Program Book - Chamber Music at the Art Institute: To Stir the Soul

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Sunday, March 1, 2020, at 2:00 Fullerton Hall, Art Institute of Chicago

Chamber Music at the Art Institute of Chicago THE BRAHMS QUARTET Simon Michal Violin Weijing Wang Viola Richard Hirschl Cello Victor Asunción Piano TO STIR THE SOUL

Introduction and Slide Commentary Allison Muscolino, Learning and Public Engagement, Art Institute of Chicago

schumann

Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47

Sostenuto assai—Allegro ma non troppo Scherzo: Molto vivace Andante cantabile Finale: Vivace

intermission

brahms

Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25

Allegro Intermezzo: Allegro, ma non troppo Andante con moto Rondo alla Zingarese: Presto

At the Art Institute Patrons who have reserved tickets for the thirty-minute tour in the galleries with Art Institute educators Allison Muscolino and Matthew Shoaf should meet at the bottom of the grand staircase following the concert.

Please have your tour ticket ready for scanning by a CSO usher.

This afternoon’s concert is a collaborative production of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Art Institute of Chicago.

The piano is provided by Steinway, Chicago.

comments by richard e. rodda robert schumann

Born June 8, 1810; Zwickau, Saxony, Germany Died July 29, 1856; Endenich, near Bonn, Germany

Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47 composed 1842 first performance December 8, 1844; Leipzig, Germany. Violinist Ferdinand David, violist Niels Gade, cellist Michał Wielhorski, and composer Clara Schumann at the piano

“I often feel tempted to crush my piano—it is too narrow for my thoughts,” wrote Schumann in 1839 to Heinrich Dorn, his former composition teacher. Until that time (Schumann turned thirty that summer), he had produced only songs and small-scale works for solo piano, with the exception of an abandoned symphony in 1832, but within a year of his words to Professor Dorn, he received strong encouragement to act on his ambition to launch into the grander genres of music.

Schumann was encouraged to venture into this domain by the venerated Franz Liszt, who had recently taken up a number of Schumann’s piano works. Liszt tried to convince his colleague that he was capable of accomplishing bigger things, going so far as offering to arrange performances and seek out a publisher for him. Liszt was the brightest star in the European musical firmament at that time, and Schumann could hardly help but be swayed by his advice.

Another source of encouragement for Schumann to broach the larger musical forms came from his beloved wife, Clara. Their long-hoped-for marriage finally took place in September 1840, and Clara, one of the greatest musicians and pianists of the nineteenth century, was soon coaxing her new husband to extend his creative range.

Her urging had an almost immediate effect. The year 1841 was one of enormous productivity for Schumann, during which he wrote not one but two symphonies; the first movement of what became his piano concerto; a hybrid orchestral work called Overture, Scherzo, and Finale (op. 52); and sketches for a C minor symphony that was never completed.

In 1842, Schumann turned from orchestral genres to concentrate with nearly monomaniacal zeal on chamber music. His three string quartets, published together under the single opus number 41, were completed in a frenzy of creative activity within just six weeks, after which he never wrote another work in the form. Having nearly exhausted himself, he and Clara took a holiday at a Bohemian spa in August, but he again threw himself into composition soon after his return: the Piano Quintet (op. 44) was begun in September and the Piano Quartet (op. 47) on October 24; both were finished before the Fantasiestücke for piano, violin,

to p to bot to m: Schumann, 1839, in a sketch by Josef Kriehuber (1800–1876) Lithograph of Robert and Clara Schumann by Eduard Kaiser (1820–1895), Vienna, 1847; inscribed to their Zwickau friend, composer and writer Emanuel Klitzsch (1812–1889)

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and cello (op. 88) was created in December.

Schumann, drained by three months of feverish work, then slumped into a state of nervous collapse, and he was unable to compose again until the following February, though his achievement of 1842—the composition of six chamber music masterpieces in five months—stands as one of the greatest bursts of creative inspiration in the history of the art.

Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, published as op. 47 in June 1845, was composed for and dedicated to the Russian Count Michał Wielhorski, a notable patron of the arts and an amateur cellist of such accomplishment that he was able to hold his own in the public premiere of the work on December 8, 1844, in Leipzig with a distinguished ensemble that included Ferdinand David (concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, for whom Mendelssohn wrote his violin concerto), Niels Gade (the Danish composer and conductor who often deputized for Mendelssohn at the Gewandhaus concerts and succeeded him as music director of that organization in 1847), and Clara as pianist. In writing of the first performance of the quartet, Schumann

noted, “[It] seemed to please players and listeners alike, in particular Mendelssohn.”

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he quartet’s opening Allegro, a fully realized sonata form, gives the main theme first in a slow, hymnlike, introductory configuration before it is presented in a quick-tempo, staccato transformation to launch the main part of the movement. The second theme, announced in imitation between the piano and the strings, begins with an accented note followed by a rising scale pattern. The start of the development section is marked by recalling the slow introduction. The scherzo is a veritable dance for a whirling dervish.

To balance this furious rhythmic exercise, two contrasting trios are interspersed in the movement.

The principal theme of the Andante, a beautiful melody enfolding many wide leaps, is entrusted to the cello. Following a central interlude, the viola sings the theme again with detailed embroidery from the violin. The finale is dominated by a plenitude of fugue. The movement’s thematic abundance is overshadowed only by its pervasive imitative texture, which Schumann contrived to make sound vivacious rather than pedantic.

johannes br ahms

Born May 7, 1833; Hamburg, Germany Died April 3, 1897; Vienna, Austria

Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25 composed 1857–61 first performance November 16, 1862; Vienna, Austria. The composer as pianist and members of the Hellmesberger Quartet

The high-minded direction of Johannes Brahms’s musical career was evident from his teenage years—as a lad, he studied the

masterpieces of the Austro-German tradition with Eduard Marxsen, the most illustrious piano teacher in his native Hamburg, and played Bach and Beethoven on his earliest recitals. His first published compositions were not showy virtuoso trifles but three ambitious piano sonatas inspired by classical models. Brahms was irresistibly drawn to Joseph Joachim and the Schumanns, and other exalted musicians of his day. When Schumann hailed him as the savior of German music, the rightful heir to the mantle of Beethoven, in his

abov e : Brahms at the piano, 1856

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famous article in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik in 1853, Brahms was only too eager to accept both the renown and the responsibility inherent in such a lofty appraisal. He tried sketching a symphony as early as 1855 (not completing it, however, until two decades later), but his principal means of fulfilling Schumann’s prophecy during the early phase of his creative life were through piano works and songs, and later, chamber music.

Finished compositions did not come easily for Brahms, however, and he made several attempts to satisfy himself with a chamber piece before he allowed the publication of his Piano Trio, op. 8, in 1854. (He destroyed at least three earlier efforts in that form.)

The following year, he turned to writing quartets for piano, violin, viola, and cello, a genre whose only precedents were the two

by Mozart and the single specimen by Schumann.

Work on the quartets did not go smoothly, however. He laid one (in C minor, eventually op. 60) aside for almost two decades, and tinkered with the other two for the next half-dozen years in Hamburg and at his part-time post as music director for the court of Lippe-Detmold, midway between Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Brahms was principally based in Hamburg during those years—usually staying with his parents—but in 1860, when he was twenty-seven years old and eager to find the quiet and privacy to work on his compositions, he rented spacious rooms (“a quite charming flat with a garden,” he said) in the suburb of Hamm from one Frau Dr. Elisabeth Rössing. Hamm was to be his home

abov e : Brahms and violinist Joseph Joachim

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for the next two years, and there he worked on the Variations on a Theme of Schumann for piano duet (op. 23), Handel Variations (op. 24), and the piano quartets in G minor (op. 25) and A major (op. 26). The two piano quartets were finally finished by early autumn 1861, and given a private reading by some unknown local musicians and Clara Schumann during her visit to Hamm shortly thereafter. The public premiere of the G minor quartet was given

by Brahms and the quartet of Joseph Hellmesberger, director of the Vienna Conservatory, on November 16, 1862, during the composer’s first visit to Vienna.

