SUMMER12
DANCES
DESTINY/CHANCE & CIRCUMSTANCE May 31-June 2 @ 7:30pm Mainstage Theatre
Photo: Pete Amland Dancer: Kayla Schroepfer A R T I S T I C D I R E C TO R S TAT E M E N T : S I M O N E F E R R O Welcome to Summerdances: Destiny/Chance & Circumstance! As we approach the end of this academic year, I would like to thank all for your support and encouragement. The Department of Dance continues to strive to be a leading artistic force in the region, and we wish to thank you for being part of our quest for excellence. We cannot dissociate what we do in the classroom to what is going on in the world. The speed of technology and mass media helps make us aware that the time we spend helping our students become authentic and versatile artists is time that enriches the profession. The tireless commitment of Christina Briggs Winslow and Gerald Casel this year helped us continue to bring our students a well-rounded and creative curriculum. Gerald is leaving for California but Christina will continue one more year as visiting faculty. This fall, West Coast choreographer Maria Gillespie will be joining us as an Assistant Professor. We look forward to the breadth of knowledge and expertise she will bring as a colleague and mentor, and welcome her to the Milwaukee Dance Community! This year’s theme of Destiny/Chance and Circumstance gave our dancers and choreographers (Luc, Elizabeth, Gerald, Christina, and Colleen Thomas, winner of the third New Work Award) the opportunity to reflect on the role of destiny and of chance in the way our choices have brought us to this place. Whether we call it luck or providence, the choices we make create opportunities and make us active architects of our own fate. We also offer our sincere thanks to the anonymous donor who has made the New Work Award a vehicle for bringing such talent to enrich our department. Whether chance or destiny brought this talent together in tonight’s performance, the Department of Dance invites you to join us in this celebration of new and exciting work. Summerdances 1
S U M M E R DA N C E S : D E S T I N Y / C H A N C E & C I R C U M S TA N C E Undertow Choreography: Christina Briggs Winslow Rehearsal Director: Katharina Abderholden Dancers: Katharina Abderholden, Annette Grefig, Tasha Holifield, Kayla Schroepfer, Laura Seuffert Music: Michael Jacaszek Sound Design: Seth Warren-Crow Costumes: Karmen Seib Choreographer Note: This piece was inspired by and created for these dancers. I would like to thank them for their commitment to the process (with a special mention to Christina Gaspar) and the heart they all put into the work. Bob’s Palace (2003) Choreography: Luc Vanier Choreographer Assistant: Steven Moses Bob: Steven Moses Dance Teacher: Jaimi Patterson Dancers: Brittney Bearer, Alisa Ferrante, Norielle Johnson, Emily Landry, Gina Laurenzi, Carrie Martin, Devin Settle, Bianca Ware Music: Christine Barclay with collaborator Nicholas Verbos (original 2003 score by Bradford Blackburn) Text Sources: Panic: Origins, Insight, and Treatment, Brooke Warner & Peter A. Levine; Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion, William Blake Choreographer Note:“Bob’s Palace” has a special place in history as the first dance to ever use infrared motion capture live onstage linking it to an avatar. The main theme centered on the instability of the connection between the motion capture and the animation. The quality of the interaction reminded me of the anxiety we all feel as human beings. Tonight we are presenting the piece without technology but you can see a newly designed animation and interaction during our hour-long Somatophobia presented at the 5th floor theater of the Kenilworth Building June 22-24. http://somatophobia-dance.blogspot.com Impulsive Minors Choreographer: Elizabeth Johnson Dancers: Megan Burki, Steven Michael La Fond, Madeleine Schoch, Alexandra Rick, Libby Faye Schmitz, Kao Zhong Xiong Music: Frédéric Chopin “Lazy (or Drunk):” Full Cast - “Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. posth.” “I’m Not Touching You:” Burki, La Fond, Rick, Schmitz - “Nocturne No. 21 in C Minor, Op. posth.” “Siblings:” La Fond, Makaroff, Zhong Xiong - “Nocturne No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9, No. 1” “The First Last Movement:” Full Cast - “Nocturne No. 15 in F Minor, Op. 55, No. 1” Choreographer Note: This dance, originally set on Your Mother Dances, has been reworked specifically for this group of student dancers; they are performing four of the original seven movements. Each has been a joy and I am incredibly proud of their collectively focused hard work and their exponential growth. Thanks to my children Seth, Mari, and Stephen for their inspiration—you fill my heart to overflowing every day. Luc, you remain my rock, my comfort, and my love. Intermission
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S U M M E R DA N C E S : D E S T I N Y / C H A N C E & C I R C U M S TA N C E ( c o n t .) Adroit Choreography: Gerald Casel with contributions from the dancers Rehearsal Director: Kimberly Rhyme Dancers: Sarah Kind, Kendra Kramas, José A. Luis, Brenna Marlin, Kristin Reidelberger, Kimberly Rhyme, Sydney Mei Ruf-Wong, Bonnie Miranda Watson Music: “time…dot,” Carsten Nicolai/Alva Noto; “Theory of Machines (Reprise),” Ben Frost; “Quiet Music,” Nico Muhly Additional Sound: Seth Warren-Crow Costumes: Eleanor Cotey Choreographer Note: I would like to thank the dancers for their work on this piece and for trusting in the process of reimagining an existing work and creating something new. My deepest gratitude to this dance department for all that it has given to me over the years. I bow to you. The Year of Unremarkable Laughter Choreography: Colleen Thomas with the dancers Dancers: Katharina Abderholden, Annette Grefig, Tasha Holifield, Brenna Marlin, Steven Michael La Fond, José A. Luis, Madeleine Schoch, Shelby Reuss, Kayla Schroepfer, Kao Zhong Xiong Rehearsal Director: Dani Kuepper Original score: John McGrew Costumes: Karmen Seib Puppetry: Edward Winslow Choreographer Note: This piece was inspired by a special soul with a remarkable laugh. Ed Burgess—we will miss you.
