11 minute read
Thank You to Our Donors
on what Bach might have done if presented with the rich tapestry of possibility from the microtonally inflected Arab modes coupled with his ingenious sense of counterpoint and harmony.
For this work, I went further back in time for inspiration, turning to the often-overlooked Nicola Vicentino, an Italian composer and theorist from the Renaissance period. In his 16th century treatise, “L’antica musica ridotta alla prattica moderna,” he devised a 31- tone system (our “standard” Western system has only 12 tones!) which includes his four-part madrigal, “Musica prisca caput,” where he put his ideas into practice. I used this work as a harmonic template for my own musical exploration. This madrigal is organized into three parts that are distinguished by their pitch content: (1) diatonic (7 possible tones), (2) chromatic (12 possible tones), and (3) microtonal (31 possible tones(!)).
In my work, every chord in “Musica prisca caput” is chronologically represented: almost all of them with their original voice leading, many of which are solely in root position! They vary from the original by the extension of range (beyond what is possible with human singers), expansion of timbral possibilities (i.e. glissandi, tremolandi, harmonics, etc.), and the implementation of the maqamat to establish a new melodic context for Vicentino’s contrapuntal writing.
By focusing on this distinctly Western point of departure, I hope to provoke a renewed awareness of the richness of Arab traditions and how their facets can coexist within our global cultural landscape.
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
(1770–1827)
String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3, “Razumovsky” About the Composer
Beethoven’s biographer Lewis Lockwood describes the three “Razumovsky” Quartets of 1806 as a “continental divide” in the history of the string quartet. Behind them stood the towering peaks of the Viennese Classical school, epitomized by Haydn and Mozart; ahead lay the as-yetuncharted territory of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms. The Op. 59 set marked a watershed in Beethoven’s own artistic development as well. Like the “Eroica” Symphony, the “Appassionata” Piano Sonata, and the opera Fidelio, the “Razumovskys” exemplify the “heroic” and boldly unconventional style that Beethoven forged in his so-called middle period, under the incubus of his steadily worsening loss of hearing. The Mozartean Classicism of his six Op. 18 Quartets, composed between 1798 and 1800, already belonged to a different world, while the introspective, convoluted language of his late quartets lay just around the corner.
About the Work
The Op. 59 Quartets were commissioned by Count Andreas Razumovsky, Russia’s ambassador to the court of Vienna. An enthusiastic amateur violinist, the count was an ardent champion of both Beethoven and Haydn. Beethoven set to work on May 26, 1806, and completed the three quartets by the end of the year. Predictably, contemporary reactions to the “Razumovskys” ranged from
bemusement to outright hostility. When the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh’s celebrated ensemble read through the first piece in the set, the players reportedly “laughed and were convinced that Beethoven was playing a joke and that it was not the quartet which had been promised.” The great Russian cellist Bernhard Romberg, upon discovering that he had nothing to play at the beginning of a certain movement but repeated B-flats, flung the music on the floor and trampled on it. Beethoven was not unduly perturbed by such displays of incomprehension. The Op. 59 Quartets, he coolly informed one of his critics, “are not for you, but for a later age.”
A Deeper Listen
The C-Major Quartet’s darkly mysterious chordal introduction advertises the seriousness of Beethoven’s intentions, but the tone of the ensuing Allegro vivace, with its skipping dotted theme, is incongruously lighthearted. Not until the slow movement does darkness descend again, in the dirgelike tolling of the cello’s subterranean pizzicato (plucked) notes. Although the upper strings’ mournful plaint is twice interrupted by a dancing countermelody, the movement ends in somber A minor.
The genial Menuetto and its strutting Trio midsection both make ample use of the flowing 16th-note roulades we’ve encountered earlier in the Quartet. A brief coda serves as a bridge to the Allegro molto: the viola bursts out of the gate, leading the foursome on a merry fugal chase that’s charged with electric energy, and Beethoven’s inexhaustible ingenuity keeps us on the edge of our seats all the way to the surprise ending. On a sketch for the last movement, the composer wrote defiantly, “Let your deafness be no more a secret — even in art.”
— Harry Haskell
About the Artists.
Callisto Quartet
Praised for their “intensity and bravado” and the “cohesion and intonation one might expect from an ensemble twice their age” (Third Coast Review), the Callisto Quartet brings together four dedicated and passionate musicians who share a love for chamber music and a true desire for excellence.