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he opening movement of the G minor piano quartet contains an abundance of thematic material woven into a seamless continuum through Brahms’s consummate contrapuntal skill. Balanced within its closely reasoned sonata form are pathos and vigor, introspection and jubilance, storm and tranquility. The second-movement intermezzo, cast in the traditional form of scherzo and trio, is formed from long-spun melodies in gentle, rocking rhythms. The Andante is in a broad threepart structure, with the middle section taking on a snappy martial air. The rondo finale is a spirited essay much in the style of Brahms’s invigorating Hungarian Dances.

Richard E. Rodda, a former faculty member at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Music, provides program notes for many American orchestras, concert series, and festivals.

profiles Simon Michal Violin Simon Michal was appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in February 2016

by Riccardo Muti. He holds numerous awards from competitions, including the grand prize at both the Kocian International Violin Competition and the International Radio Competition Concertino Prague. Michal made his New York solo debut with the Juilliard Symphony Orchestra in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall under the baton of Fabio Luisi as a winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition in 2014. As a chamber musician and orchestral player, Michal has performed at many concerts and festivals throughout Europe and North America, including the Verbier Festival, Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and Juilliard ChamberFest. A native of Bezdekov nad Metuji, Czech Republic, Michal took his first violin lessons with his father at the age of four. At fourteen, he was admitted to the Prague Conservatory, where he studied with Jaroslav Foltýn. In 2015, Michal earned his bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Glenn Dicterow, the former concertmaster of New York Philharmonic, and Sylvia Rosenberg. In the fall of 2015, Michal started his studies toward a master of music degree with Dicterow and Lisa Kim at the Manhattan School of Music, but left school in January 2016 to join the CSO.

Weijing Wang Viola Weijing Wang joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in March 2012. She formerly served as acting associate principal viola for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 2009 to 2012. From 2007 to 2009, she was the youngest P H OTOS BY TO DD RO S E NB E RG

principal player ever in the history of the Phoenix Symphony. A native of Shanghai, China, Wang has received numerous awards, including the Robertson Award in the Primrose International Viola Competition, second prize in the Chicago National Viola Competition, gold medal in the Shenyang National Viola Competition, and third prize in the Beijing National Viola Competition.

An active chamber musician, Wang is a founding member of the Chicago Peridot String Quartet and also has collaborated with members of the Vermeer String Quartet, among other ensembles. Wang began violin studies at the age of four, and at seventeen started to play the viola. She was later admitted to the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory of Music without entrance auditions. Wang studied with Li-Kuo Chang at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University after she came to the United States in 2004.

Richard Hirschl Cello Richard Hirschl joined the cello section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1989.

A native of Washington, Missouri, he began cello lessons with his father, an amateur cellist. His intermediate studies were with Savely Schuster, associate principal cello of the St. Louis Symphony. Hirschl was accepted into the class of Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins at the Juilliard School, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1987 and a master’s degree in 1988.

Before moving to Chicago, Hirschl was an associate teacher at Juilliard. He was the winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition and Irving M. Klein International String Competition in 1988, and St. Louis Symphony Scholarship Competition in 1980.

In addition to his New York debut with the Juilliard Orchestra, Hirschl has given concerto performances with the Peoria Symphony, Jupiter C SO.ORG 5

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Symphony, St. Louis Philharmonic, Maracaibo Symphony (Venezuela), National Repertory Orchestra, St. Louis Chamber Orchestra, and Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York.

He has appeared in chamber music performances with celebrated pianists Daniel Barenboim, Sir András Schiff, and Ursula Oppens; cellist Lynn Harrell; and violinist Vadim Repin. He is on the faculty of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where he also serves as head of the string department. He plays a Venetian cello made by Matteo Goffriller in 1710.

Victor Asunción Piano Victor Santiago Asunción is recognized as an artist of innate musical sensitivity, spirited temperament, and superb technique. As a recitalist and concerto soloist, he has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey, and the United States. He made his orchestral debut at the age of eighteen with the Manila Chamber Orchestra, and his New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in 1999. He has worked with conductors including Sergio Esmilla, Enrique Bátiz, Zeev Dorman, Arthur Weisberg, Corrick Brown, David Loebel, Leon Fleisher, Michael Stern, Bobby McFerrin, and Mei-Ann Chen. A chamber music enthusiast, Asunción has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell; Zuill Bailey; Andrés Díaz; Antônio Meneses; Joshua Roman; Cho-Liang Lin; Giora Schmidt; Susanna Gilmore; James Buswell; James Dunham; Ronald Leonard; Susanne Mentzer; H.K. Gruber; John O’Connor; Marc Neikrug; Liang Wang; Catalin Rotaru; and the Dover, Emerson, São Paulo, Serafin, and Vega string quartets. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He also was pianist of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. Asunción’s 6 ONE HUNDRED T WENT Y-NINTH SE ASON