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C H O R E O G R A P H E R & C O L L A B O R ATO R B I O G R A P H I E S Christine Barclay (Music, “Bob’s Palace”). Ever since I figured out how to record sounds on my Playskool karaoke machine and play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on the piano, I knew I wanted to be a musician. I graduated in 2011 from UWMilwaukee with a BFA in Music Composition and Technology, a BA in Voice and a Liberal Arts Certificate from the Honors College. I adore working with UWMilwaukee’s Dance Department. I have been involved with New Dancemakers choreographing for Mari Mathers, Emilie Rabbitt, Leandra Williams and Steven Michael La Fond. I am also in two bands: The Grasping at Straws and The Lords of Space and Time. Christina Briggs Winslow (Choreographer, “Undertow”) will be returning to UWM for a second year as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Dance Department. She has recently been on the faculty in the Dance Department at Hofstra University and Queens College and the Joffrey Jazz & Contemporary Summer Intensive. Since 2000, she has been dancing with Heidi Latsky and for the past three years has been the Rehearsal Director. In 1996, Christina co-founded Incidents Dance Theater in New York City. Her work has been performed at Clark Studio Theater at Lincoln Center, Dixon Place, Joyce SoHo, Pace University, St. Mark’s Church and University Settlement, as well as other locations around the country. Gerald Casel (Choreographer, “Adroit”) received a BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School and an MFA in Performance and Choreography from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee assisted by a fellowship from the Advanced Opportunity Program. He has danced in the companies of Michael Clark, Zvi Gotheiner, Lar Lubovitch and Stephen Petronio (Assistant Director and Director of Education). In 1997, he was honored to receive a New York Dance and Perfor4 UWM Peck School of the Arts
mance Award “Bessie” for sustained achievement. Casel has taught at Palucca Hochschule fur Tanz Dresden, Sarah Lawrence College and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he received the David Payne-Carter Award for Teaching Excellence. His company GERALDCASELDANCE has performed to critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and Scotland. www.geraldcaseldance.wordpress.com Eleanor Cotey (Costumes, “Adroit”) Eleanor received her BFA in Costume Production from UWM in 2009. Since graduating, Eleanor has designed for The Fireside Theatre, Youngblood Theatre Company, Pink Banana Theatre Company, Wisconsin Lutheran College, and In Tandem Theatre. This summer she looks forward to designing Macbeth for Optimist Theatre. She has also spent five seasons with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and has stitched for the Milwaukee Rep and American Player’s Theatre. This year was Eleanor’s third season with the Milwaukee Ballet Company, and her first with the Florentine Opera. Iain Court (Lighting Designer & Production Manager) has worked as a performer, director, designer and PM/SM across all genres of performance throughout Australia and touring Europe. His principal interest is in Lighting Design and he has lit works in medieval churches, circus tents, on riverbanks in haunted houses and many theatres. He is also interested in new media performance. His long history in arts education, includes the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Arts, chair of drama at Wesley Institute, and at the Sydney Opera House. He won the David Helfgot award for his contribution to Accessible Arts in Australia. Most recently he performed with Theatre Gigante in “Our Our Town.” Elizabeth Johnson (Choreographer, “Impulsive Minors”) is the artistic director of Your Mother Dances. Her choreography has been produced in
C H O R E O G R A P H E R & C O L L A B O R ATO R B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis and beyond. She has performed nationally and internationally with David Parker and The Bang Group (NYC), Molly Rabinowitz’s Liquid Grip (NYC) and Sara Hook Dances (NYC, IL). She attended the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts, holds her BFA from George Mason University, an MFA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Graduate Laban Certificate of Movement Analysis from Columbia College Chicago and has served as dance faculty at the University of Illinois and UW-Madison. John McGrew (Composer, “The Year of Unremarkable Laughter”) is a Brooklynbased singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and front man of the critically acclaimed indie rock trio Apollo Run. McGrew has performed his original compositions in NYC with dance theatre artist Jack Ferver (DTW, Danspace Project, La Mama, DNA), Judith Sanchez Ruiz (The Invisible Dog), and in Minneapolis with Colleen Thomas (Zenon Dance Company). www.johnmcgrewmusic.com and www.apollorun.com Steven Moses (Guest Dancer & Assistant Choreographer, “Bob’s Palace”) graduated from UWM in 2007 with a BFA. After a brief apprenticeship at NYU, he moved to Minneapolis where he appeared with Carl Flink, Mathew Janczewski, and the Minnesota Opera. Next, Steven worked as a guest performer with the Joe Goode Performance Group in their production of Traveling Light in San Francisco. Currently, he is dancing with Your Mother Dances, GERALDCASELDANCE, and is co-producing his first show, ROOFTOP DANCE, which will premiere July 6-7. Steven is also training to become an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and will be an MFA student at the University of Illinois this fall. Andrew Nielsen (Stage Manager) is currently working as the Operations Manager for the Milwaukee Ballet. A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, he trained as a classical opera singer at the Univer-
sity of Utah, but decided to stop singing and pursue a career in Stage Management. For the first six years of his career, Andrew worked as a stage manager for regional opera companies across the Eastern and Southeastern parts of the country. In 1999, he became a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, and began working with the Atlanta Ballet. During that three-year period the Atlanta Ballet produced new productions of Romeo & Juliet, Indigo Girls Project, and a production of Peter Pan which toured to London for one month during the millennium celebration. It was in Atlanta that Andrew began working with Michael Pink (Artistic Director, Milwaukee Ballet) on remounts of Mr. Pink’s productions of Dracula and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In 2001, he became the Director of Production and Events for the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, overseeing all aspects of every touring production in the venue from the backstage side to the front of house. Jaimi Patterson (Guest Dancer & Dance Captain, “Bob’s Palace”) graduated with her BFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008. While at UWM, Jaimi had the opportunity to attend three consecutive American College Dance Festivals, two of which included performance opportunities. Her senior project “sky through a straw” was presented in the 2008 Festival. She has also been featured in Luc Vanier’s works: e’s of water, Triptych and “Love’s Fodder.” Currently, Jaimi is an active member of Elizabeth Johnson’s company, Your Mother Dances and is a sought-after yoga instructor in the Milwaukee area. Jaimi is an Associate Lecturer at UWM and has just begun her in training to become an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Colleen Thomas (Choreographer, “The Year of Unremarkable Laughter”) is a New York-based choreographer and performing artist. She has worked with Nina Wiener Dance Company, Donald Byrd/The Group, Bebe Miller Dance Company, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and The Kevin Wynn Collection among others. In 1997, Summerdances 5
C H O R E O G R A P H E R & C O L L A B O R ATO R B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) a creative collaboration with Bill Young evolved into an intimate company focused on rigorous physicality and dynamic partnering. Now interested in focusing on illuminating her vision of contemporary work, Thomas has formed ColleenThomasDance presenting her work nationally and internationally including in Hong Kong, Estonia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, and Russia and in New York at Joyce Soho, Danspace Project, DNA, DTW, The Miller Theater, Danny K. Playhouse, and The Kumble Arts Center and Minneapolis at the Ritz Theater, Southern Theater, and The New Guthrie. Thomas received her BA in psychology from SUNY Empire State College and her MFA in Dance from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Barnard College of Columbia University. Luc Vanier (Choreographer, “Bob’s Palace”) Luc was a Principal Dancer with Ohio Ballet. His book Dance and the Alexander Technique: Exploring the Missing Link was published by the University of Illinois Press June 2011 and was recently mentioned in Dance Magazine. His research is being recognized by the Center for 21st
Century Studies with a multi-disciplinary grant. His interactive work “Sur_ Rendered” premiered with the Milwaukee Ballet January 2010. He both received his MFA University of Illinois (top ten dance program in US News) and certified as an Alexander teacher in 2001. Since 2011, he became one of 27 training course Directors in the US, training Alexander Technique teachers. www.lucvanier.com. Seth Warren-Crow (Sound Designer) is a sound artist, sound designer, composer, percussionist, and university instructor based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Seth composes music locally and nationally for dance and theater performances and regularly collaborates with performance artist Heather Warren-Crow as warrencrow+warren-crow. Seth received a BA in English and Religious Studies from Lawrence University in Wisconsin and a MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College in California. Seth is an instructor and musical director for the Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He teaches courses in sound art, music, and digital media, and is a sound engineer and composer for dance department performances.
SPECIAL THANKS Proline Entertainment, Edward Winslow, Ken Otte, Nicole Schanen, Kayla Premeau, Iain Court, Pamela Rehberg, Seth Warren-Crow, Ellen Schupper, and especially PSOA Dean Wade Hobgood for all of his support over the past four years.
