NCH International Concert Series 2018/2019
Boston Symphony Chamber Players Tuesday 21 May
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International Concert Series 2018/2019
Welcome/Fáilte Made up of principal players from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players (BSCP) is one of the world’s most distinguished chamber music ensembles. We are delighted to welcome them to the NCH this evening for its International Concert Series debut. Nominated for a Grammy® Award in the category “Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance” for its disc of 20th-century French chamber music, it is a real treat to hear the renowned group perform works by Mozart, Jean Françaix, Beethoven and American composer Michael Gandolfi. Our thanks go to The Irish Times for its continued support as print media partner for the NCH International Concert Series. The current season finale features The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gianandrea Noseda and distinguished international soloists, pianist Daniil Trifonov in his Dublin concerto debut, the orchestra’s principal trumpet Philip Cobb and French viola player Antoine Tamestit (in Berlioz’s Harold in Italy). We will also be announcing details of the new NCH 2019/2020 programme on 27th May with lots of great concerts to look forward to. We hope you enjoy tonight’s concert and we look forward to welcoming you back to the Hall over the coming season.
Simon Taylor Chief Executive
Maura McGrath Chairperson
Board Of Directors Maura McGrath Chair • James Cavanagh • Rebecca Gageby Gerard Gillen • Eleanor McEvoy • Máire O’Connor Michael O’Donovan • John Reynolds • Don Thornhill Patron Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland 1
International Concert Series 2018/2019
Boston Symphony Chamber Players Haldan Martinson, violin Elizabeth Rowe, flute Steven Ansell, viola John Ferrillo, oboe Blaise DĂŠjardin, cello William R. Hudgins, clarinet Edwin Barker, double bass Richard Svoboda, bassoon
with Richard Sebring, BSO associate principal horn Alexander Velinzon, BSO associate concertmaster
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Programme Françaix Dixtuor for Wind Quintet and String Quintet Larghetto Tranquillo—Allegro Andante Scherzando Allegro Moderato Ms Rowe; Messrs. Ferrillo, Hudgins, Svoboda, and Sebring; Messrs. Martinson, Velinzon, Ansell, Déjardin, and Barker Mozart Quartet in F major K. 370 for Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Cello Allegro Adagio Rondeau. Allegro Messrs. Ferrillo, Martinson, Ansell, and Déjardin Michael Gandolfi Plain Song. Fantastic Dances for Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon i. St. Botolph’s Fantasia ii. Tango Blue iii. Quick Step Messrs. Martinson, Ansell, Déjardin, Barker, Hudgins, Svoboda, and Sebring INTERVAL Beethoven Septet in E flat for Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass, Opus 20 Adagio—Allegro Con Brio Adagio Cantabile Tempo Di Menuetto Tema Con Variazioni: Andante Scherzo: Allegro Molto E Vivace Andante Con Moto Alla Marcia—Presto Messrs. Hudgins, Svoboda, Sebring, Martinson, Ansell, Déjardin, and Barker
REMINDERS Mobile Devices Please ensure all mobile devices are switched off during the performance. Camera, Video and Recording Equipment Camera, video and recording equipment are NOT permitted in the auditorium. Intervals and Timings Interval will be 20 minutes. Latecomers will not be admitted until there is a suitable break in the performance. 3
International Concert Series 2018/2019
Boston Symphony Chamber Players
“the string players’ unity of tone and timbre was such that they could have been five fingers on the same hand.” The Boston Globe
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Boston Symphony Chamber Players One of the world’s most distinguished chamber ensembles sponsored by a major symphony orchestra and made up of principal players from that orchestra, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players include first-chair string and wind players from the BSO. Founded in 1964 during Erich Leinsdorf’s tenure as music director, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players can perform virtually any work within the vast chamber music literature by calling upon other BSO members and collaborating with such distinguished artists as BSO Artistic Partner Thomas Adès and pianists Emanuel Ax, Gilbert Kalish, Paul Lewis, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The ensemble’s activities include an annual four-concert series in Boston’s Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory, regular appearances at Tanglewood, and a busy touring schedule. Besides appearances throughout the United States, they have performed in Europe, Japan, South America, and the Soviet Union. In September 2008, sponsored by Cunard® Line, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players performed on the Queen Mary 2’s transatlantic crossing from New York to Southampton, England. In May 2019, the ensemble will perform on tour in Istanbul, Berlin, Munich, Warsaw, Luxembourg, Prague, Aalborg (Denmark), Aarhus (Denmark), and Dublin. To mark the 50th Anniversary Season of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players in 2013-14, the Boston Symphony Orchestra commissioned new works for the Chamber Players from Gunther Schuller, Yehudi Wyner, Sebastian Currier, Kati Agócs, and Hannah Lash, and reissued as downloads on BSO Classics the historic recordings made by the ensemble’s original membership for RCA between 1964 and 1968. Their more recent recordings on BSO Classics include an album of Mozart chamber music for winds and strings; a disc of chamber music by American composers William Bolcom, Lukas Foss, Michael Gandolfi, and Osvaldo Golijov; “Profanes et Sacrées,” a Grammy-nominated disc of 20th-century French chamber music by Ravel, Debussy, Tomasi, Françaix, and Dutilleux; and, most recently, arrangements for chamber ensemble of serenades written originally for orchestra by Brahms (his Serenade No. 1 in D, Opus 11) and Dvořák (his E major string serenade, Opus 22).
