproviding intensive
training for aspiring professionalmusicians. In pursu-
ingthismission,thefestivaloffersmyriadopportunities
foraudiencemembers,artists,andyoungmusiciansto
godeepintothemusicanditscontext,gaininggreater
insightandinspiration.Inallitsactivities,Music@Menlo
actively encourages the ongoingdevelopment of the
chambermusic art form, impelling it forward for the
enjoymentoffuturegenerations.
2009–10 Season
VERDIIl Trovatore
PUCCINIIl Trittico
MOZARTThe Abductionfrom the Seraglio
DONIZETTIThe Daughterof the Regiment
STRAUSSSalome
Tickets On Sale Nowsfopera.com • (415) 864-3330
Opera Box Office301 Van Ness AvenueSan Francisco, CA 9410210 am–5 pm Monday10 am–6 pm Tuesday–Friday New Music Director
Nicola Luisotti
VERDIOtello
GOUNODFaust
PUCCINIThe Girl of theGolden West
WAGNERDie Walküre
Experience the Future of
www.sfcm.edu | 415.503.6275
World Class Music Free ConCerts
Music@Menlo - Season AD3.indd 1 6/8/09 1:39:55 PM
Pro Piano San Francisco
760 Tennessee Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
info-sf@propiano.com
800-256-3054
Pro Piano New York
637 W. 27th Street
Suite 201
New York, NY 10001
info-ny@propiano.com
800-367-0777
Pro Piano Los Angeles
Warehouse Only
No Public Access
Los Angeles, CA 90064
info-la@propiano.com
800-538-3031
www.propiano.com Pro Piano, in service to the great spirit of music since 1969.
Pro Piano is the official provider of Hamburg Steinway grand pianos to Music@Menlo 2009.
7www.musicatmenlo.org
programs
Concert Program I: From BachSaturday,July18,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch
Sunday,July19,6:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall
Monday,July20,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall
Concert Program II: Genius ProclaimedFriday,July24,8:00p.m.,MenloParkPresbyterianChurch
Concert Program III: Midsummer Night DreamsMonday,July27,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall
Tuesday,July28,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall
Wednesday,July29,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch
Concert Program IV: Mendelssohn PerspectivesMonday,August3,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall
Tuesday,August4,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall
Wednesday,August5,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch
Concert Program V: Promise FulfilledSaturday,August8,8:00p.m.,MenloParkPresbyterianChurch
The Mendelssohn String Quartets: The Early QuartetsTuesday,July21,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch
The Mendelssohn String Quartets: The Opus 44 QuartetsFriday,July31,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch
The Mendelssohn String Quartets: The Final Quartets, opp. 80 and 81Friday,August7,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch
Carte Blanche Concert I: The Romantic Cello SonataSunday,July26,10:00a.m.,StentFamilyHall
Carte Blanche Concert II: The Brahms Sonatas for Violin and PianoSaturday,August1,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch
Carte Blanche Concert III: An Evening with Menahem PresslerSunday,August2,7:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch
PianoJeffreyKahane
GilbertKalish
MenahemPressler*
ThomasSauer*
WuHan
ViolinSibbiBernhardsson*
EugeneDrucker
JorjaFleezanis
SiminGanatra*
GeoffNuttall
ScottSt.John*
ArnaudSussmann
JosephSwensen
ViolaPaulNeubauer
LesleyRobertson
MasumiPerRostad*
CelloColinCarr
ChristopherCostanza
DavidFinckel
BrandonVamos*
PaulWatkins*
BassScottPingel
Pacifica QuartetSiminGanatra,violin*SibbiBernhardsson,violin*MasumiPerRostad,viola*BrandonVamos,cello*
St. Lawrence String QuartetGeoffNuttall,violinScottSt.John, violin*LesleyRobertson,violaChristopherCostanza,cello
FluteCarolWincenc
OboeWilliamBennett
ClarinetAnthonyMcGill
BassoonDennisGodburn
French HornWilliamVerMeulen
Encounter LeadersBruceAdolphe
AraGuzelimian
OrliShaham*
R.LarryTodd*
*Music@Menlodebut
artists
8 Music@Menlo 2009
February3,2009,markedthebicentenary
of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn Bar-
tholdy (1809–1847). He is a musician we
have known in countlessways. Hewas a
childprodigyheraldedasasecondMozart.
For many, Mendelssohn was the primary
player in the Bach revival, who restored
the St. Matthew Passionfromacenturyof
slumberandworkedtirelesslytopromote
Bach’smusicinGermanyandEngland.Mendelssohnwasapia-
nistandorganistwhoseimprovisationsandpowersofmemory
werelegendary.In1842,afterhearingWagnerplayasketchof
theVenusbergmusic forTannhäuser,Mendelssohneffortlesslyreplicated itat thepiano.Hewasaskilledviolinistandviolist
whocouldtakeupapartinhisOctet,composedwhenhewas
onlysixteen.Hewasoneofthefirstorchestralconductorstouse
abaton,andheturnedtheGewandhausOrchestraintooneof
thepremierensemblesofitstime.Hewasamusicologicalsleuth
whoporedovermanuscriptsofBach,Handel,Beethoven,and
SchubertandwhoseinterestsextendedwellbeyondBachtothe
polyphonyofPalestrina,atatimewhenthemusicalsixteenth
centurywaslargelyunknown.And,ofcourse,Mendelssohnwas
the composer of numerous familiar concert-hall staples that
neednointroductionhere.
Beyondhismusical versatility, hewasa remarkablepoly-
math.FluentinGerman,French,andEnglish,hereadLatinand
Greek.Hewasanexcellentdraftsmanandleftdozensofhighly
accomplished drawings and paintings of memorable scenes
encountered in his travels through Europe and Great Britain.
Manyofhismostromanticscores—theHebrides OvertureandItalian Symphonyamongthem—suggestacross-fertilizationof
visual and musical imagery, demonstrating that Mendelssohn
wasasynesthetewhousedonesensetotriggeranother.Men-
delssohn was active as a poet and translator—his German
translationsofTerence,fastidiouslypreservingtheoriginalLatin
meters,delightedGoetheinhiswaningyears.AndMendelssohn’s
circleandlistofcorrespondentsreadlikeawho’swhoofEuro-
pean gentry and elite: Prussian and Saxon monarchs, Queen
VictoriaandPrinceAlbert,AlexandervonHumboldt,Hegel,Sir
WalterScott,Goethe,Heine,HansChristianAndersen,Dickens,
andThackeray,nottomentionmusicalcelebrities,amongthem
Bellini,Berlioz,Cherubini,Chopin,Czerny,Donizetti,JohnField,
Glinka,Gounod,Joachim,JennyLind,Liszt,Meyerbeer,Offen-
bach, Paganini, Rossini, the Schumanns, Spohr, Spontini, Carl
MariavonWeber,andWagner.
Mendelssohn’sprivatecorrespondenceisfilledwithrapier-
like,witty, and ultimately telling comments about the leading
musiciansofhistime.Herearesomechoiceexamples.OnBer-
lioz:“astereotypedgeniusinblackandwhite.”OnCzerny:hewas
“atradesmanonhisdayoff”churningoutanendlesssupplyof
pianovariations,arrangements,andsalonpieces.OnDonizetti,
whocouldproduceanoperaintendays:ifhisreputationfellin
jeopardy,hededicatedthreefullweekstocomposinganopera,
“expendedsomeeffortsonafewnumberssothattheywould
please,andthenresumedtakinghiswalksandwritingbadly.”
AndfinallyonthemusicalathleticismoftheyoungLiszt,whom
MendelssohnmetinParisin1825:“hehadmanyfingersbutlittle
upstairs.”Butthesebitingcommentswerebalancedbynumer-
ous acts of kindness towardmanymusicians and colleagues,
amongthemtheEnglishmanSterndaleBennett,theDaneNiels
Gade,theyoungCharlesGounod,andRobertSchumann.Itwas
MendelssohnwhopremieredSchumann’sfirstandsecondsym-
phonies,premieredClaraSchumann’sPianoConcerto(written
whenshewasfourteen),tooktheyoungJosephJoachimunder
hiswing,andencouragedJosephineLangtostudycomposition
andwritesongs.
At the height of his short, meteoric career during the
1830sand1840s,Mendelssohnwaslionizedasanearlypeerless
composer, especially inGermanandEnglish realms.After the
Düsseldorfpremiereofhisfirstoratorio,St. Paul (1836),theworkwas immediately embraced in Switzerland,Holland,Denmark,
Poland, andRussia and soon reached theUnitedStates.Ureli
Corelli Hill, president of the fledgling New York Philharmonic
Society,invitedthecomposertocometoAmericaasamusical
missionary.HillintendedtoplaceatMendelssohn’sdisposalan
imposingensembleof750,toreplicatethegreatmusicfestivals
thathewasthendirectinginGermanyandEngland.But,owingto
exhaustionfromoverwork,thecomposerdeclinedandprivately
observedthatthetrans-Atlanticjourneywasnomorepossible
forhimthanatriptothemoon.Hisdeathjustthreeyearslater
atagethirty-eightwasviewedasaninternationalcalamityfor
thearts,andhewaseulogizedintermsborderingonherowor-
ship. Thus, theEdinburgh Review in 1862: “none to comecan
tarnishthereputationwhichbelongstoFelixMendelssohnBar-
tholdy, as a complete, successful, and thoroughly happyman
andartist,whodiedinearlymanhood,butinthemeridianofhis
fame.”Mendelssohn’s lifewas a “complete poem”; for Robert
Schumann,itwasa“consummateworkofart.”
But for all of Mendelssohn’s celebrity, he paradoxically
remained insomecirclesanoutsider.Hewasthegrandsonof
MosesMendelssohn,theeighteenth-centuryJewishphilosopher
oftheHaskalah, whohadarguedfortheassimilationofPrussian
JewryintomainstreamGermanculture.ForMosesMendelssohn,
Judaism was not incompatible with an enlightened Prussian
state.Nevertheless,duringthepost-NapoleonicRestoration, on
Mendelssohn and UsBy R. Larry Todd
But surely the Mendelssohn reception tells us as much about ourselves as about the composer—and the ways in which succeeding generations celebrate and revaluate their canonical figures.
9www.musicatmenlo.org
March21,1816,thecomposer’sparentshadtheirchildrenbap-
tizedintotheLutheranfaith,andaroundthistimetheybegan
usingasasecondsurname,Bartholdy.AsHectorBerlioz later
recalled, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy practiced his adopted
faithwithconviction.Still, threeyearsafterhisdeath,Richard
Wagnerargued(anonymously)thatasaJewMendelssohncould
only imitate theprofunditiesof thegreatGermancomposers,
andthatforallitscrafthismusicwasderivativeandsuperficial.
By theendof thenineteenthcenturya reactionagainstMen-
delssohnhadtakenholdinGermanyandEngland.Asamusician
who had visited England ten times and as the composer of
theoratorio Elijah,embracedfor its reformingspiritbyPrince
Albert,MendelssohnwasaneasymarkforthosewhofoundVic-
torianculturesuperficialandprudish.By1911,SirDonaldTovey
wasobservingthatMendelssohn’sreputation,exceptinregard
toafew“inexplicablybeautifulandoriginalorchestralpieces,”
hadvanished.Thefinalblowcameinthe1930s,whentheNazis
banned his music and removed his statue that had stood in
Leipzigsince1892.
Pendulum-like, perceptions of Mendelssohn have indeed
variedconsiderably.ButsurelytheMendelssohnreceptiontells
us asmuchaboutourselves as about the composer—and the
waysinwhichsucceedinggenerationscelebrateandrevaluate
theircanonicalfigures.ForthetruthisthatMendelssohn’sinflu-
ence never completely disappeared. Composers as disparate
as the Schumanns,Brahms,CharlesAlkan, Tchaikovsky, Sibel-
ius,Reger,andRichardStraussweredrawntohismusic(when
StrausswasaskedduringtheThirdReichtocomposenewmusic
forA Midsummer Night’s Dream,hedemurred,citinghisinabil-
itytoimproveuponMendelssohn’sincidentalmusic).Duringthe
FirstWorldWar, Ravel edited Mendelssohn’s complete piano
works,andSchoenberg,onthethresholdofrealizinghisradically
newtwelve-tonesystemofcomposition,includedaLied (ohne Worte) in hisOp. 24Serenade of 1923. Finally,Mendelssohn’smusic was embraced by twentieth-century mass culture. To
leave alone the omnipresentWedding March, one might cite
IrvingBerlin’s ragtime “ThatMesmerizingMendelssohn Tune,”
releasedduringthecentenaryyearof1909;ErnestLough’s1927
recordingoftheanthem“HearMyPrayer,”whichsoldmillionsof
copies;andMaxReinhardt’s1935filmofA Midsummer Night’s Dream, with a lavish score, prepared by Erich Korngold, thatimpressed as an anthology-like celebration of Mendelssohn’s
music.
Todayweare in the full stagesof aMendelssohn revival,
andhispositioninmusichistoryisonceagainsecure.Historians
arerewritingthenarrativeofhislifeandworkanddrawingupon
freshinsightsfromtheburgeoninginterest inthemusicofhis
sisterFannyHensel(1805–1847),herselfachildprodigyandthe
composer of well over four hundred compositions. Complete
editions ofMendelssohn’smusic and letters—scholarlymonu-
mentstohislifeandwork—areunderwayfromleadingGerman
publishinghouses,andinLeipzig,areplicaofthestatueremoved
bytheNazishasrecentlybeenunveiledneartheThomaskirche.
Notfaraway,hisfinalresidenceisnowahandsomelyrestored
museum.
Nodoubt,Mendelssohnwill continue tocome inandout
offashion,andgenerationswillresistorsuccumbtohisartand
itsmanifoldvariety.FordevoteesofBachandHandel,onecan
findinMendelssohncomplexfuguesandgrand,sweepingcho-
ruses; formusicofgreatdramaticpower,stretchesofSt. Paul andElijah and the cantataDie erste Walpurgisnacht, admired
byBerliozforits“apparentconfusion”thatwasthe“perfection
ofart”;forelegantmusicwithclassicalpoise,thefinaleofthe
ViolinConcertoandtheOp.44stringquartets;forpurelyricism,
the Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words); and forwhatEdwardLockspeiserdescribedasaprotomusicalimpressionism,
theHebrides Overture.AllthisandconsiderablymoreisinMen-
delssohn’smusic.Writingontheoccasionofthe1909centenary,
theAmericancriticHenryMenckenventuredthatifMendelssohn
missed truegreatness, hemissed it by “nomore than a hair-
breadth.”Perhapstoday,ontheoccasionofthebicentenary,we
shouldfinallygivehimthebenefitofthedoubt.
R. Larry Todd (Duke University) is the author of Mendelssohn:ALifeinMusic,named Best Biography of 2003 by the Association of American Publishers, and the forthcoming biographyFannyHensel,theOtherMendelssohn (Oxford University Press).
Music@Menlo 200910
July 17
Encounter ILife of Discovery: A Portrait of Felix Mendelssohn,with Orli ShahamFriday, July 17, 7:30 p.m.
Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
DriventoabsorbandmastertheWesternmusical traditionas
comprehensivelyashisgeniuswouldallow,FelixMendelssohn
assembledabodyofwork that represents theculminationof
musichistoryuptohisownlifetime.Hismusiceducationfound
firm grounding in the music of Bach and Mozart; he discov-
eredand internalizedthe innovationofBeethoven’senigmatic
latestyleduringhisprecociousteenageyears;andbyhisearly
twenties,hewasalreadycreatingmusicthatforecastthedirec-
tionofthelatternineteenthcentury.Pianist,writer,andlecturer
OrliShahamexploresthecreativeoriginsofthisquintessential
Romantic master, tracing Mendelssohn’s path from insatiable
curiositytogroundbreakinggenius.
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this Encounter to Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Bullock with gratitude for their generous support.
July 23
Encounter IIIntuition, Intellect, and Insects: Felix and the Fireflies, with Bruce AdolpheThursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.
Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
In Felix Mendelssohn we find the extraordinary musical intu-
ition of a child prodigy combined with a prodigious intellect
thatembracedallareasofartandliterature.Intuitively,hefound
musicinthebuzzofbugsandintheflickeringlightofafirefly.
Intellectually,hewasinspiredbythepoetryofGoetheandShake-
speare.Theresultwasthat,atagesixteen,hegavethemusical
world a new kind of scherzo—dizzy, comical, and delightfully
mysterious.Joincomposerandpublic radiopersonalityBruce
AdolpheforaseriouslistentoMendelssohn’spersonalmagic.
E n c o u n t E r s
Theodor Hildebrandt (1804–1874): Felix Mendelssohn, 1835. Oil on canvas.
(Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY)
Musical Insects, illustration from Stories of Insect Life by William J. Claxton, 1912.
Color litho by Louis Fairfax Muckley (1887–1914).
(Private collection/The Bridgeman Art Library)
www.musicatmenlo.org
E n c o u n t E r s
11
July 25
Encounter IIIThe Grand Tour, with R. Larry ToddSaturday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.
Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
“This prophet, too, is not honored in his own country,”wrote
thecomposerandpianistIgnazMoschelesofMendelssohn.“He
mustgoelsewhere.”Attwentyyearsold,the insatiableyoung
polymath—alreadyemerging,despitehisyouth,asastandard-
bearerofWesternmusic—grewrestless inBerlinandpinedto
travelabroad.In1829,heembarkedonhisGrandTourthrough
GreatBritain,Italy,andFrance,intentonabsorbingthosecountries’
myriadofferings,fromShakespeareandSt.Peter’stoScottishand
Italianfolksong.LeadingMendelssohnscholarR.LarryToddwill
takeaudiencesalongonthecomposer’sfascinatingthree-yearcul-
turalodyssey,examininghowMendelssohn’stravelsbothinspired
newworks(suchastheScottishandItaliansymphonies)andculti-
vatedhissenseofidentityasaGermanmusician.
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this Encounter to the Hurlbut-Johnson Fund with gratitude for its generous support.
August 6
Encounter IVSongs without Words: Mendelssohn’s Last Year, with Ara GuzelimianThursday, August 6, 7:30 p.m.
Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
In1847,thelastyearofhislife,Mendelssohnfacedtheunimagin-
ablelossofhisbelovedsisterFanny.HesoughtrefugeintheSwiss
Alps,wherehecomposedhisprofoundlyaffectingStringQuartet
infminor,op.80,asapersonalrequiemtoFanny.Theseason’s
finalEncounterexploresthisremarkableworkwiththemembers
ofthePacificaQuartet;otherfestivalartistsprovideasampling
ofworksfromMendelssohn’sfinalyear.Asthissummer’sexplora-
tionofMendelssohndrawstoaclose,AraGuzelimianexamines
thecriticalresponsetoMendelssohn’smusicbothwithinhisown
timeandinthe150yearssincehisdeath.
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this Encounter to Lindy Barocchi with gratitude for her generous support.
Mendelssohn’s Scottish drawing (1829), surrounded by notes from his Scottish
notebooks that he kept on his journey. (Lebrecht Music and Arts)
Rudolf Julius Benno Huebner (1806–1882): Felix Mendelssohn on his deathbed,
ca. 1847. Pencil on paper. (Private collection/The Bridgeman Art Library)
12 Music@Menlo 2009
Saturday, July 18
8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 48)
Sunday, July 19
6:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School
(Prelude Performance 4:00 p.m., see page 48)
Monday, July 20
8:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 49)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates these performancesto the following individuals and organizationswith gratitude for their generous support:
July 18: Laurose and Burton RichterJuly 19: Jim and Mical BrenzelJuly 20: Eileen and Joel Birnbaum
CORPORATE SPONSOR:
Program OverviewNocomposer exercised amore formative influenceonMendelssohn than Johann
SebastianBach,whosemusicalintegrationofformalperfectionandexpressiveideal
would guideMendelssohn throughout his creative life.Of especial importance to
theyoungMendelssohnwasthediscoveryandrigorousstudyofBach’smasterful
fugues.Music@Menlo’s2009season-openingprogramtracestheillustriousmusical
lineagefromBach,throughMozart,toMendelssohn,whodeeplyabsorbedtheles-
sonsfromhismusicalforebears.“FromBach”culminatesintheMendelssohnSextet,
thebeginningoftheyoungcomposer’sjourneyintotheRomanticera.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Selectionsfrom The Art of Fugue, BWV1080(1748–1749) ContrapunctusI
ContrapunctusIV
ContrapunctusVII,à4,perAugmentationemetDiminutionem
ContrapunctusXI,à4
ContrapunctusIX,à4,allaDuodecima
St.LawrenceStringQuartet:
ScottSt.John,GeoffNuttall,violins; LesleyRobertson,viola; ChristopherCostanza,cello
Ricercarà6fromMusical Offering,BWV1079(1747)
GeoffNuttall,ScottSt.John,ArnaudSussmann,violins;LesleyRobertson,viola;ChristopherCostanza,cello;DennisGodburn,bassoon;ScottPingel,bass
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
AdagioandFugueforStringQuartetincminor,K.546(1788)
St.LawrenceStringQuartet:
GeoffNuttall,ScottSt.John,violins; LesleyRobertson,viola; ChristopherCostanza,cello
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Sinfoniesatzno.13incminor(1823)
JorjaFleezanis,KristinLee,*GeoffNuttall,ArnaudSussmann,violins;LesleyRobertson,OnYouKim,*ScottSt.John,SunmiChang,*violas;ChristopherCostanza,EricHan,*cellos; ScottPingel,bass
INTERMISSION
Felix Mendelssohn SextetinDMajor,op.110(1824) I.Allegro vivace II.Adagio III.Menuetto: Agitato IV.Allegro vivace
WuHan,piano; JorjaFleezanis,violin;LesleyRobertson,ArnaudSussmann,violas;ChristopherCostanza,cello;ScottPingel,bass
*ChamberMusicInstituteInternationalProgramparticipant
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847):
Lauterbrunner Valley, Switzerland. Watercolor, 1847.
(Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY)
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concert Program I:
From BachJuly 18, July 19, & July 20
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Johann Sebastian Bach(Born March 21, 1685, Eisenach; died July 28, 1750, Leipzig)
Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue), BWV 1080: Con-trapunctus I; Contrapunctus IV; Contrapunctus VII, à 4, perAugmentationemetDiminutionem;ContrapunctusXI,à4;Contra-
punctusIX,à4,allaDuodecima
Musikalisches Opfer (Musical Offering),BWV 1079: Ricercarà6
Composed: Die Kunst der Fuge:TheprecisedateofthestartofBach’sworkonThe Art of Fugue*isunknown;theearliestextantsource,theBerlinmanuscriptMus.MSBachP200,datesfrom1742.
ThecycleendswithaquadruplefuguewhichBachleftunfinished
athisdeath.Musikalisches Opfer:May–July1747.
Other works from this period: ThefinaldecadeofBach’slifepro-ducedsomeofhismostseminalcreations.InadditiontoThe Art of Fugue and theMusical Offering, he composed theGoldberg Variations,BWV988(1741);theCanonicVariationson“VonHim-
melhoch,”BWV769(1747);andtheMassinbminor(assembled
ca.1747–1749fromnewandpreexistingmovements).MartinGeckwrites:“Alltheseprojectsspringfromthesameintention:hisdesire
toarticulateandsummarizetheessentialsofhiswork.Theresult
arecyclesthatgototherootofoneparticularsubject,thatdemon-
stratetherichnessofmusicthroughtheuseofonemodeltheme.”
Approximate duration:Die Kunst der Fugeselections: 16min-
utes;Ricercar:7minutes
Though primarily celebrated in his own lifetime as a supremely
giftedorganist,JohannSebastianBachhassincebecomeuniver-
sallyrecognizedasacomposerandmusicalinnovatorofthehighest
pedigree.Hewasanartistofthemostprofoundtechnicalcreativity
andemotionaldepthwhofullyabsorbedandintegratedallmusical
resourcesavailabletohim.Bachwasasprolificashewasmasterful,
producinganenormousbodyofwork that includesanextensive
catalogof keyboardmusic, seminalworks for solo and chamber
ensembles,orchestral concerti,more than twohundredcantatas,
andsuchlandmarksacredchoralworksastheMassinbminorand
St. Matthew Passion(whichlatterworkisforeverlinkedtoFelixMen-delssohn,who,asatwenty-year-oldphenomconductorin1829,led
acelebratedperformanceof theoratorioat theBerlinSingakad-emie,thussparkingthemodernBachrevival).
Bachpossessedaninsatiablemusicalcuriosityandearnestly
soughttodiscoverallofthetechnicalandexpressivepossibilities—
inhisownwords,“everypossibleartistry”—ofhiscraft.The Art of FugueandMusical Offeringdemonstratewhatmightbeconsidered
theheartandsoulofBach’smusic:hismasteryofcounterpointandfugalwriting.
Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue)BachlikelyintendedThe Art of Fugueaskeyboardmusic,despite
havingwrittentheworkout infullscoreratherthansimplekey-
boardnotation. Itwouldhavebeencommonpractice,especially
foranorganistofBach’sability,toreadsuchaworkatthekey-
boardinfullscore,whichhasthebenefitofclearlydemonstrating
theactivityofeachindividualvoiceandthemusic’soverallstruc-
ture.Moreover,justasthefullscoreoffersclarityforstudy,sodoes
it lendThe Art of Fugue toperformanceby fourdistinct instru-
ments,whichinturntranslatethisvisualclarityintosound.
The fourteen fugues, two mirror fugues, four canons, andincompletequadruple fugue thatconstituteDie Kunst der Fuge derivefromamodesttwelve-notesoggetto,statedattheoutsetofthefirstfugueinsuccessionbyeachofthefourvoices.
WhatBachcreatesoverthecourseofThe Art of Fugue fromthis
simplesubjectisnothingshortofmiraculous.Thecyclerepresentsan
exhaustiveexplorationofthecontrapuntalpossibilitiescontainedin
onemusicalidea;somehavegonesofarastoregardtheworkasa
cosmicquesttounlocknature’ssecrets.AfterBach’sdeath,thecom-
poser’sobituarynoted:“Oncehehadheardaparticulartheme,he
couldgrasp,asitwereinstantaneously,almostanythingartisticthat
couldbebroughtforthfromit.”
The Art of Fugue is thecrowning testament to thisclaim.To
wit:theseventhfugueofthecyclebeginswithaslightlyembellished
statementofthesubject;againstthis,Bachpitsthreesimultaneous
statementsofthesubjectininversion—inthesoprano,alto,andbass—
witheachoccurringatadifferentspeed.Midwaythroughtheeleventh
fugue,Bachweaveshismusicalsignatureintothepolyphonictexture:
inGermannotation,thelettersB,A,C,andHrepresent,respectively,
thenotesB-flat,A,C, andB-natural.After cleverly fashioning this
chromatic four-notemotif intoacountersubject,Bachcombines it
withthesoggetto todrivethefuguetoaclimacticconclusion.
Musikalisches Opfer (Musical Offering)In1747,BachvisitedthecourtofFredericktheGreat.Widelyhailed
asanenlightenedmonarchandadevotedpatronofthearts,Fred-
erickwasmoreoveratalentedflutistandcomposer.Uponhisascent
topower,he installedanexcellentrosterofmusiciansatthePrus-
siancourt, includingthecomposerCarlPhilippEmanuelBach,son
ofJohannSebastian,andundertooktorevitalizeGermanmusicallife
atlarge.
ItwasCarlPhilippEmanuelwhobrokeredhis father’svisit to
Frederick’scourt.Bach’sreputationasagreattheoreticianandcon-
trapuntalistprecededhim,andupontheoccasionofhisvisit,hewas
givenadifficulttheme,composedbytheking—henceknownasthe
King’sTheme—toimproviseonatthekeyboard.
Bachrosetotheoccasionandthensome:twomonthslater,he
publishedtheMusical Offering,acollectionofvariouscompositions
basedon theKing’s Theme,which hededicated to Frederick the
Great.Thecompleteworkcomprisestencanons,atriosonata forviolinandflute(presumablyintributetoFrederick’sfluteplaying),a
three-partricercar,andasix-partricercar.(Atraditionalforminthesixteenthandseventeenthcenturies,
“ricercar”wasanantiquatedtermbythemid-eighteenthcentury;in
Bach’sday, ithadessentiallybecomesynonymouswithfugue.But
designatingthefuguesofthe Musical Offeringasricercariheldsym-
bolic import: in the dedicated autograph sent to Frederick, Bach
handwrotetheheading“ricercar”asaLatinacrostic:RegisIussuCan-tioEtReliquaCanonicaArteResoluta—“Attheking’scommand,the
song[i.e.,thefugue]andfurtherexamplesoftheartofthecanon.”)
Program Notes: From Bach
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
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LikeThe Art of Fugue,the Musical Offeringservestosummarize
thedepthofBach’smasteryofcounterpointandfugue.Bachbiog-
rapherMartinGeckwrites: “Thededicateeof theMusical Offering,FredericktheGreat,wasthegreatestrepresentativeofsecularpower
intheGerman-speakinglands:assuch,hewasbeinghonoredwith
aworkwhichinBach’sviewwouldbeatthehighestlevelofmusical
composition.”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born January 27, 1756, Salzburg; died December 5, 1791, Vienna)
Adagio and Fugue for String Quartet in c minor, K. 546
Composed: June26,1788(datefromMozart’sVerzeichnüss aller meiner Werke [Catalog of All My Works]). TheFugue(withoutAdagio introduction)wasoriginallycomposedin1783fortwo
keyboards,K.426.
Other works from this period: OtherentriesinMozart’sVerzeich-nüss aller meiner Werke from1788includethePianoConcertoinDMajor,K.537(February24);Ah se in ciel, benigne stelle, K.538,anariacomposedforAloysiaLange(néeWeber),Mozart’ssister-
in-law(March4);Ein Deutsches Kriegslied (A German War Song), K.539(March5);theAdagioinbminor,K.540(March19);Dalla sua pace, K.527,anadditionalariacomposedforthepartofDon
Ottavio inDon Giovanni (April24); thePianoSonatano. 16 inC Major, for beginners, K. 545 (June 26); the Violin Sonata
no.36inFMajor,forbeginners,K.547(July10);thePianoTrioin
CMajor,K.548(July14); Più non si trovano, K.549,acanzonettafortwosopranosandbass(July16);andthefinaltwosympho-
nies,no.40ingminor,K.550(July25),andno.41inCMajor
(theJupiter Symphony),K.551(August10).
Approximate duration:8minutes
Mozart’sAdagioandFuguebeganlifeastheFugueincminor,
K. 426, for two keyboards. Composed in 1783, that work (to
which Mozart would add the Adagio introduction when pre-
paring the stringquartetarrangement)appearedaspartofa
flurryofnewpiecesthecomposerproduceduponhisarrivalin
Viennain1781.Indeed,Mozart’sproductivityduringtheseyears
seemstohaveknownnolimits.Between1781and1785,hisout-
putincludednumerouspianoconcertiandsymphonies;important
chamberworksincludingviolinsonatas,theQuintetforPianoand
Winds,K.452,andthesix HaydnQuartets;theMassincminor;and
theoperasDie Entführung aus dem SerailandLe nozze di Figaro.The string quartet version of theAdagio and Fugue came
about under quite different circumstances. By the late 1780s,
Mozart’spopularity(and,consequently,his income)hadtakena
downward turn. Although Figaro had been wildly acclaimed in
Prague,theopera’sViennapremierein1786waspoorlyreceived
anditsproductiondidnotprovelucrativeforMozart.Thefollow-
ingyear,Don Giovanni likewisefailedtoplease:itwascriticizedasbeingoverlylearnedandtoosophisticatedforthegenerallistener.
Inordertogeneratemuchneededincomeinthesummerof1788,
Mozartcomposedatafuriouspace,completingasymphony,avio-
linsonata,apianotrio,apianosonata,andthisarrangementofthe
Fugueincminor,withtheaddedAdagiointroduction,inthespan
ofonlyafewweeks.
ThecharacteroftheAdagioandFugueisseverethroughout.
Theopeningdialoguebetweenthecelloandtherestoftheensem-
bleestablishesamajestic,rhythmicfeel.Usinganuncompromising
pattern that continues for the rest of the introduction, Mozart
interspersesmusicthatservestooffsettheaggressive,conquer-
ingopeningmeasures.Thiscontrastingmaterial—asmysteriousas
theopeningisobvious—infusestheAdagiowithadisturbingand
ominous atmosphere. It isMozart theopera composer atwork,
introducing a shady character that puts everyoneen garde. Asthe stentorian sections repeatat the same length, the shadowy
phrasesgrowlongerandlonger,ultimatelyleavingtheAdagioina
moodofgreattensionandanticipation.
Thecelloonceagainhasthefirstsayastheangularfuguesub-
jectbreaksin.AsinthefugueshehadarrangedfromBach’sThe Well-Tempered Clavier in1782(oneyearbeforethisfugue’soriginalversionfortwokeyboards),Mozart—stillundertheBaroquemas-
ter’sspell—demonstratesacompletemasteryoffugaltechnique.
TheFugueservessimultaneouslyasanhomagetoBachandasan
announcementtotheViennesemusicalcommunityofthearrival
ofacompellingandindividualcompositionalvoice.
Felix Mendelssohn (Born February 3, 1809, Hamburg; died November 4, 1847, Leipzig)
Sinfoniesatz no. 13 in c minor
Composed:CompletedDecember29,1823
Other works from this period: Detailedinthenotesbelow
Approximate duration: 8minutes
ThoughcomposedwhenMendelssohnwasjustfourteenyears
old, theSinfoniesatz in cminor is anadolescentworkonly in
termsofchronology.Artistically,thisconcisesingle-movement
work—liketheOpus110SextetforPianoandStrings,composed
thefollowingyear(andalsoofferedonthisprogram)—exhibits
thecraftsmanshipofafullymaturedcomposer.Moreover,both
theSinfoniesatzand theSextet represent the impressivepro-
ductivityofMendelssohn’searly teens. In theyear 1823alone,
Mendelssohncompletedfourstringsymphoniesandthecminor
Sinfoniesatz;twodoubleconcerti:oneforviolinandpianoand
anotherfortwopianos;theOpus2PianoQuartet,Opus4Violin
Sonata,andE-flatMajorStringQuartet;andDie beiden Neffen,his fourth opera, among other works. The prodigious young
Mendelssohn consequently caught the attention of Western
Europe’smusicalcommunityandcametoberegardedbymany
as the second Mozart. Astonished at his rapid development,
Mendelssohn’steacherCarlFriedrichZelternoted,“Heisgrow-
ingbeneathmyeyes.”
AsubstantialportionofMendelssohn’scompositionalactiv-
ityduring this timewasdevoted topolishinghiscraftvia the
stringsymphonygenre.Hecomposedhisfirstsixstringsympho-
niesinthefallof1821,theseventhandeighththefollowingyear,
andtheninththroughtwelfth,plustheunnumberedSinfoniesatz
(typicallylabeledno.13),in1823.Thestringsymphonyofferedthe
advancedstudentcomposeramediumwherehecouldbecome
proficient insymphonicformandpracticed inmanaging large
ensembles (the Sinfoniesatz expands the standard four-part
texturetofivevoicesbydividingtheviolas),aswellasopportu-
nityforfurtherpracticeatcounterpoint.
The work betrays Mendelssohn’s immersion in themusic
ofBach immediately from its slow, neo-Baroque introduction;
the persistent short-long rhythmic figure demonstrates the
eighteenth-centuryFrenchoverturestyle.Themainbodyofthe
workcomprisesanadeptlyconstructeddoublefugue.(Inboth
its structure—slow introduction, fast fugue—and content, the
SinfoniesatzlikewiseechoesMozart’sownhomagetoBach,the
cminorAdagioandFugue.)ButwhiletheSinfoniesatz,likethe
otherstringsymphonies,reliesonBachiancounterpoint,so,too,
doesitforeshadowtheinfluenceofBeethoveniandrama.
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Felix MendelssohnSextet for Piano and Strings in D Major, op. 110
Composed: April28–May10,1824
Published:Posthumously,in1868
Other works from this period: Detailedinthenotesbelow
Approximate duration:26minutes
By1824,Mendelssohn’sseductionbythedramaticforceofBeethoven’s
languagewascomplete.ThoughnolessunderthespellofBach,the
music composed duringMendelssohn’s fifteenth year increasingly
foreshadowsRomanticsensibilities.Thespateofworkscompleted
in1824anddistinctlymarkedbyBeethoven’sinfluenceincludeMen-
delssohn’sSymphonyno.1,theCapriccio ine-flatminorforPiano,the
cminorViolaSonata,andtheSextetinDMajorforPianoandStrings,
publishedposthumouslyasMendelssohn’sOpus110.
JustasimpressiveastheSextet’sartisticmaturityisthespeed
withwhichtheyoungMendelssohncompletedit:hecomposedthe
Sextetinlessthantwoweeks,betweenApril28andMay10,1824.
Thewell-to-doMendelssohnfamilyregularlystagedSundaymorn-
ingmusicalesattheirhomethroughoutMendelssohn’syouthasa
vehicleforFelix’sblossominggifts,andtheSextetwascomposed
forandpremieredatoneoftheseevents.Inadditiontoshowcasing
Felixthecomposer,theSextet,whichMendelssohndesignedasa
virtualminipianoconcerto,waslikewiseintendedtospotlightFelix
thepianovirtuoso.Therestoftheensemblecomprisesaunique
instrumentation:oneviolin,twoviolas,cello,anddoublebass.
The firstmovementAllegro vivace’s sonata-form structure
offersfewsurprisesintermsofdesign,butaudiencesatthepre-
mieremusthavebeentakenabackbythefifteen-year-oldpianist’s
staminaandlimbervirtuosity.Particularlyimpressiveisthesalvoof
trickytripletrunsthatclosestheexpositionandcontinuesunre-lenting into the development section. (Nor does Mendelssohnrelegatehiscolleaguestotheroleofsupportingcast:thoughtful
conversationalpassagesbetweenthestringsproducesomeofthe
Sextet’smostdramaticallycompellingmoments.)
TheAdagiolikewisefeaturesthepianoinaconcertanterole.Themovementbeginswithahymn-likesolemnity;Mendelssohn
instructs the violin and violas to play con sordino (withmuted
strings),imbuingthemusicwithahushedtimbre.
Thoughlabeledaminuet,theelegantdanceformtraditionally
foundinmultimovementClassicalperiodworks,thethirdmove-
mentissuchinnameonly.Itsagitatedcharactermoreaptlybefits
the scherzo, the frenzied triple-meter movement that came to
replacetheminuetintheRomanticperiod.
TheSextet’smostcompellingmomentcomesneartheendof
thegregariousfinale.ChannelingBeethoven,Mendelssohnusesa
dramaticdevicelearnedfromthemaster’sFifthSymphony(which
premieredabout amonthbeforeMendelssohnwasborn): in the
midstofthecontentedlyMozartianrecapitulation,theagitatedmin-
uetmakesanunexpectedreturn,likeamischievousrabble-rouser
crashinganaristocraticsalon.ListenersattheSextet’spremiere—
stillstrugglingin1824toabsorbthebreadthofBeethoven’sfierce
creativity—musthavebeenastoundedbyyoungFelix’saudacity.For
allitsgracefulelegance,theSextetdidmuchmorethanannounce
Mendelssohn as a delightful child with a charming gift.Western
music’snextgreatartistictalenthadarrived.
©2009PatrickCastillo
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16 Music@Menlo 2009
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concert Program II:
Genius ProclaimedJuly 24
Friday, July 24
8:00 p.m., Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 50)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Michael Jacobson and Trine Sorensenwith gratitude for their generous support.