S U M M E R DA N C E S P R O D U C T I O N T E A M Simone Ferro...................................................................................................................Artistic Director Iain Court.......................................................................... Lighting Designer/Production Manager Seth Warren-Crow........................................................................................................... Music Director Andrew Nielsen...............................................................................................................Stage Manager Will Haglund............................................................................................................... Technical Director Jessica Peck..................................................................................................................Master Electrician Colin Gawronski, Alex Grzybowski......................................................Assistant Stage Managers Kelly Pursley.........................................................................................................................................Crew Andrew Beyer................................................................................................... Costume Construction Heather Hirvela, Karmen Seib.............................................................................................. Wardrobe Dance Production Practicum Students............................................................................. Run Crew Korporate-Media...............................................................................................................Videographer Jessica Kaminski................................................................................................................ Photographer 6 UWM Peck School of the Arts
DA N C E FAC U LT Y A N D S TA F F Simone Ferro................................................................................................Chair, Associate Professor Ferne Caulker-Bronson, Marcia Ruth Parsons...................................................................Professor Darci Brown Wutz, Luc Vanier.............................................................................Associate Professor Christina Briggs Winslow, Gerald Casel............................................Visiting Assistant Professor Gloria Gustafson, Mary D. Hibbard................................................... Associate Professor Emeriti Elizabeth Johnson, Dani Kuepper.............................................................................Senior Lecturer Kayla Premeau........................................................................................................... Program Manager Iain Court ...............................................................................................................Production Manager Seth Warren-Crow......................................................................................... Music Director, Lecturer
P E C K S C H O O L O F T H E A R T S A D M I N I S T R AT I O N Wade Hobgood...................................................................................................................................Dean Scott Emmons.................................................................................................................Associate Dean Mary McCoy..........................................................................................................Assistant to the Dean Sue Thomas........................................................................................................ Administrative Officer Ellen Friebert Schupper............................. Director of Marketing and Community Relations Diane Grace....................................................................................................... Development Director Nicole Schanen.....................................................................................................Marketing Specialist Ken Otte.......................................................................................................................Creative Specialist Randall Trumbull-Holper....................................................................................... Facilities Manager Tianna Conway.......................................................................................................Box Office Manager Christina Barclay..............................................................................................Senior House Manager Grant Goodman,..........................................................................................................House Managers Bob Schaab, Chan Simmala
Please consider making a gift in support of the Ed Burgess Legacy Scholarship Fund.
Send to: UWM Foundation/Ed Burgess Legacy Scholarship Fund 1440 East North Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53202 Or online at uwm.edu/giving Click on Give Online, then Make a Gift Click on Gift Designation and select “Arts� Summerdances 7
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Film June 8-10 Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival at Pridefest
Fine Arts Quartet June 10, 17, 24 & 28 Summer Evenings of Music Reserve your seats today!
Music July 27 University Community Orchestra Concert
Dance June 22-24 Somatophobia July 27-28 Dancemakers 2012
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Fine Arts Quartet Summer Evenings of Music 2012 R A L P H E VA N S
EFIM BOICO
NICOLĂ’ EUGELMI ROBERT COHEN
June 10, 17, 24 and 28 at 7:30pm Helen Bader Concert Hall
Fine Arts Quartet 9
Presented by
The UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts The Fine Arts Quartet season is supported in part by: Co-Presenting Sponsors Sheldon & Marianne Lubar Fund of the Lubar Family Foundation Katharine & Sandy Mallin
Co-Sponsor Dr. Lucile Cohn
Media Co-Sponsor
Additional Media Sponsors
Guest Artist Sponsors Susan DeWitt Davie Dr. Josette B. Grossberg & Dr. Sidney E. Grossberg
Carol & Leonard Lewensohn Kathleen E. Peebles William Schwartz Jane Abelson Zeft
Friends of the Fine Arts Quartet Else Ankel Gary A. Back Anna Mary Baurenfeind-Look Tessa Blumberg Leon & Carol Burzynski Eric & Miriam Cohen Shirley S. Connell Jo Ann Corrigan Michael & Ellen Figueira Darrell & Sally Foell Debra Franzke & James Theselius Bernice Funches Kathleen A. Gallick Emmely C. Gideon Irv & Reesa Gottschalk Robert & Marialyce Gove Ruth Ann Guthmann
Annette Hirsh Reggie & Alvin Holzman Keith Huennekens & Christina Sentz Jeanne Jacobs Jerry & Alice Jacobson Jewish Community Foundation: - Polly & Giles Daeger Donor Advised Fund - PAR Donor Advised Fund - Jack & Barbara Recht Donor Advised Fund P. Rea Katz Robert & Sarajane Kennedy Marcia Kleinerman Marilyn Kraar & Jeff Irwin Norm & Judy Lasca Lenore Lee
Earl M. Lemon Howard & Elaine Myers Robert J. & Nancy Mitchell Patricia Parsons David A. Rasmussen Joyce & Arthur Rumpf Edwin & Jean Stone Estelle & Mort Swerdlow Carol Tishler George W. & Patricia Torphy Prof. Pierre L. Ulllman Jim & Kathie Vint Jim & Linda Wachholz Barbara & Dr. Stanley Weiss Marie E. Weiss Otto A. & Hilde Wiegmann Mark Williamsen Eight Anonymous Donors
Gifts in memory of Wolfgang Laufer Dr. Sheldon Burchman & Ms. Delores Cohen Dr. Lucile M. Cohn Dr. Edith A. Moravcsik
Cassandra A. Plott Barbara & Dr. Stanley Weiss Jane Ableson Zeft Kathleen E. Peebles
All gifts are added to the UWM Foundation/Fine Arts Quartet Fund Donor listing as of 5-13-12 Attire for members of the Fine Arts Quartet has been generously provided by Mark Berman & Son.
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P R O G R A M F O R J U N E 10 , 2 012 Many thanks to Stephen Basson for leading the pre-concert talks for the 2012 Summer Evenings of Music Concerts. String Quartet in G Major, Op.18, No.2.................................................... Ludwig van Beethoven Allegro (1770-1827) Adagio cantabile Scherzo: Allegro Allegro molto quasi Presto String Quartet in E minor (1932, rev 1959)...........................................................Efrem Zimbalist Fantasia: Moderato francamente (1889-1985) Scherzo: Con brio Romanza: Andante con moto Finale: Moto perpetuo (Allegro di molto) -- Intermission -Piano Quintet No. 2 in C minor, Op. 115......................................................................Gabriel FaurĂŠ Allegro moderato (1845-1924) Allegro vivo Andante moderato Allegro molto with Xiayin Wang, piano
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 10 , 2 012 Written by Timothy Noonan, Senior Lecturer – Music History and Literature Beethoven, String Quartet in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2 Among the three giants of string quartet composition in the late eighteenth century, Beethoven was the youngest. He met Mozart on one occasion and studied with Haydn, and more importantly, was well acquainted with their compositions. He probably learned more by studying their works than by face-to-face conversation. Beethoven, then, had a very rich background into which to enter the field of string quartet writing, since each of his two predecessors had penned a formidable literature. He moved to Vienna in 1792, when he was twenty-one, but did not undertake the project of writing a set of quartets (it was conventional to write them in groups of six) until 1798. He did the bulk of the composing in 1799-1800, and the set was published the following year as Op. 18, dedicated to his patron Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz. The order of the published set differs from the order of composition, and no. 2 was not the second written: 3, 1, 2, 5, 4, 6. The third quartet to be composed, that which we call no. 2, is a classical quartet, albeit with the touches of originality that make it pure Beethoven. The first movement is cast in a clear sonata form, with a graceful opening idea and a clearly distinguished secondary theme. Characteristically, the second idea is followed by more fresh material, in the secondary key, before the exposition closes with a cadential phrase taken from the opening theme. This same idea then opens the development, having reverted to the minor. The bulk of the development, though, focuses on the double-dotted portion of the first theme. Beethoven adds tonal variety in the recapitulation with a short presentation of the opening theme in the unlikely key of E major, but otherwise offers a conventional recapitulation with a brief coda, ending with the same idea, taken from the first theme, that ended the exposition and began the development. The slow movement, with an opening theme in three-measure phrases, is cast in an A-B-A scheme, with a mid-section of a quick, scherzo-like character, before the opening returns in an embellished form. The scherzo and trio are laid out in the traditional form, with the exception of a passage that follows the trio. That section is in C major, the subdominant, and the transition Fine Arts Quartet 11