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Programme Notes Jean Françaix (1912-1997) Dixtuor for wind quintet and string quintet (1986) ‘Among the child’s gifts I observe above all the most fruitful an artist can possess – that of curiosity.’ Maurice Ravel (writing about Jean Françaix to his father) Larghetto tranquillo - Allegro Andante Scherzando Allegro moderato For their first visit to Dublin the Boston Symphony Chamber Players present four masterworks ranging from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century in the final concert of their Nine-City European Tour from 9-21 May 2019. The first work on the programme, Dixtuor for wind quintet and string quintet, illustrates the enduring power of chamber music for performers and audience alike. The French composer, Jean Françaix, came from a musical family, his mother was a singer and his father, Alfred, was director of Le Mans Conservatoire. His musical talent as a child was recognised by Ravel, who advised Alfred: ‘You must not stifle these precious gifts, now or ever, or risk letting this young sensibility wither’. Françaix later studied composition with Nadia Boulanger and piano with Isadore Philipp at the Paris Conservatoire, where he won a premier prix in 1930. He had a very successful career in France as a pianist and composer and performed his own works at concerts in Berlin, Vienna, London, New York and Boston. His prolific output included chamber and solo instrumental music, songs, ballets, and operas, and he continued to compose substantial orchestral works until the 1990s. He dismissed atonality, revived traditional forms and genres in neo-classical style and had a particular skill in writing for wind instruments. One of his later compositions, Dixtuor, was commissioned by
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the Linos Ensemble and premiered by them on 8 July 1987 at Bad Kissingen, Bavaria. The four-movement work, scored for 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn, is rooted in the tradition of the 18th century divertimento - music for entertainment – with a modern twist. There is a bucolic atmosphere in the relaxed opening Larghetto as wind and strings set the scene. The conversation becomes animated in the busy Allegro as the different voices compete to be heard. Following a quieter interlude the colourful narrative continues until the discussion ends suddenly with an interrogative cadence. In the melancholy Andante a long-breathed melody is passed from one wind instrument to another and back again, fading to a peaceful resolution in the closing bars. From the first notes of the Scherzando it is obvious that it is time for fun, as the composer plays tricks with the rhythmic and melodic motifs in waltz metre and exploits the range of the wind instruments. There is a cartoon-like character about the balletic Trio section before the jaunty Scherzo returns. The Allegro moderato is a humorous perpetuum mobile, with hints of gipsy violin music and flute changing to piccolo, until at the last moment there is a surprise ending. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Quartet for oboe and strings in F major K 370 (1781) i Allegro ii Adagio iii Rondeau. Allegro In 1777 Mozart met the German musician Friedrich Ramm (1744-1813), twelve years his senior, in Mannheim, where he was principal oboist in the court orchestra. He gave him a copy of his oboe concerto in C and wrote enthusiastically in a letter to his father about Ramm’s playing and his ‘delightfully pure tone’. Ramm performed the concerto five times in the following year. In 1781 they met in Munich where Ramm was now principal oboe of the orchestra of the Elector of Bavaria. Mozart was working there on the production of his 7
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opera Idomeneo and the meeting gave him the incentive to compose a work for his friend. The Quartet for oboe and strings reflected Ramm’s virtuosity and expressive playing, together with recent improvements to the instrument. The unusually high range of the oboe part – up to high F - brings a brightness to the texture of the outer movements. From the opening notes of the Allegro the oboe leads a merry dance in a sparkling dialogue with the strings. The plaintive timbre of the oboe in the soulful Adagio in D minor, embodies Mozart’s unerring ability to match the music to the character of the instrument. The joyful Rondeau recalls the opening theme of the first movement. Semiquaver passagework and octave leaps enliven the proceedings until the third episode, in the minor key, when the string accompaniment in compound time is combined with dazzling scales in common time in the oboe part. The final reprise of the Rondeau theme ends with a hint of nostalgia as the oboe rises quietly to the high note F. Michael Gandolfi (b.1956) Plain Song. Fantastic Dances for strings and wind (2005) i St. Botolph’s Fantasia ii Tango Blue iii Quick Step ‘A big part of composing is exploring what you have found that is uniquely yours. Finding and developing your voice is the most important thing. The great composers of any age and music style all found their own angle.’ Michael Gandolfi The American composer Michael Gandolfi came to classical music composition via the eclectic route of jazz, blues and rock. As a teenager his first piece was an octet for wind and strings. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and later at the New England Conservatory of Music where he is now Chair of the Composition Department. He also had a long relationship with the Tanglewood Music Center, where he studied composition with Leonard Bernstein and Oliver 8