recordings include the complete cello sonatas of Beethoven with Tobias Werner, cello sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninov with Joseph Johnson, and Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata and works arranged by Gregor Piatigorsky with Evan Drachman. He also is featured in the awardwinning recording Songs My Father Taught Me with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and Chicago’s WFMT. In addition to his active performing career, Asunción is sought after as a piano, vocal, and chamber music coach. He received a doctor of musical arts degree in 2007 from the University of Maryland at College Park under the tutelage of Rita Sloan. In 2018, Asunción founded the FilAm Music Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote classical musicians of Filipino descent through scholarship and performance. He is the artistic director of the foundation’s concert series, which has launched in Evanston and New York City. Asunción is a Steinway Artist.

Allison Muscolino Lecturer Allison Muscolino joined the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Learning and Public Engagement in 2008.

She has since held positions there working with senior programs, the Woman’s Board, and the Community Associates. She currently serves as production coordinator for all lectures and live arts programming, organizing a variety of innovative learning opportunities for diverse museum audiences. Prior to arriving at the Art Institute, she earned bachelor’s degrees in art history and history, as well as a master’s degree in art history from the University of Notre Dame.

She began her career in museum education at the Snite Museum of Art and the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. In addition to her work at the Art Institute, Muscolino serves as an art history instructor with the Bard College Odyssey Project at the Stony

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Island Arts Bank, where she engages learners through focused observation, collaborative dialogue, and critical thinking.

Matthew Shoaf Lecturer Matthew Shoaf has served as an adjunct lecturer at the Art Institute of Chicago since 2018. A former professor of art history, he taught courses at DePaul University, Northwestern University, and Ursinus College, and also

created a program in museum studies at the latter.

Shoaf first took interest in art history while studying at Occidental College, and went on to pursue a master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of Chicago. Shoaf has long been fascinated by the relationships between pictorial art and sound, including music, and his forthcoming book addresses ways in which artists in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Italy designed frescoes and sculptures to enhance auditory perception in places of worship.

chicago symphony orchestra

2019–20 Chamber Music at the Art Institute of Chicago Sunday, April 19, at 2:00

Sunday, June 7, at 2:00

MODERN EXPRESSIONS

NATURE’S BEAUT Y

Civitas Ensemble

Odyssey Quartet

Yuan-Qing Yu Violin Ni Mei Violin Wei-Ting Kuo Viola Sunghee Choi Viola Kenneth Olsen Cello Brant Taylor Cello J. Lawrie Bloom Clarinet Winston Choi Piano webern Langsamer Satz berg Adagio for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano from the Chamber Concerto rota Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano schoenberg Transfigured Night, Op. 4

So Young Bae Violin Gina DiBello Violin Sunghee Choi Viola Karen Basrak Cello

beethoven String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 1 debussy String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10 Atmospheric color and light infuse Debussy’s sensual string quartet, the only one he ever composed. Paired with Beethoven’s expansive and majestic quartet, derived from Russian influences, this program explores nature’s beauty and artists’ relationships to their surroundings.

Engage the experimental impulse of this dynamic period with the visual and musical work of early twentieth-century creators. This program brims with the promise of new beginnings, showcasing Schoenberg’s inventive Transfigured Night, and the expressive Langsamer Satz, by his student, Webern.

Produced in collaboration between the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Art Institute of Chicago

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit cso.org or call 312-294-3000.

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THE 2020/21 SEASON IS HERE Muti Conducts Beethoven Missa solemnis Dvoล รกk New World Symphony Vivaldi Gloria Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Amadeus Live Berliner Philharmoniker Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert Joshua Bell The Princess Bride in Concert Lang Lang Marin Alsop Mahler 7 Measha Brueggergosman Itzhak Perlman Peter and the Wolf

AND MORE!

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