Music@Menlo 2016 Season Preview Piece - "Russian Reflections"

The Fourteenth Season: Russian Reflections David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors July 15–August 6, 2016 “If the festival excels at exploring the past, it also blazes a trail to the future.”

—San Jose Mercury News

russian reflections Dear Friends, With our 2016 season, we are thrilled to offer a festival that illuminates the cultural dialogue between Russia and the West, from which Russian classical music grew into one of the most powerful and beloved of all musical genres.

Seven Concert Programs connect Russian and Western music through universal concepts.

The reverence for skill inspires our “Mastery” program, which pairs the technically astounding Piano Quintet by Sergei Taneyev with music by Vienna’s most demanding compositional pedagogue, Johannes Brahms. The dignity of grief is movingly illustrated in our “Lamentations” program of Russian, French, and Jewish-inspired music, while the joy of fond remembrance brings the season to an ecstatic conclusion with our final program, “Souvenirs.” Alongside Music@Menlo’s thematic main-stage programs, four Carte Blanche Concerts devote themselves exclusively to Russian repertoire which displays that country’s unsurpassed musical instinct for instrumental invention and flair. Three fascinating Encounter lectures explore Russian music from diverse perspectives, and our popular master class and Café Conversation series will further deepen the festival experience.

A quick glance at the Festival Artists page will reveal delights sure to convince many to make Music@Menlo 2016 a priority, among them the return of the exciting young Russian violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, in the company of his phenomenal duo partner, pianist Wu Qian; the festival debuts of the stunning Calidore String Quartet and one of the world’s great violinists, Kyoko Takezawa; the return of charismatic Tchaikovsky Competition gold medal winner violinist Elmar Oliveira, in the company of cellist Paul Watkins and debut pianist Alon Goldstein; the ascent to the main stage of four spectacular International Program alumni: violinist Katie Hyun, violist Matthew Lipman, cellist Nicholas Canellakis, and pianist Michael Brown; and lastly, but commanding very special attention, our beloved Schubert baritone, Nikolay Borchev, returns to give us Russian songs in his native language.

We hope that you choose to join us for this extraordinary musical and cultural journey through Russia. By its conclusion, we will know that faraway land in the deeply personal way that only music can inspire.

David Finckel and Wu Han Artistic Directors The Martin Family Artistic Directorship www.musicatmenlo.org

Troika Race in Moscow.

Date photographed: February 1, 1959. © Jerry Cooke/Corbis

FESTIVAL ARTISTS Piano Alessio Bax Michael Brown* Gloria Chien Lucille Chung Alon Goldstein* Gilbert Kalish Hyeyeon Park Wu Han Wu Qian* Violin Ivan Chan Nicolas Dautricourt Paul Huang* Katie Hyun * Ani Kavafian Jessica Lee* Sean Lee Elmar Oliveira Alexander Sitkovetsky Arnaud Sussmann Kyoko Takezawa*

Viola Matthew Lipman* Paul Neubauer

Voice Dina Kuznetsova, soprano Nikolay Borchev, baritone

Cello Dmitri Atapine Nicholas Canellakis David Finckel Clive Greensmith Keith Robinson Paul Watkins

Encounter Leaders Ara Guzelimian Stuart Isacoff Michael Parloff

Bass Scott Pingel

*Music@Menlo debut

Visual Artist Andrei Petrov

Woodwinds Tara Helen O’Connor, flute Calidore String Quartet* Jeffrey Myers, violin* Ryan Meehan, violin* Jeremy Berry, viola* Estelle Choi, cello*

Front cover: Celebration Day by Andrei Petrov, 2015, 24 x 24 in., oil on canvas Back cover: Hidden Benefits by Andrei Petrov, 2012, 28 x 34 in., oil on canvas

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A dance lesson in the main hall of the Smolny Institute, St. Petersburg. Russian photographer, twentieth century. Private collection/Calmann and King Ltd./Bridgeman Images

CONCERT PROGRAMS

Music@Menlo’s seven Concert Programs, performed by an elite cast of world-class artists, offer a captivating presentation of Russia’s greatest chamber works, alongside complementary musical selections from the West.