Since their formation in 2016 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the quartet has quickly garnered top prizes in nearly every major international chamber music competition and has been hailed by audiences across North America and Europe. Grand prize winners of the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and Second Prize Winners of the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Callisto Quartet has also taken home prizes from the Bordeaux (2019), Melbourne (2018), and Wigmore Hall (2018) competitions.
Currently serving as the Graduate String Quartet in Residence at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, they also study with Günter Pichler of the Alban Berg Quartet at the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain.
The quartet has participated and performed in many renowned chamber music festivals such as the La Jolla Music Society Summerfest, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, the Emilia Romagna Festival, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the McGill International String Quartet Academy, the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar, and the Robert Mann String Quartet Seminar. In 2018, at the invitation of Gerhard Schulz, they attended the Prussia Cove International Musicians Seminar where they also worked with Gidon Kremer and Thomas Adès. As part of their prize from the Wigmore Hall Competition, the Quartet received an invitation to the Jeunesses Musicales International Chamber Music Campus in Weikersheim, Germany where they worked with Heime Müller, Donald Weilerstein, and the Cuarteto Casals.
Highlights of their recent performances include debuts in New York City and Chicago on the Schneider Concert Series and at Ravinia Festival, respectively, as well as at the Heidelberg String Quartet Festival. They were also featured in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in July 2019 as Grand Prize winners of the 4th Manhattan International Music Competition Chamber Music Division. Notable collaborations include appearances with cellist David Geringas at the Cleveland Cello Society’s 20th anniversary concert as well as a collaboration with clarinetist Frank Cohen on the ChamberFest Cleveland Series. Over the past two seasons at the Great Lakes Chamber
Music Festival they have collaborated with Paul Watkins, Lawrence Power, Gilles Vonsattel, and John Novacek.
The Callisto Quartet is committed to continually broadening their musical horizons by drawing inspiration from a plethora of mentors and musical approaches. They also believe strongly in passing along their musical insights to younger students and sharing their music in their communities. To this end they have served as faculty and given masterclasses at numerous schools and festivals including the Bravo International Chamber Music Workshop, University of Central Florida, Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, the Greenville Fine Arts Center, and the CIM Preparatory Division. They frequently perform in schools, retirement homes, and other community centers, and are featured as ensemble in residence at the Carolina Music Museum in Greenville, South Carolina.
DOUGLAS J. CUOMO’S SEVEN LIMBS
Featuring Nels Cline and the Aizuri Quartet
Friday, July 9 / 8:00pm
7:00pm / Pre-concert conversation with Douglas J. Cuomo and Nels Cline
Based on a Buddhist practice of purification, Seven Limbs juxtaposes Nels Cline’s inventive guitar playing with the Grammy-nominated Aizuri Quartet’s classically-based, yet progressive approach.
TICKETS / caramoor.org / 914.232.1252
Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence.
Since 1999, one extremely promising string quartet is chosen for this year-long residency, during which they perform at Caramoor throughout the season and lend their time and talents to Caramoor’s Student Strings, a classroom-based program of concerts and conversations in secondary schools. These burgeoning quartets often return in the years following their residencies to perform at Caramoor among its roster of distinguished musicians.
During each residency, Caramoor offers the quartet the opportunity to commission a new work from a composer of their choice, resulting in fruitful artistic relationships with the composers. Through this aspect of the program, Caramoor is proud to have helped bring into existence an exciting new library of 21st-century string quartet repertoire.
The Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence is supported, in part, by major endowment gifts from the Ernst C. Stiefel Foundation. The success of this mentoring program relies on the generosity of donors interested in furthering the careers of promising chamber quartets.
Below is a full list of our past resident quartets and commissioned composers:
1999-00: Avalon String Quartet/ Augusta Read Thomas 2000-01: Miró Quartet/ Brent Michael Davids
2001-02: Pacifica Quartet/ Marta Ptaszynska 2002-03: Rossetti String Quartet/ John Harbison
2003-04: Daedalus Quartet/David Horne 2004-05: Amernet String Quartet/ Joel Hoffman
2005-06: Jupiter String Quartet/ John Musto
2006-07: Parker Quartet/Lera Auerbach 2007-08: Escher String Quartet/ Pierre Jalbert
2008-09: Ariel String Quartet/ Yohanan Chendler
2009-11: Jasper String Quartet/ Andrew Norman
2011-12: Linden String Quartet/ Gabriel Kahane 2012-13: The Amphion Quartet/ Yevgeniy Sharlat 2013-14: Dover Quartet/David Ludwig 2014-15: The Calidore Quartet/ Patrick Harlin
2015-16: Aizuri Quartet/Paul Wiancko 2016-17: Argus Quartet/Donald Crockett 2017-18: Verona Quartet/Julia Adolphe 2018-19: Omer Quartet/Gabriella Smith 2019-20: Thalea Quartet/Paola Prestini
The Brianna Thomas Band
Friday / July 2 / 8:00pm / Venetian Theater
With Ella in Mind
Brianna Thomas, vocals Conun Pappas, piano Marvin Sewell, guitar Ryan Berg, bass Jeremy “Bean” Clemons, drums Fernando Saci, percussion
This concert is made possible by generous support from Peter & Katherine Kend.