Program OverviewFollowing theportentofBeethoveniandrama in theearlyMendelssohnworks that
close “FromBach,” this summer’s secondConcert Programdelves further into the
artisticsympathiessharedbetweenBeethovenandMendelssohn.“GeniusProclaimed”
bringstogetherearlymasterpiecesbybothcomposers—worksthatputtheworldon
noticeofgroundbreakingartistsdestinedforsuperlativeachievements.Theprogram
beginswithBeethoven’sStringQuartetinB-flatMajor,op.18,no.6,oneofthecompos-
er’searlyessaysinagenrethathewouldeventuallycometoredefine.Mendelssohn
followswiththeOpus18StringQuintet,likewiseagemfromthecomposer’syouth.The
programendswiththeimmortalOctetforStrings.Thismagnificentwork,composed
in1825whenMendelssohnwasonlysixteenyearsold,isuniversallyacknowledgedas
oneofthesinglegreatestworksinthechambermusicliterature.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
StringQuartetinB-flatMajor,op.18,no.6(1798–1800) I.Allegro con brio II.Allegro ma non troppo III. Scherzo: Allegro IV.La Malinconia (Adagio – Allegretto quasi allegro – Adagio – Allegretto – Poco adagio –
Prestissimo)
St.LawrenceStringQuartet:
ScottSt.John,GeoffNuttall,violins; LesleyRobertson, viola; ChristopherCostanza,cello
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
StringQuintetno.1inAMajor,op.18(1826) I.Allegro con moto II.Intermezzo III.Scherzo: Allegro di molto IV.Allegro vivace
St.LawrenceStringQuartet:
ScottSt.John,GeoffNuttall,violins; LesleyRobertson, viola; ChristopherCostanza,cello MasumiPerRostad, viola
INTERMISSION
Felix Mendelssohn OctetforStringsinE-flatMajor,op.20(1825) I.Allegro moderato, ma con fuoco II.Andante III.Scherzo: Allegro leggierissimo IV.Presto
St.LawrenceStringQuartet:
GeoffNuttall,ScottSt.John,violins; LesleyRobertson, viola; ChristopherCostanza,celloPacificaQuartet:
SiminGanatra,SibbiBernhardsson,violins;MasumiPerRostad,viola;BrandonVamos,cello
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847):
Lucerne, Switzerland. Watercolor, 1847.
(Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY)
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Ludwig van Beethoven (Born in Bonn, baptized December 17, 1770; died March 26, 1827, Vienna)
String Quartet in B-flat Major, op. 18, no. 6
Composed: 1798–1800
Published: Vienna,1801
Dedication: PrinceKarlLobkowitz(seebelow)
First performance: TheOpus18quartetswereallpremieredat
theFridaymorningmusicalesheldatPrinceLobkowitz’shome.
Other works from this period: Detailedinthenotesbelow
Approximate duration:25minutes
The six string quartets of Beethoven’sOpus* 18mark a coming
ofageinthecomposer’scareer.Theydatefromhisearlyyearsin
Vienna,wherehehadarrivedin1792fromhisnativeBonninorder
to, in the famouswordsof his patronCountWaldstein, “receive
the spirit ofMozart fromHaydn’s hands.” Beethoven composed
theOpus18quartetsbetween1798and1800.Theseyearssawthe
completionofnumerousotherimportantearlyworks:inadditionto
thequartets,theOpus9stringtrios;thepianosonatasofOpuses10and22;theSeptetforWindsandStrings;theOpus23andOpus
24violinsonatas;andtheFirstSymphony,amongotherworks.
TheOpus18quartetsmaycollectivelybethemostimportant
ofthese.NotonlydidtheyforcefullyannounceBeethoven’sarrival
toWestern Europe’smusical capital but theymore importantly
representtheyoungcomposer’sfirstattemptsatwhatwasand
hassinceremainedthequintessentialchambermusicgenre.His
eventualcycleofsixteenquartetsstands,tothisday,amongthe
cornerstonesofthecanonofWesternmusic.
Composing these quartets served as an important step in
Beethoven’ssuccessionofHaydnandMozart.Haydn—thefatherof
theClassicalstyle,andBeethoven’steacher—hadsingle-handedly
definedthegenreandmoreoversetanintimidatingstandardwith
hisnearlyseventystringquartets.Mozart,too,hadmadeimpor-
tantcontributionstothequartetliterature,particularlywithhisset
ofsixquartetsdedicatedtoHaydn.
Beethovenwasclearlyconsciousofthesignificanceattached
tohisfirststringquartets.Thechoicetopublishasetofsixworks—
asopposedtoasingleworkorhisusualsetofthree—fell inline
withseveralsetsofsixbyHaydn,aswellasMozart’sHaydnQuar-tets.Andasifcomposingtheseworkswerenotpressureenough,
PrinceKarlLobkowitz,theAustriannoblemanwhocommissioned
thequartets,simultaneouslycommissionedasetofsixfromHaydn,
stokingtheunspokenbutintensifyingcompetitionbetweenpupil
andmaster.Perhapsasasymbolicpassingofthetorch,theaging
Haydncompletedonlytwoofthesix.
Work began on theOpus 18 quartets in 1798. Beethoven’s
sketchbooksrevealhisgreatcareandattentiontodetailinperfect-
ingtheworks.TheyunderwentconstantrevisionbeforeBeethoven
finallysentthemtohispublisher.In1799,Beethoveninscribedan
autographcopyoftheQuartetinFMajor,op.18,no.1,asafarewell
gift tohis friendKarlFriedrichAmenda: “DearAmenda,Accept
thisquartetasasmalltokenofourfriendship,andwheneveryou
playitrecallthedayswepassedtogetherandthesincereaffec-
tionfeltforyouthen,whichwillalwaysbefeltby:Yourwarmand
truefriend,LudwigvanBeethoven.”Onlyoneyearlater,Beethoven
sentthefollowingrequest:“Mydear,mygoodAmenda,myheart-
ilybelovedfriend…Don’tlendoutmyquartetanymore,becauseI
havemademanychangesinit.Ihaveonlyjustlearnthowtowrite
quartetsproperly,asyouwillseewhenyoureceivethem.”
Thefirsttwomovementsof theB-flatMajorQuartet,op. 18,no.6,followstraightforwardlyenoughtheexampleofHaydnand
Mozart. The opening Allegro con brio begins to demonstrate
Beethoven’s developing penchant for such forceful dramatic
devices as jarring sforzandi and unexpected silences but doessowithintheClassicalmoldofHaydn’squartets.Theslowsecond
movement does likewise; its leisurely pace equals with patience
whatthefirstmovementsuggestedofBeethoven’srestlessenergy.
The delicious rhythmic confusion that begins the scherzo(isitin2/4?3/4?andwhohasthedownbeat,theviolinsorlower
strings?) pointsmoredecisively towardsBeethoven’s innovative
bent.Butitisonaccountoftheremarkablefinalmovement,titled
“LaMalinconia”(melancholy)byBeethoven, thatmanyconsider
theB-flatMajorQuartetthemostpowerfuloftheOpus18s.The
movement’s slow, gripping introduction—in which Beethoven
instructstheplayers,“Questopezzosidevetrattarecollapiùgran
delicatezza” (“Thispiecemustbeplayedwith thegreatestpos-
sibledelicacy”)—continuestoemployshockingdynamiccontrasts,
here,topunctuatemelancholywithoutburstsofdespair.Further
deepeningthesenseofanxiety,themusicwandersfromonetonal-
itytoanother,asiflostandsearchinghelplesslyforitswayback
tothehomekey.WithBeethoven,onelearnstoexpecttheunex-
pected:ratherthanbecomingdarkerandmoreanguishedstill,the
mainbodyofthefinalerespondstothegravityofitsintroduction
withacarefreecountry-dance.Butthegaietyofthedanceremains
hauntedbyrecurrencesofLaMalinconia,evenuntilthequartet’s
blazingPrestissimofinish.
Felix Mendelssohn (Born February 3, 1809, Hamburg; died November 4, 1847, Leipzig)
String Quintet in A Major, op. 18
Composed:MendelssohncompletedthefirstversionoftheAMajor
QuintetonMarch31,1826;therevisedversion,containingthesec-
ondmovementintermezzo,wascompletedonFebruary23,1832.
(Detailsbelow.)
Published:Parts:Bonn,1833;fullscore:Bonn,1849
Other works from this period:TheOpus18Quintetiscontem-
poraneous with two of Mendelssohn’s most highly regarded
masterpieces,which are all themore revered for dating from
Mendelssohn’slateteens:theOctetinE-flatMajor,op.20(see
below),andtheOvertureto A Midsummer Night’s Dream,op.21(seeConcertProgramIII).Alsocompletedduringthistime:the
PianoSonatainEMajor,op.6(completedMarch22,1826),and
SiebenCharakterstückeforPiano,op.7(June6,1826).
Approximate duration:30minutes
MendelssohncomposedtheStringQuintetinAMajorwhileasev-
enteen-year-oldstudentatBerlinUniversity.Hecuriouslywould
not revisit this particular combination of instruments—string
quartetwithaddedviola—untilnearlytwentyyearslaterwiththe
QuintetinB-flatMajor,op.87.TheAMajorQuintetoriginallycom-
Program Notes: Genius Proclaimed
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
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c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
prisedfourmovements:anAllegrofirstmovement,followedbya
scherzo,aminuetandtrio,andaconcludingAllegro vivace.Sixyearslater,whiletravelinginParis,Mendelssohnhadan
opportunitytohearthequintetreadbyacrackpickupensemble,
ledbytheeminentFrenchviolinistPierreBaillot.Mendelssohn
heldhiscolleaguesinsufficientlyhighregardtoseriouslycon-
sidertheironecriticismofthework:theconspicuousabsence
of a slow movement. By unhappy coincidence, Mendelssohn
receivedwordaround this timeof thedeathofEduardRietz,
his violin teacher and collaborator in staging the celebrated
1829performanceofBach’sSt. Matthew Passion.MendelssohnmournedhisdearfriendbycomposingaNachruf,ormemorial,
whichwouldmakeitswayintothequintetandsatisfyBaillot’s
solequalmwiththework.TheQuintetinAMajorwaspublished
in1833asMendelssohn’sOpus18withtheNachrufasitssecondmovement;Mendelssohneliminatedtheminuetandretainedthe
scherzoasthethirdmovement.
Theopening themeof the triple-meterAllegro con moto recallsthegracefulnessofaMozartminuet.Followingtheequally
amiablesecondtheme,theexpositionendswithquick,staccato whispers,coloredbypizzicatiinthelowerstrings.Thisisatex-turethathasbecomespecificallyassociatedwithMendelssohn
and inparticularwithhis incidental music toShakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s Dream. MendelssohnscholarR.LarryTodddescribesthispassage“asifanotherwiseconventionalsonata formmomentarilyfellunderthespellofanelfinworld.”
TheNachruf,Mendelssohn’sheartfeltmemorial toEduard
Rietz,servesasthequintet’semotionalcenterpiece.Inobvious
homagetotheartistryofhis friendandteacher,Mendelssohn
caststhefirstviolininaconcertanterole.
TheMidsummer Night’s DreamcharacterofMendelssohn’s
musicreturnsinthethirdmovementscherzo,nowcombinedwith
thecomposer’sfascinationwithBaroquecounterpointtoembark
onafive-voicefugue.TheclosingAllegro vivace letsgoofthefantastical aura and full-tilt scherzando of Mendelssohn’sMid-summer Night’s Dreammusicbuthangsontoitswhimsicalair.
Felix MendelssohnOctet for Strings in E-flat Major, op. 20
Composed:CompletedOctober15,1825
Published:Parts,witharrangement for four-handpiano: 1833;
fullscore:1848
Other works from this period:Seeabove.
Approximate duration:30minutes
As masterful a work as Mendelssohn produced in the Opus 18
Quintet, that andother gemsof the composer’s late teenswere
overshadowedduringhislifetimebyhisgreatmasterpieceof1825.
Mendelssohn completed the Octet for Strings on October 15 of
thatyear;thework’spremierelikelytookplaceatoneoftheMen-
delssohnfamily’sSundaymorningmusicales(thesamevenuefor
thefirstperformanceoftheOpus110Sextet,heardonConcertPro-
gramI).MendelssohndesignedtheOctetasabirthdaypresentfor
hisviolinteacher,EduardRietz,thesamemanwhomhewouldlater
memorializeintheOpus18Quintet.TheOctet’svirtuosicfirst-violin
partisclearlyintendedforRietz;Mendelssohn,himselfanablevio-
linistandviolist,maywellhavealsotakenpart intheOctet’sfirst
performance.
TheOctetisthegreatestmonumenttotheyoungMendelssohn’s
tremendousgifts.HisreputationasWesternmusic’sgreatestprodigy
couldrestonthisworkalone,foritfarexceedsanyaccomplishment
ofMozart,Schubert,oranyotherwunderkindbytheageofsixteen.ButtheOctetismorethananimpressiveshowofprecocity:indeed,
itisanimpeccableworkofartirrespectiveofthecomposer’sage.
R.LarryTodddescribesitastheworkthat“catapultedFelixintothe
Westerncanonof‘great’composers.Theprodigy’ssixteen-year-old
creativevoicenowreachedfullmaturityinanirrepressiblymasterful,
ebullientcomposition.”Overtime,theOctethascometooccupya
placeintheliteraturealongsidesuchworksastheBeethovenstring
quartetsandtheSchubertCelloQuintetasoneofWesternmusic’s
mostperfectcreations.
One of theOctet’smost compelling attributes is its display
of Mendelssohn’s uncanny mastery of sonority. Throughout the
work,heexploreseachofthevarioustexturesaffordedbythelarge
ensemble at hand.Among themost strikingof these is the first
movement’s unforgettable opening: Mendelssohn sets a soaring
themeinthefirstviolinaboveexpectanttremolando(foreshadow-ingthedramaticclimaxoftheOpus18Quintet).Acrooningduet
betweenthefourthviolinandfirstviolaintroducesthelyricalsecond
theme;asMendelssohndevelopsthisidea,thefirstviolincontinues
to commentwith fragments of its cavalier openingmelody. The
movement’sdevelopmentsectionisrifewithBeethovenianSturm und Drang;tentativesyncopations buildtoanexhilaratingcrest,asalleightplayerscometogetherinafortissimosixteenth-noteruntotherecapitulation.
ThethoughtfulAndanteprovidesafoilforthefirstmovement’s
forwardthrust.Withoutlosinganythingoftheensemble’sexpres-
sivecapacity,Mendelssohnparesdowntheoctettexturetoachieve
heartrendingsubtletyanddelicacy.
ThescherzomovementoffersfurtherexampleofMendelssohn’s
Midsummer Night’s Dream style(seeabove).Thankstothecom-
poser’ssisterFannyMendelssohn,wehaveinsightintothecreative
impetusbehindthismovement. Inthescherzo,Fannywritesthat
Felix “set to music the stanza fromWalpurgis Night’s Dream in
[Goethe’s]Faust—
Theflightofthecloudsandtheveilofmist
Arelightedfromabove.
Abreezeintheleaves,awindinthereeds,
Andallhasvanished.
Tomealonehetoldthisidea:thewholepieceistobeplayedstac-
catoandpianissimowithshiveringtremolosandlightningflashesof
trills.Allisnew,strange,andyetsofamiliarandpleasing—onefeels
soclosetotheworldofspirits,lightlycarriedupintotheair.Indeed
onemighttakeabroomsticksoastofollowtheairyprocession.At
theendthefirstviolinsoarsfeather-lightaloft—allisblownaway.”
AnarrestingfuguelaunchesthePrestofinale,itsbarrelingsub-jectintroducedbythesecondcello,followedbythefirstcello,andthen thesecondandfirstviola,andsoon, to thefirstviolin.But
justasMendelssohn’sdeftcounterpointandfugaltechniquealways
remindusofhisdeepstudyofBach,sodoesthesymphonicbreadth
oftheOctet’sfinalerevealfurthertheinfluenceofBeethoven.For-
tissimo octaves across the full ensemble punctuate the opening
fugato, emitting a caffeinated energy that continues unrelenting
fortheremainderofthework.Neartheend,Mendelssohnborrows
thesamemovefromBeethoven’splaybookthathewoulddeployin
theOpus18Quintet:hereintroducesthescherzomelody,transport-
ingthelistenerbacktotheenchantedworldofthethirdmovement
beforebringingthemagnificentOctettoitsthrillingconclusion.
©2009PatrickCastillo
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
19www.musicatmenlo.org
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
concert Program III:
Midsummer Night DreamsJuly 27, July 28, & July 29
Monday, July 27
8:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 50)
Tuesday, July 28
8:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 51)
Wednesday, July 29
8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 51)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates these performancesto the following individuals with gratitude for their generous support:
July 27: Kathleen G. HenschelJuly 28: Kris KlintJuly 29: The Jeffrey Dean and Heidi
Hopper Family
Program OverviewThefantasticalairofMendelssohn’sincidentalmusictoShakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s Dreamhasplaceditamongthecomposer’smostbelovedworks.“Midsum-
merNightDreams”resetsthismusicasaprismtorevealthebroadswathofmusical
stylesfoundinLigeti’spuckishSixBagatelles(composedmorethanacenturyafter
Mendelssohn’s death), Schumann’s spellbinding First Piano Trio, and the kaleido-
scopicNonetforWindsandStringsbyMendelssohn’sclosefriendLouisSpohr.
György Ligeti (1923–2006)
SixBagatellesforWindQuintet(1953) I.Allegro con spirito II. Rubato. Lamentoso III.Allegro grazioso IV.Presto ruvido V.Adagio. Mesto(BélaBartókinmemoriam)
VI.Molto vivace. Capriccioso
CarolWincenc,flute; WilliamBennett, oboe;AnthonyMcGill,clarinet; DennisGodburn,bassoon;WilliamVerMeulen,French horn
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
PianoTrioindminor,op.63(1847) I.Mit Energie und Leidenschaft II.Lebhaft, doch nicht zu rasch III. Langsam, mit inniger Empfindung IV.Mit Feuer
JeffreyKahane, piano;JosephSwensen,violin;PaulWatkins,cello
INTERMISSION
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, op.61,arr.forpiano,fourhands (1843) Scherzo
Nocturne
JeffreyKahane,WuHan, piano
Louis Spohr (1784–1859)
NonetinFMajor,op.31(1813) I.Allegro II.Scherzo: Allegro III.Adagio IV. Finale: Vivace
CarolWincenc, flute; WilliamBennett, oboe; AnthonyMcGill,clarinet; DennisGodburn, bassoon;WilliamVerMeulen,French horn; ArnaudSussmann, violin;MasumiPerRostad,viola;PaulWatkins,cello;ScottPingel, bass
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847):
Interlaken (unfinished). Watercolor, 1847.
(Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY)
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c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
György Ligeti (Born May 28, 1923, Dicsöszentmárton [Diciosânmartin, now Tîrnäveni], Transylvania; died June 12, 2006, Vienna)
Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet
Composed: 1953
First performance: Detailedinthenotesbelow
Other works from this period: Detailedinthenotesbelow
Approximate duration: 12minutes
Unquestionably one of themost singular compositional voices of
thetwentiethcentury(andwidelypopularizedbyStanleyKubrick’s
appropriationofseveralofhisworksinthefilms2001: A Space Odys-sey,The Shining,andEyes Wide Shut),GyörgyLigetiwasregardedbymany,by theendofhis life,asWesternmusic’sgreatest living
composer.Hismusicreflectshisassimilationofawidespectrumof
culturalelements.ArtisticallydescendantfromBartók(oneofthefew
prominenttwentieth-centurymasterswhosemusichehadexposure
toinhisyouth),Ligetilaterencounteredtheavant-gardecommunity
emergentatDarmstadt.Intheearly1980s,heextendedhissonicpal-
ettefurther,immersinghimselfinnon-Europeanmusicalcultures:his
interestinCaribbean,African,andEastAsianmusiccomplemented
theinfluenceofhisownHungarianheritage.Ultimately,regardlessof
hisaestheticsources,Ligetiwasalwaysguidedbyhispersonalsound
ideal.Giventosonicexplorationandadventure,hismusicrevealsa
free-spiritedimaginationandinfinitecuriosity.
Ligeti’sSixBagatelles*arehisownwindquintetarrangements
fromhisMusica ricercata,acycleofelevenshortpianopiecescom-
posedbetween1950and1953.Inadditiontothiswork,theseearly
yearsofLigeti’scareer(priortohisflightfromBudapestinthewake
ofthefailed1956revoltagainstStalinistrule)alsoproducedhissemi-
nalFirstStringQuartet,SonataforSoloCello,andnumerouschoral
worksontraditionalHungarianthemes.Thechoralmusicfulfilledthe
societalexpectationsforLigetiasanartistunderdespoticrule;his
moredaringinstrumentalworks, includingtheMusica ricercata,forthetimebeingremainedunderlockandkey.
LigetiwroteoftheSixBagatelles:
AsastudentinKolozsvárandBudapestIwasaconfirmed
believerinthefolkloristicallyorientedmusicofthe“New
HungarianSchool”;Bartókwasmycompositionalideal.I
wroteelevenpianopiecesinBudapestbetween1950and
1953, in an attempt—initially fruitless—to find a style of
myown.ThiswasMusica ricercatainthetruesenseof“ri-cercare”:totryout,toseek.WhentheeminentHungarian
windensembletheJeneyQuintetaskedmeforapiece
in1953,Iarrangedsixoftheelevenpianopiecesforflute
(doublingpiccolo),oboe,B-flatclarinet,F-horn,andbas-
soon.Fourpiecesfromthiscycleare“pseudo-folkloristic”:
noactualfolksongsarequoted,butnos.2and5havea
“Hungariandiction”aboutthem(no.5depictsmourning
bellsinmemoryofBartók);no.4,withits“limping”dance
music, isBalkan;andno.3depictsanartificialhybridof
Banat-RomanianandSerbianmelodicidioms.
TheFranzLisztAcademypresentedthefirstFestival
ofNewHungarianMusicattheendofSeptember1956.
My Bagatelleswere finally performed at the instigation
oftheJeneyQuintet.AtthattimetheywerecalledFive
Bagatelles,sinceno.6—despite thethaw in thepolitical
climate—stillcontainedtoomanyminorseconds.(Disso-
nances and chromaticismwere still “cosmopolitan” and
“hostiletothepeople,”justsomewhatlesssothanprevi-
ously.)Theaudienceofintellectualsandmusicianswasat
alossastowhetherornottheywerepermittedtoenjoy
themusicortoapplaud.Oneofmyearlierteacherstried
cautiouslytocongratulatemeonmy“success”:heshook
myhandbutshiftedhisweightfromonefoottotheother
inembarrassment.
Robert Schumann (Born June 8, 1810, Saxony; died July 29, 1856, Endenich, outside Bonn)
Piano Trio no. 1 in d minor, op. 63
Composed: 1847
Published: 1848
Other works from this period: TheOpus63PianoTriomarksaperiod
ofgreatproductivityinSchumann’scareer,particularlyinthecompo-
sitionofchambermusic.In1847,healsopennedhisSecondPianoTrio
inFMajor,op.80.Theyear1849—well-knownasaprolificchamber
musicyearforSchumann—sawthecreationoftheOpus70AdagioandAllegroforHorn(ViolinorCello)andPiano,theOpus94DreiRomanzenforOboe(ViolinorClarinet)andPiano,andFünfStücke
imVolkstonforCelloorViolinandPiano,op.102.
Approximate duration: 30minutes
TheGermancomposerRobertSchumannstandsamongthequint-
essentialsymbolsoftheRomanticera.Justashismusicexhibited
thehallmarksofRomanticism,sodidtheeventsofhislife.Whenhe
waseighteenyearsold,hetraveledtoLeipzigtostudywiththepia-
nistFriedrichWieck,whosenine-year-olddaughter,Clara,wasalsoa
giftedpianist.RobertandClaradevelopedaclosefriendship,which
blossomedyears later intooneof themost intense loveaffairsof
musichistory.AfteraprotractedlegalbattlewithClara’sforbidding
father,thetwoweremarriedin1840.
Bythemid-1840s,Schumann’sphysicalandmentalhealthboth
begantodecline.Hefrequentlybattledboutsofdepression,insomnia,
and,eventually,psychosis.Inhisearlyforties,hismentalstatereached
itsnadir,andafterweeksofunbearablepsychoticepisodes,Schu-
mannattemptedtokillhimselfbyjumpingintotheRhine.Following
hissuicideattempt,Schumanndemandedthathebecommittedto
amentalasylum,forfearofinadvertentlyharmingClaraortheirchil-
dren.HewassenttoanasyluminBonnin1854andneversawhis
childrenagain.Hestarvedhimselftodeathtwoyearslater;Clarawas
notpermittedtoseeherhusbanduntilthedaybeforehedied.
(Aproposof theMendelssohnbicentennial: Schumannheld a
specialaffectionforMendelssohn,withwhomheandClarabecame
personally close, and whose music he passionately adored. Men-
delssohnheroically stepped in at the lastmoment to takepart in
thepremiereofSchumann’sPianoQuintet,beingperhapstheonly
pianistinEuropecapableofsight-readingsuchachallengingwork
afterClara,theintendedpianist,fellsuddenlyill.Someyearslater,
Schumann,shortlyafterenteringtheasylumwherehewouldspend
Program Notes: Midsummer Night Dreams
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
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c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
thelasttwoyearsofhislife,receivedaletterfromClaratellinghimof
thebirthoftheirson.RobertrepliedtoClara,“Ifyouwishtoconsult
withmeinthematterofaname,youwilleasilyguessmychoice—
thenameoftheunforgettableone!”Claraimmediatelyunderstood
andsochristenedFelixSchumann.)
ThePianoTrioindminor,op.63,isthefirstofSchumann’sthree
pianotrios(notcountingtheOpus88Fantasiestücke,alsoscored
forviolin,cello,andpiano)andhasenduredasthemostbelovedof
thesetamongconcertgoers.Schumanncomposedtheworkin1847,
thesameyearasMendelssohn’sdeath.
The trio bleeds Romantic pathos throughout its four move-ments.Eveninitstempoinstructions,Schumannseesachancefor
poetry;thefirstmovementisnotmerelyAllegrobutMit Energie und Leidenschaft—withenergyandpassion.Themovementdoesnever-
thelessofferasalientmomentofrespitefromtheintensedminor
Leidenschaft when,aftereachofthethemesfromtheexpositionisextended,thedevelopmentcomestoanabrupthaltandintroducesa
newmusicalidea.Schumanncreatesafragilesonictexture:inaddition
tomarkingthemusicpianississimo,heinstructsthepianisttodepressthesoftpedalandthestringstoplay sul ponticello(bowingnearthebridge, thusproducinga thinner, rarefied tone).Aftera full reca-pitulation,Schumannbrieflyrecallsthisoptimistic interludebefore
themovement’s tragicconclusion.Following the jauntyscherzo,abreathlesslylongphraseintheviolinsetstheweepingtoneforthethirdmovement,markedLangsam, mit inniger Empfindung—slowly,withintimatefeeling.Abrightermelodyappearsmidwaythroughthe
movementtocontrasttheelegiaccharacteroftheopeningtheme.
R.LarryToddnotesthattheensembletextureattheoutsetofthe
finale—lyrical themesetagainst shimmeringchords in thepiano—
recallsthe“sparkling,effervescentvirtuosity”ofMendelssohn’sCello
SonatainDMajor,op.58.ThevastemotionalterrainthatSchumann
traverses—fromthetragicfirstmovement,throughthelivelyscherzo
andbrokenheartedslowmovement,andfinallyarrivingatthetrium-
phantfinale—illustratesthearchetypalRomantic journey.Thetrio’s
impulsive rhetoricandgreatemotivebreadthconfirmSchumann’s
placeamongthedefinitivevoicesofhisgeneration.
Felix Mendelssohn (Born February 3, 1809, Hamburg; died November 4, 1847, Leipzig)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (arr. four-hand piano): Scherzo and Nocturne
Composed:Detailedinthenotesbelow
First performance: Potsdam,October14,1843
Other works from this period: Detailedinthenotesbelow
Approximate duration:10minutes
Mendelssohn’sincidental musictoShakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s Dreamhasbecomeahabitualpointofreferenceinthedis-
cussionofhiscompositionallanguage.Whenscholarsdescribethat
chimerical dimension of Mendelssohn’s music—marked by fleet-
footedtempiandfeatherweight,staccatotextures—ithasbecome
instinctivetorefertoitashisMidsummer Night’s Dreammusic.The
workitselfhasbecome,morethanaMendelssohnsignature,oneof
thetruelandmarkpiecesoftheRomanticperiod.
ThecompositionofA Midsummer Night’s Dream tookplace
over twoperiods.MendelssohnpennedtheOverture in 1826, the
sameyearinwhichhecomposedtheOpus18StringQuintetand
oneyearafterhecompletedtheOctet.Duringtheidyllicsummer
of1826,theseventeen-year-oldFelixwroteinalettertohissister
Fanny: “I havegrownaccustomed to composing in our garden…
TodayortomorrowIshalldreamthereA Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Indeed, the Mendelssohn children held Shakespeare’s fantastical
comedyespeciallydear.Fannylaterrelated,“Fromouryouthonwe
wereentwinedinA Midsummer Night’s Dream, andFelixparticularlymadeithisown.Heidentifiedwithallofthecharacters.Herecre-
ated them, so to speak—every one of thosewhomShakespeare
producedintheimmensityofhisgenius.”
Sixteen years later, Mendelssohn received an appointment as
MusicDirectorofthenewAcademyoftheArtsinBerlin.KingFriedrich
WilhelmIVhadluredMendelssohnaspartofawidespreadeffortto
revitalizePrussia’sculturalprofile.Aspartofhisposition,Mendelssohn
receivedanumberofroyalcommissionstoproduceincidentalmusic,or
musiccomposedtoaccompanydramaticperformance,forupcoming
theatricalproductions.OneofthesewasanewstagingofA Midsum-mer Night’s Dream, plannedincelebrationoftheking’sbirthday.ForMendelssohn,theopportunitytorevisithismostbelovedShakespeare
playwasahappyoccasionamidwhatwould,forvariousreasons,be
anultimatelyunhappyandshort-livedtenure.Thepremieretookplace
onOctober14,1843,attheNeuesPalaistheaterinPotsdam.
Despitehisscantcatalogofmusicfortwopianists,Mendelssohn
was nevertheless a lifelong devotee of four-hand and two-piano
music,oftenperformingpianoduetswithhissisterFanny(herself
a similarlygiftedmusician). The four-handpianoarrangementof
Midsummerwaslikelycomposedconcurrentlywiththeorchestral
work.FelixandFannyareknowntohaveperformedtheOverture
inNovember1826atoneofthemusicaleventsthefamilyregularly
presentedattheirhome.
TheNocturneaccompaniestheendofActIII, inwhichPuck,
themischievousservanttothefairykingOberon,sprinklesamagical
lovepotionontheeyesofthesleepingLysander.
Ontheground
Sleepsound:
I’llapply
Toyoureye,
Gentlelover,remedy.
Whenthouwakest,
Thoutakest
Truedelight
Inthesight
Ofthyformerlady’seye:
Andthecountryproverbknown,
Thateverymanshouldtakehisown,
Inyourwakingshallbeshown:
JackshallhaveJill;
Noughtshallgoill;
Themanshallhavehismareagain,andallshallbe
well.
(III.ii.472–487)
ThescherzohighlightsPuck’sfirstappearanceattheoutset
ofActII.Thelithe,breathlesscharacterofthismusicisthehall-
markofavintageMendelssohnscherzo.
Louis Spohr (Born April 5, 1784, Brunswick; died October 22, 1859, Kassel)
Nonet in F Major, op. 31
Composed:1813
Published: Parts:Vienna,1819;fullscore:Berlin,1878
Other works from this period: In1813,Spohralsocomposedthe
c o n c E r t s
22 Music@Menlo 2009
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
Octet inEMajor,op.32 (seebelow), and theoperaFaust andbegantheOpus33setofsevenviolaquintets,completedin1814,
andOpus29setofthreestringquartets,completedin1815.
Approximate duration:33minutes
Althoughhisrenownhasflaggedsincehisdeath in1859,theGer-
mancomposerLouisSpohrwasregardedbyhiscontemporariesas
anequaltoHaydn,Mozart,andBeethoven.MusicologistCliveBrown
notesthatbothMozart’sThe Marriage of FigaroandWagner’sTristan und IsoldewerecomposedwithinthespanofSpohr’slifetimeand
that “his ownwork looks, Janus-like, towards both the formalism
andclarityoftheClassicaltradition,andthestructuralandharmonic
experimentationassociatedwithnineteenth-centuryRomanticism.”
LikeMendelssohn,withwhomheenjoyedagreatmutualrespectand
advocacyforeachother’smusic,Spohrwasafamousmultihyphen-
ate:awidelyacclaimedconductorandviolinist,aswellasoneofhis
generation’smostfamouscomposers.
SpohrcomposedhisOpus31NonetforWindsandStrings in
1813.HehadrecentlybeenappointedKapellmeisteroftheorches-
traofVienna’sTheateranderWien,where,amongotherimportant
developments,hebecamefriendswithBeethoven.Healsoreceiveda
curiouscommissionduringthistimefromtheprominentartspatron
JohannTost(ahighlyskilleddilettantehimselfwhohadservedas
Haydn’s second violinist for five years at theEsterháza court and
who later received the dedication of Mozart’s String Quintet in
DMajor,K.593,andStringQuintetinE-flatMajor,K.614).FromSpohr’sautobiography:
WordhadhardlygottenaroundViennathatIwastosettle
therewhenonemorningadistinguishedvisitorpresented
himself:aHerrJohannvonTost,manufacturerandpassionate
musiclover.Hebeganahymnofpraiseaboutmytalentasa
composerandexpressedthewishthat,forasuitableemolu-
ment,everythingthatIshouldwriteinViennabereckoned
ashispropertyforaperiodofthreeyears.Thenheadded,
“Yourworksmaybeperformedasoftenaspossible,butthe
scoremustbeborrowedfrommeforeachoccasionandper-
formedonlyinmypresence…Ihavetwoobjectives.First,I
wanttobeinvitedtothemusicaleswhereyourpieceswill
beplayed,andthereforeImusthavetheminmypossession.
Secondly,Ihopethatonmybusinesstripsthepossessionof
suchtreasureswillbringmetheacquaintanceshipofmusic
loverswho,inturn,maybeusefultomeinmybusiness.”
TheOpus31NonetwasoneoftheworkscomposedforJohann
Tost. Tost’s commission also resulted in four string quartets, two
quintets,andtheOpus32OctetforClarinet,TwoHorns,andStrings.
Spohr’sOpuses31and32(andalsotheOpus147SeptetforWinds,
Strings,andPiano)rankamongthefinestofhischamberworksand
suggestthatunusualcombinationsofinstrumentsespeciallypiqued
his imagination.Thebroadpaletteof instrumental colors afforded
bytheensembleofflute,oboe,clarinet,Frenchhorn,bassoon,vio-
lin,viola,cello,anddoublebassendowstheNonetwithitsparticular
charm.BefittingSpohr thevirtuosoviolinist, theNonetmoreover
featuresaconcertantepartfortheviolin.
©2009PatrickCastillo
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
23www.musicatmenlo.org
concert Program IV:
Mendelssohn PerspectivesAugust 3, August 4, & August 5
Monday, August 3
8:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 52)
Tuesday, August 4
8:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 52)
Wednesday, August 5
8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 53)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates these performancesto the following individuals and organizations with gratitude for their generous support:
August 3: Hugh MartinAugust 4: Libby and Craig HeimarkAugust 5: Melanie and Ron Wilensky
CORPORATE SPONSOR:
Program OverviewSetaroundthecomposer’ssignatureSongs without Words,“MendelssohnPerspec-tives” illuminatesthemusicofMendelssohn’spredecessorsandheirs:Beethoven’s
dramaticKreutzer Sonata, a recital specialty of Mendelssohn the chambermusi-
cian;Brahms’sSecondPianoQuartet, representing the lateRomanticperiod; and
renownedAmericancomposerPierreJalbert’sthrillingPianoTrio.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
ViolinSonatainAMajor,op.47 (Kreutzer) (1802–1803) I.Adagio sostenuto – Presto II.Andante con variazioni III.Finale: Presto
ArnaudSussmann,violin; WuHan,piano
Pierre Jalbert (b. 1967)
PianoTrio(1998) I.Life Cycle II.Agnus Dei
WuHan, piano;ArnaudSussmann,violin;DavidFinckel,cello
INTERMISSION
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Selected Lieder ohne Worte Lied ohne Worteingminor,op.19,no.6,Venezianisches Gondellied(Venetian Boat Song) Lied ohne Worteinaminor,op.85,no.2
Lied ohne WorteinCMajor,op.67,no.4,Spinnerlied(Spinning Song)
GilbertKalish,piano
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
PianoQuartetno.2inAMajor,op.26(1861) I.Allegro non troppo II.Poco adagio III.Scherzo: Poco allegro IV.Finale: Allegro
GilbertKalish, piano; JorjaFleezanis,violin;PaulNeubauer,viola; DavidFinckel,cello
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847):
Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen, Hotel Weber. Watercolor, 1847.
(Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY)
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
c o n c E r t s
24 Music@Menlo 2009
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Ludwig van Beethoven (Born in Bonn, baptized December 17, 1770; died March 26, 1827, Vienna)
Violin Sonata in A Major, op. 47 (Kreutzer)
Composed:1802–1803
Published: BonnandLondon,1805
Dedication: Originally composed forGeorgeBridgetower but
laterdedicatedtoRodolpheKreutzer(seebelow)
First performance: May24,1803
Other works from this period: TheKreutzerSonata*isrepresen-tativeofBeethoven’s“heroic”period;otherimportanthallmarks
ofthisstageinhiscreativecareerincludetheEroica (1803–1804)andFifth (1807–1808) symphonies, theWaldstein (1803–1804)andAppassionata (1805) piano sonatas, and theRazumovsky Quartets,op.59(1806).
Approximate duration:35minutes
The KreutzerSonata,theninthofBeethoven’stensonatasforviolinandpiano,haslongbeenthemostfamousofthetenowingequally
toitsbold,dramaticdesignanditsfiendishwritingforbothinstru-
ments.Beethovennotedinhissketchbookthatthesonatais“written
inahighlyconcertantestyle,almostinthemannerofaconcerto.”Tolstoy’s novella of the same name, inwhich the sonata’s volca-
nicenergyprecipitatesa jealousmurder,has likewisecontributed
totheKreutzer’snotoriety.Uponhearingthesonata,Pozdnyshev,the novella’s cuckolded tragic hero, observes “that entirely new
impulses,newpossibilities,wererevealedtomeinmyself,suchas
Ihadnotdreamedofbefore.Suchworksshouldbeplayedonlyin
grave,significantconditions,andonlythenwhencertaindeedscor-
respondingtosuchmusicaretobeaccomplished.”
Beethovencomposedthesonatainthespringof1803fora
concerthewastogiveinViennawiththeEthiopian-Polishviolinist
GeorgeAugustusPolgreenBridgetower.Althoughtheperformance
wasaresoundingsuccess,Beethovenrescindedthededicationto
Bridgetower,apparentlyfollowingadisagreementoveralady.The
sonata’ssurvivingdedicationhonorstheFrenchviolinistRodolphe
Kreutzer,who,despitehisownhighlytoutedvirtuosity,foundthe
worktoodifficultandironicallyneverperformedit.
TheKreutzer SonatafulfillsBeethoven’sremarkin1803that
“IamnotsatisfiedwithwhatIhavecomposeduptonow.From
nowonIintendtoembarkonanewpath.”Amongtheviolin-and-
pianoliterature,the Kreutzer’sambitiousscalerepresentedanovel
conceptionofthemedium’sdramaticcapacity.Theequalpartner-
shipbetweenviolinandpianothroughoutthesonatafurthermore
yieldsadiscursiveelementlikewisenewtotheduorepertoire.The
Adagio sostenutointroduction—theonlyslowintroductionamong
Beethoven’sviolinsonatas—immediatelyestablishesadeclamatory
dimensionunprecedentedinthesonatasofMozart.Moreover,the
work’sformaldesign,irrespectiveofgenre,signalstheaudacityof
Beethoven’s“newpath.”Presagingthemotivicconstructionofthe
FifthSymphony,thehalf-stepgesturethatcoquettishlyclosesthe AdagiointroductiongerminatesintothePresto’ssubsequentthe-maticmaterial.Thebreadthofthemiddlemovement,anelegantthemewithfivevariations,furtherextendstheMozartianmodel;
the unexpected piano recitative that heralds the final variationinjectsanarrativequalityquitedistinctfromthestandardvariations
form.TheconcludingPrestomovement,originallycomposedasthe
finaletotheOpus30Number1ViolinSonata,morefittinglycapsthe
Kreutzer’sgranddesign. Atarantellainrondoform,themovementis
propelledbyaninsistentiambicgaittoadazzlingfinish.