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 10 , 2 012 ( c o n t .) that ensues uses the motive of the scherzo to effect a modulation back to the tonic of the da capo. The finale is in sonata form, albeit eschewing the traditional repeat of the exposition. The cello speaks first, answered by the whole quartet. A curious and highly effective episode in the unlikely key of A-flat major seems like an erroneous recapitulation, before a traditional one proceeds in keeping with classical tradition. A short coda brings Beethoven’s third essay in quartet writing to a close. Efrem Zimbalist, String Quartet in E Minor Of Russian birth, violinist Efrem Zimbalist studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and his talents led him to perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at the prestigious Leipzig Gewandhaus at the age of nineteen. In 1911, in his early twenties, he made his American debut, and his success in this country led to his decision to remain. He married twice, and the actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was born in 1918 to his first wife, the singer Alma Gluck, who died in 1938. His second spouse was Mary Louise Curtis Bok, founder of Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, where Zimbalist was to teach beginning in 1928; he served as its director from 1941 to 1968. He died in 1985 in Reno, Nevada, at the age of 94. In spite of his primary fame in the realm of performance, Zimbalist composed a considerable body of music, including an opera, a violin concerto, and chamber music, including the present string quartet. Initially composed in about 1932, and revised in 1959, the work is set in four movements. The opening Fantasia, in keeping with its title, is quite freely structured, but its form is supported by the periodic return of its main theme, somewhat in the manner of a rondo. A scherzo, with a brief trio section, gives way to a Romanza movement, set in an A-B-A form in which the middle section features contrapuntal textures. The finale, Moto perpetuo (“perpetual motion”) is a vivid display of Zimbalist’s own violin virtuosity, particularly in the brilliant first violin part. Fauré, Piano Quintet No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 115 Gabriel Fauré became director of the Paris Conservatory in October 1905, succeeding Théodore Dubois. There, he instituted considerable reforms, and his reputation and fame grew, leading to prestigious performances of his works. His duties as director left him little time for composition, and when he retired in October 1920, after 15 years in the post, he was 75 years old and welcomed the chance to resume composing actively. This period brought about two important chamber works: the Second Cello Sonata and the present Second Piano Quintet. Though his health was failing, with growing deafness and respiratory problems caused by heavy smoking, he would write two more chamber works in his last years, 1922-24, his Piano Trio and his String Quartet. The Second Piano Quintet, set in the traditional four movements (his first had three), was composed slowly in the years 1919 to 1921 and was dedicated to the composer Paul Dukas. He was 76 when he completed it. The first movement begins quietly as the piano establishes a 16th-note accompaniment pattern involving repeated notes, promptly joined by the viola, announcing the main theme. The piano’s constant activity accompanies the full presentation of the theme and ceases as the strings present the secondary idea. At what seems to be the recapitulation, we hear the main theme at its original pitch level, though now accompanied by harmonies centered around E-flat—but more development follows. The movement ends joyously in C major. In the scherzo, unconventional scales in the piano mix with pizzicato effects in the strings. There is contrasting material, but no trio in the traditional sense. In the slow movement, the strings offer a long, arching theme, to which the piano responds with a short, dotted motive. A second theme, marked by an off-beat accompaniment, follows. Much of the content of the movement is developmental, not adhering to a strict formal plan. The finale features a hemiola effect at the outset in the piano’s left hand, giving a sense of 2/4 time in a 3/4 context. To this is added the opening theme, first heard in the viola, shaped in an arch akin to earlier ideas. Set in a form resembling a rondo, the work concludes amidst brilliant piano figuration in the tonic major.
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P R O G R A M F O R J U N E 17, 2 012 String Quartet in F Major, Op.74, No.2.......................................................................Joseph Haydn Allegro spirituoso (1732-1809) Andante grazioso Menuetto: Allegro Finale: Presto String Quartet No.2 in D Flat Major, Op.15...................................................Ernst von Dohnanyi Andante - Allegro (1877-1960) Presto acciacato Molto adagio - Animato -- Intermission -String Quartet in C Major, Op.59, No.3.................................................... Ludwig van Beethoven Andante con moto - Allegro vivace (1770-1827) Andante con moto quasi allegretto Minuetto: Grazioso Allegro molto
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 17, 2 012 Written by Timothy Noonan, Senior Lecturer – Music History and Literature Haydn, String Quartet in F Major, Op. 74 No. 2 Most of Haydn’s 68 string quartets were published in sets of six, in keeping with the conventions of the day. In two cases, though, sets of six were divided by the publisher into two sets of three: Op. 54/55 (1788) and Op. 71/74 (1793). Op. 74, represented in today’s concert, belongs to a set known as both the “Apponyi” and “Salomon” quartets. The former refers to the Hungarian Count Anton Apponyi, who had been Haydn’s sponsor when he was initiated as a Freemason in 1784, and Johann Peter Salomon was the impresario who took Haydn to London and who played in the quartet when the works were performed for London audiences. Haydn composed the six quartets of Op. 71/74 during the period between his two visits to London, visits that led to the composition of his twelve remarkable “London” symphonies, nos. 93-104. His interim stay in Vienna extended from July 1792 to January 1794, some 18 months. During this period, in addition to composing the set of quartets, he wrote the Symphony No. 99 in E-flat, and he began to teach a young man, newly arrived in Vienna, named Ludwig van Beethoven. A particular feature of the Op. 71/74 quartets is the introduction in the first movement: it is not a traditional slow introduction, but rather a short passage in tempo that precedes the beginning of the exposition, and that does not recur. In this quartet, it is an eight-measure unison fanfare that prepares the opening theme. This quick and ever so satisfying theme is soon repeated a step higher. In a manner characteristic of Haydn, the secondary theme is taken directly from the first one, as the viola plays the opening while the violins offer a countersubject. As the exposition ends, a surprising D-flat – E leads to the repeat, and when the development begins, these same notes, now written as C-sharp – E, lead to the presentation of the opening theme in A major. This substantial development section includes considerable contrapuntal development of the opening of the main theme. As is his wont, Haydn rewrites his exposition in the recapitulation to some degree, and the movement ends with a short coda. The slow movement is a theme with three variations; the second variation strays the most of the original, turning to the minor. In the minuet and trio, the first phrase ends with a surprising C-sharp; it is surely no coincidence that this note, which we noticed in the first movement, is emphasized here again, and when we find the trio set in D-flat major, we are sure it is no coincidence, but rather Haydn’s art. The quick finale, with a theme sounding like a symphony’s finale, features a contrapuntal development section and an uncommonly large coda. Fine Arts Quartet 13
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 17, 2 012 ( c o n t .) Dohnányi, String Quartet No. 2 in D-Flat Major, Op. 15 Ernst von Dohnányi was a Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor. (Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra in the period 1984-2002, is his grandson.) After completing his musical education at the Budapest Academy, Dohnányi went to London while in his early 20s. There he performed Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, establishing himself as a major pianistic talent. His early compositions, too, were well received; his Piano Concerto of 1899 won the Bösendorfer Prize, and now Dohnányi was seen as the greatest composer-pianist Hungary had produced since Liszt. His activity as a chamber musician led him to meet Joseph Joachim, and the celebrated violinist invited him to take a position teaching at the Hochschule in Berlin. He held that position from 1905 to 1915, promoted to Professor in 1908. During this Berlin period, Dohnányi, aside from his teaching duties, continued to compose and concertize. It was the period when he wrote the present work, his second (of three) string quartets, written in 1906. He dedicated it to Dr. Adalbert Lindner, his physician and friend. It received its premiere in Fall 1907 in Berlin, played by the Klingler Quartet. The first movement begins with a short introduction, alternating slow-fast-slow, that opens with a solo melody in the first violin; an expansion upon it appears as the main theme, presented at the outset of the Allegro. This theme appears cyclically in the other two movements. The second theme is marked by a quasi-ostinato cello pizzicato accompaniment. The second movement is in essence a scherzo and trio, though it is not so labeled. The scherzo begins with an arresting solo cello idea, and trio places a sustained, at times modal, melody with a faster-moving repetitive second violin line. The finale is slow, with an interspersed fast section in Hungarian style. A reference to the scherzo’s theme and a return of the first movement’s main theme over a long tonic pedal point close the work quietly. Beethoven, String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3 Beethoven’s creativity in the year 1806 was nothing short of astounding. Having recently completed the second version of his opera Fidelio, he composed his Fourth Piano Concerto, Op. 58, his Fourth Symphony, Op. 60, his great Violin Concerto, Op. 61, and a set of three string quartets, Op. 59. The quartets were mainly written between April and November. They had been commissioned by the Russian ambassador to the Austrian court, Count Andrea Kyrillovitch Razumovsky, who requested that the works contain Russian material. In keeping with this request, Beethoven incorporated