Concert Program I:

Towards the Flame Russia Transformed

Saturday, July 16, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton As Russia marched towards revolution, her music was likewise headed for radical change. The Romantic spirit of Tchaikovsky—nowhere in greater evidence than in his magnificent Serenade for Strings—found its torchbearer a generation later in Sergei Rachmaninov. Meanwhile, Rachmaninov’s boyhood schoolmate Aleksandr Scriabin developed a bold new language of his own, as audacious as it was fiercely expressive. This summer’s first Concert Program follows the course of Russian music at the turn of the twentieth century, from Romanticism vers la flamme (towards the flame). The evening culminates with The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky’s sea-parting masterpiece that forever changed Western music.

Rachmaninov Suite no. 2 in c minor for Two Pianos, op. 17 (1900–1901) Tchaikovsky Serenade in C Major for Strings, op. 48 (1880) SCRIABIN Preludes for Piano

Andante in B Major, op. 16, no. 1 (1894–1895)

Andante in B-flat Major, op. 11, no. 21 (1896) SCRIABIN Vers la flamme, poème, op. 72 (1914) Stravinsky Le sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) for Piano, Four Hands (1911–1913)

Gloria Chien, Lucille Chung, Gilbert Kalish, Wu Han, pianos; Nicolas Dautricourt, Paul Huang, Katie Hyun, Jessica Lee, Ryan Meehan, Jeffrey Myers, violins; Jeremy Berry, Matthew Lipman, Paul Neubauer, violas; Dmitri Atapine, Estelle Choi, cellos; Scott Pingel, bass Members of the Ballets Russes de Diaghilev dance in the Paris production of The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971).

English photographer, 1913. Private collection/Roger-Viollet, Paris/Bridgeman Images

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Concert Program II:

Dark Passions

Shostakovich, Arensky || Mahler, Dohnányi Tuesday, July 19, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Wednesday, July 20, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton The compositional and emotional elements that distinguish Russian musical culture—its opulence, pathos, lyricism, and more—resonate far and wide. This summer’s second Concert Program delves into one of these characteristically Russian elements and reveals it to be truly universal. “Dark Passions” permeate the music of Dmitry Shostakovich and Anton Arensky, whose respective first piano trios bookend the program. Music by these composers’ Central European counterparts, Dohnányi and Mahler, echoes Shostakovich’s and Arensky’s turbulent strains.

Shostakovich Piano Trio no. 1 in c minor, op. 8 (1923) Dohnányi Piano Quintet no. 2 in e-flat minor, op. 26 (1914) Mahler Piano Quartet in a minor (1876) Arensky Piano Trio no. 1 in d minor, op. 32 (1894)

Michael Brown, Gloria Chien, Gilbert Kalish, pianos; Nicolas Dautricourt, Paul Huang, Ani Kavafian, violins; Matthew Lipman, Paul Neubauer, violas; Dmitri Atapine, David Finckel, Clive Greensmith, cellos Gustave Courbet (1819–1877). The Sea, 1873, oil on canvas. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY

Concert Program III:

Elegant Emotion

Tchaikovsky, Glinka || Mozart, Mendelssohn Friday, July 22, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Saturday, July 23, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton The passion and grace of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s musical language have enshrined him as Russia’s most beloved composer and one of classical music’s most cherished voices. Concert Program III traces Tchaikovsky’s deeply personal style back to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose Fifth String Quintet demonstrates the beauty and elegance that so entranced the Russian composer. The program also offers music by another of Mozart’s spiritual descendants, Felix Mendelssohn, whose String Quartet in D Major, op. 44, no. 1, is a perennial favorite from the quartet literature. After the charming Variations on a Theme of Mozart by Mikhail Glinka, the acknowledged father of Russian classical music, the program concludes with Tchaikovsky’s luminous First String Quartet.

Mozart String Quintet in D Major, K. 593 (1790) Mendelssohn String Quartet in D Major, op. 44, no. 1 (1838) Glinka Variations on a Theme of Mozart in E-flat Major for Solo Piano (1822) Tchaikovsky String Quartet no. 1 in D Major, op. 11 (1871)

Michael Brown, piano; Paul Huang, Ani Kavafian, violins; Matthew Lipman, Paul Neubauer, violas; Clive Greensmith, cello; Calidore String Quartet: Jeffrey Myers, Ryan Meehan, violins; Jeremy Berry, viola; Estelle Choi, cello

Henrik Wigström (1862–1923). Rose Trellis Egg, 1907. House of Fabergé.