Pierre Jalbert (Born November 15, 1967, Manchester, New Hampshire)
Piano Trio
Composed:1998
Published:Currentlyself-published(availablestartingthissum-
merthroughBillHolabMusic)
First performance: ReynoldaHouse,MuseumofAmericanArt,
Winston-Salem,NorthCarolina, as part of the FoothillsMusic
FestivalonAugust29and30,1998,byAmyAppold,violin,Ben
Wolff,cello,andRachelMatthews,piano
Dedication: HarrisBerman,forhiscontributionstohealthcare
and the arts. The second movement bears a dedication to
MotherTeresaofCalcutta.
Other works from this period: Dual Velocityforcelloandpiano(1998),TwoCharacterPiecesforSoloTuba,SonatineforViolin
andGuitar(1999)
Approximate duration:15minutes
PierreJalbertisoneofthemosthighlyregardedAmericancom-
posersofhisgeneration,earningwidespreadnoticeforhisrichly
coloredandsuperblycraftedscores.Jalberthasdevelopedamusi-
cal language that is engaging, expressive, and deeply personal.
AmonghismanyhonorsaretheRomePrize,theBBCMasterprize,
and,mostrecently,theChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter’s
2007StoegerPrize,givenbiennially“inrecognitionofsignificant
contributionstothechambermusicrepertory.”
HismusichasbeenperformedthroughouttheUnitedStates
as well as internationally, including four performances of his
orchestralmusicatCarnegieHall.HehasservedasComposer-in-
ResidencewiththeLosAngelesChamberOrchestra(2002–2005),
theCaliforniaSymphony(1999–2002),andMusicintheLoftinChi-
cago(2003).Selectcommissionsandperformancesincludethose
of theYing,Borromeo,Maia,Enso,andChiaraquartets,violinist
Midori,theLondonSymphony,theBudapestSymphony,theHous-
ton Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, and the Chamber Music
SocietyofLincolnCenter.HewasselectedtoparticipateinMeet
theComposer’sMagnumOpusproject inwhich threeCalifornia
orchestras(theOaklandEastBay,Marin,andSantaRosasympho-
nies)eachperformedhisnewworkin2007–2008.
Jalbert isAssociateProfessoratRiceUniversity’sShepherd
SchoolofMusicinHouston,andheservesasoneoftheArtistic
Directors of Musiqa, a Houston-based contemporary chamber
ensemble.CurrentprojectsincludeworksfortheEscherQuartet
(commissionedbytheCaramoorFestival),theVermontSymphony,
andtheEmersonStringQuartet.
Composer’s NoteThisworkisintwomovementsofextremelycontrastingcharac-
ter.Thefirstmovement,Life Cycle,consistsoffoursections.Eachsectioncontainsthesamequickpulse;whilethemusicchanges
Program Notes: Mendelssohn Perspectives
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
c o n c E r t s
25www.musicatmenlo.org
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
considerablyfromsectiontosection(andincludesajazzriff),the
basicpulseorbeatremainsconstant.(Iheardmyson’sheartbeat
forthefirsttimeafewmonthsintomywife’spregnancyandwas
verysurprisedathowrapid itwas.Thisrapidpulsebecamethe
basisforthefirstmovement.)
Thesecondmovement,Agnus Dei,representsthesacredandismysteriousandlyricalincharacter.Thestructureofthemovement
ismodeledafterthethree-partformoftheAgnusDeiprayer:
AgnusDei,quitollispeccatamundi,misererenobis.
AgnusDei,quitollispeccatamundi,misererenobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis
pacem.
LambofGod,who takesaway thesinsof theworld,
havemercyonus.
LambofGod,who takesaway thesinsof theworld,
havemercyonus.
LambofGod,who takesaway thesinsof theworld,
grantuspeace.
It openswith a violinmelody, full of pitch bends, played
overacellodrone.Thismelodyisthenpassedontothecello,
finally cadencing with all three instruments. This material is
then repeated (much like the repetition of the second line in
theprayer)butatadifferentpitchlevel.Themusicthenmoves
ontoamoredevelopmentalsection,stillcontainingtheoriginal
tune,butultimatelyendsupinadifferentplace(muchlikethe
last lineoftheprayer).Themovement isdedicatedtoMother
TeresaofCalcutta.
Felix Mendelssohn (Born February 3, 1809, Hamburg; died November 4, 1847, Leipzig)
Lied ohne Worte in g minor, op. 19, no. 6, Venezianisches Gondellied (Venetian Boat Song)
Lied ohne Worte in a minor, op. 85, no. 2
Lied ohne Worte in C Major, op. 67, no. 4, Spinnerlied (Spinning Song)
Composed:Op.19No.6:completedOctober16,1830;Op.85No.2:
completedJune9,1834;Op.67No.4:completedMay5,1845
Published: Opus19(volumeI):originallypublishedasOriginal Melodies for the Pianoforte(London,1832);Bonn,1833;Opus67(volumeVI):Bonn,1845
Approximate duration:7minutes
The Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words)—ofwhichMen-delssohncomposedeightvolumescomprisingsixsongsapiece
overhiscareer—provideanessentialsnapshotofRomanticism.
They are, first and foremost, a paean to the sovereignty of
melody.Theyalsoreference, inanabstractway,theRomantic
generation’spreoccupationwithpoetry,asreflectedinthe lie-der ofSchubert, Schumann, andothers;Mendelssohn’sSongs without Wordssucceedincapturingtheclarityandexpressivityofsungtexts,buttheydosorelyingsolelyonmusicalcharac-
ter,withouttheaidofpoetry.MendelssohnbiographerR.Larry
ToddwritesthattheSongs without Words“broachedinadif-ferentway theabilityofmusic toconveyextramusical ideas.”
Indeed,RobertSchumannsurmisedthatMendelssohnoriginally
composed them as songswithwords and thenwithdrew thetexts.Toddcontinues:“Thenewgenre,whichblurredthelines
betweenthesongandthecharacterpiece,laterenjoyedgreat
successandbecamesynonymouswithMendelssohnism.”
Johannes Brahms (Born May 7, 1833, Hamburg; died April 3, 1897, Vienna)
Piano Quartet in A Major, op. 26
Composed:1861
Published:1863
Dedication:E.Rösing
First performance:November29,1862,Vienna,bymembersof
theHellmesbergerQuartet,withBrahmsaspianist
Other works from this period:Detailedinthenotesbelow
Approximate duration: 50minutes
Whereas Beethoven catalyzed Western music’s transition
from the Classical period into the Romantic era, and just as
Mendelssohn represents the cultivation of Romanticism that
followed,Brahmsisemblematicofwherethisnewdirectionin
musicwouldlead.Hebecameacknowledgedinthelatterhalfof
thenineteenthcenturyasWesternmusic’s leadingcomposer;
hisascenttothepantheonwasconfirmedduringhislifetimeby
theconductorHansvonBülow’sfamouscanonizationoftheso-
calledthreeB’sofmusic:Bach,Beethoven,andBrahms.
Whileanunquestionablyaccomplishedsymphonist,Brahms
especiallythrivedinwritingforsmallforces.Followingthedeath
of hismentor Robert Schumann in 1856, Brahms emerged as
chamber music’s most significant voice. His chamber works,
whichspanthewholeofhisartisticmaturity,reflecttheessence
of his creativity as thoroughly as his orchestral pieces and
embodythespiritoftheRomanticperiod.
ThePianoQuartetno.2,op.26,datesfrom1861;scholars
widelyrefertothisstageofBrahms’scareerashisfirstmaturity,
inwhichthecomposerwasabletofullyassimilatetheinfluences
ofsuchpredecessorsasBach,Beethoven,andSchubertintohis
owndistinctcompositionalvoice.Significantly,thisperiodwas
heralded by numerous outstanding chamberworks, including
twostringsextets;theOpus34PianoQuintet;theOpus38Cello
Sonata;theOpus40HornTrio;andthefirsttwopianoquartets,
opp.25and26.WhiletheseworksmarkBrahms’searlycareer,
theyneverthelessareallacknowledgedmasterpiecesandreflect
afullydevelopedlanguage.
TheOpus26Quartetisaworkofgrandandquintessentially
Romanticscale,flushwitheloquentmelodic ideas.TheAllegro non troppobeginsonanoteofBrahmsianwarmth,nevertheless
tingedbythefirsttheme’sunsettlingrhythmicsway.Despitethe
movement’s tendercharacter,asubtle rhythmic tensionunder-
scores the entire movement as steady eighth-note and triplet
patternsvieforsupremacy.ThebreathtakingPoco adagiopres-entsanunassumingmelody inthepianoatopagentlyrocking
accompanimentplayedbymutedstrings.Mysteriousarpeggios
interruptthemovement’sdream-likeserenity;themusicsteadily
escalates to more impassioned heights but never exceeds
Brahms’ssure-handedrestraint.Thethirdmovementissimilarly
understated,blithesomewithoutthewild-eyedfreneticismtypi-
cally associated with scherzi. Brahms backloads the quartet’s
most boisterous energy into the finale, whose folk dance–like
subjectmildlyrecallstheOpus25Quartet’sfamousGypsyrondo.
NotesforBeethoven,Mendelssohn,andBrahms:
©2009PatrickCastillo
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
26 Music@Menlo 2009Music@Menlo 2009
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
concert Program V:
Promise FulfilledAugust 8
Saturday, August 8
8:00 p.m., Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
(Koret Young Performers Concert 1:00 p.m., see page 56; Prelude Performance 5:00 p.m., see page 53)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto the Martin Family Foundation with gratitude for its generous support.
Program OverviewIn1832,FelixMendelssohnmodestlyutteredtohissisterFanny:“Ishouldliketocom-
poseacoupleofgoodtrios.”Theworksthatresultedwentfarbeyondsatisfyingthis
yen.Thissummer’sfinalprogram,“PromiseFulfilled,”featurestheOpus49PianoTrio
indminor,composedin1839,andtheOpus66PianoTrioincminorof1845.These
worksreflectMendelssohn,oneofthequintessentialvoicesoftheRomanticgenera-
tion,attheheightofhiscreativepowers.RobertSchumanncountedMendelssohn’s
Opus49amongtheera’smeistertrios, alongsideBeethoven’sArchdukeandGhost triosandthepianotriosofFranzSchubert,whoseAMajorViolinSonatabeginsthe
program.
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
ViolinSonatainAMajor,op.162,D.574 (1817) I.Allegro moderato II.Scherzo and Trio III.Andantino IV.Allegro vivace
EugeneDrucker, violin;MenahemPressler,piano
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
PianoTrioindminor,op.49(1839) I.Molto allegro e agitato II.Andante con moto tranquillo III.Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace IV. Finale: Allegro assai appassionato
MenahemPressler, piano;EugeneDrucker,violin;DavidFinckel, cello
INTERMISSION
Felix MendelssohnPianoTrioincminor,op.66(1845) I.Allegro energico e con fuoco II.Andante espressivo III.Scherzo: Molto allegro, quasi presto IV.Finale: Allegro appassionato
MenahemPressler,piano;EugeneDrucker,violin;DavidFinckel,cello
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847):
The Cathedral of Durham. Watercolor, 1829.
(Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY)
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27www.musicatmenlo.org
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
Franz Schubert (Born January 31, 1797, Vienna; died November 19, 1828, Vienna)
Violin Sonata in A Major, op. 162, D. 574
Composed: August1817
Published: 1851
Other works from this period: The summer and fall of 1817
sawSchubert prolific in small and large forms alike. Between
MarchandNovember,hecompletedfivepianosonatas,*among
numerousotherpianoworks;theorchestralOvertureinDMajor,
D.556(May1817),andtwooverturesdesignated“imitalienischen
Stile,”inDmajor,D.590,andCmajor,D.591(November1817);
thePolonaise inB-flatMajor forViolinandOrchestra,D.580;
the String Trio in B-flatMajor, D. 581 (September 1817); Sym-
phonyno.6inCMajor,D.589(October1817–February1818);and
numerouslieder.
Approximate duration: 20minutes
LikeMendelssohn, Schubertwas a great child prodigywhose
comingofageoccurredintheshadowofBeethoven.Butunlike
Mendelssohn,whoseaffluentupbringingprovidedampleoppor-
tunities to cultivate his gifts and nurture his budding career,
Schubert,despitehisconsummateartistry,enjoyedonlymod-
estprofessionalsuccess.Onthestrengthofsuchworksasthe
Opus 12 andOpus 13 stringquartets and theOpus20Octet,Mendelssohn was an international sensation by his twenties.
Bycontrast,despitehissimilarlyprolificoutput—which,byhis
twentiethbirthday,includedfivesymphonies,fourmasses,seven
stringquartets,andmorethanthreehundredsongs—Schubert
hadnotyetreceivedanyperformancesinViennanorhadasin-
gleworkpublished.
But theyear 1817 saw thebeginningofSchubert’spublic
success.Theprevioustwoyearshadbeenastonishinglyproduc-
tive,and in 1817,Schubert followedupwith roughlysixtynew
lieder,includingsuchgreatesthitsas“DieForelle”and“AndieMusik,” as well as a wealth of important instrumental music,
ranging from piano sonatas to orchestral works. Though he
achievednowherenearthemeasureofMendelssohn’scelebrity,
thesepiecessteadilygarneredSchubertsomeattention,install-
inghimasanimportantfigureinVienna’smusicalcommunity.
The Sonata forViolin andPiano inAMajor is the last of
fourviolinsonatasSchubertcomposedbetween1816and1817;
likemanyofhisworks,noneofthemwaspublisheduntilyears
afterhisdeath.MusicologistRobertWinterhasdescribedthese
duo sonatas as “compact, graceful works whose unassuming
characterconcealsanintimateunderstandingofthemedium’s
conversationalpotential.”
Oneof Schubert’s greatestmusical contributionswas his
catalogofmorethansixhundredlieder.Eveninhisinstrumen-
talwriting,hispenchantforsongisalwaysevident.Witnessthe
sonata’selegantopeningtheme;withthechangeofcharacterthataccompanies themorepiquantmusical idea that follows,
themusicretainsaclear,expressivevocalquality.Followingthe
gregariousscherzo,theAndantinoradiateswiththewarmthof
apleasantsummer’sday.Ornamentingthemovement’stunefulmelody,trillsinboththeviolinandthepianoevokesingingbirds
andbabblingbrooks.
As if restless from the relaxedgait of theAndantino, theviolinandpianostarttheconcludingAllegro vivacewithaspir-ited game of leapfrog. The remainder of the finale continues
toofferonepoeticmusical ideaafteranother.AstheAMajor
Sonatadrawstoaclose,Schubertoffersanidyllicfarewell.But
assoonasthisgentletunefadesintothedistance,thesonata
endswithajoyfulshout.
Felix Mendelssohn (Born February 3, 1809, Hamburg; died November 4, 1847, Leipzig)
Piano Trio no. 1 in d minor, op. 49
Composed: Mendelssohn completed an early version of the
Opus49TrioonJuly18,1839;thefinalrevisionwascompleted
bySeptember23.
Published:1840
Other works from this period: Detailedinthenotesbelow
Approximate duration:27minutes
Anyattempt to correlateartists’personal liveswith theemo-
tivecontentof theirworkmakes for tenuousscholarship,and
Mendelssohn’s spring and summer of 1839 is a case in point.
Mendelssohnveryhappilyspentthistimewithhisfamilyanda
coterieof friendsandcolleagues inFrankfurt.Thethirty-year-
oldcomposerwasatthetopofhisprofessionandhadrecently
celebratedhisfirstanniversarywithhisbelovedwife,Cécile,who
wasexpectingthecouple’ssecondchild.(Thiscontentedperiod
of Mendelssohn’s career also produced the Opus 44 string
quartets.)Despitethefelicityofthisperiod,Mendelssohnnev-
erthelessproducedastringofausterepieces,includingasetof
threerigorousorganfugues,betrayingthecontinuedinfluenceofBachthathadsocompelledthecomposersincehisyouth.
Butthetruemasterpieceof1839istheOpus49PianoTrio.
MendelssohndraftedthetriobetweenJuneandJulyofthatyear
andcompletedarevisioninSeptember.Againseemingtocon-
tradictMendelssohn’scontentedlifestyle,theTrioindminorisa
studyinRomanticSturm und Drang,whichelementisstrongly
present from the opening measures of the first movement,
markedMolto allegro e agitato. Mendelssohnentruststheinitialstatementsofboththeominousfirstthemeandthelyricalsec-
ondthemetothecello.Thoughworldsapartincharacter,these
diametricideasmirroreachotherinthearchoftheirrespective
melodiccontoursandconsequentRomanticardor.
Formuchof the firstmovement (and indeed throughout
thetrio),Mendelssohncaststhepianoinaconcertanterole.The
pianistFerdinandHiller,oneofMendelssohn’sclosefriendsand
confidants,apparentlysteeredMendelssohntowardsthework’s
moreprogressivelyvirtuosicstyle.Whenshownanearlydraft
of the trio, he remarked that he found thepianowritingold-
fashioned.Hillerlaterrecalled:
IhadlivedmanyyearsinParis,seeingLisztfrequentlyand
Chopineveryday,sothatIwasthoroughlyaccustomedto
therichnessofpassageswhichmarkedthenewpianoforte
school.ImadesomeobservationstoMendelssohnonthis
point,suggestingcertainalterations…Wediscusseditand
Program Notes: Promise Fulfilled
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
c o n c E r t s
28 Music@Menlo 2009
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
tried itonthepianooverandoveragain,andIenjoyed
thesmalltriumphofatlastgettingMendelssohnoverto
myview.
The middle movements demonstrate two essential dimen-
sionsofMendelssohn’smusicallanguage.Thesecondmovement,
markedAndante con moto tranquillo,beginsinthestyleofMen-delssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte. The piano introduces the lied, thereaftersetasalovingduetbetweentheviolinandcello.After
themovement’sdarker,minor-keymiddle section, the lied ohne worte returns,setnowintheviolin’shighregisterabovecellopizzi-cati.ThescherzoreflectstheMidsummer Night’s Dream characterfrequentlyencounteredthroughoutMendelssohn’scatalog.
Thefinalebeginswithaportentousquiet.Thedactylthat
marks the opening theme drives the entire movement; even
the sunnier second theme, introduced by the piano,marches
tothisrhythm.Underneathanensuingcantabilesection,remi-
niscentof the secondmovement’s lied ohne worte, thepianorecallsatripletaccompanimentalfigureusedinthefirstmove-
ment.Mendelssohn thus confirms this finale as a thoughtfully
wroughtsummationoftheentirework,aswellasadramatically
fitting exclamation point. After thorough development of the
movement’svariousthematicideas,theworkemergesfromthe
broodingkeyofdminortothesunnierkeyofDmajorandends
withatriumphanthurrah.
Felix MendelssohnPiano Trio no. 2 in c minor, op. 66
Composed:CompletedApril30,1845
Published:1846
Dedication: LouisSpohr
Other works from this period: Alsocomposedin1845wereMen-
delssohn’sincidental musictoSophocles’sOedipus at Colonus, op.93,andRacine’sAthalie,op.74;theStringQuintetinB-flatMajor,op.87;andindividualLieder ohne WortefromOpuses67,85,and
102,aswellastheOpus109Lied ohne Worteforcelloandpiano.
Approximate duration: 27minutes
Mendelssohncompletedthesecondofhistwopianotrios,the
Opus66Trioincminor,in1845,sixyearsafterthefirst.Though
hepresentedtheworkasabirthdaypresenttohissisterFanny,
thepublishedscorebearsadedicationtoMendelssohn’sfriend
and colleague Louis Spohr. In addition to his compositional
renown,Spohrwasknownasoneoftheleadingviolinistsofthe
dayandtookparthimself innumerousperformancesofMen-
delssohn’sTrioincminorwiththecomposeratthepiano.
Likeitseldersibling,thistrioexudesRomanticpathosimme-
diatelyfromitsopeningstrains.Aserpentinepianomelodyrises
to a forcefulcadence, only to return to a nervouswhisper inthestrings.Mendelssohnextendsthisthemetoanotherupward
archingmusicalideaintheviolinandcello;afrenzyofsixteenth
notesinthepianounderneathinvertsthecontourofthetheme,
quietlysinkinglowerandlower.Themovement’ssecondtheme,
introducedbytheviolin,couldbethedoppelgangerofthefirst:
theheroiccounterparttothetorturedopeningmeasures.
TheAndante espressivo,analogoustotheAndante move-
mentoftheOpus49Trio,isavintagelied ohne worte: thismusic
encapsulatesRomanticismat itsmostdeeplyheartfelt.Ofthe
quicksilverthirdmovement,markedMolto allegro, quasi presto, Mendelssohnyieldedthattheperilouslyfasttempomightbe“a
triflenastytoplay.”
AmongthecompellingnarrativethreadsofMendelssohn’s
lifeandlegacyishiscomplicatedrelationshipwithreligion.He
wasborn intoaprominentJewishfamily—hisgrandfatherwas
thedistinguishedJewishphilosopherMosesMendelssohn—but
Felix’sfather,Abraham,insistedthatthefamilyconverttoChris-
tianity as ameans of assimilating into contemporaryGerman
society.Thehyphenatedsurnameoftenusedinreferencetothe
composer,Mendelssohn-Bartholdy,was likewise insisted upon
byAbrahamMendelssohn, on thepremise that “there canno
morebeaChristianMendelssohn than there canbea Jewish
Confucius.”
Though it does not bear any explicit program, theOpus
66finalemightneverthelessbeheardtoreflectsomewhatthe
nuancedrolethatreligionplayedinMendelssohn’slifeandart-
istry. The movement begins with a dance-like theme whose
shapeandarticulation(andopeningmelodicintervalofaminor
ninth)suggestJewishfolkmusic.Laterinthemovement,Men-
delssohnunexpectedlyintroducestheLutheranhymn“Gelobet
seist Du, Jesu Christ.” While the piano offers the hymn, the
strings play fragments of the opening theme. Music scholar
RobertPhiliphas likenedthis juxtapositionto“twodiminutive
figuresspeaking inhushedtonesas theyenteragreatcathe-
dral.” Extending this juxtaposition of musical ideas—indeed,
ultimately reconciling the two—themovementescalates toan
ecstaticclimax.Aradiantlytransfiguredversionoftheopening
dance-likemelodygets the lastword,propelling the trio toa
rivetingfinalcadence.
©2009PatrickCastillo
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m E n d E l s s o h n s t r I n g q u A r t E t s
the mendelssohn string quartets
The Early QuartetsJuly 21
Tuesday, July 21
8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 49)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Joan and Allan Fisch with gratitude for generously underwriting the Mendelssohn String Quartet Series.
String Quartet Series OverviewFelixMendelssohn’scycleofsevencompletedstringquartets,plusthefourindividual
movementspublishedashisOpus81,representsanimportantpillarofhisoeuvre.By
thetimeMendelssohnpennedhisfirstquartet,thegenrehadlongbeentheheartofthe
chambermusicrepertoire,thankstothecontributionsofHaydn,Mozart,Beethoven,
andSchubert.TheformoccupiedMendelssohnthroughouthiscreativelife:heentered
hisfirstessayinthegenre,therarelyheardQuartetinE-flatMajor,in1823,whenhe
wasonlyfourteenyearsold—stilltwoyearsawayfromcreatingthemasterfulOctet.
ThesubsequentstringquartetstraceMendelssohn’screativejourneyfromhisyouthful
absorptionofBeethoven’s innovationstotheunbridledRomanticexpressionof the
devastatingOpus80Quartetinfminorandtheephemeralworkspublishedposthu-
mouslyasOpus81,whichdocumentMendelssohn’sfinalmonths.
Program OverviewJustasBeethoven’scycleofsixteenstringquartetsarefashionablydividedintohis
early,middle,andlatequartets,soareMendelssohn’squartetsoftenseenasfalling
intothreecategories.ThecyclebeginswiththeearlyE-flatMajorQuartet,ahighly
sophisticatedfour-movementworkfromMendelssohn’sadolescence.Mendelssohn
composedtheStringQuartetinaminor,op.13,in1827andtheE-flatMajorQuartet,
op. 12, in 1829, likewiseprior tohis twenty-firstbirthday.Bothworks illustrate the
youngcomposerunderthespellofBeethoven.
StringQuartetinE-flatMajor(1823) I.Allegro moderato II.Adagio non troppo III.Minuetto – Trio – Minuetto IV. Fuga
StringQuartetno.1inE-flatMajor,op.12(1829) I.Adagio non troppo – Allegro non tardante II.Canzonetta – Allegretto III.Andante espressivo IV.Molto allegro e vivace
INTERMISSION
StringQuartetno.2inaminor,op.13(1827) I.Adagio – Allegro vivace II.Adagio non lento III. Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto IV.Presto – Adagio non lento
PacificaQuartet:
SiminGanatra,SibbiBernhardsson, violins; MasumiPerRostad,viola;BrandonVamos,cello
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
30 Music@Menlo 2009
Friday, July 31
8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Wu Han and David Finckel with gratitude for their generous support.
The Mendelssohn String Quartet Series is underwritten by Joan and Allan Fisch.
the mendelssohn string quartets
The Opus 44 QuartetsJuly 31
Program OverviewThethreequartetsofOpus44—composedbetween1837and1838—markahappy
time inMendelssohn’s life andcareer.His numerous successeshad installedMen-
delssohn, not yet thirty years old, as themost renownedmusician in Europe. He
hadbeenappointedMusicDirectoroftheLeipzigGewandhausOrchestraandhad
recentlymarried.Thejoythatfilledtheseyearsisnowheremoreclearlytranslated
thanintheexuberanceandbrilliantvirtuosityoftheOpus44quartets.
StringQuartetinDMajor,op.44,no.1(1838) I.Molto allegro vivace II.Menuetto: Un poco allegro III.Andante espressivo ma con moto IV.Presto con brio
StringQuartetineminor,op.44,no.2 (1837) I.Allegro assai appassionato II.Scherzo: Allegro di molto III.Andante IV.Presto agitato
INTERMISSION
StringQuartetinE-flatMajor,op.44,no.3(1838) I.Allegro vivace II.Scherzo: Assai leggiero vivace III.Adagio non troppo IV.Molto allegro con fuoco
PacificaQuartet:
SiminGanatra,SibbiBernhardsson,violins;MasumiPerRostad,viola;BrandonVamos, cello
m E n d E l s s o h n s t r I n g q u A r t E t s
c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s
31www.musicatmenlo.org
m E n d E l s s o h n s t r I n g q u A r t E t s
the mendelssohn string quartets
The Final Quartets, opp. 80 and 81August 7
Friday, August 7
8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 53)
SPECIAL THANKS
The Mendelssohn String Quartet Series is underwritten by Joan and Allan Fisch.
Program OverviewTheStringQuartetinfminor,op.80,isinescapablyassociatedwiththemosttrau-
matic event ofMendelssohn’s life: the death of his beloved elder sister, Fanny, in
May1847.TheoverwhelmingpathosoftheworkloudlyproclaimsMendelssohn’spro-
foundmelancholy.HecompletedthequartetinSeptemberofthatyearanddiedjust
weekslater,onNovember4.Theprogramalsoincludesthefourindividualquartet
movements,spanningMendelssohn’screativeoeuvre,publishedposthumouslyashis
Opus81.
FugueinE-flatMajor,op.81,no.4(1827)
Capriccioineminor,op.81,no.3(1843)
AndanteinEMajor,op.81,no.1 (1847)
Scherzoinaminor,op.81,no.2(1847)
INTERMISSION
StringQuartetinfminor,op.80(1847) I.Allegro vivace assai II.Allegro assai III.Adagio IV.Finale: Allegro molto
PacificaQuartet:
SiminGanatra,SibbiBernhardsson, violins; MasumiPerRostad,viola;BrandonVamos, cello
m E n d E l s s o h n s t r I n g q u A r t E t s
In his sixteen string quartets, Beethoven moved from the
conventions of the Classical era to the dramatic, dynamic
tensionsandemotionalstormsofhislateworks.Reactingto
thoselateworks,andtotheemphasisonmelodyandpersonal
expressiveness that characterized the Romantic era, Felix
Mendelssohncraftedagroupofstringquartetsonasmaller
scalethanBeethoven’s:feweractualworks,ofshorterlength,
and with a less extreme emotional range. Yet his achieve-
mentinthequartetrealmisofnolessquality,eventhoughit’s
somewhatlessfamiliar.
In the autumn of 1825, a fewmonths shy of his seven-
teenthbirthday,MendelssohncompletedhisOctetforStrings
in E-flat Major, generally acknowledged as one of hismost
accomplished and most inspired masterpieces, and also as
oneofthepinnaclesofallofWesternstringchambermusic.
Toaconsiderableextent,hisotherchambermusichasbeen
overshadowedbytheOctet,anunfaircircumstancethatpre-
cludesawell-roundedunderstandingofhisoutputasawhole.
Mendelssohn’schambermusiclist includesawidevarietyof
pieces:theOctet,threepianoquartets,varioussonatas*andshorterpiecesforviolinorcellowithpiano,twostringquin-
tets,twopianotrios,asextetwithpiano,andsevencompleted
stringquartets,alongwithfourindividualmovementsforthesame medium that are basically unrelated but which have
beentreatedasakindofsupplementalworkwhenplayedin
combination.Thechronologylookslikethis:
1823StringQuartetinE-flatMajor
(publishedposthumously)
1825OctetforStringsinE-flatMajor
1827StringQuartetno.2inaminor,op.131827FugueinE-flatMajor[op.81,no.4]1829StringQuartetno.1inE-flatMajor,op.12
1837StringQuartetineminor,op.44,no.2
1838StringQuartetinE-flatMajor,op.44,no.3
1838StringQuartetinDMajor,op.44,no.1
[Opus44waspublishedasasetin1839]
1843Capriccioineminor[op.81,no.3]
1847StringQuartetinfminor,op.80
1847AndanteinEMajor[op.81,no.1]1847 Scherzoinaminor[op.81,no.2]
[TheartificiallycreatedOpus81waspublished
posthumously]
Like Mozart and Schubert, Mendelssohn compressed a
tremendous amount of creativity into relatively few years;
“early,”“middle,”and“late”stylesarenotterriblyusefulcon-
cepts when we’re considering three composers who didn’t
survivepast thedecadeof their thirties. Yet stylistic evolu-
tionisclearinthemusicofallthreeofthesechildprodigies,
whoseskillandunderstandinggrewandchangedasdothose
of all human beings, whatever their age. Early,middle, and
late are divisions more easily and commonly made when
studyingtheworksofBeethoven,whomadeitintohismiddle
fifties(areasonablelifespanfortheearlynineteenthcentury)
andwhosemusicquiteclearlyfallsintothreedistinctstylistic
groups.Eachof theseBeethovenianperiodscanbedefined
at least in part by the nature of oneof his threegroupsof
string quartets: the Opus 18 set that confronts and builds
upontheachievementsofHaydnandMozart;thefivelength-
ierandmorecomplicatedquartetsof1806–1810;andthefive
astonishing late works that seemed to attempt to redefine
completelywhatastringquartetcouldbe.Aparallelcanbe
discernedinthesequenceofMendelssohn’squartets.
TheearlyE-flatMajorQuartet(1823),Opus 12,Opus 13:
Theseworksfindayouthfulcomposerappraising,confronting,
and partially transcending the traditions of his eighteenth-
centurypredecessors in thefirst instanceandofBeethoven
inthecaseofOpuses12and13,worksthatspecificallytake
someofBeethoven’squartetsaspointsofdeparture.
Opus 44, Numbers 1–3: These are “middle” in terms of
ourparallel;Mendelssohnhasdevelopedtheindividualquar-
tet voice he found in Opuses 12–13 and now forges a true
Classical-Romanticunionofsatisfyingformalstructuresand
expressivemelody.
Opus 80: Grief dominates this work written almost
literally under the shadow of death. Mendelssohn’s always-
fragile health had been failing for some time by 1847,
due at least in part to overwork and constant wearisome
traveling, but it would be impossiblymelodramatic to sug-
gest that he foresaw his own imminent demise. At the
time of the writing of the emotionally wracked Quartet in
f minor, the death that loomed before him was that of his
beloved older sister, Fanny, who from earliest childhood
had closely shared Felix’s love for music, art, and poetry.
Mendelssohn had always had happy personal relationships:
with his parents, with his wife and their five children, with
his friends.ButFannyhadbeenextra special, and fromher
lossheneverrecovered.TheOpus80Quartetconfrontsthe
anguishofmortality.
The Early QuartetsMendelssohn’s E-flat Major Quartet (1823)waswrittenverymuchundertheinfluenceofhisprincipalteacher,CarlZelter,
who was granted the opportunity to train a prodigiously
gifted boy, already proficient on both piano and violin, in
the traditionsofpastgreatness.Zelter emphasizedBachian
counterpointandtheinstrumentalproceduresofHaydnand
Mozart in his teaching ofMendelssohn, and the early E-flat
quartet(notpublisheduntilthe1870s)reflectsthesepreoccu-
pations.Moststrikingtoourearsistheconstantprominence
ofthefirst-violinpart.Thisprominencewouldneverentirely
goawayinMendelssohn’squartets,butinthisfirstworkthe
lowerpartsarequiteobviouslysubjugated.Alsotobenoted
here is the sequence of themovements and their tempi. In
almostallhisopus-numberquartets,Mendelssohnplacedthe
slowmovementinthirdplace.Theearlyoneplacestheslow
movementasHaydnandMozartusuallydid,insecondplace.It
maybeanobeisancetotradition,butitalsoservestoheighten
contrast.Thesonata-formfirstmovementisveryregularinits
layoutoftwoconventionallypatternedthemesthroughexpo-sition, development,andrecapitulation.TheensuingAdagioismuchmorelyricalandchromaticandshiftstotherelative
32 Music@Menlo 2009
Program Notes: The Mendelssohn String Quartets
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
m E n d E l s s o h n s t r I n g q u A r t E t s
cminor.Tofollowit,Mendelssohncreatesasprightlyminuetveryreminiscentoftheeighteenthcenturyandthenproceeds
toshowoffhisskill inadouble-fuguefinale,whereinforthe
firsttimewereallyhearthesecondviolin,viola,andcelloas
individuals.FugalfinaleswerecharacteristicofHaydn’searly
quartets,showingonceagaintheyoungMendelssohn’sdirect
inspirationfromhispredecessors.
It’s rather unusual to talk about a composer’s first two
“mature” quartets when they date from his eighteenth and
twentieth years, but the quartets of Opus 12 and Opus 13
show Mendelssohn’s individual voice emerging from the
years of apprenticeship. Two earlier works had shown the
true genius also: theOctet and theOverture toA Midsum-mer Night’s Dream. The 1820s foundMendelssohnmaturing
from the child-prodigyeraof string symphonies andcham-
beroperas,fromschoolboytointernationaltraveler;theyalso
sawhimconfrontinghisgriefoverthedeathofBeethovenin
1827andrespondingmusicallytowhatheregardedassome
oftheViennesemaster’smostsignificantworks,themiddle-
and late-period string quartets. (His attitude in this regard
marked a completebreakwithZelter,who in commonwith
manyleadingmusiciansofthetimethoughtBeethoven’slate
quartetswereunplayable.)Beethoven’sinfluenceplaysapart
inbothOpus12andOpus13,thelatterbeingoneofthemost
strikinglyoriginalofallofMendelssohn’schamberworks,an
accomplishment fullyworthy of comparisonwith the iconic
Octet.BothworksshowMendelssohn’sskillwithcyclicform
inhisabilityto interconnectthethemesofeachofawork’s
movements. Theworks are highly contrasted inmood,with
Opus12emphasizingserenegoodhumorandOpus13charac-
terizedbyadegreeofpassionanddramaticcontrastwedon’t
alwaysassociatewiththissupremelyrefinedcomposer.
TheE-flat Major QuartetpublishedasOpus 12wascom-
pleted in London in 1829, during the first of Mendelssohn’s
many journeys to the British Isles; this first one would find
him exploring England,Wales, and Scotland, in which latter
nation he found inspiration for twobetter-knownworks, the
Scottish Symphony and theHebrides Overture. Opus 12 hasanAdagio introductionthatrecallsthesimilar introductionin
Beethoven’sE-flatHarp Quartet,op.74.Thisleadstoaninter-estinglylabeledmainportion,Allegro non tardante:Lively,anddon’thesitate.Essentiallymonothematicinitsexposition,the
firstmovementalsofeaturesaminor-modethemethatreturns
in thefirstmovement’scodaandalso,withstructuralpromi-
nence, in the final movement. The recapitulation varies the
mainthemewithgentleornamentation.TheCanzonetta(Littlesong)movement used to be performed on its own, back in
thedayswhen itwasn’tconsideredheresy toplay individual
movementsof longerpieces.Thekey isgminor; the folklike
main theme is contrasted with a faster paced, almost scur-
ryingmidsection in theparallelGmajor.This isoneofmany
Mendelssohnian quartet movements that have been likened
tothemagicalscherzooftheincidental musicforA Midsum-mer Night’s Dream. Thequartet’sthirdmovement,inB-flat,is
characteristicallyMendelssohnianwith its richmelodiousness
andcloselydrawnharmonies.Arecitative-likesoloforthefirstviolinstandsoutbeforethemovement’send,whichleadswith
onlytheslightestofpausestotheabruptlydeclamatoryopen-
ingofthefinale.Thismovementstartsoutunconventionallyin
cminorandthenmodulatestogminorbeforethereintroduc-
tionoftheauxiliarythemefromthefirstmovement,adevice
thatenablesMendelssohntoreturntothehomekeyofE-flat
forabravuraconclusiontoamostingeniouslyunifiedwork.
Two years before this remarkable achievement, Men-
delssohndealtwithBeethovenandwithcyclicforminaneven
moredramaticwayinhisQuartet in a minor, op. 13.HealsoadoptedatechniquebelovedbySchubertinhischambermusic,
thatofusingasongmotiveasthegeneratingelementofimpor-
tantthemes.Insteadofusingthesongfragmentasthebasis
forjustonemovement,however,Mendelssohnincorporatesit
anditsvariantsandexpansionsthroughoutalmostallofthe
aminorquartet.(ThisquartetwaspublishedlaterthanOpus12,
thoughwrittenearlier,hencetheconfusionofopusnumbers.)
ThemovementpatternofOpus13placestheslowmovement
insecondplace,placingthelightertexturedAllegrettointer-mezzointhirdplaceasakindoftransparentinterludebeforethe intricate,extendedfinale, thework’s longestmovement,
whichreintegratesmanyelementsfromearlieron.
The major Beethovenian influence on Opus 13 comes
fromtheoldercomposer’sOpus132,astringquartetalsoin
the key of a minor. The slow introduction to Opus 13, par-
allel to Beethoven’s opening, introduces the motive from
Mendelssohn’sown songFrage (Question), a charming love
lyricpublishedaspartofhisOpus9.Thethree-notemotive
has a clearly interrogatory sound; the song’swords include
these:“Isittruethatyouwaitformeeacheveningunderthe
arbor,thatyouaskthemoonlightandthestarsaboutme?Is
ittrue,ohtellme.”Themotiveappearsintheslowintroduc-
tionandinthemovement’spassionatemainsection,Allegro vivace.Lyricismanddramacombineinthishighlyexpressive
movement,whichisledbythefirstviolinbutprovidescontra-
puntalinterestinallfourparts.There’saclearrecollectionof
Beethoven,andyetthesoundisreallynotatallBeethovenian.
ItisMendelssohn:lyricalmelodies,richharmonies,andsym-
metricalphrases.ThesecondmovementisoddlylabeledAdagio non lento,
whichcouldbetranslatedas“Slownotslow.”“Adagio”refers
more to mood, however, and “lento” to pace: the music is
intensely felt but should be played deliberately, not slowly.
Themaintheme,inFmajor,recallingahymn,isintroducedby
thefirstviolin,buttheotherinstrumentscontributetheirown
contrapuntal variants. The agitated midsection yields to a
heartfeltrecapitulationofthehymnmotive.Intheintermezzo,
pizzicato accompanimentpunctuates a folklikemain theme
whosedancinggaietyiscontrastedwithanagitated,staccatomidsection. Returning to the emotional realm of the open-
ingmovement,thefinale isanextendedsonata-formPrestowhosefirst-violin themewith tremolo accompanimentonce
againrecallsBeethoven’sOpus132.MotivesfromtheAdagiomovementreturn,andalsorecapitulatedisthethemeofthe
originalslowintroduction,re-emphasizingthequartet’sasso-
ciationwiththeyearning“question”ofthesong.
The Opus 44 QuartetsDuringtheearlyandmiddle 1840sMendelssohnabandoned
the string quartet medium. He was no longer a student
experimentingwiththemusicalmediaofhiseldersandpre-
decessors; hewasnowan internationally famousperformer
andconductorforwhoseservicescitiesandkingscompeted.