such material into the finale of no. 1 and the third movement of no. 2. The work we hear today, no. 3, does not contain overt Russian quotations, but some have suggested that the character of the second movement in an evocation of the Russian style. In 1810 Felix Radicati, an Italian violinist, encountered the newly published quartets while traveling in England. Radicati is said to have commented: “Beethoven, as the world says, and as I believe, is music-mad. For these [pieces] are not music . . . I said to [Beethoven] that he surely did not consider these works to be music? To which he replied, ‘Oh, they are not for you, but for a later age!’” Beethoven scholar Lewis Lockwood has remarked that these three quartets “formed a continental divide in the history of the quartet comparable to the Eroica and ‘Waldstein.’” With the quartets dedicated to Count Razumovsky, Beethoven had opened up a new world. The first movement of the third quartet begins with a slow introduction that is strikingly afield from its main key of C major, somewhat analogous to Mozart’s “Dissonant” Quartet, also in C. When the tempo shifts to Allegro vivace, the material remains introductory, until Beethoven bursts forth with an ebullient and energetic main theme. The secondary theme is set in an imitative texture, perhaps presaging the finale. The development characteristically touches on many keys, before a first violin trill marks the return of the idea that appeared at the change from slow to fast tempo. Substantially rewritten, it leads to the return of the main theme. An ascending chromatic scale leads to the movement’s conclusion. The second movement begins with an arresting forte pizzicato cello note, the dominant, as the first violin, and then the other players, answer. The cello 14 UWM Peck School of the Arts
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 17, 2 012 ( c o n t .) pizzicato comes to be a recurrent idea in this large and masterful slow movement. The third movement is a minuet, not a scherzo. Its initial section eschews the traditional literal repeat, preferring a written-out version one active lower. The trio section is in the subdominant key, a more angular section than the lyrical minuet. After the minuet is given its traditional return, a coda effects a transition to the finale, and thus the movement does not end with the closure we usually find in classical works. The thrilling finale begins in fugal texture, with viola, then second violin, cello, and finally first violin presenting a long and very fast subject. The movement, in sonata form, seems to derive from earlier prominent quartets with fugal finales, like three of the works in Haydn’s Op. 20 and the first of Mozart’s “Haydn” quartets, K. 387. Enjoy the ride: this movement is among the most exciting in the chamber music repertoire.
P R O G R A M F O R J U N E 2 4 , 2 012 String Quartet in D Major, K.575........................................................Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Allegretto (1756-1791) Andante Menuetto: Allegro Allegretto Estampes......................................................................................................................... Claude Debussy Pagodes (1862-1918) La soirée dans Grenade Jardins sous la pluie -- Intermission -Piano Quintet in A major “Trout”, D667................................................................... Franz Schubert Allegro vivace (1797-1828) Andante Scherzo: Presto Thema with Variations: Andante Finale: Allegro giusto with Menahem Pressler, piano Robert Kassinger, bass
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 2 4 , 2 012 Written by Timothy Noonan, Senior Lecturer – Music History and Literature Mozart, String Quartet in D Major, K. 575 Beginning work in 1789, Mozart evidently set out to write a group of six string quartets to dedicate to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, a set known as the “Prussian” quartets. He only completed three of them, however, beginning with the present work, K. 575, written in June 1789, followed the next year by K. 589 in B-flat and K. 590 in F. The king was an amateur cellist, and in a bow to him, Mozart wrote particularly prominent cello passages in these works. It has been argued that the influence of Friedrich Wilhelm had a substantial impact on chamber music writing in general, increasing the equality of the parts and leaving behind the merely supporting, harmonic role of the cello in some earlier works. The first movement of K. 575 begins with a leisurely theme in the first violin that is then taken up by the viola. The king is given ample opportunities to shine, as the cello part presents more solo lines than we often find. Some the cello writing is quite high, allowing the instrument to sing in a melodic register as, for example, at the outset of the secondary theme. Mozart introduces a new theme in the development section, Fine Arts Quartet 15
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 2 4 , 2 012 ( c o n t .) though much of the section is devoted to the reworking of ideas from the exposition. The second movement is a sonata form without development, a non-uncommon approach in slow movements (and opera overtures). At the recapitulation, it is again the cello that presents the main theme. In the minuet, too, the trio section places the cello in relief. And thus it is no surprise when, in the finale, the cello presents the charming theme, in a duet with the viola, that returns over the course of this sonata-rondo form. The next time the theme appears, in the second refrain, the two violins present it. The second episode is largely developmental, and as we often find in Mozart’s later works, now merely alludes to the refrain before restating the first episode. This omitted refrain serves to place the final return of the main theme into relief, bringing to a close one of the most perfect of classical string quartets. Debussy, Estampes Debussy’s Estampes, a set of three piano pieces, was composed in 1903. His major opera Pelléas et Mélisande had received its premiere the previous year, and in this period Debussy was also actively writing music criticism. That same year Debussy began work on his Three Symphonic Sketches called La Mer, one of his most enduring orchestral works, and also worked on his Saxophone Rhapsody. “Pagodes” (Pagodas) is evocative of the Far East, particularly in its use of the pentatonic scale of five notes to the octave, perhaps reflecting Debussy’s exposure to Asian cultures at the two world expositions in Paris of 1889 and 1900. In addition to the pentatonic writing, there is some use of the whole-tone scale as well; both these are representative of Debussy’s interest in moving away from the diatonic major and minor scales that had dominated European music for the past two centuries. “La soirée dans Granade” (Evening in Granada) uses the rhythm of the Habanera to invoke a Spanish flavor. And “Jardins sous la pluie” (Gardens in the Rain) was apparently inspired by an occasion at which Debussy was posing outdoors for a portrait by the painter Jacques-Emile Blanche, during which it started to rain. The opening quotes a fragment from a lullaby that Debussy held dear, called “Do, do l’enfant do,” and the piece is organized in a loose rondo form. Schubert, “Trout” Quintet in A Major for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, and String Bass, D. 667 Perhaps the most popular and beloved work in the chamber music repertoire, Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet was written in 1819, when the composer was 22. The work was evidently commissioned by a wealthy amateur cellist named Sylvester Paumgartner. Two of the quintet’s distinctive features—the scoring that includes a string bass, and the use of variations on Schubert’s song “Die Forelle”—are said to address requests made by Paumgartner. Another uncommon feature is that the work is in five movements, the fourth-movement variations acting as a sort of insertion, and thus creating a sense of divertimento; in this sense, the “Trout” is a briefer cousin to his Octet of 1824, set in six movements. The opening of the first movement of the “Trout” Quintet is like no other. After an initial piano arpeggiation, and above long-held notes in the bass, the strings quietly present the main theme, answered by the piano in octaves in its high register. This piano texture, found elsewhere in the work, is among the traits that mark the piece as marvelously original, and the textures created by the presence of the bass result in sensuous mixtures of extreme ranges. The piano offers the long, elegant secondary theme, alone initially, and increased levels of virtuosity mark the remainder of the exposition. The piano’s high-register octaves are heard again in much of the development section. The recapitulation is offered in the subdominant key, D major; such a non-tonic recapitulation is found in a number of Schubert’s works but is otherwise rare in this period (see the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C, K. 545). The slow movement begins in F major (though it digresses from that key widely), its opening theme presented once again in the piano’s high octaves. Structured in an A-B-A format, the middle section begins in F-sharp minor, intriguingly remote from the main key of F, and then turns to a new idea in D major. When the opening theme returns, it is placed in A-flat major, but the movement comes round 16 UWM Peck School of the Arts
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 2 4 , 2 012 ( c o n t .) to its home key to conclude. A rousing scherzo in A is paired with a more lyrical trio section. The fourth movement is the famed set of variations on Schubert’s own German song “Die Forelle” (The Trout), D. 550, which he had composed some two years earlier (in its first of five versions). The strings alone present the song’s theme, but in the first variation, the piano enters, presenting an embellished version of the tune in high octaves. That texture also pervades the third variation, a virtuosic tour de force for the piano. The fourth variation turns to the minor, and the fifth moves to the key of B-flat, before returning to the home key for a final statement of the theme, close to its original form. In this section, Schubert utilizes some of the same accompaniment figures he used in the song. Opening with a loud octave on the dominant, the fifth movement finale presents a sonata form without development in a structure akin to that of the first movement, with a non-tonic recapitulation that leads to the home key in the end. Here again, the piano’s high octaves, coupled with the deep bass, are highly effective in creating a texture virtually unique to this work (though compare the Piano Trio in B-flat, D. 898). As Robert Winter has written, “the ‘Trout’ Quintet projects a timeless freshness that has ensured its perpetual popularity.”