From the Walters Art Museum

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Concert Program IV:

Romance

Shostakovich, Rachmaninov || Schumann, Dvořák, Fauré, Janáček Wednesday, July 27, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton The element of romance may well be the soul of Russian music, whether manifested in the lovelorn strains of Rachmaninov’s songs for voice and piano or in the provocative verse of Aleksandr Blok, set powerfully to music

by Dmitry Shostakovich. Concert Program IV places these composers alongside the mercurial German Romantic Robert Schumann, the urbane Frenchman Gabriel Fauré, and the ardent Czech nationalists Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček—casting Russia’s uniquely romantic music in sharp relief while revealing an essential character that transcends any cultural divide.

Schumann Piano Trio no. 2 in F Major, op. 80 (1847) Fauré Romance in B-flat Major for Violin and Piano, op. 28 (1877) Dvořák Písnĕ milostné (Love Songs), op. 83 (1888) Rachmaninov Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne (Sing Not to Me, Beautiful Maiden), op. 4, no. 4 (1892–1893) JANÁČEK Pohádka (Fairy Tale) for Cello and Piano (1910)

Shostakovich Seven Romances on Poems of Aleksandr Blok for Soprano, Piano, Violin, and Cello, op. 127 (1967)

Dina Kuznetsova, soprano; Michael Brown, Gilbert Kalish, Hyeyeon Park, Wu Han, pianos; Elmar Oliveira, Arnaud Sussmann, violins; Paul Neubauer, viola; Dmitri Atapine, David Finckel, Paul Watkins, cellos Nils Hans Christiansen (1850–1922). Snow Scene-Wanstead Park, late nineteenth century.

Chenil Galleries, London/Bridgeman Images

Concert Program V:

Lamentations

Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov || Fauré, Bloch Friday, July 29, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Saturday, July 30, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Composed in the same year as Tchaikovsky’s death and dedicated “to the memory of a great artist,” Sergei Rachmaninov’s Trio élégiaque captures an essential component of Russian musical identity. From Glinka to Shostakovich and beyond, Russia’s composers have depicted melancholia with both a dignified nobility and a devastating dolor. Yet through these composers’ empathy and perseverance, Russia’s musical lamentations likewise extol the indomitability of the human spirit, ultimately uplifting the listener from even the darkest despair.

Evident in Mussorgsky’s chilling Songs and Dances of Death, these qualities likewise emerge in the music of Fauré and the Swiss-American composer Ernest Bloch.

Fauré Élégie for Cello and Piano, op. 24 (1880) Bloch Nigun (Improvisation) from Baal Shem: Three Pictures of Hassidic Life for Violin and Piano (1923) Mussorgsky Pesni i plyaski smerti (Songs and Dances of Death) for Voice and Piano (1875, 1877) Rachmaninov Trio élégiaque in d minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, op. 9 (1893, rev. 1907, 1917)

Nikolay Borchev, baritone; Alon Goldstein, Gilbert Kalish, Hyeyeon Park, pianos; Elmar Oliveira, violin; Dmitri Atapine, Paul Watkins, cellos The Company of the Seventh Regiment of Chasseurs pose for the camera, ca. 1915. © Daily Mirror Archive/Mirrorpix/Corbis

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Concert Program VI:

Mastery

Prokofiev, Taneyev || Brahms Tuesday, August 2, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Wednesday, August 3, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton From the nationalist-minded autodidacticism of its beginnings, the modern tradition of Russian classical music bore the unmistakable stamp of its cultural heritage: Glinka and “the Five”—Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov—eschewed Western classicism in order to find their own, distinctly Russian, path. But nearing the turn of the twentieth century, as this tradition developed, a new generation of composers embraced the rigorous technical standards of Brahms and others of their Western counterparts, creating a powerful new repertoire: music as impeccably crafted as the most masterly German scores, yet with its Russian soul blazing more brightly than ever. Concert Program VI celebrates the “Mastery” of Russian music in the generation following Tchaikovsky, juxtaposing music by Prokofiev and Taneyev with the Opus 88 Quintet of Johannes Brahms, whose craftsmanship remains unsurpassed over a century later.