His orchestral and choral works won him praise and fame.
He accepted the directorship of the Leipzig Gewandhaus
Orchestrain1835andturneditintooneofEurope’spremier
ensembles, establishing high standards of discipline and
enriching the repertory.He led thefirstpublicperformance
ofSchubert’sSymphonyno.9,reawakenedinterestinHaydn
33www.musicatmenlo.org
m E n d E l s s o h n s t r I n g q u A r t E t s
andMozart,andencouragedtheworkofhiscontemporaries,
Schumannespecially.InhisworkwiththeGewandhaushehad
thehelpofoneofhisbestfriendsandmostsympatheticartis-
ticcollaborators,theviolinistFerdinandDavid,whobecame
ConcertmasterinLeipzigatthesametimeMendelssohntook
over the podium. It was for David that hewrote the Violin
Concerto in e minor in 1842, and it was for David’s cham-
bermusic evenings that hewrote the three string quartets
of Opus 44 in 1837 and 1838. David and his chosen cham-
bermusic colleagueswere technical virtuosi andmusicians
ofdeepsensitivityandunderstanding.Theirperformancesof
thenewworksmust havebeenextremely special treats for
thesmall invitedaudiencesofknowledgeableLeipzigmusic
lovers.Whentheywerepublishedasasetin1839,theywere
dedicated(oddly,perhaps)nottoDavidbutto“HisHighness
theRoyalPrinceofSweden.”
It’s rather hard to understand why these quartets are
not performedmore often. True, theymake heavy virtuosic
demandsonall fourplayers,butthemodernworldcontains
any number of fine quartets that wouldn’t be in the least
dismayed by the scores’ challenges. And they are utterly
delightfulto listento:fullofrichmelody,entrancingharmo-
nies,andpiquantdynamiccontrasts.Bythispoint inhis life
Mendelssohn had become an absolute master of Classical
formsandusedthemsoskillfullythatthelayoutofeachwork
iscleartothelistenerstraightaway.Thesoundmanagestobe
densewith interest, yet transparent; the complexities come
off simply as delights. All three are laid out in the pattern
Mendelssohnhadcometoprefer,withtheslowmovementin
thirdplace.Twoofthemarecastintwoofhisfavoritekeys,
E-flatmajorandeminor,withabravuraDmajorworktolead
thesetoff.(Theactualorderofcompositionwasno.2,no.3,
andthenno.1.)
The brilliant and exuberant openingMolto allegro vivaceand concluding Presto con brio of the D Major Quartet, op. 44, no. 1—eachmovementalmostaperpetuum mobile—arecontrastedwithaneighteenth-century-styleminuetforthesec-
ondmovement. The thirdmovement,Andante espressivo ma con moto—moderately slow, expressive, but don’t drag it—is
characterized by the evanescent pizzicato string playing that
appearsinsomanyMendelssohnianscherzos,butherethepace
isslowedtocreateagentle,almostretiringsongwithoutwords.
Thefinaleisstructuredwithingeniouscounterpoint.Theopen-
ingoftheAllegro assai appassionato(Ratherlively,passionate)oftheQuartet in e minor, op. 44, no. 2,with itssingingmain
themeoverrestlesslinesofaccompaniment,hasremindedsome
commentatorsofthemuchmorefamiliaropeningoftheViolin
Concertointhesamekey.Inthiswork,thesecondmovementis
averyrapidlypacedscherzothatonceagainhassetupechoes
in themindsofmusiciansandaudiences recalling the famous
scherzo fromA Midsummer Night’s Dream. AsoulfulAndanteleadsintoafinalewhoserhythmsarecastintriplemeter,nottheduplemeter that characterized the earliermovements. (Men-
delssohnoften liked touse thecontrastof triplemeter,often
6/8,andthroughouthisquartetsheoftenvariesthepacewith
tripletfigurations inmovementscast in2/4or4/4 time.)The
Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 44, no. 3, features characteristicsixteenth-notefiguresthatappearprominentlyandserveasa
kindofthematiclink.There’sagreatdealofcontrapuntalinter-
estthroughoutthefourmovements;theemotionalheartisthe
thirdmovement,Adagio non troppo,perhapsthemostheartfelt
slowmovementintheentiretriptych.
The Final Quartets, opp. 80 and 81“It would be difficult to cite any piece of music which so
completelyimpressesthelistenerwithasensationofgloomy
foreboding,ofanguishofmind,andofthemostpoeticmelan-
choly,asdoesthismasterlyandeloquentcomposition.”Those
arethewordsofcomposer-conductorJuliusBenedict,along-
timefriendofMendelssohn’s,abouttheOpus 80 Quartet in f minor, of which the third movement Adagio is subtitled“RequiemforFanny.”Thetotallyunexpectedlossofhisolder
sister,fellowcomposer,childhoodcompanion,andadultsoul-
matehadacompletelyshatteringeffectonMendelssohn.For
weeksafterherdeathonMay12,1847,herdevastatedbrother
wasincapableofanykindofwork.HavingretreatedtoSwit-
zerland forsomerecuperationbothphysicalandmental,he
wrotethesixthquartetinJuly.Agitation,expressedthrough
dissonanceandunsteadyrhythms,isthekeynoteoftheentire
piece outside of theAdagio. The second theme of the first
movement, Allegro vivace assai (very fast), unfolds over aharshpedalpoint in thecellopart.Anuncertainsilencefol-
lows the exposition, with the development then picking up
thehighly chargedatmosphereof thework’sopening.Syn-copatedrhythmicfigurescharacterizethesecondmovement
Allegro assai;it’shardtocallthismovementascherzo,since
there isvery little joy in it.TheAdagio ismostly intherela-
tiveA-flatmajor,butthisnormallyserenekeyproducesinthis
instanceafeelingofresigneddespair;asobbingclimaxleads
tothemovement’sgradualdyingaway.Thenthetremolopas-
sagesthatlentsuchrestlessnessanduncertaintytothefirst
movement return in the concluding Allegro molto. ThoughmostofMendelssohn’sstringquartetmovementsfeaturecon-
stantandstrikingcontrastsbetweenloudandsoftdynamics,
thefinaleofthefminorquartet istoalargedegreelabeled
forteorfortissimo.Weepinghasturnedintoanoutcryagainst
inexorablefate.
Hewroteabout this timetohis friendKarlKlingemann:
“Now I must gradually begin to put my life and my work
together again,with the awareness that Fanny is no longer
there,and it leavessuchabittertastethat Istillcannotsee
mywayclearly,orfindanypeace.”Hewouldhavelittletime
for rebuilding his life; in October 1847 he suffered a series
of increasingly severe strokes. In November, at the age of
thirty-eight,hediedandwasburiednexttoFannyinaBerlin
churchyard.
ThefourindividualquartetmovementsthatMendelssohn
left unpublished are often performed together as “Opus 81,”buttheypossiblyworkbetterasindividualpieces,sincethey don’t have the logical relations to each other that are
so audible in the full-length quartets. In order of composi-
tion, thesepieces are a cleverly-worked-outFugue inE-flat
Major from 1827, the same year as the Opus 13 Quartet;
a Capriccio in e minor from 1843, structured as an intro-
ductoryAndante followed by yet another fugue, the fuguebased on a four-note motive from the main theme of the
Andante; a Theme and Variations in E Major from 1847,
the last of the five variations modulating dramatically to
e minor; and a Scherzo in a minor, light-footed and light-
hearted,withpizzicatopunctuation.
©2009AndreaLamoreaux
34 Music@Menlo 2009
35www.musicatmenlo.org
carte Blanche concert I:
The Romantic Cello Sonata: Colin Carr and Thomas Sauer July 26
Sunday, July 26
10:00 a.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School
(Koret Young Performers Concert 5:00 p.m., see page 54)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Iris and Paul Brest with gratitude for their generous support.
Program Overview TheRomanticperiodsawthecello,traditionallycastinasupportingrole,blossominto
aprominentlyricalvoice,ascomposersincreasinglycontributedsonatas,concerti,and
othersoloworkstothecelloliterature.“TheRomanticCelloSonata”bringstogether
theessentialcello-and-pianoworksbyMendelssohn,Schumann,andBrahms.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
CelloSonatano.1inB-flatMajor,op.45(1838) I.Allegro vivace II.Andante III.Allegro assai
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
AdagioandAllegro,op.70(1849)
Phantasiestücke,op.73(1849) I.Zart und mit Ausdruck II.Lebhaft, leicht III.Rasch und mit Feuer
Felix MendelssohnVariationsConcertantesinDMajor,op.17 (1829)
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
CelloSonatano.1ineminor,op.38(1862–1865) I.Allegro non troppo II.Allegretto quasi menuetto III.Allegro
INTERMISSION
Felix MendelssohnCelloSonatano.2inDMajor,op.58(1843)
Robert SchumannFünfStückeimVolkston,op.102(1849)
Felix MendelssohnLied ohne Worte, op.109(1845)
Johannes BrahmsCelloSonatano.2inFMajor,op.99(1886)
ColinCarr,cello,andThomasSauer, piano
I.Allegro assai vivace II. Allegretto scherzando
III.Adagio IV.Molto allegro e vivace
I.Allegro vivace II.Adagio affettuoso
III. Allegro appassionato IV. Allegro molto
I.Mit Humor II.Langsam III.Nicht schnell, mit viel Ton zu spielen
IV.Nicht zu rasch V.Stark und markiert
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
Felix Mendelssohn (Born February 3, 1809, Hamburg; died November 4, 1847, Leipzig)
Cello Sonata no. 1 in B-flat Major, op. 45
Composed:CompletedOctober13,1838
Published: 1839
Other works from this period: SerenadeandAllegro*giocosoforPianoandOrchestra,op. 43(April1,1838);Violin Sonata inFMajor(June15,1838);Andante cantabileandPrestoagitatofor Solo Piano (June 22, 1838); the Opus 44 string quartets
(1837–1838);PianoTriono.1indminor,op.49(1839).
Approximate duration: 22minutes
Thesummerand fallof 1838,whentheOpus45CelloSonata
wascomposed,markedahappytimeforMendelssohn.Already
recognizedasEurope’s leadingmusician—primarily as a com-
poserbutlikewiseashisgeneration’sgreatestpianist,organist,
and conductor—he had furthermore been ensconced since
1835 asMusicDirector of the LeipzigGewandhausOrchestra,
which role he parlayed into a position of great cultural influ-
ence.Mendelssohnwasresponsibleforrevampingtheorchestra
intooneofWesternEurope’stop-flightbands,andthesteady
dietheoversawofBach,Handel,Mozart,Gluck,Beethoven,and
Cherubini (pepperedwiththecontemporarymusicof theday
ofRobertSchumann,LouisSpohr,andhimself)establishedthe
GewandhausasathrivingcenterofGermanconcertlife.
Mendelssohn’sprogramchoices seemalso tohavesuited
theworkingsofhisownmusical imaginationduring this time.
TheCelloSonatainB-flatMajor,op.45,emanatesacopacetic
Mozartian Classicism, demonstrating the principles of formal
symmetryandclarityofexpressionlearnedthroughdeepstudy
ofthemusicofhispredecessors.Schumannwroteofthesonata:
“Asmilehoversroundhismouth,butitisthatofdelightinhis
art,ofquietself-sufficiencyinanintimatecircle.”
Inadditiontohisnumerousprofessionalaccomplishments,
Mendelssohnhadalsorecentlymarriedandwitnessedthebirth
of his first child, Karl Wolfgang Paul—“Paul” honoring Felix’s
brother,theamateur(butneverthelesshighlyskilled)cellistPaul
Mendelssohn, for whom the Opus 45 Sonata was composed.
Mendelssohn’s feelings of parental and fraternal fondness are
audiblyembeddedinthework’sthreemovements. Schumann
additionallysurmisedthatthesonatawouldbe“especiallyfit-
tingforthemostrefinedfamilycircles.”
Robert Schumann (Born June 8, 1810, Saxony; died July 29, 1856, Endenich, outside Bonn)
Adagio and Allegro, op. 70
Composed: 1849
Published: 1849
Other works from this period: Theyears1848–1850sawagreatsurge in Schumann’s creative output. In 1849 alone, he com-
pletednearlyfortyworks,includingtheSpanisches Liederspiel, op.74,andLieder-Album für die Jugend, op.79,amongnumer-
ousothersongs;theZwölfvierhändigeClavierstückefürkleine
und grosse Kinder (Twelve Four-Hand Piano Pieces for Small
and Large Children), op. 85; the orchestral Concertstück for
FourHorns,op.86,andIntroductionandAllegroappassionato,
op.92;andanassortmentofchamberworks:theOpus70Ada-gioandAllegroforHorn(ViolinorCello)andPiano,theOpus73PhantasiestückeforClarinet(ViolinorCello)andPiano,the
Opus94DreiRomanzenforOboe(ViolinorClarinet)andPiano,
andFünfStückeimVolkstonforCelloorViolinandPiano,op.102.
Approximate duration: 8minutes
Theamazing lifeofRobertSchumannrivalsBeethoven’s in its
intensityandcomplexity.Obsessive,brilliant,paranoid,wayward,
exceedinglyemotional,andgiventofantasy,Schumannwalked
afinelinebetweensanityandinsanityformostofhisadultlife,
finally throwing himself into the Rhine at age forty-four. The
year1849,duringwhichhecomposedsometwentyimportant
works,wasagoodoneforhim.Schumanncomposedlargelyin
creativeburstsinwhichhewouldfocusallhisattentiononacer-
tainkindofrepertoire.Inthespringtimeheapparentlybecame
enamoredoftheFrenchhorn,writingaconcertoforfourhornsandorchestraandtheAdagio(originallycalledRomanza)and
Allegro,op.70.(Themanuscriptgivestheoptionofplayingthe
solopartonthecelloorviolin,aswell.)
The Adagio is one of the most romantic partnerships
between two instruments imaginable. For forty-one bars, the
cello and piano exchange melody in a practically unbroken
phrase;it’saconversationbetweenlovers,sometimescomple-
menting, interrupting, and questioning but in the end finally
uniting (after some suggestive turbulence) in a calm A-flat
major.Thepianoletsouttwolittlesighsandonebigoneand
thecello respondswitha tenderandnoblecadentialflourish.
Thecodahasa radianceandpeacenotheardbefore,andfor
want of a bettermetaphor, the lovers soondrift off to sleep.
TheatmosphereisthentotallyshatteredbytheAllegro,which
beginsasthoughshotfromagun.
Interrupted only momentarily by a slower section, in an
unrelatedkey,theAllegrochargestothefinishinajoyful,unbro-
ken stream of energy. Because of the key (A-flatmajor), the
Allegroissomewhatawkwardforthecello,butthestruggleto
reachthehighE-flat,asontheFrenchhorn,makesasuccessful
ascentallthemorerewarding.
©1996ArtistLed
Robert SchumannPhantasiestücke, op. 73
Composed:1849
Published:1849
Other works from this period:Seeabove
Approximate duration:12minutes
Inhisdiaries,letters,andcriticalwritings,Schumannofteninvoked
thefictionalalteregosFlorestanandEusebius, archetypescon-
ceived to symbolize two components of his own artistic and
36 Music@Menlo 2009
Program Notes: The Romantic Cello Sonata
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
psychologicalworld.FlorestanrepresentsSchumanntheRoman-
tic hero, vigorous and optimistic; Eusebius reflects Schumann’s
tender,lyrical,andintrospectiveside.MuchofSchumann’smusic
derivesitsélanfromthedramatictensionbetweenFlorestanand
Eusebius.WhileSchumann’screation,thesemetaphorscouldlike-
wiseservetheRomanticperiodinmusicasawhole.
SchumanncomposedtheOpus73FantasyPiecesforClarinet
andPianoin1849.(Theyexistaswellinarrangements,preparedby
thecomposer,forviolinandforcello.)Itisadelicioussetofminia-
turesthathasremainedaperennialfavoriteofconcertaudiences.
Although theFantasyPiecesarenotamongthoseworkswhich
explicitlyciteFlorestanandEusebius,theirenergycanneverthe-
lessbefelt.ThefirstofthethreeminiaturesbelongstoEusebius.
EvenSchumann’stempomarkingisemotionallyloaded:whereas
Haydnwouldpresumablyhaveusedamorecommontempoindi-
cationsuchasAndanteorAllegro, Schumann’sinstructiontothe
performerreads,Zart und mit Ausdruck—Tenderlyandwithexpres-sion. Likewise the charming second movement: Lebhaft, leicht(Lively,easily).Withtheonsetof the lastof theFantasyPieces,
Florestanhaswontheday.Schumann’sexpressiveinstructionto
theperformer:“Rapidlyandwithfire.”
Felix MendelssohnVariations Concertantes in D Major, op. 17
Composed:CompletedJanuary30,1829
Dedication: PaulMendelssohn
First performance:London,June15,1829,bycellistRobertLind-leywithMendelssohnatthepiano
Other works from this period: ThegreatprojectthatoccupiedMen-delssohnalongsidethecompositionoftheVariations ConcertanteswasnotanotheroriginalworkbutthecelebratedrevivalofBach’s
St. Matthew Passion, whichthetwenty-year-oldMendelssohncon-ductedonMarch11,markingtheoratorio’sfirstpublicperformance
inonehundredyears.Early1829alsosawthetirelessMendelssohn
atworkontheReformationSymphony,op.107(completedinMay
1830),andtheconcertaria Tutto è silenzioforsopranoandorches-tra, composed forAnnaMilder-Hauptmann, oneof the soprano
soloistsintheSt. Matthew Passionperformance.
Approximate duration:9minutes
LiketheOpus45CelloSonatapennedadecadelater(andwhich
begins this program), Mendelssohn’s Variations Concertantes
were conceived for the composer’sbrother, PaulMendelssohn,
and likewiseevidence theamateurcellist’s instrumental facility.
Thedulcetthemeexploitsboththecello’ssonorousdepthanditsbrighttenorregistertowardsestablishinganaffabledialogue
betweenthecelloandpiano.Thesubsequentsetofeightvaria-
tionsexpandsthetheme’sexpressivereach,puttingbothplayers
throughtheirpacesalongtheway.Thefourthvariation,marked
Allegro con fuoco,dispatchesanespeciallyathleticpianopart,answeredbythecello’szestypizzicati inthefifth.Thetranquilsixth variation sets up the turbulent Presto ed agitato, whoseclimacticexplosionofoctavesinthepianofurtherdeepensthe
tendernessofthethemeuponitsreturn.
Johannes Brahms (Born May 7, 1833, Hamburg; died April 3, 1897, Vienna)
Cello Sonata no. 1 in e minor, op. 38
Composed: Brahmscompletedthefirsttwomovementsinthe
summerof1862inMünsteramStein;thefinalewascomposed
three years laterwhile the composer summered in Lichtental
(Baden-Baden).
Published: 1866,Simrock(Berlin),afterarefusalbyBreitkopf&
Härtel
First performance: TheGewandhausinLeipzig,January14,1871,by cellist Emil Hegar and pianist (and Concertmaster of the
GewandhausOrchestra)CarlReinecke
Other works from this period: TheseyearssurroundingtheFirstCelloSonatasawagooddealofchambermusicfromBrahms’s
pen,includingthepianotriosinBmajor,op.8(1854),andE-flat
major,op.40(1865);thesextets inB-flatmajor,op.18(1860),
andGmajor,op.36(1865);andthepianoquartetsingminor,
op.25(1861),andAmajor,op.26(1862).Thesummerhebegan
workon theFirstCelloSonata,Brahmsalsobegan thePiano
Quintetinfminor,op.34,anddraftedasymphonicmovement.
Approximate duration: 25minutes
BrahmscomposedthefirsttwomovementsoftheOpus38Cello
Sonata(hisfirstworkforasoloinstrumentwithpiano)whilein
his late twenties.By this time,Brahmshadalreadycomposed
a great deal of chambermusic and become sufficientlywell-
versed in thenuancesofwriting for individual instruments. In
thesummerof1862,BrahmsvisitedtheLowerRhineMusicFes-
tivalinCologneandspentthefollowingweeksonholidaywith
the conductor and composerAlbertDietrich andClara Schu-
mann, Robert Schumann’s widow. The vacation was a happy
one:BrahmsandDietrichspentthedayshikingandcomposing;
intheevenings,Clara—oneofhergeneration’sgreatestpianists
andagiftedcomposerinherownright—wouldplay.
BrahmsreveredBachaboveallcomposersandpaidhom-
age to himwith the Sonata in eminor. The firstmovement’s
principal theme resembles in shape andmood the fugal sub-jectofBach’sDie Kunst der Fuge,andthefugalsubjectofthethirdmovementdirectlyquotesthesamework’sContrapunctusXIII.Nevertheless,inhislatetwentiesandearlythirties,Brahms
theyoungRomantichadalreadyestablishedhisvoicewithsuch
confidence thatdespite theexplicitnod toapastmaster, the
languageofthissonataisunmistakablyhisown.
Aninsistent,syncopatedpianoaccompanimentunderscores
thecello’sbroodingopeningmelody,creatingafeelingofinner
agitation. This tension culminates as the cello ascends to its
upperregister,andasthepianoassumesthetheme,thefirstof
aseriesofheatedargumentsbetweenpianoandcellobegins.A
stillmoreimpassioneddialoguefollows,usheringinthesecond
subject.CommentaryonthetwocellosonatasofBrahmsoften
makesnoteoftheinherentproblemsofsonicbalanceinpairing
cellowithpiano (asdensekeyboard textures easilydrownout
thecello’smiddleregister).ThroughoutthisopeningAllegronon troppo,Brahmsmakesavirtueofthechallenge,oftenpittingthe
twoinstrumentsascombatantsincontentiousdialogue.
Although composed before Brahms’s move to Vienna,
the secondmovementminuet exudes adistinctViennesefla-vor:exuberant,butwithatingeofdarknessmoreevocativeof
MahlerthanofStrauss’swaltzes.Theheartofthemovementis
thedivine triosection,whichdepartsfromthekeyofaminorto
theevenmoremysterious,remotetonalityoff-sharpminor.The
cellooffersalyricalmelody,doubledbyashimmeringaccom-
panimentintherighthandofthepiano:ripplingsixteenthnotes
givetheeffectofavoice-likevibratointhepiano.
Thefinaleisathree-voicedfugue,inturnsgentleandunre-lenting.ThemovementisindebtednotonlytoBachbutalsoto
37www.musicatmenlo.org
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
thefugalfinaleofBeethoven’sOpus102Number2CelloSonata.
Brahmsdepartsfromthatmodel,however,bytraversingmore
extreme emotive territories. An unexpected più presto codadrivestheworktoarestlessfinish,withthecelloandpianocon-
tinuingtheirbattleforsupremacytotheend.
Felix MendelssohnCello Sonata no. 2 in D Major, op. 58
Composed:ca.June1843
Dedication: Count Mateusz Wielhorski, a Russian cellist and
arts patron—although the sonata was truly intended, like the
B-flatMajorSonataandVariationsConcertantes,forPaulMen-
delssohn
First performance:Leipzig,November18,1843
Other works from this period:Detailedinthenotesbelow
Approximate duration:25minutes
Mendelssohn penned the Opus 58 Sonata in 1843, a year of
considerable personal upheaval. Having at last concluded an
unhappyresidencyinBerlin,Mendelssohnandhisfamilyreturned
toLeipzig,wheretheyhadpreviouslyspenttheyears1835–1840,
duringwhichtime,R.LarryToddnotes,thecomposer“stoodat
theforefrontofGermanmusic”despitestillbeinginhistwenties.
Hence in 1840,aspartofasweepingattempt to installBerlin
amongEurope’smajorculturalcapitals,therecentlyascendant
FriedrichWilhelmIVhadluredMendelssohnfromLeipzig.How-
ever, though compensated handsomely in both payment and
prestige,Mendelssohnwould not find personal satisfaction in
Berlinover the coming threeyears.Hisprofessional responsi-
bilities remained frustratingly undefined—besides which, he
regardedthatcityas“oneofthemostsourapples intowhich
amancanbite”—and, in 1843,Mendelssohn resumedhiscon-
ductingdutiesat theLeipzigGewandhaus.Moreover,withhis
belovedmother’sdeathonDecember12,1842,Felixsharedthe
realizationwithhisyoungerbrother,Paul,that“wearechildren
nolonger.”
Despitetheturbulencesurroundingthistime, 1843never-
thelessrepresentedasolidlyproductiveyear.Inadditiontothe
Opus58Sonata,Mendelssohncompletedhis incidental music toA Midsummer Night’s Dream,theCapriccioforStringQuar-tet(laterpublishedasop.81,no.3),fiveLieder ohne Worteforpiano,andnumerouschoralpieces,amongotherworks.
Befitting Mendelssohn’s mature compositional language,
theDMajorSonataisfirmlyrootedinthetenetsofClassicism
inherited from Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven but meanwhile
demonstratesthepathosof theRomanticperiod.Eachof the
sonata’s four movements portrays a vital dimension of Men-
delssohn’smusicalidentity.TheopeningAllegro assai vivaceisallsoaringlyricismandpropulsiverhythmicenergy,evenatits
tendersecondtheme.Themovement’secstatictonedispelsthe
misguidedaphorismthatmusic’semotionalcontentmustcor-
relatewithbiography—thereisnothinginthismovement,after
all, to betrayMendelssohn’s grief over hismother’s passing—
but,rather,itsgreatemotivebreadthreflectsthezeitgeistofthe
Romanticperiodatlarge.Thesecondmovementoffersfurther
RomanticcantabilebutcouchedinasignatureMendelssohnianscherzo.Thecellocomplementsthepiano’sslystaccatofigureswith piquant pizzicati before indulging in breathless melody.
The hymn-like piano introduction to the slowmovement fur-
tivelyrecallsBachbutwithanunmistakablynineteenth-century
touch: Mendelssohn’s instruction sempre arpeggiando col
pedale (arpeggiatedandwithpedal) imbueseachchordwith
adistinctlymore lushand immersive sound thanwouldchar-
acterize a Baroque organ chorale. The cello answers with a
dramaticrecitative,markedappassionato ed animato.Thespir-iteddialoguebetweencelloandpianocontinues in thefinale,
nowreturningtotheeffervescenceoftheopeningmovement.
Anincreasedrestlessnessinthepianoaccompanimentmatches
thevirtuosiccellowritingmeasureformeasureuntilthestirring
finalcadence.
Robert SchumannFünf Stücke im Volkston, op. 102
Composed: 1849
Published: 1851
Other works from this period: Seeabove
Approximate duration: 16minutes
TheFünfStückeimVolkstonrepresenttheonlyduoworkscon-
ceivedbySchumannforcelloandpiano; theotherSchumann
duostypicallyofferedascellorepertoire(asonthisprogram)
wereoriginallyintendedforotherinstruments,withthecelloan
optionsanctionedbythecomposer.Butforthese“piecesinfolk
style,”whichstrivetocapturetheessenceofpopularmusicina
mannerbefittingtheRomanticperiod,itcanonlybethecello.
Schumannhimselfstudiedthecelloinhisyouth;hisfondaffinity
forthe instrument ismatchedbyhis innatesensitivity inwrit-
ing for it. ThemusicologistDonaldFrancisToveyoncenoted,
“Thequalitiesofthevioloncelloareexactlythoseofthebeloved
dreamerwhomweknowasSchumann.”Thesurrealsongfulness
ofthesecondoftheFünfStückeparticularlyrequirestheinstru-
ment’ssingularlyhumanizingquality.
Felix MendelssohnLied ohne Worte, op. 109
Composed:1845
Published: 1868
First performance: October18,1845,bytheFrenchcellistLisaCristianiwithMendelssohnatthepiano
Other works from this period: Also composed in 1845 were
Mendelssohn’sincidentalmusictoSophocles’sOedipus at Colo-nus,op.93,andRacine’sAthalie,op.74;thePianoTriono.2incminor,op.66; theStringQuintet inB-flatMajor,op.87;and
individualLieder ohne WortefromOpuses67,85,and102.
Approximate duration: 5minutes
Inadditiontotheforty-eightLieder ohne Worte hecomposedfor
solopianooverhiscareer(seepage25),Mendelssohnpennedthe
Opus109Lied ohne Worte,hisfinalworkforcelloandpiano, in1845.ThecellobecomestheLied ohne WortegenreassuitablyasitdoesSchumann’sFünfStückeimVolkston: itsvocalquality
offersanidealvehiclefortheexpressivelyricismofwhathad,by
Mendelssohn’sthirty-sixthyear,becomeanindispensabledimen-
sion of his musical imagination. While the song-without-words
aestheticsuffusesmuchofMendelssohn’s instrumentalchamber
musicbeyondthesixvolumesforsolopiano—theslowmovements
ofthetwopianotriosarereadyexamples—thesingle-movement
Opus109duobringsthecatalogtoamarkedlypoignantcadence.
38 Music@Menlo 2009
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
Johannes BrahmsCello Sonata no. 2 in F Major, op. 99
Composed:1886
Published:1887,Simrock
First performance:Vienna,November24,1886,byRobertHaus-
mannwithBrahmsatthepiano
Other works from this period: The summer of 1886 also saw
thecompletionoftheViolinSonatainAMajor,op.100,andthe
PianoTrioincminor,op.101.Thefollowingyear,Brahmswould
completeanotherseminalcontribution to thecello repertoire,
theDoubleConcertoforViolinandCello,op.102.
Approximate duration: 27minutes
Brahmsspentthesummerof1886 inthe idyllicSwissresort
townofThun.Herentedthesecondfloorofahillsidehouse
on theAarRiver and spentmuchof the summer at a local
casino,drinkingbeerandplayingcardswithmusiciansfrom
thehouseorchestra.HewrotehappilytohisfriendMaxKal-
beck, “It is simply glorious here. I only sayquite in passing
thattherearecrowdsofbeergardens—actualbeergardens—
theEnglish[tourists]arenotathomeinthem!”
The F Major Cello Sonata was composed for Robert
Hausmann,aclosefriendofBrahms’sandcellistofthegreat
JoachimStringQuartet.LiketheviolinistJosephJoachimand
theclarinetistRichardMühlfeld,HausmannservedBrahmsas
theprototypicalperformer-muse,directlyinspiringBrahms’s
cellowritingoverthelastdecadeofhiscareer.Byallaccounts,
Hausmann played with a remarkably burnished tone and
ample technique;Brahms’swriting suggests thatHausmann
hadnotroublenegotiatingthecello’shighestregistersorris-
ing above the piano’s clanging fortissimo. Brahms’s facility
withinstrumentaltechniqueissimilarlyevidentinthestriking
tremolo across the strings, taken from the piano’s opening
gestures,whichBrahmsusestoendtheexpositionandthenechoesat thehauntingendof thedevelopment section. (Itisalsointerestingtonotethat,despitethatmasteryBrahms
hadachievedinwritingforthecellobythetimeofthiswork
aswellastheDoubleConcertothefollowingyear,hestillwas
notsatisfied.UponhearingDvorák’sCelloConcertoof1895,
heexclaimed,“Whyonearthdidn’tIknowonecouldwritea
violoncelloconcertolikethis?HadIonlyknown,Iwouldhave
writtenonelongago!”)
TheFMajorSonataunfoldswithabristlingenergy,with
ajoltingexplosioninthepianoansweredbyatriumphantcry
fromthecello.At the timeof thework’spremiere, thecon-
ductorandcriticEduardHanslickwrote,“Inthecellosonata,
passion rules, fiery to the point of vehemence, now defi-
antly challenging, now painfully lamenting. How boldly the
firstAllegro themebegins, how stormily theAllegro flows!”Remarking on its unusual rhythms and boldmelodic leaps,
Schoenbergwouldlaterwrite:“Younglistenerswillprobably
beunawarethatatthetimeofBrahms’sdeath,thissonatawas
stillveryunpopularandwasconsideredindigestible”—ause-
fulremindertothecontemporarylistener,forwhomthiswork
fitswellwithincommonpractice, thatBrahmswas in facta
“progressive”composer.Themovement’sharmonyissimilarly
insolent,handilyintegratingdissonanttonesandflirtingwith
minor-keytonalitythroughouttheexposition.
The work’s harmonic boldness carries into the Adagio affettuoso, which begins in the surprising key of F-sharp
major, a half-step from the key of the opening movement.
Hypnoticpizzicatimarktimeunderthemelody inthepiano
beforeBrahmsagainemploysthecello’sluminousupperreg-
istertosinga longphrasewhichclimbspassionatelybefore
settlingintoasweetlullaby.
The fiery scherzo recalls Brahms’s ebullient Hungarian
dances,with itschromaticmelodicturnsandhardsyncopa-
tions.Thetriosectionlendsthemovementalyricaltenderness,
albeitstillwithdensechromaticchords inthepianoaccom-
paniment.
Brahms the extroverted Romantic emerges in full form
forthesonata’sfinale,whichseemstogofromoneepisodeto the next with child-like impatience. The subject’s pasto-
ralmelodyoffersacontrastfromtheferocityoftheprevious
movements. Soon after the opening, however, the music
buildstoacrispmarch,heraldedbystaccatodouble-stopsinthecello.Thenextepisodedepartsfromthemovement’sidyl-
licqualitywithalyricalmelodyinb-flatminor,suffusedwith
nineteenth-century Sturm und Drang. Thepiano’s sweepingtripletaccompanimentleadsseamlesslyintoarestatementof
the theme, againstwhichBrahmssetsacharmingpizzicato
commentary.Themovementends triumphantly in aflourish
andwithgreatabandon.
©2009PatrickCastillo
39www.musicatmenlo.org
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
40 Music@Menlo 2009
carte Blanche concert II:
The Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano:Joseph Swensen and Jeffrey Kahane
August 1
Saturday, August 1
8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
(Koret Young Performers Concert 6:00 p.m., see page 55)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Camilla and George Smith with gratitude for their generous support.
Program OverviewTheviolinsonatasofJohannesBrahmsencapsulatetheallureoftheRomanticmas-
ter’s compositional language. Eachof the threeoffers thepoignant intimacy and
symphonic breadth—and, above all, the devastating lyricism—that characterize
Brahms’smaturestyle.Violinist JosephSwensenandpianistJeffreyKahane,both
passionate interpretersof theRomantic literature, join forcestopresentthis lumi-
nouscycleofworks.
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
ViolinSonatano.1inGMajor,op.78(1878–1879) I.Vivace ma non troppo II.Adagio III.Allegro molto moderato
ViolinSonatano.2inAMajor,op.100(1886) I.Allegro amabile II.Andante tranquillo III.Allegretto grazioso (quasi andante)
INTERMISSION
ViolinSonatano.3indminor,op.108(1886–1888) I.Allegro II. Adagio III.Un poco presto e con sentimento IV.Presto agitato
JosephSwensen,violin,andJeffreyKahane,piano
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
Johannes Brahms (Born May 7, 1833, Hamburg; died April 3, 1897, Vienna)
Violin Sonata no. 1 in G Major, op. 78
Composed: 1878–1879
Published:1879
First performance:Bonn,November8,1879
Approximate duration:25minutes
Violin Sonata no. 2 in A Major, op. 100
Composed:1886
Published:1887
First performance: Vienna,December2,1886
Approximate duration:20minutes
Violin Sonata no. 3 in d minor, op. 108
Composed: 1886–1888
Published:1889
Dedication:HansvonBülow
First performance:Budapest,December21,1888
Approximate duration: 20minutes
Brahms’sthreeviolinsonatas*areworksofhisfullestmaturity.In
1853,hehadwrittenascherzo foracollaborativesonata(Schu-mannandAlbertDietrichchippedinwiththeother movements)forJosephJoachim,butduringthefollowingtwenty-sevenyears,
hebegananddestroyedatleastfourfurtherattemptsinthegenre.
(Brahmswasalmostpathologically secretiveabouthis sketches
andunfinishedworks,andherefusedtoreleaseanymusicthatwas
notofthehighestquality.Hesimplyburnedanythingthathedid
notwantotherstosee.Little,therefore,isknownabouthismeth-
odsofcomposition.)Brahmshadlongbeenwaryofthedifficultyin
combiningthelyricalnatureoftheviolinwiththepowerfulchordal
writingthathefavoredforpiano,anditwasonlywiththeKlavier-
stücke,op.76,completedin1878,thathedevelopedakeyboard
styleleanenoughtoaccommodatetheviolinasapartner.HisVio-
linSonatano.1datesfrom1879;theothertwosonatasfollowed
withineightyears.Hisreasonsforconcentratingontheviolin-and-
pianogenreatthattimeinhislifemayhavehadapersonalaswell
asamusicalaspect—aseachoftheseworkswasfinished,itwas
sentasasortofpeaceofferingtoJoachim,fromwhomhehad
beenestrangedforsometime.Brahms,itseems,hadsidedwith
Joachim’swife,themezzo-sopranoAmalieWeiss,inthecouple’s
divorceproceedings,andbitterfeelingswereincitedbetweenthe
old friends, though Joachim never wavered in his support and
performanceofBrahms’smusic.Theriftwasnotfullyhealeduntil
BrahmsofferedJoachimtheDoubleConcertoin1887.
Sonata no. 1 in G Major, op. 78BrahmswasinspiredbyhisfirsttriptoItaly,intheearlymonthsof
1878,towritehisglowingandautumnalPianoConcertoinB-flat
Major.HereturnedtoGoethe’s“landwherethelemontreesgrow”
sixtimesthereafterforcreativeinspirationandrefreshmentfrom
thechillingViennesewinters.OnhiswaybacktoAustriafromItaly
inMay1879,hestoppedinthelovelyvillageofPörtschachonLake
WörthinCarinthia,whichhehadhauntedonhisannualsummer
retreattheprecedingyear.“Ionlywantedtostaythereforaday,”he
wrotetohisfriendthesurgeonTheodorBillroth,“andthen,asthis
onedaywassobeautiful,foryetanother.Buteachdaywasasfine
asthelast,andsoIstayedon.Ifonyourjourneysyouhaveinter-
ruptedyourreadingtogazeoutofthewindow,youmusthaveseen
howallthemountainsroundthelakearewhitewithsnow,whilethe
treesarecoveredwithdelicategreen.”Brahmssuccumbedtothe
charmsoftheCarinthiancountrysideandabandonedallthought
ofreturningimmediatelytoVienna—heremainedinPörtschachfor
theentiresummer.Itwasinthathalcyonsettingthathecomposed
hisSonatano.1forViolinandPiano.
The Sonata no. 1 is, throughout, warm and ingratiating, a
touching lyrical poem for violin and piano. Themain theme ofthesonata-formfirstmovement,sung immediatelybytheviolin
abovethepiano’splacidchords,isagentlemelodylightlykissed
by theMuse of the Viennesewaltz. Its opening dotted rhythm
(long–short–long)isusedasamottothatrecursnotjustinthefirst
movementbutlater,aswell,asubtlebutpowerfulmeansofuni-
fyingtheentirework.Thesubsidiarytheme,flowingandhymnal,
isstructuredasagrand,rainbow-shapedphrase.TheAdagio hasacertainrhapsodicqualitythatbeliesitstightlycontrolledthree-
partform.Thepianoinitiatestheprincipalthemeofthemovement,
whichissoonadornedwithlittlesighingphrasesbytheviolin.The
central section ismoreanimatedand recalls thedotted rhythm
of the previous movement’s main theme; the principal theme
returns intheviolin’sdouble-stops toroundoutthemovement.
BrahmswovetwosongsfromhisOpus59collectionforvoiceand
piano (1873) into the finale:Regenlied (Rain Song—thiswork issometimesreferredtoastheRainSonata)andNachklang (Remi-niscence).Themovementisinrondoformand,initsscherzando quality,recallsthefinaleoftheB-flatPianoConcerto,writtenjust
ayearbefore.Mostofthemovement(whosemainthemebegins
withthefamiliardottedrhythm)iscouchedinaromanticminor
key(itturnsbrighterduringoneepisode forareturnofthetheme
fromthesecondmovement,playedindouble-stopsbytheviolin),
butitmovesintoaluminousmajortonalityforthecoda.