P R O G R A M F O R J U N E 2 8 , 2 012 String Quintet in D Major, KV 593.....................................................Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Larghetto - Allegro (1756-1791) Adagio Menuetto: Allegretto Allegro -- Intermission -String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op.111.............................................................Johannes Brahms Allegro non troppo, ma con brio (1833-1897) Adagio Un poco allegretto Vivace ma non troppo presto with Guillermo Figueroa, viola
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 2 8 , 2 012 Written by Timothy Noonan, Senior Lecturer – Music History and Literature Mozart, String Quintet in G Major, K. 593 The string quintet, a string quartet with either an added viola (as in Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms) or an added cello (found in Schubert’s great Quintet in C and most of Boccherini’s), was not a highly prominent chamber music category before Mozart, though some formidable examples were written. But the medium certainly brought out the best in Mozart. Critics and audiences have long hailed his six viola quintets as high points in the composer’s output. Mozart enjoyed playing the viola part in chamber music, where he could join in with an existing quartet. Works like these were ideal for home music-making. Mozart’s friend Abbé Stadler reported in 1829 to the publisher Novello that “Mozart and Haydn frequently played together with Stadler in Mozart’s Quintettos.” Mozart’s penultimate string quintet, K. 593, was composed in December 1790, a year before his death. The masterful first movement is structurally quite distinctive. It begins with a slow introduction, not found very often in Mozart. Then, as the Allegro begins, the bold theme comes to rest strongly in the home key (and Mozart uses this same gesture to conclude the movement). The second theme is based upon the Fine Arts Quartet 17
P R O G R A M N O T E S F O R J U N E 2 8 , 2 012 ( c o n t .) first, now cast in a contrapuntal texture. The movement’s most surprising structural anomalies come after the recapitulation when, as a coda, the slow introduction returns, now rewritten somewhat, followed by the above-mentioned first theme, closing the movement. The slow movement, in sonata form, begins lyrically in its main key of G major, soon contrasted with a stormier second idea in the dominant minor. Much of the development section concentrates on a portion of the opening theme. A full recapitulation and coda close the movement quietly. The minuet is replete with off-beat accents and, at times, canonic texture. The trio, in D major, is sheer delight with its long arpeggiated figures. And in the sonata-form finale, a quick opening theme gives way to a fugal second idea, and portions of the development section are also contrapuntal. Brahms, String Quintet in G Major, Op. 111 Brahms composed two string quintets, both viola quintets, and both mature works. The first, Op. 88 in F, was written in 1882, and the second, which we hear today, dates from 1890. It thus stands as the last work he composed before declaring his compositional career over late that year. In fact, though, he did resume composing, only to declare a second retirement in 1894. The Op. 111 quintet is the last of his 24 major chamber works, spanning virtually his entire compositional career, before he came out of retirement and wrote his final four chamber pieces, all scored in ensembles that include the clarinet, in 1891-94. The first movement of the G-major Quintet begins with a long, grand theme presented entirely by the cello, beneath a vigorous accompaniment in the other parts. Then two gentler, lyrical ideas appear, the first in the first violin and the second in the second violin. The energetic development section makes few explicit references to these themes, but hints at the initial idea before it returns for the recapitulation. The cello again sings it initially, though the first violin soon takes it up. Both lyrical themes return, and there is a substantial coda. In the D-minor slow movement, the first violin presents the first theme, a stark idea of simple beauty, and it recurs from time to time in the movement’s rondo-like structure, ending in the major. The G-minor third movement, in a moderate tempo akin to an intermezzo, is lyrical, yet dark. It is paired with a middle section in G major that opens with the duet of violas and the two violins in dialogue. The movement ends quietly in the major with a short reference to the middle section. Beginning off key in B minor, the finale’s rondo theme appears initially in the first viola. The movement is a good example of Brahms’s reception of earlier styles, in that its sonata-rondo form is largely in keeping with those of Mozart and Beethoven. The ending, though, is pure Brahms, as the tempo increases and takes the work to a brilliant close.