Brahms String Quintet no. 1 in F Major, op. 88 (1882) Prokofiev Sonata in D Major for Flute and Piano, op. 94 (1943) Taneyev Piano Quintet in g minor, op. 30 (1910–1911)

Tara Helen O’Connor, flute; Wu Han, Wu Qian, pianos; Sean Lee, Arnaud Sussmann, violins; Matthew Lipman, Paul Neubauer, violas; Nicholas Canellakis, David Finckel, cellos Alexander Alexeyev (1780–1847). Atelier of the Artist Alexei Venetsianov in St. Petersburg, 1827, oil on canvas. Photo credit: HIP/Art Resource, NY

Concert Program VII:

Souvenirs

Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky || Barber Thursday, August 4, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Saturday, August 6, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Music@Menlo’s 2016 season concludes on a poignant note: Concert Program VII brings together a collection of souvenirs—musical remembrances of things past, faraway, and dear—essential characteristics of the Russian musical spirit. Samuel Barber’s Souvenirs are delectable reminiscences of early twentieth-century New York City. Shostakovich’s Spanish Songs take listeners half a world away but cast an equally heartfelt gaze upon the object of their nostalgia. The festival comes to a thrilling close with Tchaikovsky’s exhilarating Souvenir de Florence, written after the composer spent three months in the birthplace of the Renaissance.

Barber Selections from Souvenirs for Piano, Four Hands, op. 28 (1951–1952) Tchaikovsky Souvenir d’un lieu cher for Violin and Piano, op. 42 (1878) Shostakovich Ispanskiye pesni (Spanish Songs) for Voice and Piano, op. 100 (1956) Souvenir de Florence for String Sextet, op. 70 (1890; rev. 1891–1892) Tchaikovsky

Nikolay Borchev, baritone; Hyeyeon Park, Wu Han, Wu Qian, pianos; Alexander Sitkovetsky, Kyoko Takezawa, violins; Matthew Lipman, Paul Neubauer, violas; Nicholas Canellakis, Keith Robinson, cellos

Viktor Aleksandrovich Hartmann (Gartman) (1834–1873). Sketch of a gate in Kiev, one of the Pictures at an Exhibition, nineteenth century, color litho. Private collection/Sputnik/Bridgeman Images

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Music@Menlo’s 2016 Carte Blanche series explores the potential of four instrumental genres in the hands of Russian composers, through concerts curated by the artists themselves.

Carte Blanche Concert I:

The Russian Piano Alessio Bax, piano, with Lucille Chung, piano

Sunday, July 17, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Celebrated pianist Alessio Bax performs a tour-de-force program of Russian piano repertoire, exploring European Romanticism viewed through the Russian musical tradition, featuring guest pianist Lucille Chung.

Scriabin Piano Sonata no. 3 in f-sharp minor, op. 23, États d’âme (1897) Mussorgsky Hopak from the opera Sorochintsï Fair (arr. Rachmaninov) (1924) Kreisler Liebesleid (arr. Rachmaninov) (1921)

Liebesfreud (arr. Rachmaninov) (1925) Stravinsky Pétrouchka, Ballet in Four Scenes for Piano, Four Hands (1912, 1948)

Carte Blanche Concert II:

The Russian Violin Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin; Wu Qian, piano

Sunday, July 24, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton Russian violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky returns to Music@Menlo, joined by pianist Wu Qian in her festival debut, for a lavish program exploring the stylistic and emotional range of Russian works for violin and piano.

Cui Sonata in D Major for Violin and Piano, op. 84 (1860–1870) Stravinsky Suite italienne for Violin and Piano (arr. from Pulcinella) (1932) Desyatnikov Wie der alte Leiermann for Violin and Piano (1997) Prokofiev Sonata no. 1 in f minor for Violin and Piano, op. 80 (1938–1946)

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Photo: Keith Saunders

Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Carte Blanche Concerts

Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Carte Blanche Concert III:

The Russian Quartet Calidore String Quartet: Jeffrey Myers, Ryan Meehan, violins; Jeremy Berry, viola; Estelle Choi, cello Tuesday, July 26, 8:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton

The Calidore String Quartet’s ambitious Menlo debut program illuminates the powerful force of the Russian string quartet tradition in a program of late-nineteenth-century to mid-twentieth-century masterworks.

Rachmaninov Two Movements for String Quartet (1889?)