Sonata no. 2 in A Major, op. 100Sonata no. 3 in d minor, op. 108Formanyyears,Brahms followed the sensiblepracticeof the
Viennesegentryofabandoningthecitywhentheweathergot
hot.Hespentmanyhappysummersinthehillsandlakesofthe
Salzkammergut,eastofSalzburg,butin1886hisfriendJoseph
Widmann,apoetandlibrettistofconsiderabledistinction,con-
vincedBrahmsto joinhim in theancientSwiss townofThun,
twenty-fivekilometerssouthofBerninthefoothillsoftheBer-
neseAlps.Brahms rentedaflower-ladenvillaon the shoreof
Lake Thun in the nearby hamlet of Hofstetten and settled in
foralong,comfortablesummer.TheperiodsawayfromVienna
werenotmerely timesof relaxation forBrahms,however,but
werereallyworkingholidays.Someofhisgreatestscores(the
ViolinConcerto,thesecond,third,andfourthsymphonies,the
PianoConcertono.2,theHaydn Variations,theTragic Overture,andmanyothers)hadbeenlargelyrealizedathisvarioussum-
merretreatsinearlieryears.Thethreesummersthathespent
atThun (1886–1888)wereequallyproductive: theviolinsonatas
nos.2and3,thePianoTrioincminor,theSecondCelloSonata,
theGypsySongs, theChoralSongs(op.104),the liederofopuses
41www.musicatmenlo.org
Program Notes: The Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
105–107,andtheDoubleConcertowereallwrittenthere.Brahms
composedtheSecondViolinSonata,op. 100, inHofstettendur-
ing the summerof 1886; hegave thework an informal reading
atWidmann’s house (alongwith the new cello sonata and the
cminortrio)beforehereturnedtoViennainthefall.Thesonata’s
formalpremierewasgivenonDecember2,1886,inViennabyvio-
linistJosephHellmesbergerandthecomposer.Brahmsbeganthe
ThirdViolinSonata,op.108,atHofstettenduringthesummerof
1886butcomposedmostofthescoreduringhissojourntwoyears
later.Thesonata’spremierewasgivenonDecember21, 1888, in
BudapestbythecomposerandthecelebratedHungarianviolinist,
composer,andpedagogueJenöHubay.
TheopeningmovementoftheAMajorSonataisafullsonata
structure(thepianoinitiatesboththeprincipalandsubsidiary
themes),thoughitcontainslittleofthedramaticcatharsisoften
foundinthatform.Thisisrathermusicofcomfortingtranquil-
ity and warm sentiment that is as immediately accessible as
anyfromBrahms’s lateryears.TheAndante,with itsepisodesinalternatingtempi,combinesthefunctionsofslowmovement
andscherzo,astructuralmodificationBrahmshadalsotriedin
theFMajorStringQuintet,op.88.(Brahmswasnotaloneinthis
sort of formal experimentation.CésarFranckdid a very simi-
larthinginthesecondmovementofhisSymphonyindminor,
writtenjusttwoyearsafterthissonata.)Thefinaleconfirmsthe
pervasivelyricismoftheentireworktosuchadegreethatthe
composer’s correspondent Elisabeth von Herzogenberg was
movedtosay,“Thewholesonataisonecaress.”
TheViolin Sonata indminorwasdedicated toHans von
Bülow,amusicianofgargantuantalentcelebratedasbothpia-
nistandconductor,whoplayedBrahms’scompositionswidely
andmadethemamainstayintherepertoryofthesuperbcourt
orchestraatMeiningenduringhistenurethereasMusicDirector
from1880to1885.Violinandpianoshareequallythethematic
materialoftheopeningmovement:theviolinpresentstheprin-
cipal subject, a lyrical inspiration marked by long notes that
givewaytoquickneighboringtones;thepiano’sarchingsecond
theme is superblyconstructed froma two-measuremotiveof
stepwisemotionfollowedbyahesitantdotted-rhythmgesture.
Thedevelopment sectionislargelyoccupiedwithadiscussionofthemaintheme.Afullrecapitulationandanetherealcodagrownfromthemainthemeclosethemovement.
TheAdagio isoneofBrahms’smostendearingcreations,
aninstrumentalhymnofdelicatelydappledemotions,touching
melody,andsuaveharmonies.Thethirdmovement(whichthe
scoreinstructsshouldbeplayed con sentimento)replacesthetraditional scherzowithan intermezzo ofpreciselycontrolledintensityandmasterfulmotivicdevelopment.Thesonata-form
finaleresumesthedarklyexpressiveeloquenceoftheopening
movementwith its impetuousmain theme.A chordal subject
initiatedbythepianoprovidescontrast,buttheunsettledmood
ofthefirstthemeremainsdominantthroughtheremainderof
themovement. “Perfectaseachmovementof thethreeviolin
sonatasis,”wroteKarlGeiringer,“theyseem,inthislastmove-
ment,tohavereachedtheirculminatingpoint.”
©2009Dr.RichardE.Rodda
42 Music@Menlo 2009
2009 Mendelssohn Challenge Music@Menlo announces a very special challenge for this summer, one that reflects the spirit of Music@Menlo’s 2009 Mendelssohn season.
Devoted festivalgoers Trine Sorensen (a Music@Menlo board member) and Michael Jacobson have pledged to match gifts to the festival—up to a total of $25,000—from first-time contributors, from donors increasing their gifts from last season, and from supporters who, having already made a gift this year, make an additional gift this summer.
We are very excited to have this opportunity both to further expand our great festival community and to continue to enrich the Music@Menlo experience this summer and in the coming years. Thank you, Trine and Michael, for making this truly Mendelssohnian gesture!
Please help us rise to the 2009 Mendelssohn Challenge by making a new gift, an increased gift, or an additional gift to the festival before August 30. Visit Music@Menlo’s Web site (www.musicatmenlo.org), where you can make your gift online, or call Sally Takada at (650) 330-2133.
Thank you for joining us this summer and for helping us take advantage of this very special opportunity!
Music@Menlochamber music festival and institute
David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors
le Arn M ore : www.musicatmenlo.org • 650-330-2030
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
43www.musicatmenlo.org
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t sc A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
carte Blanche concert III:
An Evening with Menahem Pressler
August 2
Sunday, August 2
7:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
(Koret Young Performers Concert 4:00 p.m., see page 55)
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Nancy and DuBose Montgomery with gratitude for their generous support.
Program Overview Having recently concluded his fifty-three-year journey as founding pianist of the
legendaryBeauxArtsTrio,pianistMenahemPressleroffersarecitalprogrambuilt
aroundlateworksbytwoofthecornerstonesoftheRomanticperiod:Beethoven’s
penultimatepianosonata,theSonatano.31inA-flatMajor,op.110,andSchubert’s
PianoSonatainB-flatMajor,composedweeksbeforethecomposer’sdeathatthe
ageofthirty-one.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
SelectedLieder ohne Worte Lied ohne WorteinEMajor,op.67,no.5 Lied ohne Worteinf-sharpminor,op.67,no.2
Lied ohne WorteinB-flatMajor,op.62,no.2
MenahemPressler,piano
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Allegroinaminor,Lebensstürme,op.144,D.947,forPiano,FourHands(1828)
MenahemPressler,WuHan,piano
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
PianoSonatano.31inA-flatMajor,op.110(1821–1822) I.Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo II.Allegro molto III.Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga. Allegro, ma non troppo
MenahemPressler,piano
INTERMISSION
Franz SchubertPianoSonatainB-flatMajor,D.960(1828) I.Molto moderato II.Andante sostenuto III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza IV.Allegro ma non troppo
MenahemPressler,piano
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
Ludwig van Beethoven (Born in Bonn, baptized December 17, 1770; died March 26, 1827, Vienna)
Piano Sonata no. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110
Composed:1821–1822
Published:Paris,Berlin,andVienna,1822;London,1823
Dedication:Detailedinthenotesbelow
Other works from this period:BeethoveninterruptedworkontheMissa Solemnis in1820uponreceivingthecommissionfor
thelastthreepianosonatas,* opp.109,110,and111,whichwerecompletedwithin the following twoyears.He returned to the
Missa Solemnisin1822andalsobeganworkontheNinthSym-
phony,the Diabelli Variations,theOpus119BagatellesforPiano,andthelatestringquartets.
Approximate duration:20minutes
Likehisninesymphoniesandsixteenstringquartets,Beethoven’s
monumentalcycleofthirty-twopianosonatas is indispensableto
anunderstandingofthecomposer’smusicalidentity.Itisinthese
works—composed for his own instrument—that Beethoven con-
ceived some of his most heartfelt musical ideas. Beethoven’s
confidantandearlybiographerAntonSchindlerwritesthattoward
theendofhislife,Beethovenwouldhammeroutdissonantclusters
ofnoteswithhis lefthand, “andthusdrown, indiscordantnoise,
themusicwhichhis rightwas feelinglygivingutterance.”Biogra-
pherMaynardSolomoncomments, “Hedidnotwanthismusical
thoughtstobeoverheard.Thus,evenattheend,thepianoremained
Beethoven’s most intimate means of self-communion.” Another
reminiscencecomesfromSirJohnRussell,whowrotethefollowing
descriptionofBeethovenin1821:“Themomentheisseatedatthe
piano,heisevidentlyunconsciousthatthereisanythinginexistence
buthimselfandhisinstrument.”
AfterthesublimeandnotoriouslydifficultOpus106Hammer-klavierSonataof 1818camethecommissionforBeethoven’sfinal
triptychofpianosonatas,Opuses109,110,and111.Beethovencom-
pletedtheOpus109Sonata inthesummerof 1820,Opus110on
ChristmasDayof1821,andOpus111inearly1822.Beethovenintended
todedicatethe latter twotoAntonieBrentano, theaddresseeof
thefamous“ImmortalBeloved”letter,butthepublishedversionof
thefinal sonata ultimatelybore adedication toBeethoven’s stu-
dentArchdukeRudolph,whileOpus110borenodedicationatall.
Nevertheless,Beethoven’sintentiontodedicatethesonatastohis
ImmortalBelovedillustratesthedepthofhispersonalattachment
tothem.
Indeed, the compact and gentle character of this sonata,
whichechoesthatoftheprecedingOpus109Sonata,suggeststhat
Beethovenmayhavetakenthecommissionforthefinalthreesona-
tasasanopportunityforrespitefromtheimposingscaleoftheMissa Solemnis,thechoral-orchestralcolossusonwhichBeethovenwasalsoatworkin1821.PianistandmusicscholarCharlesRosencalls
thebriefdevelopmentsectionoftheopeningmovement (Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo) “radicallysimple.”Beethovenmerely
recaststheopeningA-flatmajortheme,firstintherelativekeyoffminorandtheninasequenceoffallingharmonies.Buttherhetori-caleffectofthissimplegambitstirsthelistenerasonlyBeethoven
can.Whenthethemereturnstothehomekey,Beethoventransforms
it by setting it atop arpeggiated thirty-second notes (originallyintroducedintheexposition,followingthefirsttheme),thustrans-
figuringastatementofidyllicserenityintooneofnobleecstasy.
Thequick-tonguedscherzoisrifewiththejoltingsyncopations andabruptchangesindynamicsthatareBeethoven’ssignature.
TheheartoftheOpus110Sonataisitsfinalmovement,which
outlaststhefirsttwomovementscombined.Itbeginswithaslow,
plaintive introduction,whichgiveswaytoathoughtfulrecitative.This dramatic music points to the Klagender Gesang (Song ofLament), towhichBeethovengivesthesorrowfulmarkingArioso dolente. Following the Klagender Gesang comes themain body
of the finale: one of Beethoven’smost eloquent fugues. Late inhiscareer,BeethovenstudiedthemusicofBachandHandelwith
renewedinterest,andhisthoroughexplorationofthisfinale’spoetic
fuguesubjectbetrayshisimmersioninBachian counterpoint.Mid-way through the fugue, Beethoven reintroduces the Klagender Gesang, turningthefinaleintoapregnantdiscoursebetweendia-metricmusicalideas.
Franz Schubert (Born January 31, 1797, Vienna; died November 19, 1828, Vienna)
Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960
Composed: 1828(furtherdetailedinthenotesbelow)
Published: Posthumously in1839(possibly1838)bytheViennese
musicpublisherDiabelli,whoacquiredthesetofthreesonatasafter
Schubert’sdeath.Recognizinglucrativepotential,Diabellipublished
thesetas“FranzSchubert’sLastCompositions:ThreeGrandSona-
tas.”Schubert’sintendeddedicateewasthepianistandcomposer
JohannNepomukHummel;however,asHummelhaddiedin1837,
Diabelli’spublisheddedicationhonoredRobertSchumann,thelead-
ingchampionofSchubert’smusicafterSchubert’sdeath.
Other works from this period: Also composed in 1828 were
the“Great”Symphonyno.9inCMajor(D.944)andtheCelloQuintet(D.956),alsoinCmajor.Thethreepianosonataswere
Schubert’s final completed works. A sketch of an unfinished
symphony in Dmajor (D. 936a—not to be confusedwith the
“Unfinished”Symphonyno.8[D.759]of1822)survives,which
maybethelastmusicevercommittedbySchuberttopaper.The
manuscriptbeginswithcounterpointexercises:justtwoweeks
beforehisdeath,Schubertbegan takingcounterpoint lessons
withSimonSechter,acontemporarymusictheorist.
Approximate duration: 38minutes
As with Beethoven, Schubert’s final three piano sonatas—the
sonatas in cminor,D. 958;Amajor,D. 959; andB-flatmajor,
D.960—existasatriptychofsorts,composedconsecutivelyin
animpressivelyshortspanoftime.Survivingdraftssuggestthat
Schubertworkedonthemthroughoutthesummerof1828;they
were completed just weeks before the composer’s death on
November19ofthatyear,attheageofthirty-one.
The sonatas exhibit an astounding level of artisticgenius
evenconsideringSchubert’s legendaryprecocity.Despitehav-
ingbeencomposedinsuchcloseproximitytooneanother,each
sonatainhabitsitsowndistinctmusicalworld.Nevertheless,the
threeareboundtogetherbyasublimityofconceptionandcon-
44 Music@Menlo 2009
Program Notes: An Evening with Menahem Pressler
*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.
c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s
struction.InthecontextofSchubert’sdeathjustonemonthafter
theircompletion, it is temptingtospeculateastowhatmusic
may have yet lain ahead.We are left towonderwhether the
year1828mighthaveheraldedthedawnofastillmoresophis-
ticatedstageinSchubert’smusic,hadthecomposerlivedtobe
asoldasBachorHaydn—orevenBeethoven,whodiedatfifty-
six.Thesesonatassuggestanexquisitelytantalizinganswer.
MuchofSchubert’slegacyrestsonhisenormouscontribu-
tionofmore than six hundred lieder to the repertoire. The artsongaestheticrepresentsanessentialcomponentofSchubert’s
musical identityandisvitallypresentinhis instrumentalworks,
aswell. Thewistful opening theme of the B-flatMajor Sonata
isavintageSchubertmelody,atoncesimplein itsarchitecture
andprofoundin itsemotivecontent.Moreover,withonesubtle
strokeisaddedacomplexdimensiontothetheme:inthemidst
ofSchubert’sidyll,anominousrumblingbeginsinthepiano’slow
register,likedistant,threateningthunder.Anothersongfulmelody
immediatelyfollows,towhich, liketheopeningtheme,onecan
easily imagine poetry being set. Schubert further deepens the
magicalqualityofthisturnofphrasebysuddenlytransporting
thelistenerfromB-flatmajortothefarawaykeyofG-flatmajor.
Athirdthememovestof-sharpminor.Thebroadharmonicland-
scapethatSchuberttraversesinjusttheexpositionreflectsthe
sonata’soverallexpressivebreadth.Inthedevelopmentsection,
Schubert explores thepossibilities contained in thesedifferent
musical ideas,paintingawiderandwideremotional spectrum.
The dramatic climax of the development section, rather than
proclaiming itself forcefully, insteadholdsaquiet intensity.The
openingthemetentativelyreappears,rockinghesitantlybetween
dminorandthehomekeyofB-flatmajor.Afterastringofpen-
sive,semi-improvisatoryutterances,Schubertrecallstheominous
rumbling introducednearthebeginningofthesonata,andthe
musicfinallyarrivesattherecapitulation.Anoften-citedcharacteristicofSchubert’smusicisthedeli-
cate line drawn between happiness and sadness. In 1824, the
composerwroteinhisdiary,“AllthatIhavecreatedisbornof
myunderstandingofmusicandmyownsorrow.”TheAndante sostenuto bears witness to this avowal. Offsetting the graverockabye of the movement’s opening, a contrasting middle
section setsanoptimistic chorale-stylemelodyabovepulsing
sixteenthnotes.Thegood-humoredscherzomovement,marked
Allegro vivace con delicatezza, provides a more pronounced
dramaticfoiltothebrokenheartedslowmovement.
Thefinale’swealthofmusical ideas furtherdemonstrates
Schubert’suncannymelodic instinct.Themovement’ssonata-rondoformallowsSchuberttofullycapitalizeontheexpressive
possibilitiescontained in itsthematic ideas.As intheexpertly
wrought first movement, Schubert uses impeccably simple
buildingblockstoconstructamonolithicfinale.Afterthorough
developmentofthemovement’scentralthemes,acodaoffersenigmatic fragmentsof themain subjectbeforeerupting ina
triumphant frenzy. Somehow, these finalmeasures serve as a
fittinglymajesticconclusiontooneofthelastmasterpiecesof
Schubert’smeteoriccareer.
©2009PatrickCastillo
45www.musicatmenlo.org
Join us for our 09-10Chamber Music Series!Hear San Francisco Symphony’s musicians make
the artistic decisions with favorites such as
Beethoven’s String Quartet in F major,
Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet in B minor, and
Ravel’s Piano Trio. A subscription to six concerts
is only $150—Order today!
(415) 864-6000 SFSYMPHONY.ORGBox Office Hours Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat Noon-6pm, Sun 2 hours prior to concertsDavies Symphony Hall Box Office Grove Street between Van Ness and Franklin StreetConcerts at Davies Symphony Hall. Programs and prices subject to change.
Music@Menlochamber music festival and institute
David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors
Make a Difference: Volunteer! A team of friendly, enthusiastic, and hardworking volun-teers always is needed to help the festival run smoothly.
Music@Menlo volunteers (“Friends of the Festival”) contribute their time in a variety of ways, including ushering at concerts, providing general festival hospitality at the Welcome Center, helping with mailings, and hosting artists in their homes.
If you are interested in contributing your time and energy, please contact us at 650-330-2030 or info@musicatmenlo.org.
Untitled-1 1 6/30/09 1:36:45 PM
46 Music@Menlo 2009
Music@Menlo’s 2009 ChamberMusic Institutewelcomes approxi-
mately forty outstanding young musicians, selected from an
internationalpoolofapplicants,toworkcloselywithaneliteartist-
facultythroughoutthefestivalseason.Festivalaudiencescanwitness
thetimelessartofmusicalinterpretationpassedfromtoday’slead-
ingartists to thenextgenerationofchambermusicians invarious
settings, includingthefestival’smasterclasses(seepage59),Café
Conversations(seepage58),PreludePerformances,andKoretYoung
PerformersConcerts,allofwhicharefreeandopentothepublic.
International ProgramMusic@Menlo’sdistinguishedtrainingprogramservespre-and
semiprofessionalartistsintheearlystagesoftheircareers.Fol-
lowing their participation in Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music
Institute,alumnioftheInternationalProgramhavegoneonto
performintheworld’smostprestigiousvenues,includingLincoln
CenterandCarnegieHall inNewYorkandLondon’sWigmore
Hall,andearntopprizesattheNaumburgCompetition,Young
ConcertArtistsInternationalAuditions,andothers.
TheInternationalProgramartistsworkonadailybasiswith
Music@Menlo’sesteemedartist-facultyandarefeaturedinthe
festival’sPrelude Performances(seepage48),whichprecedeselectedeveningconcerts.ThesePreludePerformancesexpand
on the festival’s concert programs and offer audiences the
chancetoexperienceexceptionalmusicmakingfreeofcost.
Young Performers ProgramTheYoungPerformersProgramisdesignedtoservepromising
young musicians, ages nine to eighteen. These extraordinary
studentsworkwithadiversefacultycomprisingfestivalartists
andInternationalProgramalumni.Eachweekduringthefestival,
studentensemblessharetheirworkwithaudiencesthroughthe
Koret Young Performers Concerts(seepage54),inwhichtheyintroduceandperformgreatworksofthechambermusiclitera-
tureforlistenersofallages.
Joshua Chiu, violinGeraldine Chok, violinZoë Curran, violinJames Hu, violinManami Mizumoto, violinEmily Shehi, violinAshvin Swaminathan, violinLily Tsai, violinStephen Waarts, violinLinda Yu, violinTheodore Ma, violaRosemary Nelis, violaKaitlin Cullen-Verhauz, celloSarah Ghandour, cello
Matthew Johnson, celloEunice S.J. Kim, celloJeffrey Kwong, celloJulia Rosenbaum, celloIla Shon, celloStephanie Tsai, celloMichael Davidman, pianoLilian Finckel, pianoHilda Huang, pianoLinh Nguyen, pianoAgata Sorotokin, pianoMayumi Tsuchida, pianoRieko Tsuchida, pianoTristan Yang, piano/violin
Chamber Music Institute david finckel and wu han, artistic directorshasse borup, chamber music institute administrator
Kristin Lee,violinOn You Kim,violaEric Han,celloDavid Fung,piano
The Chamber Music Institute, which runs concurrently with the festival, represents Music@Menlo’s strong commitment to nurturing the next generation of chamber musicians.
LK STRING QuARTETSean Lee, violinAreta Zhulla,violinLaura Seay,violaJordan Han,cello
ATRIA ENSEMBLESunmi Chang, violin/viola Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinetHye-Yeon Park,piano
47www.musicatmenlo.org
The Ann S. Bowers Young Artist FundBybecomingasponsorofanindividualInstituteparticipantor
ensemble,orbymakingagifttotheAnnS.BowersYoungArt-
istFund,youwillenjoythesatisfactionofhelpingextraordinary
youngmusiciansrealizetheirlifelongpersonalandprofessional
ambitions.
Sponsors help maintain the Institute’s unique focus on
chambermusic,theworld-classcaliberofitsartist-faculty,and
its one-to-one ratio of participants to faculty. Music@Menlo
brings conservatory-level students and emerging professional
artists indirectandsustainedcontactwith leadingmusicians,
musicologists, andothermusicprofessionals for a rich,multi-
levellearningexperience.
WhiletuitionfortheYoungPerformersProgramin2009is
$2,600,thiscoversonlyasmallpercentageofthetotalcostof
hosting these talentedmusicians. The actual costper student,
which includes teaching,performances,meals, concertproduc-
tion, and administration, is more than $12,500. Music@Menlo
awardsall InternationalProgramparticipants full-tuition fellow-
shipsandextendsmeritscholarshipsandneed-basedfinancial
aidtodeservingstudentsintheYoungPerformersProgrameach
year. This season, all Young Performers Program participants
whoappliedformeritscholarshiporfinancialaidconsideration
receivedpartialorfullassistance.
PleaseconsidersupportingayoungartistintheChamber
MusicInstitutewithafullsponsorshiporagifttotheYoungArt-
istFund.Inadditiontothebenefitsoftheannualmembership
levels(seepage76),Institutesponsorsandthosewhocontrib-
utetothefundhavetheuniqueopportunityduringthefestival
tomeet inpersonwiththeyoungmusicianstheyhavegener-
ouslysupported.Thegreatestrewardofsupportingtheseyoung
artistsisknowingthatyouhavehelpedmakeameaningfuldif-
ference in their livesand in theirmusical studies, significantly
advancingtheirartisticandprofessionalfutures.
We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals who
havegenerouslycontributedtotheAnnS.BowersYoungArtist
Fundin2009:
To learn more about sponsoring a young artist in the Chamber Music Institute, please contact Sally Takada, Development Direc-tor, at 650-330-2133 or sally@musicatmenlo.org.
The Ann S. Bowers Young Artist Fund offers an opportunity to directly support the aspirations of the young artists in Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute.
FuLL SPONSORS:AnnS.Bowers
TheJeffreyDeanandHeidi
HopperFamily
Joan&AllanFisch
Marcia&PaulGinsburg
MaryLorey
Marcia&HapWagner
Melanie&RonWilensky
CONTRIBuTORS:Anonymous
JoanieBanks-Huntand
MichaelJ.Hunt
Jennifer&MichaelCuneo
PatFoster
TheRobertJ.andHelenH.
GlaserFamilyFoundation
Sue&BillGould
InhonorofSukKiHahn
Reuben&MimiLevy
PeggieMacLeod
Dr.&Mrs.TagE.Mansour
PaulavonSimson
Anne&JoeWelsh
MickiWesson
Music@Menlo 2009
Prelude Performancesperformed by the international program artists
Honoring the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for its leadership, vision, and dedication to the arts and education.
48
Saturday, July 18
6:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Fairy Tales,op.132 (1853) I. Lebhaft, nicht zu schnell II.Lebhaft und sehr markiert III.Ruhiges Tempo, mit zartem Ausdruck IV.Lebhaft, sehr markiert
AtriaEnsemble:
SunmiChang, violin; RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;Hye-YeonPark,piano
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
StringQuartetinFMajor,op.18,no.1(1798–1800) I.Allegro con brio II.Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato III.Scherzo: Allegro molto IV.Allegro
LKStringQuartet:
AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay, viola;JordanHan,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Ann S. Bowers with gratitude for her generous support.
Sunday, July 19
4:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
StringQuartetinFMajor,op.18,no.1(1798–1800) I.Allegro con brio II.Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato III.Scherzo: Allegro molto IV.Allegro
LKStringQuartet:
AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay, viola;JordanHan,cello
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
PianoQuartetno.1incminor,op.1(1822) I.Allegro vivace II.Adagio III.Scherzo: Presto IV.Allegro moderato
DavidFung,piano;KristinLee,violin;OnYouKim,viola;EricHan,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Sue and Bill Gould with gratitude for their generous support.
July 18 July 19
www.musicatmenlo.org
P r E l u d E P E r f o r m A n c E s E r I E s
49
Monday, July 20
6:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
PianoQuartetno.1incminor,op.1(1822) I.Allegro vivace II.Adagio III.Scherzo: Presto IV.Allegro moderato
DavidFung,piano;KristinLee,violin;OnYouKim,viola;EricHan,cello
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
ClarinetQuintetinAMajor,K.581(1789) I.Allegro II. Larghetto III. Menuetto IV.Allegretto con variazioni
RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;LKStringQuartet:
AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay, viola;JordanHan,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Marcia and Hap Wagner with gratitude for their generous support.
P r E l u d E P E r f o r m A n c E s
Tuesday, July 21
6:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Fairy Tales,op.132(1853) I.Lebhaft, nicht zu schnell II.Lebhaft und sehr markiert III. Ruhiges Tempo, mit zartem Ausdruck IV.Lebhaft, sehr markiert
AtriaEnsemble:
SunmiChang,violin; RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet; Hye-YeonPark,piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
ClarinetQuintetinAMajor,K.581(1789) I.Allegro II. Larghetto III. Menuetto IV.Allegretto con variazioni
RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;LKStringQuartet:
AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay, viola;JordanHan,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Jennifer and Michael Cuneo with gratitude for their generous support.
July 21July 20
50
July 24
Friday, July 24
6:00 p.m., Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
Libby Larsen (b. 1950)
Dancing Solo(1994) I.With Shadows II.Eight to the Bar III.In Ten Slow Circles IV.Flat Out
RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet
Louis Spohr (1784–1859)
Octetindminor,op.65 (1823) I.Allegro II.Scherzo: Vivace – Trio III.Larghetto IV.Finale: Allegretto molto
KristinLee,SeanLee,SunmiChang,AretaZhulla,violins;OnYouKim,
LauraSeay,violas;EricHan,JordanHan,cellos
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Joanie Banks-Hunt and Michael J. Hunt with gratitude for their generous support.
P r E l u d E P E r f o r m A n c E s
Monday, July 27
6:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904)
TerzettoinCMajor,op.74(1887) I.Allegro ma non troppo II. Larghetto III.Scherzo: Vivace IV.Tema con variazioni
SeanLee,AretaZhulla,violins;LauraSeay,viola
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
ClarinetTrioinaminor,op.114(1891) I.Allegro II. Adagio III.Andantino grazioso IV.Allegro
RomiedeGuise-Langlois, clarinet;EricHan,cello;DavidFung,piano
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to the David B. and Edward C. Goodstein Foundation with gratitude for its generous support.
July 27
Music@Menlo 2009
P r E l u d E P E r f o r m A n c E s
51
Tuesday, July 28
6:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
ClarinetTrioinaminor,op.114(1891) I.Allegro II.Adagio III.Andantino grazioso IV.Allegro
RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;EricHan,cello;DavidFung,piano
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
PianoQuintetinE-flatMajor,op.44(1842) I.Allegro brillante II. In modo d’una marcia: Un poco largamente III.Scherzo: Molto vivace IV.Allegro, ma non troppo
Hye-YeonPark,piano; SunmiChang,KristinLee,violins;OnYouKim,viola;JordanHan,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Vivian Sweeney with gratitude for her generous support.
Wednesday, July 29
6:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904)
TerzettoinCMajor,op.74 (1887) I.Allegro ma non troppo II.Larghetto III.Scherzo: Vivace IV.Tema con variazioni
SeanLee,AretaZhulla,violins;LauraSeay,viola
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
PianoQuintetinE-flatMajor,op.44(1842) I.Allegro brillante II. In modo d’una marcia: Un poco largamente III.Scherzo: Molto vivace IV.Allegro, ma non troppo
Hye-YeonPark,piano; SunmiChang,KristinLee,violins;OnYouKim, viola;JordanHan,cello
www.musicatmenlo.org
July 28 July 29
52
August 3
Monday, August 3
6:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
TrioinE-flatMajor,K.498(Kegelstatt) (1786) I.Andante II.Menuetto III.Allegretto
AtriaEnsemble:
SunmiChang,violin; RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;Hye-YeonPark,piano
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
PianoQuartetinE-flatMajor,op.47(1842) I.Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo II.Scherzo: Molto vivace III.Andante cantabile IV.Finale: Vivace
DavidFung,piano;KristinLee,violin;OnYouKim,viola;EricHan,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Mary Lorey with gratitude for her generous support.
August 4
Tuesday, August 4
6:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
StringQuartetinFMajor,op.135 (1826) I.Allegretto II.Vivace III.Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo IV.Grave ma non troppo tratto – Allegro
LKStringQuartet:
AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay,viola;JordanHan,cello
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
PianoQuartetinE-flatMajor,op.47 (1842) I.Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo II.Scherzo: Molto vivace III.Andante cantabile IV.Finale: Vivace
DavidFung, piano;KristinLee,violin;OnYouKim,viola;EricHan,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Marcia and Paul Ginsburg with gratitude for their generous support.
P r E l u d E P E r f o r m A n c E s
Music@Menlo 2009
53
August 5
Wednesday, August 5
6:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
TrioinE-flatMajor,K.498(Kegelstatt)(1786) I.Andante II.Menuetto III.Allegretto
AtriaEnsemble:
SunmiChang,violin; RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;Hye-YeonPark,piano
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
StringQuartetinFMajor,op.135(1826) I.Allegretto II.Vivace III.Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo IV.Grave ma non troppo tratto – Allegro
LKStringQuartet:
AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay,viola;JordanHan,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation with gratitude for its generous support.
August 7 & 8
Friday, August 7
6:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Saturday, August 8
5:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
AndanteandAllegroBrillantinAMajor,op.92(1841)
DavidFung,Hye-YeonPark, piano
Max Bruch (1838–1920)
EightPieces,op.83(1910) No.1inaminor,Andante No.2inbminor,Allegro con moto No.7inBMajor,Allegro vivace, ma non troppo
AtriaEnsemble:
RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;SunmiChang,violin; Hye-YeonPark,piano
Felix MendelssohnOctetforStringsinE-flatMajor,op.20(1825) I.Allegro moderato, ma con fuoco II. Andante III.Scherzo: Allegro leggierissimo IV.Presto
SeanLee,SunmiChang,AretaZhulla,KristinLee,violins;LauraSeay,OnYouKim,violas;JordanHan,EricHan,cellos
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates these performances to the followingindividuals and organizations with gratitude for their generous support:
August 7: The Robert J. and Helen H. Glaser Family Foundation August 8: Wallace R. and Alexandra Hawley
www.musicatmenlo.org
P r E l u d E P E r f o r m A n c E s
Prelude Performance Seriesperformed by the international program artists
54 Music@Menlo 2009
Prelude Performance Seriesperformed by the international program artists
Saturday, July 25
2:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Selected movements from:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
StringTrioincminor,op.9,no.3 (1797–1798)
ZoëCurran,violin; TheodoreMa,viola;JeffreyKwong,cello
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
PianoTrioindminor,op.49 (1839)
LilianFinckel,piano; StephenWaarts,violin;KaitlinCullen-Verhauz,cello
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
PianoTrioinCMajor,op.87(1880–1882)
RiekoTsuchida,piano; JamesHu,violin;StephanieTsai, cello
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
PianoTriono.1inFMajor,op.18(1864)
HildaHuang, piano; ManamiMizumoto,violin;EuniceS.J.Kim,cello
Ludwig van Beethoven PianoTrioincminor,op.1,no.3 (1794–1795)
MichaelDavidman,piano; LilyTsai, violin;JuliaRosenbaum,cello
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Koret Foundation Funds with gratitude for its generous support.
Sunday, July 26
5:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Selected movements from:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
ViolinSonatainGMajor,K.301(1778)
GeraldineChok,violin; TristanYang,piano
Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904)
PianoQuintetinAMajor,op.81(1887)
MayumiTsuchida,piano; LindaYu,JoshuaChiu, violins;RosemaryNelis,viola;MatthewJohnson,cello
Clara Schumann (1819–1896)
PianoTrioingminor,op.17(1847)
AgataSorotokin,piano; EmilyShehi,violin;SarahGhandour,cello
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart PianoTrioinGMajor,K.496 (1786)
LinhNguyen,piano; AshvinSwaminathan,violin;IlaShon,cello
Koret Young Performers Concertsperformed by the young performers program artists
July 25 July 26
K o r E t Y o u n g P E r f o r m E r s c o n c E r t s
55www.musicatmenlo.org
August 1
Saturday, August 1
6:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Selected movements from:
Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904)
PianoTriono.4ineminor,op.90(Dumky)(1890–1891)
HildaHuang,piano; ZoëCurran,violin; StephanieTsai,cello
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
arr. Johan Halvorsen (1864–1935)
PassacagliaforViolinandCello (1720, arr. 1897)
EmilyShehi,violin;JuliaRosenbaum, cello
César Franck (1822–1890)
PianoQuintetinfminor(1879)
RiekoTsuchida,piano; LilyTsai, ManamiMizumoto,violins; RosemaryNelis,viola; KaitlinCullen-Verhauz,cello
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
SonataforViolinandCello(1920–1922)
LindaYu,violin;MatthewJohnson,cello
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
CelloSonatano.2inDMajor,op.58(1843)
IlaShon,cello; MichaelDavidman, piano
August 2
Sunday, August 2
4:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Selected movements from:
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
ViolinSonatano.3,op.108(1886–1888)
JoshuaChiu, violin;MayumiTsuchida, piano
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975)
PianoQuintetingminor,op.57 (1940)
LilianFinckel, piano; JamesHu,GeraldineChok,violins;TheodoreMa, viola;SarahGhandour, cello
Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)
DollySuite(1894–1896)
LinhNguyen,TristanYang,piano
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
PianoTriono.2ineminor,op.92(1892)
AgataSorotokin, piano; StephenWaarts,violin;JeffreyKwong,cello
Erwin Schulhoff (1894–1942)
DuoforViolinandCello(1925)
AshvinSwaminathan,violin;EuniceS.J.Kim,cello
K o r E t Y o u n g P E r f o r m E r s c o n c E r t s
56 Music@Menlo 2009
Saturday, August 8
1:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School
Selected movements from:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
PianoTrioinGMajor,op.1,no.2(1794–1795)
HildaHuang,piano; ZoëCurran,violin;SarahGhandour, cello
Bohuslav Martinu (1890–1959)
SonataforTwoViolinsandPiano,H.213(1932)
GeraldineChok,TristanYang,violins; MichaelDavidman,piano
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
CelloQuintetinCMajor,D.956(?1828)
StephanieTsai,JuliaRosenbaum,cellos; JamesHu,StephenWaarts,violins;RosemaryNelis,viola
Franz Schubert PianoTrioinB-flatMajor,D.898(?1828)
RiekoTsuchida,piano; JoshuaChiu,violin; KaitlinCullen-Verhauz, cello
Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
PremierTrioinGMajor(1880)
LinhNguyen, piano; EmilyShehi,violin;IlaShon,cello
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
PianoQuintetinE-flatMajor,op.44(1842)
LilianFinckel,piano; ManamiMizumoto,AshvinSwaminathan, violins;TheodoreMa, viola;JeffreyKwong,cello
Ludwig van BeethovenCelloSonatainAMajor,op.69(1807–1808)
EuniceS.J.Kim,cello; AgataSorotokin,piano
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
SuiteforTwoViolins,Cello,andPiano
(LeftHand),op.23(1930)
LilyTsai,LindaYu,violins;MatthewJohnson,cello; MayumiTsuchida,piano
SPECIAL THANKS
Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Emiko Higashi and Rod Howard with gratitude for their generous support.
August 8
SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE IN JULY!INFO: livelyarts.stanford.edu | 650-725-ARTS
stanfordP e r f o r m i n g A r t s s e A s o n
Lively Arts explores a year of “Art+Invention” on the Stanford campus through commissions and premieres, ground-breaking collaborations, multi-disciplinary showcases, and still more performances from a wealth of styles and cultures.
‘ART + INVENTION’
SELECTED EVENTS:
EmERSON STRINg
QUARTET
WED, OCT 28, 2009 | 8PmDINKELSPIEL AUDITORIUM
PETER SERkIN, piano, AND ThE ORION
STRINg QUARTET
WED, mAR 3, 2010 | 8PmDINKELSPIEL AUDITORIUM
PLUS: Uri Caine Ensemble (10.10), Cyro Baptista (10.30), St. Lawrence String Quartet (11.1, 1.31, 4.18), Jamie Bernstein with Michael Barrett (11.7) The Prokofiev Project (11.12-15), From the Top with Christopher O’Riley (12.5), Chanticleer (12.10), Kronos Quartet with Wu Man (1.16), Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company (1.22), Misha Dichter (2.17), Vusi Mahlasela (2.19), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (4.21), Mark Twain Tonight!: Hal Holbrook (4.27), Laurie Anderson (5.5) and much more!
K o r E t Y o u n g P E r f o r m E r s c o n c E r t s
57www.musicatmenlo.org
Open Housesaturday, July 25Music@Menlo welcomes the community to a daylong series of special events on the beautiful grounds of Menlo School, allowing visitors to get behind the scenes of the festival.
Open House Schedule of Events
8:30a.m.
Q & A Coffee with the Artistic DirectorsFestivalWelcomeCenter,MenloSchool
TakeadvantageofachancetomeetwithDavid
FinckelandWuHaninaninformalsetting.
9:00a.m.–11:50a.m.
Institute CoachingsMenloSchool
Music@Menlo’sartist-facultycoachestheInstitute’s
youngmusiciansinpreparationfortheirupcoming
performances.
11:00a.m.–12:00p.m.
Open RehearsalMartinFamilyHall,MenloSchool
PianistsJeffreyKahaneandWuHanrehearseMen-
delssohn’sA Midsummer Night’s Dream,arrangedforpiano,fourhands.
12:00p.m.–1:00p.m.
Café Conversation: The Art of Theo NollStentFamilyHall,MenloSchool
2009VisualArtistTheoNolldiscusseshisworkwith
CathyKimball,ExecutiveDirectoroftheSanJose
InstituteofContemporaryArt.(Seepage60.)
1:00p.m.–2:00p.m.
Open RehearsalMenloSchool
PianistJeffreyKahane,violinistJosephSwensen,and
cellistPaulWatkinsrehearseSchumann’sPianoTrioin
dminor,op.63.
1:00p.m.–3:00p.m.
Open RehearsalMenloSchool
FlutistCarolWincenc,oboistWilliamBennett,clari-
netistAnthonyMcGill,bassoonistDennisGodburn,
andhornplayerWilliamVerMeulenrehearseLigeti’s
SixBagatellesforWindQuintet.
2:00p.m.
Koret Young Performers ConcertMartinFamilyHall,MenloSchool
TheartistsoftheChamberMusicInstitute’sYoung
PerformersProgramperformmusicbyBeethoven,
Mendelssohn,Brahms,andSaint-Saëns.