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F I N E A R T S Q UA R T E T The Fine Arts Quartet, now celebrating its 66th anniversary, is one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy. Founded in Chicago in 1946, and based at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee since 1963, the Quartet is one of the elite few to have recorded and toured internationally for over half a century. Violinists Ralph Evans and Efim Boico, who have performed together in the Quartet for nearly 30 years, were joined by violist Nicolò Eugelmi in 2009 and cellist Robert Cohen in 2012. Each season, the Fine Arts Quartet tours worldwide, with concerts in such musical centers as New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Mexico City, and Toronto. The Quartet has recorded more than 200 works, over 80 of them with Evans, Boico, and the late Wolfgang Laufer. Their latest releases on Naxos include: the world premiere recording of Efrem Zimbalist’s Quartet in its 1959 revised edition, the world premiere digital recording of Eugène Ysaÿe’s long-lost masterpiece for quartet and string orchestra, “Harmonies du Soir”; Fritz Kreisler’s String Quartet, the two SaintSaëns String Quartets, three Beethoven String Quintets; the Franck String Quartet and Piano Quintet; Fauré Piano Quintets; complete Bruckner chamber music; complete Mendelssohn String Quintets; “Four American Quartets” by Antheil, Herrmann, Glass, Evans; complete Schumann Quartets; and the Glazunov String Quintet and Novelettes. Aulos Musikado released their complete Dohnányi String Quartets and Piano Quintets, and Lyrinx released both their complete early Beethoven Quartets and complete Mozart String Quintets in SACD format. Releases planned for 2012-13 on Naxos include three of Robert Schumann’s greatest chamber works: the Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, and Märchenerzählungen, and three of Saint-Saëns’s most glorious chamber works: the Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, and rarely performed “Barcarolle”. The Quartet’s recent recordings have received many distinctions. Their Fauré Quintets CD on Naxos with pianist Cristina Ortiz was singled out by the 2012 Gramophone Classical Music Guide as a “Gramophone award-winner and recording of legendary status”, and was among the recordings for which musical producer Steven Epstein won a 2009 Grammy® Award (“Producer of the Year, Classical”). The Quartet’s Franck CD was named “Editor’s Choice” by Gramophone Magazine in February, 2010, and their Glazunov, Mendelssohn, and Fauré CD’s were each named a “Recording of the Year” by Musicweb International (2007-2009). In addition, their “Four American Quartets” album was designated a “BBC Music Magazine Choice” in 2008, their Schumann CD was named “one of the very finest chamber music recordings of the year” by the American Record Guide in 2007, and their Mozart Quintets SACD box set was named a “Critic’s Choice 2003” by the American Record Guide. Nearly all of the Quartet’s Naxos CDs were selected for Grammy® Awards entry lists in the “Best Classical Album” and/ or “Best Chamber Music Performance” categories. Special recognition was given for the Quartet’s commitment to contemporary music: a 2003-2004 national CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, given jointly by Chamber Music America and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. The Quartet members have helped form and nurture many of today’s top international young ensembles. They have been guest professors at the national music conservatories of Paris and Lyon, as well as at the summer music schools of Yale University and Indiana University. They also appear regularly as jury members of major competitions such as Evian, Shostakovich, and Bordeaux. Documentaries on the Fine Arts Quartet have appeared on both French and American Public Television. For more information on the Quartet, please visit: www.fineartsquartet.org.
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BIOGR APHIES RALPH EVANS, violinist, prizewinner in the 1982 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (video extract), concertized as soloist throughout Europe and North America before succeeding Leonard Sorkin as first violinist of the Fine Arts Quartet. Evans has recorded over 85 solo and chamber works to date. These include the two Bartók Sonatas for violin and piano, whose performance the New York Times enthusiastically recommended for its “searching insight and idiomatic flair,” and three virtuoso violin pieces by Lukas Foss with the composer at the piano. Evans graduated cum laude from Yale University, where he also received a doctorate. While a Fulbright scholar in London, he studied with Szymon Goldberg and Nathan Milstein, and soon won the top prize in a number of major American competitions, including the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York, and the National Federation of Music Clubs National Young Artist Competition. Evans has also received recognition for his work as a composer. His award winning composition “Nocturne” has been performed on American Public Television and his String Quartet No.1, recently released on the Naxos label, has been warmly greeted in the press (“rich and inventive” - Toronto Star; “whimsical and clever, engaging and amusing” - All Music Guide; “vigorous and tuneful” - Montreal Gazette; “seductive, modern sonorities” - France Ouest; “a small masterpiece” - Gli Amici della Musica). EFIM BOICO, violinist, enjoys an international career that has included solo appearances under conductors Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Guilini, Claudio Abbado and Erich Leinsdorf, and performances with Daniel Barenboim, Radu Lupu and Pinchas Zuckerman. After receiving his musical training in his native Russia, he emigrated in 1967 to 20 UWM Peck School of the Arts
Israel, where he was appointed Principal Second Violin of the Israel Philharmonic - a position he held for eleven years. In 1971, he joined the Tel Aviv Quartet as second violinist, touring the world with guest artists such as André Previn and Vladimir Ashkenazy. In 1979, Boico was appointed concertmaster and soloist of the Orchestre de Paris under Daniel Barenboim, positions he held until 1983, when he joined the Fine Arts Quartet. Boico has been guest professor at the Paris and Lyons Conservatories in France, and the Yehudi Menuhin School in Switzerland. He is also a frequent juror representing the United States in the prestigious London, Evian, and Shostakovich Quartet Competitions. As music professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, he has received numerous awards, including the Wisconsin Public Education Professional Service Award for distinguished music teaching, and the Arts Recognition and Talent Search Award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. NICOLÒ EUGELMI, violist, joined the Fine Arts Quartet in July, 2009. He is described by The Strad magazine as “a player of rare perception, with a keen ear for timbres and a vivid imagination.” As soloist, recitalist, and member of chamber ensembles, he has performed around the world, collaborating most notably with conductors Mario Bernardi, Jean-Claude Casadesus, and Charles Dutoit. Eugelmi completed his musical training at the University of British Columbia and the Juilliard School. In 1999, he was appointed Associate Principal Violist of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and in 2005, he became Principal Violist of the Canadian Opera Company. EugelmI’s recording, Brahms: Sonatas and Songs, was named a “Strad Selection” by The Strad, and his recording, Brahms Lieder, a collaboration with Marie-Nicole Lemieux, was named “Editor’s Choice” by Gramophone. He has recorded regularly for the CBC and Radio-Canada. His mentor, Gerald Stanick, was a member of the Fine Arts Quartet from 1963 to 1968.
B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) ROBERT COHEN, cellist, made his concerto debut at the age of twelve at the Royal Festival Hall London and throughout his distinguished international career, he has been hailed as one of the foremost cellists of our time. “It is easy to hear what the fuss is about, he plays like a God” (New York Stereo Review). “Cohen can hold an audience in the palm of his hand” (The Guardian). Invited to perform concertos world-wide by conductors Claudio Abbado, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, and Sir Simon Rattle, Cohen has also collaborated in chamber music with many eminent artists such as Yehudi Menuhin and the Amadeus String Quartet, with whom he recorded the Schubert Cello Quintet on Deutsche Grammophon. At age nineteen, Cohen recorded the Elgar Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the EMI label, and since then, he has recorded much of the cello repertoire for Sony, Decca, DGG, EMI, and BIS. Cohen, who studied with the legendary artists William Pleeth, Jacqueline du Pré, and Mstislav Rostropovich, is an inspirational teacher who has given masterclasses all over the world. He is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, and is director of the Charleston Manor Festival in the south of England. He joined the Fine Arts Quartet in January 2012.