Help everyone enjoy the music.
Please do not take photos or record any part of the performance, and remember to silence your mobile devices. On behalf of the artists and the rest of the audience, we thank you.
About the Artist.
Brianna Thomas
Born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, Brianna Thomas grew up surrounded by music. Her father, Charlie Thomas, not only influenced her with his own unique talents as a vocalist and percussionist, he created an exceptionally well-rounded musical environment that fostered her emerging abilities.
At the tender age of six, Thomas made her singing debut performing a duet rendition of the jazz classic, What A Wonderful World with her father. At the age of eight she won her first of 13 trophies, all first place and overall, from various district and regional talent shows. Between the ages of eight and 10, she had her first gigs performing for a variety of banquets, black tie affairs, and on local radio stations. It didn’t take long for people to notice her talent and potential. Just shy of her teens, her talents were discovered by distinguished jazz educator Mary Jo Papich. Soon after, Thomas toured Europe with the Peoria Jazz All-Stars, a big band under Papich’s direction. This was the beginning of Thomas’ career as jazz vocalist. Thomas’ singing is deeply enriched by an understanding of the masterful voices of jazz past. Beyond a healthy serving of sass, Sarah Vaughan’s influence contributes to Thomas’ style the artistic savvy needed to communicate myriad moods and feelings as well as a keen instrumental perspective. Add to that a coyness reminiscent of Nancy Wilson, an Ellaesque skill and enthusiasm for scatting, and the stylistic breadth and vocal grandeur evocative of Dianne Reeves.
Perhaps Thomas’ greatest asset is the soulfulness of her sound. Captivatingly unique, her sound moves in tones ranging from sweet invitations to assured convictions, establishing a personal and classic quality that leaves listeners swooning after her performances.
Thomas’ talents have propelled her to many successes including performances at the Montreux, North Sea, and Umbria Jazz Festivals, and in venues ranging from the Bahamas to Geneva, Switzerland. Thomas was a resident in both the 2001 and 2002 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Programs — an international artist-in-residence program that assembles a select group of jazz musicians to perform their original compositions at the Kennedy Center. At Jazz Ahead she worked with a host of premier jazz educators and performers including renowned vocalist Carmen Lundy, Winard Harper, and Nathan Davis.
Thomas’ extensive list of stateside performances includes appearances with Fred Anderson, Von Freeman, Houston Person, and the Barber
Brothers. She has performed across the country, from New Orleans to Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. In 2001, Thomas was dubbed High School Jazz Vocalist of the Year by Downbeat magazine. Notably, Thomas is the youngest person ever to be inducted into Peoria’s African-American Hall of Fame at the age of 13 in 1996. She has also received a certificate of excellence from the state of Illinois in recognition of her musical accomplishments. Thomas has blazed a path in the world of jazz and continues a stellar ascent. With dedication, hard work, and a sparkling personality, she is sure to become one of jazz’s most prominent voices. The words of legendary trombonist Curtis Fuller best illustrate Brianna Thomas’ abilities, hailing her as a “marvelous new artist who has all it takes to reach the top of the jazz profession and music in general.”
JAZZ FESTIVAL
Presented in Collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
Alexa Tarantino
Sean Jones Jeremy Bosch
Saturday, July 31 / 1:30pm–8:00pm
Sean Jones’ Dizzy Spellz featuring Brinae Ali / Larry Grenadier / Endea Owens and The Cookout / Alexa Tarantino Quartet / Brandon Goldberg Trio / Godwin Louis Duo featuring Jonathan Barber / Jeremy Bosch & Friends: Salsa Meets Jazz / and more!
TICKETS / caramoor.org / 914.232.1252