7:30p.m.
Encounter III: The Grand TourMartinFamilyHall,MenloSchool
LedbyR.LarryTodd.(Seepage11fordetails.
Ticketsrequired;orderatwww.musicatmenlo.orgor
650-331-0202.)
Schedule of events subject to change. For the latest information, please visit www.musicatmenlo.org.
58 Music@Menlo 2009
Since their inceptionduringMusic@Menlo’s2004season,Café
Conversationshaveexploredavarietyofissuesfromtheunique
perspectivesofMusic@Menlo’sartisticcommunity.CaféConver-
sationsallowaudiencestogaininsightsintoafascinatingarrayof
music-andarts-relatedissues.AllCaféConversationstakeplace
onthecampusofMenloSchoolandareopentothepublic.
Tuesday,July21,12:00p.m.
Audience Engagement in the Age of Digital MediawithBrianNewhouse,Senior Producer, American Public Media
Wednesday,July22,12:00p.m.
A Conversation with the Pacifica QuartetmoderatedbyPatrickCastillo,Music@Menlo Artistic Administrator
Saturday,July25,12:00p.m.
The Art of Theo NollwithTheoNoll, Music@Menlo’s 2009 Visual Artist,andCathyKimball,Executive Director, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art.Receptionwiththeartisttofollow.
Monday,July27,12:00p.m.
Performing at the Presidential InaugurationwithAnthonyMcGill,clarinetist
Thursday,July30,12:00p.m.
Odysseus, Prometheus, and Beethoven: The Mythological Sources of the Eroica Sym-phony and Other Musical Masterworks of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries withJeffreyKahane,pianist
Friday,July31,12:00p.m.
Poetry Reading WorkshopwithMichaelSteinberg,author and musicologist
Monday,August3,12:00p.m.
The Legacy of Isaac SternwithAraGuzelimian,Encounter leader
Café Conversation topics and speakers subject to change. For the latest information, please visit www.musicatmenlo.org.
Café ConversationsMusic@Menlo’s unique series of free and informal discussion events led by festival artists and distinguished guests offers audiences an engaging forum to explore a wide range of topics relating to music and culture.
59www.musicatmenlo.org
Free and open to the public, Music@Menlo’s master classes offer a unique opportunity to observe the interaction between mentors and students of the Chamber Music Institute.
Music@Menlounitesthenextgenerationofgreatchambermusi-
cianswitharenownedfacultyoftoday’smostesteemedartists
andeducators.JointheyoungartistsandfacultyoftheCham-
berMusic Instituteduringthe festivalas theyexchange ideas,
discuss interpretive approaches, and prepare masterworks of
theclassicalmusicliteratureforthestage.TheInstitute’smaster
classesandotherselectInstituteactivitiesgivevisitorstherare
opportunitytowitnessthespecialexchangebetweenartistand
apprentice,anartistictraditionreveredforgenerations.
Allmasterclassesareheldat12:00p.m.inStentFamilyHall
ontheMenloSchoolcampusandarefreeandopentothepub-
lic.Pleasevisitwww.musicatmenlo.orgduringthefestivalforthe
mostup-to-dateinformation.
Monday,July20,12:00p.m.
Ian Swensen, violinist
Thursday,July23,12:00p.m.
Bruce Adolphe, composer and Encounter leader
Friday,July24,12:00p.m.
Joseph Swensen, violinist
Tuesday,July28,12:00p.m.
Jeffrey Kahane, pianist
Wednesday,July29,12:00p.m.
Paul Watkins, cellist
Saturday,August1,12:00p.m.
Wu Han, pianist
Tuesday,August4,12:00p.m.
Pacifica Quartet
Wednesday,August5,12:00p.m.
Jorja Fleezanis, violinist
Thursday,August6,12:00p.m.
Menahem Pressler, pianist
Master class schedule subject to change. For the latest information, please visit www.musicatmenlo.org.
Master Classes
60 Music@Menlo 2009
Theo Noll was born in Neuwied, Ger-
many, in 1968. By the time he finished
highschool,hehaddevelopedapassion
forartandclassicalmusic.Consequently,
he studied graphics, painting, art his-
tory,andmusicologyattheUniversityof
Marburg,Germany,from1990until1997.
Through theyears,heappliedhisartis-
tictalentstoavarietyofmedia,fromset
designsandscreenwebdesignstoabstractpaintings.Formore
than a decade now, hisworks havebeen exhibited in various
artgalleriesandpubliccollectionsthroughoutEuropeandthe
Americas.Hismostrecentsoloshowshavebeenondisplayin
Berlin,Germany,inRosario,Argentina,andinBratislava,Slova-
kia.HelivesandworksinNuremberg,Germany.
Theo Noll’s work will be displayed on campus throughout the festival. As part of the Open House on Saturday, July 25, there will be a Café Conversation at 12:00 p.m. that features a dis-cussion with the artist, followed by an artist’s reception, both of which are free and open to the public.
Visual Arts and the Festival2009 Visual Artist: theo nollEach season, Music@Menlo invites a distinguished visual artist to exhibit a selection of paintings at Menlo School throughout the festival and showcases the artist’s work in the festival’s publications. This year Music@Menlo is pleased to feature Theo Noll.
Above: untitled, 2005, oil on card stock, 20 x 20 cm
Top right: untitled, 2006, oil on card stock, 15 x 15 cm
Middle right: untitled, 2009, oil on card stock, 40 x 40 cm
Lower right: untitled, 2009, oil on card stock, 40 x 40 cm
B I o g r A P h I E s
61www.musicatmenlo.org
B I o g r A P h I E s
2009 Artist and Faculty Biographies
Artistic Directors The Martin Family Artistic DirectorshipCellist DAVID FINCKEL and pianist Wu HAN, the Founders andArtisticDirectorsofMusic@Menlo, rankamongthemostesteemed
and influential classical musicians in the world today. The talent,
energy, imagination,anddedicationtheybringtotheirmultifaceted
endeavorsasconcertperformers,recordingartists,educators,artistic
administrators,andculturalentrepreneursgounmatched.Theirduo
performancestakethemeachseasontosomeofthemostprestigious
venuesandconcert seriesacross theUnitedStates, includingNew
York’sLincolnCenter,MorganLibrary,TownHall,and92ndStreetY;
Washington’sKennedyCenter,SmithsonianInstitute,andDumbarton
Oaks;theBayArea’sSanFranciscoPerformancesandStanfordLively
Arts;theWisconsinUnionTheaterinMadisonandMilwaukee’sPabst
Theater;UCLA’sPerformingArtsSeries;Atlanta’sSpiveyHall;theUni-
versityofChicago’sMandelHall;Boston’sGardnerMuseum;Princeton
UniversityConcerts;theUniversityofIowa’sHancherAuditorium;the
ClevelandChamberMusicSociety;theNewOrleansFriendsofMusic;
SantaBarbara’sUCSBArtsandLetters;andAspen’sHarrisConcert
Hall.Theduoisregularlyfeaturedinthecountry’sleadingmusicfes-
tivals. Recent highlights include performances at the AspenMusic
Festival,SantaFeChamberMusicFestival,Music@Menlo,andCham-
berMusicNorthwest.
TheirinternationalengagementshavetakenthemtoMexico,Can-
ada,theFarEast,Scandinavia,andcontinentalEuropetounanimous
criticalacclaim.Highlightsfromrecentseasons includetheirdebuts
inGermanyandatFinland’sKuhmoFestival,theirpresentationofthe
completeBeethovencycle inTokyo, and their signatureall-Russian
programatLondon’sWigmoreHall.
DavidFinckelandWuHan’swide-rangingmusicalactivitiesalso
haveincludedthelaunchofArtistLed,thefirstmusician-directedand
Internet-basedrecordingcompany,which,in2007,celebrateditstenth
year.AllelevenArtistLedrecordingshavereceivedcriticalacclaimand
areavailableviathecompany’sWebsiteatwww.artistled.com.The
duo’sRussian Classics recording, featuringworks by Rachmaninov,
Prokofiev,andShostakovich,receivedBBC Music Magazine’scovetedEditor’sChoiceaward.ThetwomostrecentadditionstotheArtistLed
catalogfeatureDavidFinckel’srecordingoftheDvorákConcertoand
AugustaReadThomas’sRitual Incantations(world-premiererecord-
ing) andWu Han’s first full-length solo recording,Russian Recital,featuringworksbyTchaikovsky,Rachmaninov,andScriabin.Thissea-
son,ArtistLedreleaseditseleventhalbum,arecordingoftheSchubert
pianotriosfeaturingDavidFinckel,WuHan,andviolinistPhilipSetzer.
DavidFinckelandWuHanhaveservedasArtisticDirectorsof
theChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCentersince2004.Priorto
launchingMusic@Menlo, they served for three seasons asArtistic
DirectorsofSummerFestLaJolla.
Formanyyears,DavidFinckelandWuHantaughtalongsidethe
lateIsaacSternatCarnegieHallandtheJerusalemMusicCenter.They
appearedannuallyontheAspenMusicFestival’sDistinguishedArt-
istMasterClassseriesandinvariouseducationaloutreachprograms
acrossthecountry.DavidFinckelandWuHanresideinNewYorkwith
theirfifteen-year-olddaughter,Lilian.
Artists & FacultyRecently namedComposer-in-Residence at
theBrainandCreativityInstituteinLosAnge-
les,BRuCE ADOLPHEhascomposedmusic
for someof theworld’sgreatestmusicians,
including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Sylvia
McNair, the Brentano String Quartet, the
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the National
SymphonyOrchestra,theMiamiStringQuar-
tet,ImaniWinds,theChicagoChamberMusicians,andtheChamber
MusicSocietyofLincolnCenter.
ThispastseasonincludedthepremiereofLet Freedom Sing: The Story of Marian Anderson, anoperabyAdolphewithalibrettobyCaroliviaHerron,producedby theWashingtonNationalOpera
andWashingtonPerformingArtsSociety.Theseasonalsofeatured
twootherpremieres:ViolinConcertowithEugeneDrucker;andSelf Comes to Mind,withtextbyneuroscientistAntonioDamasioanda
filmbyIoanaUricaru,withYo-YoMaassoloist.
AdolpheistheResidentLecturerandDirectorofFamilyCon-
certsfortheChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter.Heperforms
hisPianoPuzzlersonpublicradio’sPerformance Today, hostedbyFredChild.
Adolphe has been Composer-in-Residence at the Santa Fe
ChamberMusicFestival,ChamberMusicNorthwest,MusicfromAngel
Fire,theVirginiaArtsFestival,SummerFestLaJolla,andothers.He
wasDistinguishedComposer-in-ResidenceattheMannesCollegeof
Musicin2003–2004.ArecordingofAdolphe’smusicproducedbythe
MilkenArchiveofAmericanJewishMusic/NaxosAmericanClassics
labelwonaGrammyin2005.Adolphe’sfilmscoresincludetheper-
manentdocumentaryattheHolocaustMuseuminWashington,D.C.
CofounderwithJulianFiferoftheLearningMaestros,Adolphe
collaborateswithwritersandscientiststocreateworksthatexplore
subjectsrangingfromdinosaurstowindenergy.Formerlyonthefac-
ultiesofJuilliardandNewYorkUniversityandaVisitingLecturerat
Yale,AdolphehasbeenfeaturedinLive from Lincoln Centertelevi-sionprogramsbroadcastnationwide.
CellistDMITRI ATAPINE,theFirstPrizewin-ner at the 2004 Carlos Prieto International
CelloCompetition(Mexico),isrecognizedas
anexcitingperformerandanaccomplished
chambermusicianwho“hasawarm,vividly
coloristic touch…and seemingly effortless
commandofanystylisticdevice”according
toLucid Cultureandishailedas“asplendid,elegantcellist,withagorgeoussound”byMundoClasico.Aregularsoloistandrecitalist,hehasappearedonsomeoftheworld’smost
covetedstages,includingZankelHallatCarnegieHall,theNational
AuditoriumofSpain,andPrincePhilipAuditoriuminAsturias,among
others.Hehasperformedasasoloistwithmultipleorchestras,among
themtheAsturiasSymphonyOrchestra,LeónSymphonyOrchestra,
B I o g r A P h I E s
62 Music@Menlo 2009
B I o g r A P h I E s
andYalePhilharmoniaOrchestra.Hehasalsoappearedatnumerous
festivals,includingMusic@Menlo,CactusPearMusicFestival,Banff,
Great Mountains International Chamber Music Festival in South
Korea,MiguelBernalJiménezFestivalinMexico,theFrenchAcad-
emyinRome,andthePacificMusicFestivalinJapan.Since2007he
hasservedasArtisticDirectoroftheInternationalMusicFestivalof
RibadesellainSpain.
DmitriAtapine’smultipleawardsincludethePresserFoundation
AwardandtopprizesattheSpanishNationalCelloCompetition,the
NewEnglandInternationalChamberMusicCompetition,thePlow-
manChamberMusicCompetition,theVilladeLlanesInternational
StringCompetition,theWoolseyHallCompetitionatYaleUniversity,
andtheSahagúnInternationalMusicCompetitionatagethirteen.
DmitriAtapineisadoctorofmusicalartscandidateattheYale
SchoolofMusic,wherehecompletedamasterofmusicalartsdegree
andobtainedanartistdiplomaundertheguidanceofthelegendary
cellistandteacherAldoParisot.
WILLIAM BENNETT is Principal Oboist oftheSanFranciscoSymphonyandoccupant
oftheEdodeWaartChair,apositionhehas
heldsinceSeptember1987.AnativeofNew
Haven,Connecticut,hegraduatedfromYale
UniversityandstudiedtheoboewithRob-
ertBloomatYaleandattheJuilliardSchool
ofMusic.Hejoinedtheorchestrain1979as
Associate Principal to Marc Lifschey. Dur-
ingthepast thirtyyears,Bennetthasappearedfrequently insolo
recital, concerto, chamber, and orchestral engagements through-
outtheAmericas,Europe,andtheFarEast.Afrequentsoloistwith
theSanFranciscoSymphony,Bennettgavetheworldpremiereof
JohnHarbison’sOboeConcerto in 1992. Itwascommissioned for
himbytheSFSandhewentontoperformitontourinCarnegie
HallandthroughoutEuropeandrecorditwiththeSFSforLondon
Records.Bennetthasalsoappearedasasoloistwithorchestrasin
Berkeley,Fresno,Modesto,Napa,Stockton,NewMexico,China,Hong
Kong,andJapan.HehasperformedattheMarlboroFestival,Festi-
valD’InvernoinSaoPaulo,theAspenFestival,theBerkshireMusic
Center,andMusic@Menlo.HeisonthefacultyattheSanFrancisco
ConservatoryofMusic.
Violinist HASSE BORuP, Administrator of
Music@Menlo’sChamberMusicInstitute,isa
professorofviolinandchambermusicper-
formanceattheUniversityofUtahSchoolof
Musicaswellasanactiveperformer.Previ-
ous appointments include positions at the
UniversityofVirginiaandGeorgeWashing-
tonUniversity. He earned degrees in violin
performancefromtheRoyalDanishConser-
vatoryofMusicandtheHarttSchoolofMusicandadoctorate in
musicalartsfromtheUniversityofMaryland.
In addition to numerous prestigious prizes and fellowships,
BorupistheonlyDanetohavewontheInternationalYamahaMusic
Prize.HehasappearedassoloistinVenice,Cremona,Paris,Copen-
hagen, Charlottesville, and Salt LakeCity. Borupwas a founding
member of the award-winning Coolidge Quartet, serving as the
first-everGuarneriFellowshipQuartetattheUniversityofMaryland.
HehasalsoworkedwithmembersoftheEmerson,Guarneri,and
JuilliardquartetsandwithIsaacStern,WilliamPreucil,Rolandand
AlmitaVamos,David Takeno, andHattoBeyerle. Borup has per-
formed live on National Danish Radio, National Slovenian Radio,
NationalAustralianRadio,andRadioHongKongandhasbeenfea-
turedonNPR’sPerformance Today.In2002,heperformedBright
Sheng’sPianoTrio,withthecomposeratthepiano,ataSilkRoad
Project–sponsoredevent.
RecentperformancesincludeappearancesattheGrandTeton
MusicFestival,ArnoldSchoenbergCenter(Vienna),ChineseCentral
Conservatory(Beijing),NanjingUniversity,andinWashington,D.C.,
andSanFrancisco,amongothers.InMarch2008,hereleasedaCD
entitledAmerican Fantasies, which exploresArnold Schoenberg’sinfluenceonAmericanmusic andwas supportedby the Arnold
SchoenbergCenterinVienna.Asanactiveeducator,Boruphaspub-
lishedarticlesintheStradmagazine(August2006issue)andthe
ASTAMagazine(May2008).
CellistCOLIN CARRappearsthroughouttheworldassoloist,chambermusician,recording
artist,andteacher.Asaconcertosoloist,he
hasplayedwithmajororchestrasworldwide,
includingtheRoyalConcertgebouwOrches-
tra;thePhilharmonia;theRoyalPhilharmonic;
theBBCSymphony; theorchestrasofChi-
cago,LosAngeles,Washington,Philadelphia,
andMontreal;andallthemajororchestrasof
AustraliaandNewZealand.Conductorswithwhomhehasworked
includeRattle,Gergiev,Dutoit,Elder,Skrowaczewski,andMarriner.
HeisaregularguestattheBBCProms,hastwicetouredAustralia,
andhasrecentlyplayedconcerti inSouthKorea,Malaysia,Poland,
andNewZealand.
RecitalstakeColinCarrtomajorcitieseachseason;heregu-
larlyperformsinLondon,NewYork,andBoston.Hehasgivenseveral
cyclesoftheBachSuitesaroundtheworld,includingperformances
inLondonandNewYork.AsamemberoftheGolub-Kaplan-Carr
Trio,herecordedandtouredextensivelyfortwentyyears.He isa
frequentvisitortointernationalchambermusicfestivalsworldwide
andhasappearedoftenasaguestwiththeGuarneriandEmerson
stringquartetsandwithNewYork’sChamberMusicSocietyofLin-
colnCenter.
ColinCarr’s recordingsof theunaccompaniedcelloworksof
Kodály,Britten,Crumb,andSchullerandoftheBachSuitesforUnac-
companiedCello(GMRecordings)havebeenhighlyacclaimed.His
recordingoftheBrahmssonatas(Arabesque)withLeeLuvisiisalso
afavorite.ColinCarrwasthesoloistinElgar’sCelloConcertowiththe
BBCPhilharmoniconaBBC Music Magazine coverCD.ColinCarristhewinnerofmanyprestigiousinternationalawards,
includingYoungConcertArtistsAuditions,FirstPrizeintheNaum-
burg Competition, the Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Award, and
SecondPrizeintheRostropovichInternationalCelloCompetition.
CarrattendedtheYehudiMenuhinSchool,studyingwithMau-
riceGendronandlaterWilliamPleeth.Hewasmadeaprofessorat
theRoyalAcademyofMusicin1998,havingbeenonthefacultyof
theNewEnglandConservatoryinBostonforsixteenyears.In1998,
St.John’sCollege,Oxford,createdthepostofMusician-in-Residence
forhim,andinSeptember2002,hebecameaprofessoratStony
BrookUniversityinNewYork.
SelectedbytheBoston Globeasoneofthe“superiorpianistsoftheyear”andpraisedby
RichardDyerfor“awondrouslyrichpaletteof
colors,whichshemixeswithdashingbravado
andwithanuncannyprecisionofcalibration,”
pianistGLORIA CHIEN made her orchestral
debutattheageofsixteenwiththeBoston
Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has appeared as a soloist
underthebatonsofSergiuComissiona,KeithLockhart,andThomas
B I o g r A P h I E s
63www.musicatmenlo.org
B I o g r A P h I E s
Dausgaard.ShehaspresentedsolorecitalsattheIsabellaStewart
GardnerMuseum,SanibelMusicFestival,CaramoorMusicFestival,
SalleCortotinParis,andtheNationalConcertHallinTaiwan.Gloria
ChienhasparticipatedinsuchfestivalsastheMusicAcademyofthe
West,theVerbierMusicFestival,andMusic@Menlo.
Anavidchambermusician,Chienhasbeentheresidentpianist
withtheChameleonArtsEnsembleofBostonsince2000.Herrecent
CDfeaturingmusicofGrazynaBacewiczreceivedfantasticreviews
inGramophone, theStrad, andAmerican Record Guide. The Inter-national Record Reviewwrites,“[theviolinist]couldaskfornomore
sensitiveorsupportiveanaccompanistthanGloriaChien…exquisitely
attentive.”
HerrecentperformancesincludecollaborationswiththeDae-
dalusStringQuartet,JamesBuswell,MarcJohnson,PaulNeubauer,
AndrésDíaz,SoovinKim,CarolinWidmann,andAnthonyMcGill.In
thefallof2004,GloriaChienwasnamedAssistantProfessorofMusic
atLeeUniversityinCleveland,Tennessee.Herteachershaveincluded
RussellShermanandWhaKyungByun.
Violinist EuGENE DRuCKER, a foundingmember of the Emerson String Quartet,
is also an active soloist. He has appeared
with the orchestras of Montreal, Brussels,
Antwerp,Liège,Austin,Hartford,Richmond,
Toledo, Memphis, Omaha, Anchorage, and
theRhineland-Palatinate,aswellaswiththe
AmericanSymphonyOrchestraandAspen
ChamberSymphony.
A graduate of Columbia University and the Juilliard School,
wherehestudiedwithOscarShumsky,DruckerwasConcertmaster
oftheJuilliardOrchestra,withwhichheappearedassoloistseveral
times.HemadehisNewYorkdebutasaConcertArtistsGuildwin-
ner inthefallof 1976,afterhavingwonprizesatthe International
ViolinCompetitioninMontrealandtheQueenElisabethCompetition
inBrussels.
Druckerhasrecordedthecompleteunaccompaniedworksof
Bach, recently reissued by Parnassus Records, and the complete
sonatas and duos of Bartók for Biddulph Recordings. His novel,
The Savior,waspublishedbySimon&Schuster inJuly2007and
hasrecentlyappearedinpaperback.EugeneDrucker livesinNew
York with his wife, cellist Roberta Cooper, and their son, Julian.
This summerJORJA FLEEZANIS completes
atwenty-yeartenureasConcertmasterofthe
MinnesotaOrchestraandmovesontobecome
ProfessorofOrchestralStudiesandViolinat
IndianaUniversity’s JacobsSchoolofMusic.
TheMinnesotaOrchestrahascommissioned
twomajorsoloworksforJorjaFleezanis,the
JohnAdamsViolinConcertoandtheIkon of ErosbyJohnTavener,thelatterrecordedon
ReferenceRecords.ThecompleteviolinsonatasofBeethovenwith
the French fortepianist Cyril Huvéwere released in 2003 on the
Cyprès label.Other recordings includeAaronJayKernis’s Brilliant Sky, Infinite SkyonCRI,commissionedforherbytheSchubertClub
ofSt.Paul,Minnesota,andStefanWolpe’sViolinSonata,withGarrick
OhlssonasherpartnerforKochInternational.Herperformanceof
thepremiereofNicholasMaw’sSonataforSoloViolin,commissioned
forherbyMinnesotaPublicRadio,wasbroadcastonPublicRadio
International’sSaint Paul Sundayin1998,andin1999,shegavetheBritishpremiereattheChesterSummerFestival. In 1998,shewas
theviolinsoloistintheUnitedStatespremiereofBritten’srecently
discoveredDoubleConcertoforViolinandViola.
JorjaFleezanishasheldconsecutiveadjunctpositionsat the
SanFranciscoConservatoryand theUniversityofMinnesota.She
hasbeenavisitingartist/teacherattheNewWorldSymphony,the
Round Top Festival-Institute, theUniversity of California atDavis,
Music@Menlo,theBostonConservatory,andtheJuilliardSchool.
DENNIS GODBuRN leads a distinguishedcareerasaperformerofBaroque,Classical,and
modern bassoons, concertizing throughout
theUnitedStates,Europe,Japan,andSouth
America.HehasservedasPrincipalBassoon-
ist for theOrchestraofSt.Luke’s since 1976
andisalsoamemberoftheOrpheusCham-
berOrchestra.DennisGodburnhasperformed
with the Metropolitan Opera, New England
Bach Festival, Boston EarlyMusic FestivalOrchestra, Handel and
HaydnSociety,WaverlyConsort,PhilharmoniaBaroqueOrchestra,
andtheClassicalBand,amongmanyothers.Hehasalsoappeared
assoloistintheGreatPerformersseriesatLincolnCenterandatthe
MostlyMozartFestival,theChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,
theRaviniaFestival,andtheKennedyCenter.
DennisGodburn can be heard in recordings spanningmedi-
eval to contemporary repertoire on RCA Records, Sony Classics,
L’Oiseau-Lyre,Telarc,ColumbiaMasterworks,HarmoniaMundi,EMI,
andDeutscheGrammophon.
ARA GuZELIMIANisProvostandDeanof the JuilliardSchool,whereheover-
seesthefaculty,curriculum,andartistic
planningof thedistinguishedperform-
ing-artsconservatory inall threeof its
divisions:dance,drama,andmusic.He
previouslyservedasSeniorDirectorand
Artistic Advisor of Carnegie Hall from
1998 to2006. In thepasthehasservedasArtisticAdministrator
oftheLosAngelesPhilharmonicandtheAspenMusicFestivaland
SchoolandasArtisticDirectoroftheOjaiFestival.Heisalsoanactive
lecturer,writer,andmusiccritic.Inrecentseasons,hehasbeenheard
ontheMetropolitanOperaRadiobroadcastsandasaguesthoston
AmericanPublicMedia’s Saint Paul Sunday.HeistheeditorofParal-lels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society,acollectionofdialoguesbetweenDanielBarenboimandEdwardSaid.In2003,Ara
GuzelimianwasawardedthetitleChevalierdesArtsetdesLettresby
theFrenchgovernmentforhiscontributionstoFrenchculture.
Renowned as a pianist and conductor,
JEFFREY KAHANE is recognized by audi-ences around the world for his mastery of
diverse repertoire from Bach to Beethoven
and Gershwin to Golijov. As Music Direc-
torof twouniqueensembles—theColorado
Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber
Orchestra,bothofwhichhavewonnumerous
ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Program-
mingunderhisleadership—Kahanehasestablishedareputationas
atrulyversatileartistequallysoughtafterassoloist,conductor,and
chambermusician.
During the 2008–2009 season, Kahane celebrated the Los
Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s fortieth anniversary by performing
Beethoven’s PianoConcerto no. 1with the orchestra’s firstMusic
Director,SirNevilleMarriner,andleadingtheWestCoastpremiere
ofOsvaldoGolijov’sAzulwithcellistYo-YoMa.Otherguestappear-ancesduringtheseasonincludedplayingwithandconductingthe
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DallasSymphonyOrchestra;collaboratingwiththeEmersonString
QuartetaspartoftheChicagoSymphonyOrchestra’sDvorákFesti-
val;andperformingsolorecitalsattheUniversityofOregon,atthe
AspenFestival,and inLincolnCenter’sGreatPerformersseries in
NewYorkCity.KahanerecentlyperformedonBohemian Maestro: Django Reinhardt and the Impressionists,ajazzrecordingfromthe
HotClubofSanFrancisco(www.HCSF.com),releasedinfall2008.
Jeffrey Kahane’s belief in the educational and inspirational
powerofmusicledhimtofoundtheLosAngelesChamberOrches-
tra’sFamilyConcertsseries.Hisinterestinmusicalenrichmentisalso
evidencedbyhispersonalcommitmenttoLACO’sMeettheMusic
program,whichservesapproximately2,700LosAngeleselemen-
tarystudentsannually.Foreducationalprojectsundertakenwiththe
SantaRosaSymphony,whereheisMusicDirectorLaureate,Kahane
receivedoneofthefirstMetLifeAwardsforExcellenceinCommunity
EngagementfromtheLeagueofAmericanOrchestras.InMay2005,
hewasawardedanhonorarydoctorateoffineartsbySonomaState
Universityforhisservicetotheartsandeducation.
GILBERT KALISH leads a musical life of
unusual variety and breadth. His profound
influenceonthemusicalcommunityasedu-
catorandaspianisthasestablishedhimas
amajorfigureinAmericanmusicmaking.A
nativeNewYorkerandgraduateofColum-
bia College, Gilbert Kalish studied with
LeonardShure,JuliusHereford,andIsabella
Vengerova. Hewas the pianist of the Bos-
tonSymphonyChamberPlayersforthirtyyearsandwasafounding
memberoftheContemporaryChamberEnsemble,agroupdevoted
tonewmusic thatflourishedduringthe 1960sand1970s.He isa
frequentguestartistwithmanyof theworld’smostdistinguished
chamberensemblesandisanartist-memberoftheChamberMusic
SocietyofLincolnCenter.Histhirty-yearpartnershipwiththegreat
mezzo-sopranoJanDeGaetaniwasuniversallyrecognizedasoneof
themostremarkableartisticcollaborationsofourtime.Hemaintains
long-standingduoswithcellistsTimothyEddyandJoelKrosnick,and
heappearsfrequentlywithsopranoDawnUpshaw.Asaneducator,
GilbertKalishisDistinguishedProfessorandHeadofPerformance
ActivitiesattheStateUniversityofNewYorkatStonyBrook.From
1969to1997,hewasafacultymemberattheTanglewoodMusicCen-
ter,servingastheChairoftheFacultyfrom1985to1997.Heoften
servesasguestartistatdistinguishedmusicinstitutionssuchasthe
BanffCentre,SteansInstituteatRavinia,andMarlboroFestival.Heis
renownedforhismaster-classpresentations.
In1995,hewaspresentedwiththePaulFrommAwardbythe
UniversityofChicagoMusicDepartment fordistinguished service
tothemusicofourtime.InJanuary2002,hewastherecipientof
ChamberMusicAmerica’sServiceAward forhis exceptional con-
tributionsinthefieldofchambermusic,andmostrecentlyhewas
awardedtheGeorgePeabodyMedalforoutstandingcontributions
tomusicintheUnitedStates.
Anavidchambermusician,violistEDWARD KLORMAN has performed as guest artist
withtheBorromeo,Orion,andYingquartets
andwith veteran pianist Claude Frank. He
isafoundingmemberoftheTesseraQuar-
tet, whose 2009–2010 season includes a
debutatNewSchoolConcerts,residencies
atGeorgetownUniversityandthePeabody
Conservatory, and a tour with composer-pianist Lowell Lieber-
mann.In2006,hewasafellowoftheMusic@MenloInternational
Program,andhereturnsthissummerasacoachfortheChamber
MusicInstitute.
Klorman is committed to educational projects that engage
broaderaudienceswithclassicalmusic.AsafounderoftheCanan-
daigua LakeMusic Festival in Upstate New York, he established
ClassicalBlueJeans,aninnovativeseriesofinteractiveconcertsfor
audienceswhoarenewtoclassicalmusic.Adedicatedteacher,Klor-
manteachesviolaandchambermusicatQueensCollegeandmusic
theoryattheJuilliardSchool.
ANTHONY MCGILL, Principal Clarinetist oftheMetropolitanOperaOrchestra,hasquickly
earnedthereputationofbeingoneofclassi-
calmusic’sfinestsolo,chamber,andorchestral
musicians.BeforejoiningtheMetOrchestrain
2004,he servedasAssociatePrincipalClari-
netist of the Cincinnati SymphonyOrchestra
forfouryears.
In addition to his orchestral career, McGill was a winner of
thehighlyprestigiousAveryFisherCareerGrant in2000andhas
appearedasasoloistwithmanyorchestrasincludingtheBaltimore
SymphonyandNewJerseySymphonyOrchestra. This seasonhe
appearedwiththePeabodyOrchestra,theNewAmsterdamSym-
phonyOrchestra,andtheIllinoisPhilharmonicOrchestra.OnJanuary
20,2009,McGillperformedAir and Simple GiftsbyJohnWilliams
withYo-YoMa,ItzhakPerlman,andGabrielaMonteroattheinaugu-
rationofPresidentBarackObama.
Asadistinguishedchambermusician,McGillhasperformedat
theMarlboroMusicFestival,theSarasotaFestival,LaMusica,Tangle-
wood,andtheGrandTetonMusicFestival,amongothers.Heisalso
amemberofthenewlyformedSchumannTriowithviolistMichael
TreeandpianistAnnaPolonsky.
McGillhascollaboratedwithartistssuchasYo-YoMa,Midori,
LangLang,YefimBronfman,andGilShaham,aswell aswith the
Guarneri,Tokyo,Shanghai,Miami,Miró,andDaedalusstringquar-
tets.HehasperformedthroughouttheUnitedStates,Europe,and
Asiaasachamberandanorchestralmusicianwithartistsincluding
theBrentanoStringQuartet,MusiciansfromMarlboro,theChamber
MusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,MitsukoUchida,MarinaPiccinini,and
BarbaraSukova.
McGill has appeared on Performance Today, MPR’s St. Paul Sunday,Ravinia’sRisingStarsseries,Mister Rogers’ Neighborhoodtelevision show, and at LincolnCenter as amember of Chamber
MusicSocietyTwo.
Inhighdemandasateacher,McGillcurrentlyservesonthefac-
ultiesofthePeabodyInstituteoftheJohnsHopkinsUniversity,the
MannesCollegeofMusic,andManhattanSchoolofMusicPrecol-
lege.Inaddition,hehasgivenmasterclassesattheCurtisInstitute
ofMusic, theUniversityofMichigan,StonyBrookUniversity,Tem-
pleUniversity,UCLA,theUniversityofNewMexico,andManhattan
SchoolofMusic.
ViolistPAuL NEuBAuER’sexceptionalmusicalityandeffortlessplayingdistin-
guish him as oneof this generation’s
quintessential artists. Having been, at
agetwenty-one,theyoungestprincipal
stringplayer intheNewYorkPhilhar-
monic’s history, Neubauer balances a
solocareerwithperformancesasanartist-memberoftheChamber
MusicSocietyofLincolnCenter.HeistheOrchestraandChamber
MusicDirectoroftheOKMozartFestivalinBartlesville,Oklahoma.In
2005,hepremieredJoanTower’sPurple Rhapsody,aviolaconcerto
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commissioned for him by seven orchestras and the Koussevitzky
Foundation.Neubauerhasrecentlyreleasedanall-Schumannrecital
albumwithpianistAnne-MarieMcDermottforImageRecordingsand
recordedseveralworksthatwerewrittenforhim:Wild PurpleforsoloviolabyJoanTowerforNaxos;Viola Rhapsody, aconcertobyHenriLazarof,onCentaurRecords;andSoul Gardenforviolaandcham-
berensemblebyDerekBermelonCRI.HisrecordingoftheWalton
ViolaConcertowasrecentlyre-releasedonDecca.Hehasappeared
with over one hundred orchestras throughout the United States,
Europe,andAsia,includingtheNewYork,LosAngeles,Helsinki,and
RoyalLiverpoolphilharmonics;theNational,St.Louis,Detroit,Dal-
las,SanFrancisco,andBournemouthsymphonies;theSantaCecilia
andEnglishchamberorchestras;andtheBeethovenhalleOrchestra.
HegavetheworldpremiereoftherevisedBartókViolaConcertoas
wellasconcertosbyPenderecki,Picker,Jacob,Lazarof,Suter,Mül-
ler-Siemens,Ott,andFriedman.Hehasperformedatthefestivals
ofVerbier,Ravinia,Stavanger,theHollywoodBowl,LincolnCenter,
MostlyMozart,andMarlboro.NeubauerwasanAveryFisherCareer
GrantrecipientandtheFirstPrizewinneroftheWhitaker,D’Angelo,
andLionelTertisinternationalcompetitions.Heisonthefacultyof
theJuilliardSchoolandMannesCollege.
Recognizedforitsvirtuosity,exu-
berant performance style, and
often daring repertory choices,
the PACIFICA QuARTET hascarvedoutacompellingmusical
niche. Recent career highlights
include complete Beethoven
quartet cycles inChicago,New
York City, California, and Wis-
consin,performancesinEurope
and Japan, and the release of
Declarations: Music between the WarsontheCedillelabel.ThereleaseofthefirstCDinatwo-discsetofthecompletequartetsofElliottCarterontheNaxoslabelcoin-
cidedwithaperformanceofCarter’scompletequartetsatLincoln
CenterinJanuary2008.TheCDwonthePacifica—violinistsSimin GanatraandSibbi Bernhardsson,violistMasumi Per Rostad,andcellistBrandon Vamos—the2009GrammyAwardforBestChamber
MusicPerformance.InMay2006,thePacificaQuartetbecameonly
thesecondchambermusicensembletobeawardedaprestigious
AveryFisherCareerGrant.Winnerofthreeofchambermusic’smost
important internationalawards(GrandPrizeatthe1996Coleman
ChamberMusicCompetition, topprize at the 1997ConcertArt-
istsGuildCompetition,and the 1998NaumburgChamberMusic
Award),thequartetwassubsequentlyhonoredin2002withCham-
berMusicAmerica’sprestigiousClevelandQuartetAwardinaddition
to being appointed amember of the ChamberMusic Society of
LincolnCenter’sCMSTwoprogramforgiftedyoungmusicians. In
November2008thequartetwashonoredasMusical America’s2009EnsembleoftheYear.Anardentadvocateofcontemporarymusic,
thePacificahascommissionedandpremieredasmanyaseightnew
worksayearandhasperformedElliottCarter’sfivequartetsonpres-
tigiousstagesintheUnitedStatesandEurope.ThePacificaQuartet
servesasFacultyQuartet-in-ResidenceattheUniversityofIllinoisat
Urbana-ChampaignandPerformingArtists-in-ResidenceattheUni-
versityofChicagoandtheLongySchoolofMusic.
SCOTT PINGEL beganplaying thedoublebassat age seventeenbecauseof a strong interest in jazz, Latin, and classicalmusic. In
2004,atagetwenty-nine,hebecamethePrincipalBassistoftheSan
FranciscoSymphony. Previously, he served asPrincipalBassist of
theCharlestonSymphonyOrchestra.Hehas
performedwiththeMetropolitanOpera,the
BostonSymphonyOrchestraatTanglewood,
and theMetamorphosenChamberOrches-
tra and served as Guest Principal with the
National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada.
Festival performances include Bellingham,
Spoleto, Verbier, Tanglewood, Attergau/
Salzburg,andMusic@Menlo.Pingelisalsoan
activeeducator,havingtaughtmasterclasses
atprestigiousschoolssuchastheCurtisInstitute,Juilliard,Manhat-
tanSchoolofMusic,theUniversityofMichigan,VanderbiltUniversity,
andtheShanghaiConservatory.Heiscurrentlyafacultymemberof
theSanFranciscoConservatoryofMusic.
Inadditiontohisclassicalmusiccareer,ScottPingelhasworked
withjazzgreatssuchasMichaelBrecker,GeoffKeezer,andthelate
JamesWilliams,performedwithpopiconMadonna,andplayedinan
openingactforTitoPuente.
HisformaleducationbeganwithJamesCluteattheUniversity
ofWisconsin-EauClaire.Afterreceivingabachelorofmusicdegree
in1996,hecontinuedundertheprivatetutelageofPeterLloyd.In
1997hemovedtoNewYorktostudywithTimothyCobbonafellow-
shipatManhattanSchoolofMusicandreceivedamaster’sdegreein
orchestralperformancein1999andaprofessionalstudiescertificate
in2000.HethenspenttwoyearsonafellowshipwiththeNewWorld
Symphony.
Outsideofmusic,Pingelspentmanyyearsstudyingtheancient
KoreanmartialartofHwaRangDo,inwhichheholdsablackbelt.
HewasaninstructorattheMadisonAcademyofHwaRangDoand
foundedtheUniversityofWisconsin-EauClaireHwaRangDo/Tae
SooDoprogram,whichcontinuestothisday.
MENAHEM PRESSLER, former founding
memberandpianistoftheBeauxArtsTrio,
has established himself among theworld’s
mostdistinguishedandhonoredmusicians,
withacareerthatspansoverfivedecades.
PresslerwasawardedFirstPrizeatthe
Debussy International Piano Competition
inSanFrancisco in 1946andsubsequently
madehisAmericandebutwiththePhiladel-
phiaOrchestraunderthebatonofMaestro
Eugene Ormandy. Since then, Pressler’s extensive tours of North
AmericaandEuropehaveincludedperformanceswiththeorchestras
ofNewYork,Chicago,Cleveland,Pittsburgh,Dallas,SanFrancisco,
London,Paris,Brussels,Oslo,andHelsinki,amongmanyothers.