Prokofiev String Quartet no. 2 in F Major, op. 92, On Kabardinian Themes (1941) Stravinsky Three Pieces for String Quartet (1914) Shostakovich String Quartet no. 2 in A Major, op. 68 (1944)

Carte Blanche Concert IV:

The Russian Cello David Finckel, cello; Wu Han, piano

Sunday, July 31, 6:00 p.m., The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton David Finckel and Wu Han offer a program which tells the story of Russian cello music from the twilight of the age of the tsars through the twenty-first century.

Shostakovich Sonata in d minor for Cello and Piano, op. 40 (1934) Auerbach Sonata for Cello and Piano, op. 69 (2002) Glazunov Chant du ménestrel (Minstrel’s Song) for Cello and Piano, op. 71 (1900) Rachmaninov Sonata in g minor for Cello and Piano, op. 19 (1901)

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Photo: Carlin Ma

ENCOUNTERS Music@Menlo’s unique Encounter series adds dimension and depth to the festival’s musical offerings. This season, three renowned authorities illuminate diverse facets of Russia’s extraordinary musical evolution.

Searching for the Musical Soul of Russia Led by Michael Parloff

Friday, July 15, 7:30 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School

DmitrY Shostakovich: An Artist’s Chronicle of a Russian Century Led by Ara Guzelimian

Thursday, July 21, 7:30 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School

American Sputnik: Van Cliburn’s Victory in COLD-WAR Moscow Led by Stuart Isacoff

Photo: Carlin Ma

Thursday, July 28, 7:30 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School

ENRICH YOUR EXPERIENCE Music@Menlo offers multiple opportunities for both seasoned concertgoers and new audiences to connect with chamber music and festival artists in engaging and innovative ways.

• Prelude Performances and Koret Young Performers Concerts – These free preconcert and Saturday afternoon performances showcase the extraordinary young musicians of Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute.

Free tickets are required and may be reserved in advance on the day of the concert.

• Master Classes – This Chamber Music Institute series opens a window onto the historic transfer of knowledge, experience, and tradition between generations of gifted musicians.

• Café Conversations – Born of the imagination and wide-ranging expertise of Music@Menlo’s artists, Café Conversations create a forum for informal music- and arts-related discussions, led by the festival’s musicians and guests.

Master classes and Café Conversations are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

Reservations are not available. www.musicatmenlo.org

Photo: Saverio Truglia

Music@Menlo Winter Series 2016–2017 The enriching musical experience of Music@Menlo’s summer festival doesn’t end on August 6.

Save the dates for our 2016–2017 Winter Series concerts, which offer listeners the opportunity to enjoy the festival’s signature programming and world-renowned artists throughout the year.

Konstantin Lifschitz, piano J. S. Bach: SIX PARTITAS FOR KEYBOARD (CLAVIER-ÜBUNG I), BWV 825–830 Thursday, December 8, 2016

Pacifica Quartet

Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Ravel Wednesday, January 11, 2017 Pacifica Quartet: Simin Ganatra, Sibbi Bernhardsson, violins; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Brandon Vamos, cello

QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME

Akiho (Music@Menlo commission, World premiere) and Messiaen Sunday, May 21, 2017 David Shifrin, clarinet; Wu Qian, piano; Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin; cellist to be announced

Music@Menlo TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for Music@Menlo’s 2016 summer festival and 2016–2017 Winter Series go on sale in mid-April.

Online: www.musicatmenlo.org Phone: 650-331-0202 Fax: 650-330-2016

Ticket prices are as follows: Concert Programs: $62–$80 (full price); $20–$35 (under age thirty) Carte Blanche Concerts: $62–$80 (full price); $20–$35 (under age thirty) Encounters: $46 (full price); $20 (under age thirty) Winter Series: $47–$52 (full price); $20–$25 (under age thirty) Prelude Performances and Koret Young Performers Concerts: Because of the popularity of these events, free tickets are required and may be reserved in advance on the day of the concert.

Discounts are available for Subscribers! Visit www.musicatmenlo.org to learn more about the benefits of becoming a Subscriber.

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Tickets go on sale in mid-April: www.musicatmenlo.org | 650-331-0202 Go online to request a season brochure and learn about Subscriber and Member benefits, including discounts and priority ticket processing.

“ For young musicians taking their first steps as chamber musicians, there can hardly be a more inspiring grounding than this forward-looking festival.”

—The Strad

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