GUILLERMO FIGUEROA, guest violist Guillermo Figueroa is Artistic Director of The Figueroa Project in New Mexico and Music Director of the Music in the Mountains Festival in Colorado and formerly Music Director of both the New Mexico Symphony and the Puerto Rico Symphony. In the US he has appeared as guest conductor with the symphony orchestras of Detroit, New Jersey, Memphis, Phoenix, Colorado, Tucson, Toledo, Juilliard Orchestra and the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. His international appearances include the Toronto Symphony, Iceland Symphony, the Baltic Philharmonic in Poland, Orquesta del Teatro Argentino in La Plata, Xalápa (Mexico), the Orquesta de Córdoba in Spain and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile. A renowned violinist as well, Figueroa was Concertmaster of the New York City Ballet, and a Founding Member and Concertmaster of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Figueroa has given the world premieres of four violin concertos written for him: Concertino by Mario Davidovsky, at Carnegie Hall with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; Double Concerto by Harold Farberman, with the American Symphony at Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center; Violin Concerto by Miguel del Aguila,
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Fine Arts Quartet 21
B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) with the NMSO and Ínsula, Suite Concertante, by Ernesto Cordero with Solisti di Zagreb in Zagreb. He is a regular performer at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Music in the Vineyards in California, and Music from Angel Fire. Mr. Figueroa studied with his father and uncle at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. At the Juilliard School his teachers were Oscar Shumsky and Felix Galimir. His conducting studies were with Harold Farberman in New York. ROB KASSINGER, guest bassist Rob Kassinger has been a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1993. Prior to Chicago, Rob was a member of New Orleans Symphony, and played Assistant Principal Bass for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. An active chamber musician, Rob has performed with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, the Orion Ensemble, Music of the Baroque, and Daniel Barenboim. He can be heard on Maestro Barenboim’s recording Brazilian Rhapsody on Teldec. His experience as a Jazz performer includes appearances with artists such as Branford Marsalis, Charlie Rouse, and the Woody Herman Orchestra. He is also in demand as a bass guitarist, performing frequently with Liquid Soul and his band
NYCO, whose albums Two and Realize are available from iTunes. As an educator, Rob is Professor of Double Bass at DePaul University. He also serves frequently as Master Clinician and Coach for the East/West Divan, Canton International Summer Music Academy, International Society of Bassists, and the Arizona Bass Players Festival, to name a few. Rob is grateful to have studied with wonderful teachers: Frank Carroll, Homer Mensch, Stuart Sankey and Bruce Bransby. He lives in Chicago with his wife, violinist Carmen Kassinger, and their two daughters. MENAHEM PRESSLER, guest pianist Menahem Pressler, founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, has established himself among the world’s most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans over five decades. Now in his 87th year, he continues to captivate audiences throughout the world as performer and pedagogue, performing solo and chamber music recitals to great critical acclaim while maintaining a dedicated and robust teaching career. Born in Magdeburg, Germany in 1923, Pressler fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and emigrated to Israel. Pressler’s world renowned career was launched after he was awarded first prize at the Debussy
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B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. This was followed by his successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Eugene Ormandy. Since then, Pressler’s extensive tours of North America and Europe have included performances with the orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Oslo, Helsinki and many others.
burn competitions among many others. His former students grace the faculties of prestigious schools of music across the world, and have become some of the most prominent and influential artists and teachers today. In addition to teaching his private students at Indiana University, he continuously presents master classes throughout the world, and continues to serve on the jury of many major international piano competitions.
After nearly a decade of an illustrious and praised solo career, the 1955 Berkshire Music Festival saw Menahem Pressler’s debut as a chamber musician, where he appeared as pianist with the Beaux Arts Trio. This collaboration quickly established Pressler’s reputation as one of the world’s most revered chamber musicians. With Pressler at the Trio’s helm as the only pianist for nearly 55 years, The New York Times described the Beaux Arts Trio as “in a class by itself” and the Washington Post exclaimed that “since its founding more than 50 years ago, the Beaux Arts Trio has become the gold standard for trios throughout the world.” The 2007-2008 season was nothing short of bitter-sweet, as violinist Daniel Hope, cellist Antonio Meneses and Menahem Pressler took their final bows as The Beaux Arts Trio, which marked the end of one of the most celebrated and revered chamber music careers of all time. What saw the end of a one artistic legacy also witnessed the beginning of another, as Pressler continues to dazzle audiences throughout the world, both as piano soloist and collaborating chamber musician, including performances with the Juilliard, Emerson, American, and Cleveland Quartets, among many others.
Among his numerous honors and awards, Pressler has received honorary doctorates from the University of Nebraska, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the North Carolina School of the Arts, six Grammy nominations (including one in 2006), a lifetime achievement award from Gramophone magazine, Chamber Music America’s Distinguished Service Award, the Gold Medal of Merit from the National Society of Arts and Letters. He has also been awarded the German Critics “Ehrenurkunde” award, and election into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2007 Pressler was appointed as an Honorary Fellow of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in recognition of a lifetime of performance and leadership in music. In 2005 Pressler received two additional awards of international merit: the German President’s Deutsche Bundesverdienstkreuz (German Cross of Merit) First Class, Germany’s highest honor, and France’s highest cultural honor, the Commandeur in the Order of Arts and Letters award.
For nearly 60 years, Menahem Pressler has taught on the piano faculty at the world renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he currently holds the rank of Distinguished Professor of Music as the Charles Webb Chair. Equally as illustrious as his performing career, Professor Pressler has been hailed as “Master Pedagogue” and has had prize-winning students in all of the major international piano competitions, including the Queen Elizabeth, Busoni, Rubenstein, Leeds and VanCli-
In addition to recording nearly the entire piano chamber repertoire with the Beaux Arts Trio on the Philips label, Menahem Pressler has compiled over thirty solo recordings, ranging from the works of Bach to Ben Haim. XIAYIN WANG, guest pianist An artist with a winning combination of superb musicianship, personal verve, and riveting technical brilliance, pianist Xiayin Wang conquers the hearts of audiences wherever she appears. As Fine Arts Quartet 23
B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist in such venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, she has already achieved a high level of recognition for her commanding performances. This past fall, Ms. Wang released a recording of the piano music of Earl Wild, including his celebrated Gershwin arrangements, on Chandos. Recently, Ms. Wang appeared in a solo recital at Alice Tully Hall. In October, Ms. Wang participated as soloist at the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, Mexico. In June, Ms Wang travels to Vienna’s Mozart-Saal to perform Richard Danielpour’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 4 (2010) with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Philippe Entremont. More recent concert and recital commitments have taken Ms. Wang throughout the United States at such venues and locations as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Jordan Hall in Boston, Tanglewood, the University of Miami, Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples Florida, the Caramoor Center in Katonah, NY, Saratoga Arts Festival, Coastal Carolina Arts Festival, the Meyer Concert Series at The Smithsonian in D.C., and the East Hawaii Cultural Center on the island of Hawaii. Ms. Wang has also been heard on radio stations WFMT in Chicago and on WNYC’s “Soundcheck” with John Schaefer in New York, among others. Abroad she has appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. Ms. Wang recently released a disc of Franck and Strauss sonatas with violinist Catherine Manoukian on the Marquis label. Naxos has recently released a CD of “The Enchanted Garden,” Preludes Books I and II by Richard Danielpour; Ms. Wang performed the world premiere of Book II at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in May of 2009. Ms. Wang is also recording
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chamber works by Schumann with the Fine Arts Quartet soon to be released. Other recordings have included a solo album for the Naxos label featuring the great Russian composer Aleksandr Scriabin in a range of works from his early Chopinesque period to such later compositions as “Vers la Flamme,” Op. 72 and Deux Danses, Op. 73. In June 2008, Ms. Wang released a highly praised recording of Brahms’s Quartet for Piano and Strings in G Minor, Op. 25 and Quartet for Piano and Strings in C minor, Op. 60 with the Amity Players on Marquis Classics. Her debut CD, “Introducing Xiayin Wang,” was released on the Marquis Classics label in 2007. This disc features works by Mozart, Ravel, Bach, Scriabin and Gershwin. Xiayin Wang completed studies at the Shanghai Conservatory and garnered an enviable record of first prize awards and special honors for her performances throughout China, most notably in the Fu Zhou National Piano Competition, Hang Zhou Instrumental Competition, Zhe Jiang Competition and the National Piano Competition in Beijing. She was heard with some of China’s leading orchestras, including the Beijing Opera House Symphony and the Zhe Jiang Symphony, and in many of the country’s most prestigious concert halls. In addition to her performances in China, Ms. Wang has been heard in Europe with the Tenerife Symphony of Spain. Ms. Wang, who began piano studies at the age of five, subsequently came to New York in 1997 and, in 2000, was awarded the “Certificate of Achievement” by the Associated Music Teacher League of New York, winning an opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall. She also pursued studies at the Manhattan School of Music and won the school’s Eisenberg Concerto Competition in 2002, as well as the Roy M. Rubinstein Award. Xiayin Wang holds Bachelor’s, Master’s and Professional Studies degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.