In2007MenahemPresslerwasappointedanHonoraryFellow
oftheJerusalemAcademyofMusicandDanceinrecognitionofa
lifetimeofperformanceand leadership inmusic. In2005Pressler
receivedtwoadditionalawardsof internationalmerit: theGerman
president’s Deutsche Bundesverdienstkreuz (Cross of Merit) First
Class,Germany’shighesthonor,andFrance’shighestculturalhonor,
theCommanderintheOrderofArtsandLettersaward.Amonghis
manyother honors, he has received fiveGrammynominations, a
lifetimeachievementawardfromGramophonemagazine,Chamber
MusicAmerica’sDistinguishedServiceAward,andtheGoldMedalof
MeritfromtheNationalSocietyofArtsandLetters.
MenahemPresslerdebutedasachambermusicianatthe1955
BerkshireMusicFestival,whereheappearedaspianistwiththeBeaux
ArtsTrio.ThiscollaborationquicklyestablishedPressler’sreputation
asoneof theworld’smost reveredchambermusicians.Hisother
chambermusiccollaborationshaveincludedmultipleperformances
withtheJuilliard,Emerson,Guarneri,andClevelandquartets.
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In addition tooverfifty recordingswith theBeauxArtsTrio,
MenahemPressler has compiled over thirty solo recordings,with
worksrangingfromBachtoBen-Haim.
Theeighty-three-year-oldpianistfledtheNazisfromhishome-
townofMagdeburg,Germany,in1938,emigratingtoIsrael.Hislife
hasalwaysbeencompletelydevotedtohismusic.Whennottouring,
givingsoloperformances,orteachingmasterclasses,Presslercan
befoundteachingatIndianaUniversity,whereheholdstherankof
DistinguishedProfessor.PresslerlivesinBloomington,Indiana,with
hiswife,Sara.
PianistTHOMAS SAuERishighlysoughtafterassoloist,chambermusician,and
teacher. A frequent collaborator with
the renowned instrumentalists Midori
andColinCarr,Sauerhasrecentlygiven
concertoperformanceswiththeQuad-
CitySymphonyandGreenwichVillage
Orchestra; solo performances at Car-
negie Hall (Stern Auditorium), Merkin
ConcertHall, andSt. John’sCollege,Oxford;performances at
the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Phila-
delphiaChamberMusicSociety;duorecitalswithColinCarrat
theHolywellMusicRoom,Oxford,Bargemusic(NewYorkCity),
andPrincetonUniversity; duo recitalswithMidori at thePhil-
harmonie inBerlin and thePalais desBeauxArts inBrussels;
performanceswithmembersof theJuilliardStringQuartet at
theLibraryofCongress;andnumerousconcertswiththeBren-
tanoStringQuartet.
Sauerhasperformedatmany leading festivals in theUnited
Statesandabroad,includingMarlboro,Caramoor,ElPasoProMusica,
andthechambermusicfestivalsofPortland,Seattle,Taos,FourSea-
sons(NorthCarolina),andSaltBay(Maine),aswellasLakeDistrict
SummerMusicandFestivaldesConsonances(France).
Sauer’svarieddiscography includes recordingsoffiveHaydn
pianosonatasforMSRClassics,HindemithsonataswithviolistMisha
Amory (MusicalHeritageSociety),musicofBrittenandSchnittke
withcellistWilhelminaSmithonArabesque,musicofRossLeeFinney
withviolinistMirandaCucksononCentaurRecords,andMozartviolin
sonataswithAaronBerofskyonBlueGriffinRecordings. Inrecent
seasons,SauerhaspremieredworksbyPhilippeBodin,RobertCuck-
son,SebastianCurrier,KeithFitch,DavidLoeb,DonaldMartino,and
DavidTcimpidis.
AmemberofthepianofacultyoftheMannesCollegeandthe
musicfacultyatVassarCollege,ThomasSaueristheFounderand
DirectoroftheMannesBeethovenInstitute.
Aconsummatemusicianrecognizedforher
grace,subtlety,andvitality,ORLI SHAHAM
hasestablishedanimpressiveinternational
reputationasoneoftoday’smostgiftedpia-
nists.ShehasperformedwiththeCleveland
andPhiladelphiaorchestras,theBaltimore,
Chicago, Detroit, Houston, St. Louis, and
SanFranciscosymphonies, theBBCSym-
phony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra, the Stockholm Philharmonic, the Taiwan Philhar-
monic,andtheSydneySymphonyOrchestra.A frequentguest
atsummerfestivals,shehasperformedatRavinia,Verbier,Mostly
Mozart,Aspen,Caramoor,andSpoleto.Shahamhascollaborated
withherbrother,violinistGilShaham,onthreeCDs; theirmost
recentrecording,Mozart in Paris, wasreleasedbyCanaryClassicsinspring2008.
During the2008–2009season,OrliShahamdebutswith the
MalaysianPhilharmonic ledbyClausPeterFlorandreturnstothe
SydneySymphonyOrchestra.IntheUnitedStates,sheperformswith
theSt.Louis,SanAntonio,andAkronsymphonies.Herrecitalsched-
ulefeaturesvisitstoCincinnatiandSt.Louisandaspecialappearance
atNewYork’sCarnegieHall,where sheperformsBrahms’s Piano
SonatainfminorandtheF-A-ESonatawithviolinistGilShaham.In
addition,Shahamservesasthe2008–2009ChamberMusicEssen-
tialslecturerfortheChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenterand
curates and performs in the Pacific Symphony’s chamber music
seriesinCostaMesa,California.
Drivenbyapassiontobringclassicalmusictonewaudiences,
OrliShahammaintainsanactiveparallelcareerasarespectedbroad-
caster,musicwriter, and lecturer.Anenthusiastic teacher, shehas
taughtmusicliteratureatColumbiaUniversityandcontributedarti-
clestoPiano Today, Symphony,andPlaybill magazines.OrliShaham
livesinNewYorkandSt.Louiswithherhusband,conductorDavid
Robertson,hertwostepsons,PeterandJonathan,andhernewborn
twinsons,NathanandAlex.
Having recently celebrated its
twentieth anniversary, the ST. LAWRENCE STRING QuARTET—violinistsGeoff Nuttall andScott St. John,violistLesley Robertson,andcellistChristopher Costanza—ranks among the world-class
chamber ensembles of its gen-
eration. In 1992, the quartet won
boththeBanffInternationalString
Quartet Competition and Young
ConcertArtistsInternationalAudi-
tions,launchingitonaperforming
careerthathasbroughtthemusiciansacrossNorthandSouthAmer-
ica,Europe,andAsia.
Thequartet’sfirst recording,ofSchumann’sfirstand third
quartets,wasreleasedin1999andreceivedthecovetedGerman
criticsaward,thePreisderDeutschenSchallplattenkritik,aswell
asCanada’sannualJunoAward.BBC Music Magazinegavetherecordingits“highestrating,”callingitthebenchmarkrecording
oftheworks. InOctoberof2001,EMIreleased its recordingof
Tchaikovsky’sstringquartets,andin2002Yiddishbbuk,featuringworksofOsvaldoGolijov,receivedtwoGrammynominations.Its
mostrecentrecording,ofShostakovichquartets,wasreleasedin
July2006.
Highlightsofthe2008–2009seasonincludeitspopularseries
Sundays with the St. Lawrence for Stanford LivelyArts and con-certs inNewYork(CarnegieHall),Louisville,LaJolla,PalmBeach,
IowaCity,Houston,Montreal,Toronto,andVancouver.Thesummer
featuresitsthirteenthyearasResidentQuartettotheSpoletoUSA
FestivalinCharleston,SouthCarolina.
The foursome regularly delivers traditional quartet repertoire
but isalso ferventlycommitted toperformingandexpanding the
worksoflivingcomposers.InJanuary,thequartetpremieredanew
workcomposedforitbyJohnAdams,commissionedbytheJuilliard
School,StanfordLivelyArts,andtheBanffCentre.
Having studiedwith the Emerson, Tokyo, and Juilliard string
quartets, themembersoftheSt.Lawrencearepassionateeduca-
tors.Since1998thequartethasservedasEnsemble-in-Residenceat
StanfordUniversity.InadditiontoitsappointmentatStanford,the
St.LawrencehasservedasVisitingArtisttotheUniversityofToronto
since1995andin2006inauguratedanewvisitingchambermusic
residencyatArizonaStateUniversity.
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Officially unemployed but in fact
quite busy, MICHAEL STEINBERGwrites books and occasional pro-
gram notes for record companies
andvariousmusicalorganizationsin
additiontogivingpreconcerttalksfor,
amongothers,theBostonSymphony
Orchestra,LosAngelesPhilharmonic,
MinnesotaOrchestra,andSanFranciscoSymphony.Foraquarter
ofacentury,heworkedforvariousorchestrasasprogramannota-
tor,programplanner,lecturer,andmusicologist-in-residence.Before
that,hewasactiveasa teacher,workingatManhattanSchoolof
Music,NewEnglandConservatory,SmithCollege,WellesleyCollege,
BostonUniversity,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,andoth-
ers.Thisspring,hegaveacoursecalled“TalkingaboutMusic”atthe
UniversityofMinnesota,andhehastaughtformanysummersatfes-
tivalsincludingRoundTopandMusic@Menlo.From1964until1976,
hewasmusiccriticoftheBoston Globe.HereceivedhistrainingatPrincetonUniversityandasaFulbrightScholarinRome.
SomeofMichaelSteinberg’sprogramnoteshavebeenpub-
lished inbook formasThe Symphony: A Listener’s Guide, The Concerto: A Listener’s Guide,andChoral Masterworks: A Listener’s Guide(allOxfordUniversityPress);thenextbookinthatseries,Beyond the Symphony: A Listener’s Guide,willcoversymphonic
poemsandotherorchestral repertory.For the Love of Music,abookofessaysbyMichaelSteinbergandhisSanFranciscoSym-
phony colleague Larry Rothe, was published to considerable
acclaimin2006(Oxford).MichaelSteinbergwrotetheprogram
notesandglossaryforThe Beethoven Quartet Companion, editedby Robert Winter and Robert Martin (University of California
Press).Heisalsoacontributortomajorreferenceworks,among
themtheEncyclopædia BritannicaandThe New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Poetryaboutmusicandmusicians isaspecial interestofhis.
Along with having given poetry readings and taught courses in
poetry,heandEricFriesenoftheCanadianBroadcastingCorpora-
tionareplanningananthologyofsuchworks.MichaelSteinberghas
alsobeenactiveasaperformerofcompositionsinvolvingaspeaker—
among them Haydn’s Seven Last Words; Beethoven’s Egmont;Schoenberg’sGurre-Lieder,Ode to Napoleon,andA Survivor from Warsaw; Walton’s Façade; and Picker’s The Encantadas—workforwhichhecollaboratedwithsuchconductorsasDennisRussell
Davies, Anne Manson, Kurt Masur, Alexander Schneider, Gunther
Schuller,OsmoVänskä,andEdodeWaart.
Twenty-four-year-oldviolinistARNAuD SuSS-MANNisquicklyestablishingareputationasamultifacetedandcompellingartist,earning
thehighestpraisefromcriticsandaudiences
alike.Hehasperformedasasoloistthrough-
out the United States, Central America,
Europe,andAsiaatmanyrenownedvenues
suchasCarnegieHall,AveryFisherHall,Alice
TullyHall,theSmithsonianMuseum,andthe
Louvre Museum. He has recently appeared
withtheNewYorkPhilharmonic,theAmericanSymphonyOrchestra,
theCannesOrchestra,NiceOrchestra,MonacoChamberOrchestra,
theOrchestreNationaldesPaysde laLoire,andtheTanglewood
MusicCenterOrchestraandhasgivenrecitalsinNewYork,Mem-
phis,Chicago,PanamaCity,SanSalvador,Paris,andSt.Petersburg.
ThisseasonheappearswiththeHudsonValleyPhilharmonicand
NiceOrchestra,performsat theMetropolitanandGardnermuse-
ums,andplaysrecitalsinSarasotaandNewYork.
During the 2006–2007 season, he performed at Carnegie’s
SternandZankelhalls,SantaFeNewMusic,RockefellerUniversity,
andtheMusicFestivaloftheHamptons.Healsoappearedincham-
bermusicconcertsattheVirginiaArtsFestivalandparticipatedina
Raviniatour.Heisthewinnerofseveralinternationalcompetitions,
including the Italian Andrea Postacchini Competition, the French
Vatelot/RampalInternationalCompetition,andtheNewYorkSalon
deVirtuosiconcertseriesgrant,whichresultedinalivebroadcaston
WQXR’sYoung Artists Showcase.A leader of the Suedama and Metropolis ensembles, he is
featured on a recording of Mozart piano concertos released on
theVanguard label and has recently recorded chamberworks of
BeethovenandDvorákwithDavidFinckelandWuHan.Heholdsa
bachelor’sandamaster’sdegreefromtheJuilliardSchool,wherehe
studiedwithItzhakPerlman.MadeaStarlingFellow,anhonorquali-
fyinghimasTeachingAssistanttoPerlmanforthenexttwoyears,
SussmannisalsoamemberoftheChamberMusicSocietyofLincoln
Center’sCMSTwoprogram.
IAN SWENSEN is oneof the fewviolinistswiththedistinctionofhavingbeenawarded
theWalterW.NaumburgInternationalCom-
petition’stopprizeforbothchambermusic
and violin. Ian Swensen enjoys a career as
soloist,chambermusician,andprofessorof
violin.HegrewupinNewYork,studyingat
theJuilliardSchoolwithDorothyDeLayand
at theEastmanSchoolofMusicwithDon-
ald Weilerstein. As a teenager, he formed
theMelioraStringQuartetandtouredwith it formanyyears.Pas-
sionateaboutchambermusic,IanSwensenhasperformedinmany
festivals, includingMusic@Menlo,Spoleto,SantaFe, andMarlboro.
HehasperformedwithmembersoftheJuilliard,Cleveland,Emerson,
Takács,Concord,andTokyostringquartets;withtheBeauxArtsTrio
andthePeabodyTrio;andwithGilbertKalish,MarkO’Connor,Yo-Yo
Ma, andMartha Strongin Katz. A frequentmaster-class presenter,
SwensenhascoachedstringplayersfromCaliforniatoCanadaand
acrossEurope.HisrecentschedulehastakenhimtoIreland,wherehe
touredwiththeIrishChamberOrchestra;toAustralia,withtheAustra-
lianYouthOrchestra;totheChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter
foranall-Russianprogram;totheChamberMusicMastersSeriesat
theSanFranciscoConservatoryofMusic;andotherlocales.Recent
performancesincluderecitalswithMenahemPresslerandtheCham-
berMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,theBarberViolinConcertowith
theRogueValleyOrchestra,andperformancesinNewYork,Canada,
Switzerland,LosAngeles,Australia,andKorea.Hehasrecordedfor
TelarcandDeutscheGrammophon.Thissummer,aspartofapartner-
shipwiththeChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,hewilltravel
toKoreatoperformandteachattheLGChamberMusicSchool.
JOSEPH SWENSENwasappointedPrincipalConductorofMalmöOperain2007andhis
contracthasrecentlybeenextendedthrough
2011. Swensen was Principal Conductor of
theScottishChamberOrchestrafrom1996
to2005.Whenherelinquishedthispost,he
wasinvitedtobecometheorchestra’sCon-
ductorEmeritus.
Swensenhasanumberofregularguest
conductingcommitments includingEnsembleOrchestraldeParis,
Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the London Mozart
Players,theHallé,theBBCSymphonyOrchestra,theBBCNational
OrchestraofWales,theLosAngelesChamberOrchestra,Orchestre
B I o g r A P h I E s
68 Music@Menlo 2009
B I o g r A P h I E s
NationaldeMontpellier,NetherlandsSymphonyOrchestra,Orquesta
delaCiudaddeGranada,andOrquestraNacionaldoPorto.
Before dedicating himself solely to his conducting career,
Swensen enjoyed a successful career as a violin soloist and was
an exclusive recording artist with BMG. Nowadays his occasional
appearances as soloist/director (with orchestras with whom he
enjoys aparticularly close relationship) are a natural extensionof
hisworkasaconductor.Hisloveofchambermusicresultsinocca-
sionalperformancesinthatgenre,aswell.Swensenisalsoactiveas
acomposer.Hisorchestrationoftherarelyperformed1854version
ofBrahms’sOpus8Trio,aworkhehasentitledSinfoniainB,was
premieredbyorchestrasinEuropeandtheUnitedStatesduringthe
2007–2008season.Anewwork—Symphony for Horn and Orchestra: The Fire and the Rose,writtenforRadovanVlatkovicandinspiredbyT.S.Eliot’sFour Quartets—waspremieredbytheScottishChamber
OrchestrainApril2009.
R. LARRY TODD is the author of Men-delssohn: A Life in Music(OxfordUniversityPress), named Best Biography of 2003 by
theAssociationofAmericanPublishersand
describedintheNew York Review of Booksas“likelytobethestandardbiographyfora
long time to come.” (AGerman translation
has recently appeared from Reclam/Carus
VerlagasFelix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Sein Leben, seine Musik.)AnArtsandSciencesProfessorofMusicandformerChairoftheMusicDepartmentatDukeUniversity,wherehe
hastaughtforthreedecades,Toddhaspublishedwidelyonnine-
teenth-centurymusicwitha focusonMendelssohnandhissister
FannyHensel, in addition to essays onHaydn, Robert andClara
Schumann,Liszt,Brahms,RichardStrauss,andWebern.Avolume
of his collectedMendelssohn essays has recently appeared from
Routledge.HeisaformerfellowoftheJohnHopeFranklinHumani-
tiesInstituteandtherecipientoffellowshipsfromtheGuggenheim
FoundationandtheNationalHumanitiesCenter.Hisnewbiography
ofFannyHensel,Fanny Hensel, the Other Mendelssohn,willappearfromOxfordUniversityPress laterthisyear.HeservesasGeneral
EditoroftheRoutledgeStudiesinMusicalGenresandoftheMas-
terMusicianSeriesforOxfordUniversityPress.AgraduateofYale
University,hestudiedpianoattheYaleSchoolofMusicandwiththe
lateLilianKallir.
Hailed as “one of today’s superstars
of the international brass scene,”
WILLIAM VERMEuLEN leads a var-iedmusical life as soloist, orchestral
principal, chamber musician, master
teacher,andmusicpublisher.VerMeu-
len has been Principal Horn of the
Houston Symphony since 1990 and
hasperformedasGuestPrincipalHorn
withtheLosAngelesPhilharmonic,CincinnatiSymphony,St.Louis
Symphony,PittsburghSymphony,andSt.PaulChamberOrchestra.
PriortoHoustonheplayedwiththeorchestrasofChicago,Colum-
bus,Honolulu,andKansasCity.Hemaintainsabusyschedulewith
recentandupcomingengagementsinNewYork,Spain,Israel,Can-
ada,Alabama,Colorado,Florida,Ohio,Idaho,OrcasIsland,Virginia,
Washington,andTexas.
VerMeulenparticipatesasaperformerandonfacultywiththe
finestmusicfestivalsandchambermusicpresenters,includingthe
ChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,Aspen,Music@Menlo,
Banff,DaCamera,OrpheusChamberOrchestra,JoshuaBelland
Friends,Tanglewood,SteamboatSprings,OrcasIsland,Chamber
MusicNorthwest,andtheSunValleySummerSymphony,wherehe
alsoservesasPrincipalHorn.
He has performed to critical acclaimon four continents as
a soloist andchambermusicianand is apopular artist at Inter-
nationalHornSocietysymposiums,whereheisamemberofthe
AdvisoryCouncilandaboardmemberoftheInternationalHorn
CompetitionofAmerica.Achampionofnewmusic,WilliamVer-
Meulenhashadnumerouspieceswrittenforhimincludingconcerti
byesteemedAmericancomposersSamuelAdlerandPierreJal-
bert.Amonghisawardsandhonors,VerMeulenreceivedFirstPrize
atthe1980InternationalHornSocietySoloistCompetitionandthe
ShapiroAwardforMostOutstandingBrassPlayerattheTangle-
woodFestival.
Arguablythemostsuccessfulofhornteachersworkingtoday,
VerMeulenisProfessorofHornattheShepherdSchoolofMusic
atRiceUniversity,with students performing in numerousmajor
orchestras throughout the world including the New York Phil-
harmonic, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Israel
Philharmonic,ClevelandOrchestra,andtheCincinnati,Dallas,and
Houstonsymphonies.In1985hewasinvitedtotheWhiteHouse
toreceiveaDistinguishedTeacherofAmericaCertificateofExcel-
lence fromPresidentReaganand theWhiteHouseCommission
onPresidentialScholars.VerMeulen isFounderandPresidentof
VerMeulenMusic,LLC,whichoffersmusicandproductsforhorn
playersworldwideatwww.vermeulenmusic.com.
PAuL WATKINSisoneofBritain’sforemost
cellists,regularlyacclaimedforhisoutstand-
ingmusicianshipandmovingperformances.
He performs regularly with most of the
majorBritishorchestrasandhasmadesix
concerto appearances at the Proms. He
gavetheworldpremiereofReflections on a Scottish Folk Song by Richard RodneyBennettwiththePhilharmoniaattheSouth
BankCentre inMarch2006and later recorded it forChandos.A
highlightoflastseasonwashistelevisedperformanceoftheElgar
CelloConcertoattheFirstNightofthePromswiththeBBCSym-
phonyOrchestra,conductedbyJiríBelohlávekandrecordedliveby
DeutscheGrammophon.
He has toured Italy and Prague with the BBC Philharmonic
OrchestraandChinaandtheFarEastwiththeBBCScottishSym-
phonyOrchestra.Thisseason’shighlightsincludeconcertsatNew
York’sLincolnCenterandinBelfastandLondonwithbrotherHuw
Watkins.
Alongside his concerto appearances,Watkins is a dedicated
chambermusicianandhasbeenamemberoftheNashEnsemble
since1997.HehasgivensoloandduorecitalsatDeDoeleninRot-
terdam,Wigmore Hall, the South Bank Centre, Bridgewater Hall,
Manchester,andtheQueen’sHall,Edinburgh.
WatkinsisalsoasuccessfulconductorandiscurrentlyAssoci-
ateConductoroftheEnglishChamberOrchestra.Sincewinningthe
2002LeedsConductingCompetition,hehasconductedallthemajor
Britishorchestras,andoutsidetheUnitedKingdomhehasconducted
theTokyoMetropolitanSymphony,ViennaChamberOrchestra,and
RoyalPhilharmonicOrchestraofFlanders,amongothers.
Watkinshasreleasedanumberofrecordings,includingtheBrit-
tensolocellosuitesandarecitalprogramoftwentieth-centuryBritish
repertoireforNimbusaswellastheTobiasPickerCelloConcerto,
Takemitsu’sOrion and Pleiades, and theRichardRodneyBennettCelloConcertoforChandos.MostrecentlyreleasedisCyrilScott’s
CelloConcertowiththeBBCPhilharmonicOrchestra.
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Sincewinningthetopprizeinthe1978solo
NaumburgFluteCompetition,CAROL WIN-CENChasbeenoneof theUnitedStates’mostbelovedandcelebratedinternational
stars of the flute.As the vibrantmuse of
today’smostprominentcomposers,shehas
performed in Grammy-nominated record-
ingsandaward-winningpremieresofworks
writtenforher.Wincencwillcelebrateher
fortieth-anniversaryseasonin2009–2010withperformancesofsix
newlycommissionedworksbyJoanTower,JakeHeggie,Shih-Hui
Chen, TheaMusgrave, Jonathan Berger, andAndrea Clearfield at
NewYork’sMerkinRecitalHall,theMorganLibrary,andtheJuilliard
School.RecenthighlightsincludeaperformanceforElliottCarter’s
one-hundredthbirthday,featuringCarter’scompleteworksforwind,
andtoursfeaturingtheVivaldiGardellinoFluteConcerto.Borntotworemarkablemusicianparentswhogavetirelessly
totheartsintheirBuffalo,NewYork,community,Wincenchascon-
tinued this tradition as a distinguishedProfessor ofMusic on the
facultiesofIndianaUniversity,RiceUniversity,ManhattanSchoolof
Music,and,currently,StonyBrookUniversityandheralmamater,the
JuilliardSchool.
CarolWincenchasappearedasconcertosoloistwiththeChi-
cago,SanFrancisco,Pittsburgh,Houston,Detroit,St.Louis,Atlanta,
andIndianapolissymphoniesandhasbeenaregularperformerat
numerousfestivalsincludingMarlboro,MostlyMozart,SantaFe,and
Spoleto. Ingreatdemandasachambermusician,shehasbeena
frequentguestofLincolnCenter’sGreatPerformersseries,of the
ChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter, andwith theEmerson,
Tokyo,andGuarneristringquartets.AmemberoftheveneratedNew
YorkWindQuintetandfounderofLesAmies,hertriowithharpist
NancyAllenandviolistCynthiaPhelps,shehasalsogivenacclaimed
performanceswith notables such as Yo-YoMa, Emanuel Ax, and
Jean-YvesThibaudet.
Hermost recent recordingonNaxos features thenewmusic
ofSamuelAdler,andshepremieredaflutesonatawrittenbythe
composerfortheone-hundredthanniversaryoftheJuilliardSchool.
CarlFisherhaspublishedherSignature Series,whichincludesworkswrittenforherbyFoss,Górecki,Rouse,Tower,Black,Torke,Picker,
Schoenfield,Sierra,Paget,andSchickele.
Chinese violinist SHANSHAN YAO hasappearedasasoloistwiththeBanffCentre
ChamberOrchestra, Calgary Philharmonic
Orchestra, Japan’s Sendai Philharmonic
Orchestra, and the Shanghai Radio Sym-
phonyOrchestra.Herdebut recital at the
NationalArtsCentreinCanadatookplace
inFebruary2009.
Yaoistherecipientofnumerousawardsandprizes including
FirstPrizeintheCalgaryConcertoCompetitionandSecondPrize
in theHellamYoungArtists’Competition, aswell asprizes in the
MichaelHillInternationalViolinCompetitionandCaliforniaInterna-
tionalYoungArtistsCompetition.
Anavidchambermusician,Yaohasparticipatedinfestivalssuch
asMusic@Menlo,theAspenMusicFestivalandSchool,Musicfrom
AngelFire,theBanffCentre,andtheSarasotaMusicFestival.She
hascollaboratedwithsuchrenownedartistsasIdaKavafian,Steve
Tenenbom,JeremyDenk,andRansomWilson,amongothers.
Currently,ShanshanYaoispursuinghermasterofmusicdegree
attheJuilliardSchoolwithDonaldWeilersteinandRonaldCopes.
ShereceivedabachelorofmusicfromtheCurtisInstituteofMusic
underthetutelageofAaronRosand.
Chamber Music Institute International Program ArtistsHailedbytheStradmagazinefor“...raresty-
listic aptness...withmastery of tone and rare
mood in a performer of any age,” violin-
istKRISTIN LEE is emerging as a promising
youngartistofhergeneration.
Lee has appeared as soloist with many
major orchestras, including the Saint Louis
Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Juilliard Orches-
tra,theNewJerseySymphony,theNewMexicoSymphony,the
Albany (New York) Symphony, the Westchester Philharmonic,
UralPhilharmonicofRussia,KoreaBroadcastSymphonyofKorea,
andmanymore.Asarecitalist,shehasperformedinvenuessuch
astheRisingStarsseriesattheRaviniaFestival,SalondeVirtuosi
atSteinwayHallinNewYorkCity,andtheMetropolitanMuseum
ofNewYork.ShehasalsogivenrecitalsattheLouvreMuseumin
Paris,KumhoArtGalleryinSeoul,Korea,andothervenuesout-
sideoftheUnitedStatesandtouredthroughfivedifferentcities
inItaly.
Leehasappearedonmanydifferentbroadcasts, including
BobSherman’sYoung Artists ShowcaseandAnnieBergen’sThe Office HoursonWQXR,WFMTChicagoasaguestartistofthe
RisingStarsseries,PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center,theKennedyCenterHonorsGala,thedocumentaryPerlman in Shanghai,andmanyothers.
Achambermusicenthusiast,KristinLeewasrecentlycho-
sen to takepart in the LincolnCenterChamberMusic Society
Twoprogramandwillbe joining its roster in the2009season.
ShehasparticipatedintheChamberMusicWorkshop@PMPand
theRaviniaFestival-SteansInstituteandhasalsoperformedwith
numerousothermajorartists.
InSeptember2008,shebeganhermaster’sprogramasafull
scholarshipstudentattheJuilliardSchool,servingasaTeaching
AssistantforItzhakPerlman’sstudioasarecipientoftheStarling
Fellowship.She iscurrentlyplayinga1692AntonioStradivarius
throughthegeneroussupportoftheJuilliardSchool.
ViolistON YOu KIMbeganhermusicstudieson
theviolininSeoul,Korea,attheageofsix.As
aviolinist,KimgraduatedfromSunWhaHigh
SchoolinKoreawithtophonors,whichledto
her enrollment at Seoul National University,
whereshecompletedherbachelor’s inviolin
performance.Shewasawinnerofnumerous
competitionsinKorea,leadingtosolorecitals
andappearanceswithmanyorchestrasinSeoul.Asanorchestral
musician,KimhasparticipatedintheOrchestraAcademyatthe
TohoSchoolinJapanandwasaformermemberoftheBucheon
Philharmonic Orchestra. In the summer of 2007, On You Kim
switchedtoviolaandstartedherstudieswithHung-WeiHuang,
PrincipalViolistoftheSeoulPhilharmonic.Sheiscurrentlypur-
suingherartistdiplomaattheColburnConservatoryunderthe
guidanceofPaulColetti.
ERIC HANwasborninSeoul,SouthKorea,in1986.Hebegancellostudiesatageseven,givinghis
firstpublicperformanceattheageofteninthe
GeorgeWestonRecitalHall,Toronto.Hestarted
histrainingwithMinJaHyuninKoreaandlater
studiedwithfacultymembersfromtheVancouver
MusicAcademy,theTorontoRoyalConservatory
ofMusic,andtheColburnConservatory.
B I o g r A P h I E s
70 Music@Menlo 2009
B I o g r A P h I E s
AtagefifteenHanmadehisorchestraldebutwiththeToronto
SymphonyOrchestraat theRoyThompsonHall.Followingthis
successfuldebut,hemadealiverecording(Yamahalabel)ofthe
ElgarCelloConcertowiththeTorontoSymphonyYouthOrches-
tra,underthebatonofSirAndrewDavis.Hehasalsoperformed
withtheSymphonybytheSeainBoston,withwhomhealsohas
futureengagements.In2005,HanmadehisEuropeandebutwith
atwelve-concerttourinEngland.Thetourincludedasolorecital
attheEdinburghFestivalandrecitalsatSt.Martin-in-the-Fields
andtheQueen’sHall.Asanactivechambermusician,hehasper-
formedwithJosephSilverstein,AniKavafian,PaulColetti,andthe
membersoftheAltenbergTrio.HehasperformedattheMaestro
Foundation,LaJollaMusicSociety,and the92ndSt.Y inNew
YorkCity.
EricHanhasbeentherecipientofnumerousawardsinCan-
ada,includingtheTomThomasScholarship,theKiwanisStrings
Division Scholarship, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Scholarship.HehasperformedattheSarasotaMusicFestival,the
BanffCentre,andtheOrfordArtsCentre.HestudiedwithDavid
HetheringtonattheGlennGouldSchooloftheRoyalConserva-
toryofMusic.Heiscurrentlypursuinghisbachelorofmusicatthe
ColburnConservatoryunderthetutelageofRonaldLeonard.
AustralianpianistDAVID FuNGwasonhiswaytobecomingamedicaldoctorafteraccepting
ascholarshiptostudymedicineattheUniver-
sityofNewSouthWales,Sydney.In2003,he
leftmedicalschoolinpursuitofhispassionfor
music.Sincethen,hehasperformedwithmany
majororchestrasaroundtheglobe,mostnota-
bly the IsraelPhilharmonic, theLosAngeles
ChamberOrchestra,theMelbourneSymphony,
the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa of Japan, the Queens-
landOrchestra, and the Sydney SymphonyOrchestra, and has
debutedatsomeofthemostimportantmusicfestivals, includ-
ingtheAspenMusicFestival,theEdinburghInternationalFestival,
andtheInternationalFranzLisztFestival.
In2007,Fungbecamethefirstpianisttograduatefromthe
ColburnConservatoryinLosAngeles.Inadditiontorecordingfor
NaxosandSony/ABCClassics,hehasrecordedthreealbumsfor
YarlungRecords.Hismostrecentsoloreleasewaspraisedas“an
overall favorite” of the 2007piano albums reviewedby James
HarringtoninAmerican Record Guide.In 2008, David Fung was a winner of the twelfth Arthur
RubinsteinPianoMastersCompetitionandwasawardedthePrize
forBestClassicalConcertoandBestPerformanceofaChamber
MusicWork.Heistherecipientofthe2002ABCSymphonyAus-
traliaYoungPerformeroftheYearAward,theNewSouthWales
Premier’sAward, the LordFloreyPrize, and theDukeof Edin-
burghGoldAwardandwasatop-prizewinnerofthethirdLev
VlassenkoCompetition.www.DavidFung.com.
The ATRIA ENSEMBLE is aviolin/viola,clarinet,andpiano
formation, composed of Yale
SchoolofMusicalumniSunmi Chang, Romie de Guise- Langlois, and Hye-Yeon Park.The ensemble was formed in
January2008,yetthemembershavebeenperformingtogether
invariouschambercombinationssince2003,whileactivelypur-
suing solo careers. Two months after its formation, the Atria
EnsemblewonFirstPrizeatthefourthPlowmanNationalCham-
berMusicCompetitioninMissouriwhilealreadysecuringseveral
engagementsintheNewEnglandarea.ThetermAtria,whichin
anatomydescribestheheart’schambers,isaperfectmetaphor
forthegroup’sphilosophyoftouchingtheaudiencewithcham-
bermusic.Thelimitedrepertoirefortheensembleonlyfuelsthe
musicians’desiretoexploreandencouragetheproductionofnew
musicforitsuniqueinstrumentcombination.TheAtriaEnsemble
hasbeenfortunatetoreceivethesupportofsuchchambermusic
luminaries as Peter Frankl, Peter Oundjian, David Shifrin, Ani
Kavafian,andMichaelFriedmann.
SunmiChangstartedstudyingtheviolinattheageofseven
withNam-YunKim in SouthKorea. Shebegan studying at the
YehudiMehuhinSchoolinEnglandin1995,performingregularly
inconcertsorganizedbytheschool,includingthoseatWigmore
Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, and the
PurcellRoom.In1998and1999shealsotouredwiththeYehudi
MenuhinSchoolorchestra,playingtheBachDoubleConcertofor
twoviolinsconductedbyLordMenuhinat theUNESCOHead-
quarters in Paris, Guildford Cathedral, and other venues. After
graduating, shewent toGermany to studyat theHannsEisler
MusikhochschuleinBerlinwithEberhardFeltz.SunmiChanghas
takenpart invariousmasterclassesandsummer festivalswith
Mauricio Fuks, Maya Glezarova, Felix Andrievsky, Zakhar Bron,
RobertMasters,ZviZeitlin,RainerKussmaul,BorisKuschnir,Igor
Ozim,Midori,andLordYehudiMenuhin.She iscurrentlystudy-
ingwithPeterOundjian,pursuinganartistdiplomaatYale.She
tookpartintheCaramoorRisingStarsseriesin2006and2007
andhasperformedwithartistssuchasKimKashkashian,Don-
aldWeilerstein,AniKavafian,MarcyRosen, andEdwardArron.
In2006shewontheWoolseyHallConcertoCompetitionatthe
YaleSchoolofMusicandsheisalsothewinnerofthe2007Inter-
nationalMarkneukirchenViolinCompetitioninGermanyandthe
2007Sion-ValaisInternationalViolinCompetitioninSwitzerland.
Praisedas“aformidableclarinetist”bytheNew York Times, RomiedeGuise-Langlois is currently a fellowof theAcademy,
aprogramofCarnegieHall, Juilliard,and theWeillMusic Insti-
tute.DeGuise-LangloisrecentlywonFirstPrizeintheWoolsey
HallCompetitionatYaleUniversity,whereshealsoreceivedthe
Nyfenger Memorial Prize for excellence in woodwind playing.
SospiroWinds, a New York City–based chamber ensemble of
which she is alsoa foundingmember,won theSilverMedal at
theFischoffNationalChamberMusicAssociationCompetitionin
2007.ShewasalsotheFirstPrizewinnerof theMcGillUniver-
sityClassicalConcertoCompetitionandreceivedtheCanadian
BroadcastingCompanyAwardin2003.RomiedeGuise-Langlois
hasappearedat such festivalsandvenuesas theBanffCentre
for the Arts, MarlboroMusic, and theOrford Arts Centre. She
receivedherbachelorofmusicdegreefromMcGillUniversityas
well as hermaster ofmusicdegree, supportedby theCanada
CounciloftheArts,andanartistdiplomafromtheYaleSchoolof
Music,whereshestudiedunderDavidShifrin.
An outstanding young pianist from Korea, Hye-Yeon Park
hasbeenaprizewinnerattheOberlinCompetitionintheUnited
States,EttlingenCompetitioninGermany,MariaCanalsCompeti-
tioninSpain,andPrixd’Amadeo-JeunesseCompetition,alsoin
Germany.ParkcametotheUnitedStates in2003,aftergradu-
ating from the Korean National University of Arts, where she
workedwithDaejinKim.In2006,shereceivedherM.M.andA.D.
fromYale,studyingwithPeterFrankl.Herfestivalcreditsinclude
SalzburgMozarteum,Vienna,Santander,IshikawaAcademy,and
YellowBarn.ShehasstudiedchambermusicwithPeterOund-
jian,AniKavafian,DonaldWeilerstein,DavidShifrin,andTsuyoshi
Tsutsumi,aswellaswithmembersofthePeabodyTrioandthe
B I o g r A P h I E s
71www.musicatmenlo.org
B I o g r A P h I E s
GuarneriandTakácsquartets.Herfirstpiano-celloduo record-
ingwasreleasedinspring2008ontheUrtext label.Shewasa
soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic, the Seoul Symphony, and
theKNUAPhilharmonic.Additionally,shehasappearedonKBS
andEBS television inKorea.Hye-YeonParkhasparticipated in
masterclasseswithClaudeFrank,BorisBerman,RichardGoode,
GaryGraffman, Alicia de Larrocha, Dmitri Bashkirov, and John
O’Connor.Currently,sheispursuingadoctoraldegreeatthePea-
bodyInstitute,underthetutelageofYongHiMoon.
TheLK STRING QuARTET—com-
posed of violinistsSean Lee andAreta Zhulla, violist Laura Seay,andcellistJordan Han—hasbeenrecognizedbytheNew York Timesas“fieryandpropulsive,withstrik-
ing unanimity.” Currently serving
astheChamberEnsemble-in-Res-
idenceat the92ndStreetY, thequartethasmadeappearances
internationallyandperformedatthe2003KennedyCenterHonors
andtheMetropolitanMuseumofArtandonLive from Lincoln Cen-terinNewYorkCity.
CellistJordanHan,FirstPrizewinneroftheAmericanString
Teachers Association (ASTA) Competition, the Pacific Musical
SocietyofCaliforniaCompetition,andtheChineseMusicalSoci-
etyCompetition,hasperformedwiththePeninsulaSymphony,San
JoseSymphony,andKoreanAmericanMusicalSocietyAssociation
(KAMSA)orchestras.Hebeganhiscellostudiesatageeightwith
SieunLinattheSanFranciscoConservatoryandisnowpursuing
hisbachelorofmusicdegreeattheJuilliardSchool,studyingwith
DavidSoyer.Hisotherteachershave includedPeterWyrickand
RichardAaron.
ViolinistSeanLeewas recently selected fromnearly three
hundredapplicantsasSecondPrizewinneroftheYoungConcert
ArtistsInternationalAuditions.Concertoappearancesincludethe
Redlands Symphony, Peninsula Symphony, and Torrance Sym-
phony.LeeisearninghisbachelorofmusicattheJuilliardSchool
under the direction of Itzhak Perlman. Hewas born in the Los
Angelesareaandbeganplayingtheviolinatagefour.Otherteach-
ersincludeRobertLipsettandRuggieroRicci.
Violist Laura Seay, prizewinner at the William C. Byrd
YoungArtistsCompetitionandwinneroftheJeffBradleyYoung
MusiciansAward,hasperformedassoloistwiththeColoradoSym-
phonyOrchestra,theUniversityofNorthernColoradoOrchestra,
andtheDenverYoungArtistsOrchestra.Seayearnedherbachelor
ofmusic(2007)andmaster’sdegree(2008)inviolaperformance
attheJuilliardSchool.TeachersincludeHeidiCastleman,Hsin-Yun
Huang,andStevenTenenbom.OriginallyfromDenver,Colorado,
LauraSeaybeganplayingviolinatagefiveandviolaatagenine.
ViolinistAretaZhulla,winnerofthePanhellenicViolinCom-
petition and the TassosPrassopoulos FoundationCompetition,
hasperformedassoloistwiththeStateOrchestraoftheThessa-
loniki,KenoshaSymphony,AllenPhilharmonic,andWestchester
Philharmonic,amongothers.Sheearnedherbachelorofmusicat
theJuilliardSchool,studyingwithItzhakPerlmanandCatherine
Cho. She is currentlypursuinghermaster’s degree at Juilliard,
continuingwiththesameteachers.OtherteachersincludeLefter
ZhullaandPinchasZukerman.
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B I o g r A P h I E s
Joshua Chiu, violinHometown:FosterCity,CA
Instructor:LiLin
Age:17
Geraldine Chok, violinHometown:Cupertino,CA
Instructor:DavisLaw
Age:11
Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz, celloHometown:NewYork,NY
Instructor:VladimirPanteleyev
Age:14
Zoë Curran, violinHometown:SanFrancisco,CA
Instructor:WilliamBarbini
Age:14
Michael Davidman, pianoHometown:NewYork,NY
Instructor:EfremBriskin
Age:12
Lilian Finckel, pianoHometown:NewYork,NY
Instructor:GoldaTatz
Age:15
Sarah Ghandour, celloHometown:Atherton,CA
Instructor:SieunLin
Age:15
James Hu, violinHometown:SanJose,CA
Instructor:LiLin
Age:15
Hilda Huang, pianoHometown:PaloAlto,CA
Instructor:JohnMcCarthy
Age:13
Matthew Johnson, celloHometown:Lafayette,CA
Instructor:Jean-MichelFonteneau
Age:17
Eunice S.J. Kim, celloHometown:Saratoga,CA
Instructor:SieunLin
Age:13
Jeffrey Kwong, cello Hometown:Saratoga,CA
Instructor:IreneSharp
Age:15
Theodore Ma, violaHometown:Fremont,CA
Instructor:JanetSims
Age:16
Manami Mizumoto, violinHometown:NewYork,NY
Instructor:ViktorBasis
Age:14
72 Music@Menlo 2009
Chamber Music Institute Young Performers Program Artists
B I o g r A P h I E s
Rosemary Nelis, violaHometown:Brooklyn,NY
Instructor:ViktorBasis
Age:14
Linh Nguyen, pianoHometown:RedwoodCity,CA
Instructor:WilliamWellborn
Age:12
Julia Rosenbaum, celloHometown:Potomac,MD
Instructor:DavidHardy
Age:13
Emily Shehi, violinHometown:Olathe,KS
Instructor:AliceJoyLewis
Age:10
Ila Shon, celloHometown:PortolaValley,CA
Instructor:SieunLin
Age:12
Agata Sorotokin, pianoHometown:Cupertino,CA
Instructor:IrinaPrilipko-Morgan
Age:11
Ashvin Swaminathan, violinHometown:Cupertino,CA
Instructor:LiLin
Age:13
Lily Tsai, violinHometown:PaloAlto,CA
Instructor:LiLin
Age:14
Stephanie Tsai, celloHometown:PaloAlto,CA
Instructor:SieunLin
Age:16
Mayumi Tsuchida, pianoHometown:MillValley,CA
Instructor:JohnMcCarthy
Age:18
Rieko Tsuchida, pianoHometown:MillValley,CA
Instructor:JohnMcCarthy
Age:14
Stephen Waarts, violinHometown:LosAltos,CA
Instructor:LiLin
Age:13
Tristan Yang, piano and violinHometown:Cupertino,CA
Instructors:JohnMcCarthyandPatriciaBurnham
Age:10
Linda Yu, violinHometown:PaloAlto,CA
Instructor:LiLin
Age:16
73www.musicatmenlo.org
74 Music@Menlo 2009
Adagio–Italian:leisurely.“Adagio”designatesaslowtempo.
Allegro–Italian:merry,lively.“Allegro”
designatesafasttempo.(“Allegretto,”a
diminutiveof“allegro,”isusedtoindicate
tempislightlyslowerthan“allegro.”)
Andante–Italian:atawalkingpace.“Andante”designatesamoderatetempo.
Aria–Italian:air.Alyricalworkforvoice(thoughthetermhasbeenusedfor
instrumentalworks,aswell),typicallypart
ofalargerworksuchasanoperaora
cantata.
Arpeggio–Thesoundingofindividualnotesofachordinsuccessionratherthanallat
once.
Assai–Italian:very(asin“Allegroassai,”“Assaivivace”).
Bagatelle–Ashortandlightpieceofmusic;
literally,atrifle(French).
BWV–Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis(German):
“Bachworkscatalog.”TheBWVindex
isusedtocatalogtheworksofJohann
SebastianBach.
Cadence–Theconclusionorresolutionofamusicalphrase.
Canon–Amusicalpassageinwhichseveral
instrumentsorvoicesstatethesame
melodyinsuccession.
Cantabile–Italian:songlike,singable.
Capriccio–Italian:whim,fancy.A
designationappliedtoapieceofmusicof
capriciouscharacter.
Coda–Italian:tail.Newmusicalmaterial
addedtotheendofastandardmusical
structure.
Con brio–Italian:withvivacity.
Con fuoco–Italian:withfire.
Con moto–Italian:withmotion.
Concerto–Typicallyaninstrumentalwork
markedbythecontrastbetweenan
instrumentalsoloist(orgroupofsoloists)
andanorchestralensemble.
Contrapunctus–FromLatin“contra
punctum”:againstnote.Seecounterpoint.
Counterpoint (contrapuntal)–Themusical
textureproducedbynote-against-
notemovementbetweentwoormore
instruments.
Crescendo–Anincreaseinvolume.
D.–AbbreviationforDeutsch.DeutschnumbersareusedtocatalogSchubert’s
works;afterOttoErichDeutsch
(1883–1967).
Decrescendo–Adecreaseinvolume.
Development–Seesonata form.
Double-stop–Thetechniqueofbowingtwostringsofastringedinstrumentatonce.
(Triple-andquadruple-stopsarealso
employed.)
Episode–Inrondoform,anyofthemusical
passagesthatalternatewiththerefrain.
Espressivo–Italian:expressive.Usedasanemotivequalificationofatempomarking,
asin“Andanteespressivo.”
Etude–French:study.Usedtodescribeshortpiecesdesignedtoexploreand
developacertainperformancetechnique.
Exposition–Seesonata form.
Forte–Italian:loud.(Fortissimo:veryloud.)
Fugue–Amovementorpassageofmusic
basedonthecontrapuntaldevelopment
ofashortmusicalideacalledthesubject,
whichisstatedinsuccessionbyeach
instrumentatthestartofthefugue.
Grazioso–Italian:graceful.
Harmonics–Onastringedinstrument,high
ringingnotesproducedbylightlyplacing
thefingeratnodalpointsalongthestring.
Harmony–Thecombinationofnotes
producingchordsandchordprogressions,
andthesubsequentdeterminationofthe
moodoratmosphereofapieceofmusic.
Incidental music–Musiccomposedto
accompanyadramaticproduction.
Intermezzo –Originally,amusicalinterlude,
suchasanentr’acteinadramaticwork.
Sincethenineteenthcentury,“intermezzo”
hasbeenusedasadesignationfor
independentworksorindividual
movementswithinmulti-movement
works.
K.–AbbreviationforKöchel.K.numbers
areusedtocatalogMozart’sworks;after
LudwigRittervonKöchel(1800–1877).
Largo–Italian:broad.“Largo”indicatesaslowtempo.(“Larghetto,”adiminutiveof
“largo,”isusedtoindicateatemposlightly
quickerthan“largo.”)
Legato–Italian:bound.Amusical
expressionindicatingthatasuccession
ofnotesshouldbeplayedsmoothlyand
withoutseparation.
Leggiero–Italian:light.
Lied–German:song(plural“lieder”).
Maestoso–Italian:majestic.
Meter–Therhythmicorganizationofapiece
ofmusic(forexample,4/4meter:ONE-
two-three-four,ONE-two-three-four).
Minuet–AnaristocraticFrenchdance,playedinamoderatetripletempo,which
becameastandardmovementinworks
oftheClassicalperiod.Itcametobe
replacedtowardtheendoftheeighteenth
centurybythescherzo.(French:menuet;
Italian:minuetto.)
Moderato–Italian:moderately.
Modulation–Theharmonicshiftintonal
musicfromonekeytoanother.
Molto–Italian:very.Usedasaqualificationofatempomarking,asin“Moltoallegro.”
Motive–Ashortmusicalgesture.
Movement –Aself-containedsectionofalargercomposition.Movementsofa
pieceofmusicareanalogoustochapters
inabook:althoughtheycanstandon
theirowntosomedegree,theymore
significantlycombinewithandrelate
toeachotherinwaysthatproducea
cohesivewhole.
g l o s s A r Y
Musical Glossary
75www.musicatmenlo.org
Non troppo, non tanto–Italian:nottoomuch(asin,e.g.,“Allegromanontanto,”
“Adagiomanontroppo”).
Opus–Latin:work.Themostcommon
methodofcatalogingacomposer’s
work,althoughopusnumbersareoften
unreliableinestablishingthechronology
ofcomposition.(Abbreviatedop.)
Oratorio–Alarge-scalemusicalsetting
ofsacredtexts,e.g.,Bach’sSt. Matthew PassionandMendelssohn’sSt. PaulandElijah.
Phrase–Amusicalgesture.Melodies,as
completeideas,typicallycomprisea
seriesofinterdependentphrases.
Piano–Italian:soft.(Pianissimo:verysoft.)
Pizzicato–Playingbypluckingthestringsofaninstrumentthatisnormallyplayedwith
abow,suchasaviolinorviola.
Presto–Italian:ready,prompt.“Presto”
designatesafasttempo(evenfasterthan
“allegro”).
Recapitulation–Seesonata form.
Recitative–Astyleofwriting,typicallyemployedinoperaandothervocalmusic,
designedtoimitatedramaticspeech.
Ricercar–FromItalian“ricercare”:toseek.
Amusicalterm,which,throughoutthe
sixteenthandseventeenthcenturies,
looselydefinedaninstrumentalwork
ofasemi-improvisatorynature;bythe
mid-eighteenthcentury,thetermhad
essentiallybecomesynonymouswith
fugue.
Rondo–Amusicalstructure,commonly
usedthroughouttheClassicaland
Romanticeras,inwhichamainpassage,
calledtherefrain,alternateswithepisodes,
whichdepartfromthemovement’s
centralmusicalmaterial.
Rubato–i.e.,Temporubato.Italian:robbed,
orstolen,time.“Rubato”designatesa
flexibleorunmarkedtempo.
Scherzo–Italian:joke.Afastmovement
thatcametoreplacetheminuetaround
theturnofthenineteenthcentury.
(Scherzando:playfully.)
Sforzando–Italian:compelling.“Sforzando”
indicatesastronglyaccentednoteand/or
suddenlylouddynamic.
Sonata–Acompositionforoneor
moreinstruments,usuallycomprising
severalmovements.Whiletheterm
hasbeenusedtodescribeworksquite
differentfromeachotherformallyand
stylisticallydependingontheperiodof
composition,asonataalmostalways
describesaworkforsoloinstrument
withorwithoutpianoaccompaniment.
Sonata form–Themoststandardmusical
structurethroughouttheClassical
andRomanticerasforfirst,andoften
final,movementsofmultimovement
piecescomposedforsolo,chamber,
ororchestralforces.Insonataform,
musicalideasareorganizedintothree
sections:theexposition,inwhich
themainthemesareintroduced;the
development,inwhichthethemesare
transformed;andtherecapitulation,in
whichthemusicrestateseachtheme
inthehomekey.(Alsocalledsonata-
allegroform.)
Sonata-rondo–Amusicalform
combiningtheprinciplesofthematic
development,ascharacteristicof
sonataform,andepisodiccontrast,as
characteristicofrondoform.
Sostenuto–Italian:sustained.
Staccato–Italian:detached.Amusical
expressionindicatingthatnotesshould
beplayedwithseparation.
Sturm und Drang–German:stormand
stress.Anartisticmovementthat
valuedimpulseandemotionovermore
Classicalvirtuessuchasbalanceand
form.TheSturmundDrangmovement
hadaprofoundinfluenceontheentire
Romanticgeneration.
Subject–Thecentralmusicalideaofa
fugue,whichisstatedinsuccessionby
eachinstrumenttobeginthefugue.
Sul ponticello–Thetechniqueofplayingnearthebridgeofastringed
instrument,whichimpedesthe
vibrationofthestringtoproducean
unsettlingsound.
Syncopation–Thetechniqueofshiftingtherhythmicaccentfromastrongbeat
toaweakbeat.
Tarantella–AtraditionalsouthernItalianfolkdance,often(andmistakenly)
purportedtocounteravenomous
spiderbite.
Theme–Acentralmusicalideawhich
servesassubstantivematerialinapiece
ofmusic.
Theme and variations–Astandardmusicalforminwhichamainthemeis
followedbyasuccessionofvariations
onthattheme.
Tremolo–Italian:trembling.Amusical
expressionindicatingtherapid
reiterationofasinglenoteorchord.
Trio–Thecontrastingmiddlesectionofa
minuetorscherzo.
Variations–Acompositionaltechniquein
whichathemeisalteredormodified.
Vivace –Italian:lively.“Vivace”designatesafasttempo,inbetween“allegro”and
“presto.”
g l o s s A r Y
76 Music@Menlo 2009
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Patrons Circle
Medici c $100,000+
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The Isaac Stern Circle The Isaac Stern Circle has been created by Artistic Directors
DavidFinckelandWuHanasalivingtestamenttothevisionof
oneoftheirmostinfluentialandtreasuredmentors.Legendary
forchampioningthepowerandimportanceofgreatmusicand
nurturingthenextgenerationofclassicalmusicians,IsaacStern
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Join the Isaac Stern Circle by including Music@Menlo in
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78 Music@Menlo 2009
Medici Circle($100,000+)TheWilliamandFloraHewlett
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Esterhazy Circle ($25,000–$49,999)Anonymous
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Beethoven Circle ($10,000–$24,999)Mr.&Mrs.HenryD.Bullock
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HopperFamily
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Foundation
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MaryLorey
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SiliconValleyCommunityFoundation
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Mozart Circle($5,000–$9,999)Anonymous
LindyBarocchi
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FamilyFoundation
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Foundation
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EquityFoundation
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AdeleHayutin
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Thank You! Music@Menlo is grateful for the generosity of contributing organizations and individuals who have made this year’s festival possible.(Gifts,grants,andpledgesreceivedasofJune10,2009)
79www.musicatmenlo.org
Joachim Circle($250–$499)Anonymous(5)
Marilyn&WilliamAbrams
Alan&CorinneBarkin
NeilBrast
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Miriam&DonDeJongh
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JaneEnright
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MyraK.Levenson
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AndreaJulian
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Eisenberg
JulietMelamid
Shirley&DavidNegrin
AnnePeck
RossannahReeves
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Barry&JanetRobbins
SusanSchendel
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StevenE.Shladover
CurtisSmith
Clinton&SharonSnyder
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Terri&MichaelWatters
MickiWesson
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JaneFowlerWyman
Paganini Circle ($100–$249) Anonymous(2)
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AppleFoundationInc.
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Drs.MarleneRabinovitch&
RichardBland
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Nan&BruceReitz
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BarbaraRichards
MyrnaRobinson
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LorraineSeelig
Arthur,Nancie,&CamdenShaw
LaurieSpaeth
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MarionTaylor
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Friends(Gifts up to $99)Anonymous(2)
JaneAaron
Enrico&JaneBernasconi
J.AnneCarlson
PamelaCulp
Alvin&CarylDockter
Eleanor&AndrewDoty
PenelopeDuckham
Sherrie&WallaceEpstein
Ruth&NeilFoley
PatFoster
RoseGreen
EleanorHansen
JenniferHartzell
LiisaJuola
Michael&VickiLink
InhonorofMaryLorey
PeggieMacLeod
LindaMankin
KarlMarhenke
AlanE.Mayers
Mary-MignonMitchell
MerlaMurdock
SidneyMygatt
JuliaOliver
Ed&LindaSeldon
RichardSogg
ElizabethStewart
George&BarbaraUhler
InhonorofBoris&MarilynWolper’s
60thweddinganniversary:
Beverly&DavidAltman,
June&WallyLevin
Matching GiftsWe thank the following organizations for matching their employees’ gifts:TheWilliamandFloraHewlett
Foundation
IBMMatchingGrantsProgram
MicrosoftMatchingGiftsProgram
SiliconValleyCommunityFoundation
SPXCorporation
SteelcaseFoundation
SunMicrosystems
In-Kind SupportWe thank the following individuals and organizations for their in-kind gifts:CorazonasFoods,Inc.
Maureen&PaulDraper
HillViewPackingCo.,Inc.
PoshBagel
RidgeVineyards
TheRubinoFamily
Safeway
StarbucksCoffee,
Alameda&Avy–MenloPark
Music@Menlo thanks the
following foundations,
corporations, and media
partners for their generous
support:
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
RIDGEV I N E Y A R D S
on Monte Bello Ridgeoverlooking the peninsula
408.867.3233
www.ridgewine.com
Open for tastingSaturday & Sunday, 11 - 5
Since 1962traditionally-made wines
from California’s finest old vines
80 Music@Menlo 2009
AcknowledgmentsMusic@Menlo thanks the following individuals and organizations for their dedication and commitment.
Seasonal Staff and Service ProfessionalsDmitriAtapine,Faculty,
ChamberMusicInstitute
HasseBorup,Administrator,
ChamberMusicInstitute
ScottCannon,AudioConsultant
GloriaChien,Faculty,Chamber
MusicInstitute
TristanCook,Video&Photography
MarkHurty,Internet&WebServices,
Webmaster
EdwardKlorman,Faculty,
ChamberMusicInstitute
MatthewF.LewandowskiII,
ProductionManager
JulieLewis,EditorialServices
AdrienneMalley,HouseManager
ZacNicholson,Video&Photography
ClairePrescott,Bookkeeper
Da-HongSeetoo,RecordingEngineer
NickStone,GraphicDesign
(www.nickstonedesign.com)
ShanshanYao,Faculty,
ChamberMusicInstitute
HeathYob,TechnologyServices
Milina Barry PRMilinaBarry,President
YouYouXia,PublicRelationsAssociate
MaryMontalbano,OfficeManager
Internship Program Music@Menlo’s internship program is
underwritten, in part, by the David B.
and Edward C. Goodstein Foundation.
Special thanks to the foundation
directors and staff for their support
in administering and sustaining the
program:
FrancescaEastman
EdwardGoodstein
IngaDorosz
ShelleyFarrell
JennaKahl
AdrienneOrtega
DavidSleeth
2009 InternsCrystalAdams,Marketing&
MerchandisingIntern
KarieChallinor,ProductionIntern
MichelleD’Arpino,EventPlanning&
HospitalityManagementIntern
ZacharyGreen,PatronServicesIntern
KimberlyHeld,StudentLiaisonIntern
SamuelHenline,ProductionIntern
AaronHuang,Marketing&
MerchandisingIntern
JiwonKang,StudentLiaisonIntern
EllenMezzera,AssistantStage
ManagerIntern
MaeganPassafume,AssistantStage
ManagerIntern
WilsonPeters,Video/PhotoIntern
AngelaRagni,DevelopmentIntern
ChandlerRickers,ProductionIntern
SerenaRobbins,ArtistLiaisonIntern
HeatherRosen,EventPlanning&
HospitalityManagementIntern
CaitlinStewart,ProductionIntern
FlorenceWadley,OperationsIntern
TiffanyWang,EventPlanning&
HospitalityManagementIntern
Menlo SchoolSpecial thanks to Menlo School’s
Board of Trustees, faculty, staff,
students, and families for their
continuing enthusiasm and support:
NormColb,HeadofSchool
WilliamR.Silver,BusinessManager&
ChiefFinancialOfficer
TonyLapolla,DeanofStudents
JohnSchafer,UpperSchoolDirector
ErinBrigham,MiddleSchoolDirector
AlexPerez,DirectorofCreativeArts&
StrategicCommunications
DianeClausen,Directorof
Development
LizaBennigson,Alumni
RelationsDirector
ColleenLabozetta,
DevelopmentCoordinator
DeniseMcAdoo,AnnualFundDirector
KrisWeems,DevelopmentOfficer
DavidMcAdoo,Directorof
Operations&Construction
TomDelCarlo,Operations
JeffHealey,Operations
St. Mark’s Episcopal ChurchTheRev.MatthewMcDermott,Rector
TheRev.LoriWalton,AssociateRector
KatieYates,OfficeAdministrator
CharlesMathews,FacilitiesManager
Menlo Park Presbyterian ChurchThestaffandmembersofMenloPark
PresbyterianChurch
American Public MediaAmerican Public Media is the leading
national producer of classical music
programming, including Performance
Today,SymphonyCast,Pipedreams,
ComposersDatebook,and
Classical 24.
GayleOber,DirectorofClassicalMusic
Programming
BrianNewhouse,SeniorProducer,
Host,SymphonyCast
FredChild,Host,Performance Today
JulieAmacher,Manager,Classical24
Home and Event HostsJenniferAcheson&GhassanGhandour
Richard&BarbaraAlmond
David&MartyArscott
JoyceBeattie&MartinPerl
AnnS.Bowers
Mel&MaryBritton
Mr.&Mrs.HenryD.Bullock
Janet&NealCoberly
Jennifer&MichaelCuneo
Sharon&StuartDalton
JeffDean&HeidiHopper
RickDeGolia
DeliaF.Ehrlich
Carolyn&ScottFeamster
SuzanneField&NicholasSmith
Joan&AllanFisch
Anne&MarkFlegel
TheDavidB.andEdwardC.
GoodsteinFoundation
Sue&BillGould
ChristineHansen&RogerKnopf
TheWilliamandFlora
HewlettFoundation
EmikoHigashi&RodHoward
Laurie&GayHoagland
MichaelJacobson&TrineSorensen
KrisKlint
Susan&KnudKnudsen
JenniferLezin
Art&MargyLim
Patty&EffMartin
KayPauling
JackPhillips&TenochEsparza
Alison&KenRoss
Kim&LeeScheuer
Peggy&ArtStauffer
FrancineToder&JoeHustein
Ian&JuliaWall
Melanie&RonaldWilensky
Marilyn&BorisWolper
ElizabethFennoWright
Friends CouncilJaneFowlerWyman,Chair
Art&MargyLim,UsherLiaisons
PatBlankenburg,WelcomeCenter
Coordinator
RichGifford,CustomMailings
Coordinator
JackPhillips,WinterResidency
Coordinator
AndreaJulian,FriendsNewsletter
Coordinator
JoeHustein,Business&
ProfessionalLiaison
Friends of the Festival VolunteersJudyPrevesAnderson
JoyceBeattie
AnnaBerman
BillBlankenburg
DianaBloch
VeronicaBreuer
MardaBuchholz
JuneCancell
Bernard&ShirleyCooper
EvieDavidson
JeanDehner
Don&MiriamDeJongh
JonathanErman
NancyFlowers
KayGarcia
Mark&RomieGeorgia
David&FaithGobuty
LauraGrimbergen
Gabe&EdieGroner
VirginiaHolcombe
Dale&ClariceHorelick
ShirleyIngalls
LindaKaplan
YunKim
AmyLaden
MarciaLeonhardt
Lois&PaulLevine
PatLevinson
JenniferLezin
DianeLillibridge
John&RosemaryMaulbetsch
MaryMcDonald
Ernst&BettyMeissner
SallyMentzer
ElyseNakajima
JeanNixon
SallyOken
AnnePeck
ChrisPrael&MaryannFodor
JohnProvine
RoxanneReeves
NanReitz
MyrnaRobinson
RobSchreiber
AndreaSmith
Jeff&SueanneStone
CindyStrause
SaraTanke
FrancineToder
CarolToppel
JanaTuschman
Jack&MargritVanderryn
ElizabethWatson-Semmons
SusanWeisberg
AliceWong
Floyd&GeryYearout
More ThanksAccurateStaging
AFestiveAffair
ArguelloCatering
CommunicationRentalService
EnterpriseRent-a-Car,
RedwoodCity/Atherton
GreatAmericanFramingCompany
LeftBankBrasserie
MussonTheatrical
TheoNoll,2009VisualArtist
ProAudio
ProPiano
SanJoseInstituteof
ContemporaryArt
TheTravelAgents,LynneRosenfeld
Weir&AssociatesCateringand
EventPlanning
81www.musicatmenlo.org
Ticket ServicesOn-siteticketingandthewill-call table openonehourpriortothestartofeachticketedevent.
All programs and artists are subject to change without notice. All tickets are nonrefundable,exceptincasesofcanceledevents.TicketexchangesarefreeformembersattheBachCircle
($1,000) level and above; a $3.00-per-ticket handling charge
appliestoallotherexchanges.Forticket-relatedquestionsorto
exchangetickets,pleasecontactMusic@Menlo’s ticketservices
officeat650-331-0202ortickets@musicatmenlo.org.
Seating Policies•Doors open approximately twenty-five minutes before the
starttimeofeachevent.
•Seating at all Music@Menlo events is by general admis-sion.SeatingatSt.Mark’sEpiscopalChurchandMenloParkPresbyterian Church is by general admissionwithin the two
designatedseatingsections(AandB).
•Student-ticket holderswhoareageseighteenandovermustbe
preparedtopresentavalidfull-time-studentIDatthedoor.
•Latecomerswillbeseatedatthediscretionoftheartistsandhousemanageratanappropriateintervalintheperformance.
•Allperformancevenuesarewheelchairaccessible,andwheel-chair seating is available in all venues in the designatedwheelchairlocationsonly.Pleaseaskanushertoguideyouto
adesignatedlocation.Onecompanionseatisreservednextto
eachwheelchairlocation.Additionalguestseatingisbygen-
eraladmission.
Concert and Event Policies•As a courtesy to the artists and to your fellow audience
members,please turn offcellphones,pagers,watchalarms,
personalorganizers,andall sound-emitting devicesprior tothestartofallevents.
•Pleasemakeaconsciousefforttokeep noises,suchascough-ing and conversation, to a minimum as they can be quite
distracting. Please unwrap any lozenges or other products
before the performance starts. We appreciate your consid-
eration, as will themusicians, your fellow listeners, and our
recordingengineer.
•Childrenneedtobeat leastsevenyearsofageandable tosit quietly throughout a full performance to attend ticketed
concertsandEncounters.Pleaseseepages48–56forevents
designedforyoungeraudiences.
•unauthorized recording or photographing of any kind isstrictlyprohibited.
•Food or beverages (except bottled water) are not allowedinside the performance venues. Concessions are generally
availableforpurchaseoutsideoftheconcerthalls.
•Manypeoplearehighlyallergictoperfume,cologne,orscented products,sowekindlyaskthatpatronsavoidusingthem.
Entry and Re-entry Policy for Prelude Performances and Koret Young Performers Concerts Prelude Performances and Koret Young Performers Concerts
arefreeandopentothepublic.A free seat passisnowrequiredfortheseconcerts.Oneseatpassperpersoncanberequested
atthewill-calltablebeginningonehourpriortothestartofthe
performance.Seatpassescannotbereserved inadvance,and
seatingisbygeneraladmission.
AttheendofPreludePerformancesandKoretYoungPer-
formersConcerts,guestswillbeaskedtoclearthevenuewith
personal belongings in hand for admission to the next event,
whichwill be through two lines: one for arrivalswhodid not
attend the preceding Prelude Performance or Koret Young
Performers Concert and one for re-entry. Doors will open simultaneously for both lines. Any items left behind when
exitingPreludePerformancesorKoretYoungPerformersCon-
certsmaybereclaimedatthewill-calltableoutsidethevenue.
Music@Menloisnotresponsibleforlostorstolenarticles.
Locations and ParkingMenlo School, Martin Family Hall, andStent Family Hall arelocatedat50ValparaisoAvenueinAtherton,betweenElCamino
RealandAlamedade lasPulgasattheMenloParkborder.St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is located at 600 Colorado AvenueinmidtownPaloAlto, betweenMiddlefieldRoad andCowper
Street.Menlo Park Presbyterian Churchislocatedat950SantaCruzAvenueatthewestendofdowntownMenloPark.Parking is free inanyofthevenues’availablelots.Overflowparkingisavailableonnearbyneighborhoodstreets.Pleasebemindfulof
neighborsandpostedparkingrestrictions.
Restrooms and ExitsRestroomsatMenloSchoolarelocatedthroughthesideexitat
thebackofSpiekerBallroomand in thebuildingbehindMar-
tinFamilyHall.RestroomsatSt.Mark’sEpiscopalChurchand
MenloParkPresbyterianChurchare available in the adjoining
walkways, next to the church office. Fire exits aremarked at
eachvenue.
Lost and FoundAnypersonalitemsfoundatfestivalvenueswillbeheldatthe
festivalWelcomeCenter atMenloSchool. Inquire at theWel-
come Center or call 650-330-2030. The festival assumes no
responsibilityforpersonalproperty.
Ticket and Performance Information
83www.musicatmenlo.org
“Hours of world-class chamber music performed by top-ranked players and captured for posterity by a first-rate sound engineer.” —Strings
Music@MenloLIVE, thefestival’sexclusiverecordinglabel,hasbeenpraisedas“themostambitiousrecordingprojectofany
classicalmusicfestival intheworld”(San Jose Mercury News) and its recordings have been hailed as “without question the
best CDs I have ever heard” (Positive Feedback Online). Pro-duced by Grammy Award-winning engineer Da-Hong Seetoo
usingstate-of-the-artrecordingtechnology,theseuniqueboxed
setsfeatureselectconcertrecordingsfromMusic@Menlo’sfirst
sixseasonsandoffer“hoursofchambermusicdelight,recaptur-
ingallthatMenlomagic”(Gramophone).
Latest Release: 2008’s The Unfolding of Music IIThe2008editionofMusic@MenloLIVEoffersfivenewlyassem-
bled programs of the summer’s unforgettable performances,
witheachrecordingpresentingamicrocosmoftherichhistori-
caljourneytakenoverthecourseofthefestival’ssixthseason.
Thisuniquefive-CDboxedsetspansfivehundredyearsofmusic
and includesworksbyBach,Haydn,Shostakovich,Schumann,
Brahms, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Louis Gruenberg, and Tan Dun,
aswellastheworld-premiererecordingofMusic@Menlo’sfirst
commission,apianotriobyKennethFrazelle.
Other recordings include the fifth season’s six-disc set,
Bridging the Ages,thefourthseason’sseven-discset,Returning to Mozart, thethirdseason’sfour-disccollection, Beethoven: Cen-ter of Gravity, thesecondseason’ssix-discset,Origin/Essence: A Musical Odyssey, andthefive-disccollectionInnovation/Evolu-tion: The Unfolding of Music fromthefestival’sinauguralseason.
Coming This Fall: 2009’s Being MendelssohnWatchforthe2009festivalrecordingstobereleasedinlatefall.
CompleteboxedsetsandindividualCDsfromallseasonscanbe
purchasedonourWebsiteatwww.musicatmenlo.org.
Recording Producer: Da-Hong SeetooFive-timeGrammyAward-winningrecord-
ingproducerDa-HongSeetoo returns to
Music@Menlo for a seventh consecutive
season to record the festival concerts.
A Curtis Institute– and Juilliard School–
trained violinist, Da-Hong Seetoo has
emerged as one of a handful of elite
audio engineers, using his own custom-
designedmicrophones,monitorspeakers,
andcomputersoftware.HisrecentclientsincludetheBorromeo,
Escher,Emerson,Miró,andTokyostringquartets;theBeauxArts
Trio;pianistsDanielBarenboim,YefimBronfman,DerekHan,and
ChristopherO’Riley;violinistGilShaham;cellistTrulsMørk;the
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; the Chicago Sym-
phonyOrchestraunderDavidZinman;theEvergreenSymphony
Orchestra (Taipei, Taiwan); the New York Philharmonic under
MusicDirector LorinMaazel; the ProMusicaChamberOrches-
tra(Columbus,Ohio); theRoyalPhilharmonicOrchestraunder
CarlosMiguelPrieto; theSingaporeSymphonyOrchestra;and
DavidFinckelandWuHanfortheArtistLedlabel.Hisrecording
with the Emerson StringQuartet for Deutsche Grammophon,
Intimate Voices,garneredtheGrammyAwardforBestChamber
MusicPerformancein2006.
Broadcast Partner: American Public MediaThissummer, the festival isproudtowelcomebackAmerican
Public Media as Music@Menlo’s exclusive broadcast partner.
PerformancesfromthefestivalwillairnationwideonAmerican
PublicMedia’sPerformance Today™, thecountry’slargestdailyclassicalmusicprogram,whichairson245stationsandreaches
morethan1.2millionpeopleeachweek,andviaClassical24®,
aliveclassicalmusicservicebroadcaston250stationsanddis-
tributedbyPublicRadioInternational.Hostsandproducersfrom
AmericanPublicMediaalsoparticipateinthefestivalasevent
moderatorsandeducators.Visitwww.americanpublicmedia.org
forarchivedperformances,photos,andinterviews.
84 Music@Menlo 2009
Music@Menlo CalendarJuly 17–August 8, 2009
Friday,July 17
7:30 p.m. Encounter I: Life of Discovery: A Portrait of PAGE 10Felix Mendelssohn, with Orli ShahamMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)
Saturday,July 18
8:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 48St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Sunday,July 19
6:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
4:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 48Martin Family Hall
Monday,July 20
8:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Ian Swensen, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 49Martin Family Hall
Tuesday,July 21
8:00 p.m. String Quartet Program I: The Early Quartets PAGE 29St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Audience Engagement PAGE 58in the Age of Digital Media, with Brian NewhouseMartin Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 49St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Wednesday,July 22
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: A Conversation with the PAGE 58Pacifica QuartetMartin Family Hall
Thursday,July 23
7:30 p.m. Encounter II: Intuition, Intellect, and Insects: PAGE 10Felix and the Fireflies, with Bruce AdolpheMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)
12:00 p.m. Master class: PAGE 59Bruce Adolphe, composer and Encounter leaderStent Family Hall
Friday,July 24
8:00 p.m. Concert Program II: Genius Proclaimed PAGE 16Menlo Park Presbyterian Church(Tickets: $50/$40)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Joseph Swensen, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 50Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
Saturday,July 25
Open House
7:30 p.m. Encounter III: The Grand Tour, PAGE 11with R. Larry ToddMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)
8:30 a.m. Q&A CoffeeMenlo School PAGE 57
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: The Art of Theo Noll, with2009 Visual Artist Theo Noll Stent Family Hall
2:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 54Martin Family Hall
Sunday,July 26
10:00 a.m. Carte Blanche Concert I: PAGE 35The Romantic Cello SonataColin Carr, cello, and Thomas Sauer, pianoStent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
5:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 54Martin Family Hall
Monday,July 27
8:00 p.m. Concert Program III: Midsummer Night Dreams PAGE 19Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Performing at the PAGE 58Presidential Inauguration, with Anthony McGillMartin Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 50Martin Family Hall
Date Ticketed EventsFree Events
Music@Menlo CalendarJuly 17–August 8, 2009
Friday,July 17
7:30 p.m. Encounter I: Life of Discovery: A Portrait of PAGE 10Felix Mendelssohn, with Orli ShahamMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)
Saturday,July 18
8:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 48St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Sunday,July 19
6:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
4:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 48Martin Family Hall
Monday,July 20
8:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Ian Swensen, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 49Martin Family Hall
Tuesday,July 21
8:00 p.m. String Quartet Program I: The Early Quartets PAGE 29St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Audience Engagement PAGE 58in the Age of Digital Media, with Brian NewhouseMartin Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 49St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Wednesday,July 22
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: A Conversation with the PAGE 58Pacifica QuartetMartin Family Hall
Thursday,July 23
7:30 p.m. Encounter II: Intuition, Intellect, and Insects: PAGE 10Felix and the Fireflies, with Bruce AdolpheMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)
12:00 p.m. Master class: PAGE 59Bruce Adolphe, composer and Encounter leaderStent Family Hall
Friday,July 24
8:00 p.m. Concert Program II: Genius Proclaimed PAGE 16Menlo Park Presbyterian Church(Tickets: $50/$40)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Joseph Swensen, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 50Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
Saturday,July 25
Open House
7:30 p.m. Encounter III: The Grand Tour, PAGE 11with R. Larry ToddMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)
8:30 a.m. Q&A CoffeeMenlo School PAGE 57
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: The Art of Theo Noll, with2009 Visual Artist Theo Noll Stent Family Hall
2:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 54Martin Family Hall
Sunday,July 26
10:00 a.m. Carte Blanche Concert I: PAGE 35The Romantic Cello SonataColin Carr, cello, and Thomas Sauer, pianoStent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
5:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 54Martin Family Hall
Monday,July 27
8:00 p.m. Concert Program III: Midsummer Night Dreams PAGE 19Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Performing at the PAGE 58Presidential Inauguration, with Anthony McGillMartin Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 50Martin Family Hall
Date Ticketed EventsFree Events
85www.musicatmenlo.org
Wednesday,July 29
8:00 p.m. Concert Program III: Midsummer Night Dreams PAGE 19St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Paul Watkins, cello PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 51St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Thursday,July 30
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Odysseus, Prometheus, PAGE 58and Beethoven: The Mythological Sourcesof the Eroica Symphony and Other MusicalMasterworks of the Eighteenth and NineteenthCenturies, with Jeffrey KahaneMartin Family Hall
Friday,July 31
8:00 p.m. String Quartet Program II: PAGE 30The Opus 44 QuartetsSt. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Poetry Reading Workshop, PAGE 58with Michael SteinbergMartin Family Hall
Saturday,August 1
8:00 p.m. Carte Blanche Concert II: PAGE 40The Brahms Sonatas for Violin and PianoJoseph Swensen, violin, and Jeffrey Kahane, pianoSt. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $65/$45)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Wu Han, piano PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 55St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Sunday,August 2
7:00 p.m. Carte Blanche Concert III: PAGE 43An Evening with Menahem PresslerMenahem Pressler, piano, with Wu Han, pianoSt. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $65/$45)
4:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 55St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Monday,August 3
8:00 p.m. Concert Program IV: Mendelssohn Perspectives PAGE 23Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: The Legacy of Isaac Stern, PAGE 58with Ara GuzelimianMartin Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 52Martin Family Hall
Tuesday,August 4
8:00 p.m. Concert Program IV: Mendelssohn Perspectives PAGE 23Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Pacifica Quartet PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 52Martin Family Hall
Wednesday,August 5
8:00 p.m. Concert Program IV: Mendelssohn Perspectives PAGE 23St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Jorja Fleezanis, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 53St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Thursday,August 6
7:30 p.m. Encounter IV: Songs without Words: PAGE 11Mendelssohn’s Last Year,with Ara GuzelimianMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Menahem Pressler, piano PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
Friday,August 7
8:00 p.m. String Quartet Program III: PAGE 31The Final Quartets, opp. 80 and 81St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 53St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Saturday,August 8
8:00 p.m. Concert Program V: Promise Fulfilled PAGE 26Menlo Park Presbyterian Church(Tickets: $50/$40)
1:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 56Martin Family Hall
5:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 53Martin Family Hall
Tuesday,July 28
8:00 p.m. Concert Program III: Midsummer Night Dreams PAGE 19Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)
12:00 p.m. Master class: Jeffrey Kahane, piano PAGE 59Stent Family Hall
6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 51Martin Family Hall
Date Ticketed EventsFree Events