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Knussen. His orchestral works have been commissioned and premiered by the principal American orchestras. In the mid 1990’s he began a long association with the Boston Symphony Orchestra that included several commissions of significant orchestral and ensemble compositions. The chamber work, ‘Plain Song. Fantastic Dances’, for violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, bassoon and horn (the same ensemble as Beethoven’s Septet) was commissioned for the Boston Symphony Chamber Players by the philanthropic St. Botolph Club, Boston, for the 125th anniversary of its foundation in 1880. The first performance took place at Jordan Hall on 23 October 2005. In the programme note the composer wrote: ‘At the time I wrote this piece I was studying Stravinsky’s "Apollon Musagete", admiring the paintings and photographic collages of David Hockney, and reading Boris Vian’s Autumn in Peking.’ The Gregorian chant on which the first movement, ‘St. Botolph’s Fantasia,’ is based, and which recurs briefly in the finale, is in deference to the seventh-century English monk, from whom the name of the city of Boston originated. In the second movement, ‘Tango Blue’, a rhythmic pizzicato ushers in bluesy jazz melodies on clarinet, horn and bassoon, evoking a shadowy tango. There is a process of improvisation as the dance continues to build up momentum, until the final phrases recall the atmosphere of Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances. In the Scherzo-like finale, ‘Quick Step’, a frenetic Irish jig works itself into a contrapuntal frenzy until it finally runs out of steam. Since its premiere the playful work has become a valuable addition to the chamber music repertoire. It was recorded in 2011 by Boston Symphony Classics in an Album of Chamber Music by American Composers, and was played at concerts in Berlin and Munich by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players during their recent Nine-City European tour. INTERVAL
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Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Septet for strings and winds in E flat major Op. 20 i Adagio – Allegro con brio ii Adagio cantabile iii Minuet iv Theme and variations v Scherzo vi Andante con moto alla marzia – Presto The Septet for strings and wind is one of Beethoven’s most popular works. It was first heard at a private party in Vienna held by one of Beethoven’s patrons, Prince Schwarzenburg and then performed in public at a benefit concert in the Royal Imperial Court Theatre on 3 April 1800, at which Haydn, ‘the Princely Kapellmeister,’ was probably present. The concert also included the premieres of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 1 and his piano concerto no. 1 in C, a symphony by Mozart and two arias from The Creation. Beethoven’s lifelong friend, the famous violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, performed at the premiere of the Septet and it is likely that he inspired the virtuosic violin part in the work. At this time Beethoven had been living in Vienna for seven years. He was well-known as a pianist and keyboard improviser and had composed two piano concertos and chamber music. The performance of his first symphony was a very significant event for him, but it received a rather lukewarm reception, whereas the Septet was an instant success. It was ‘most humbly and obediently dedicated’ to Her Majesty the Empress Maria Theresa, second wife of Emperor Franz, and was published two years later, followed by numerous arrangements. Beethoven himself seemed to resent its popularity and wrote to a publisher: ‘Do send my septet into the world a little more quickly – because the rabble is waiting for it.’ Perhaps he felt that his other more serious works were overshadowed by its popularity.
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The genesis of the Septet, in six movements, was the divertimento/serenade which was a favourite chamber music genre in the mid-eighteenth century. The first movement begins Adagio, with a stately introduction announcing the lively Allegro con brio in sonata form. The thematic material is overflowing with buoyant motifs, which are shared democratically between the seven instruments throughout the movement with charm and invention. The opening clarinet melody of the spacious Adagio cantabile, followed by an expressive violin and horn response, paves the way for a succession of contrasting interventions by strings and wind. After a darker section featuring horn and strings the clarinet melody returns, culminating in a violin solo and cadenza. The theme of the sprightly Minuet is taken from Beethoven’s earlier keyboard sonata in G, op. 49, no. 2, spiced up by horn and clarinet in the faster middle section. The march theme of the fourth movement, based on a Rhenish folksong, ‘Ach Schiffer, lieber Schiffer’, is treated to five variations and an extended coda, with a lightness of touch that highlights the various characteristics of the instruments. There is good humour too in the hunting horn theme of the Scherzo while the cello provides a lyrical cantilena in the Trio. The finale, Andante con moto, alla marzia, begins with a dramatic slow introduction in the minor key, before it launches into a vigorous Presto in symphonic style. Following some intricate fugal activity in the development there is an elaborate violin cadenza before the main theme dominates the final section, ending the movement with flamboyant violin flourishes. According to Beethoven’s friend Carl Czerny ‘He could not endure his septet and grew angry on account of the universal applause it received.’ When Beethoven’s scores were sold at auction in 1827 the original score of the Septet realised 18 florins, whereas the autograph score of Missa Solemnis was sold for 7 florins. Programme Notes by Ita Beausang
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International Concert Series 2018/2019
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International Concert Series 2018/2019
Text and Translations Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Enfant, si j'étais roi Text by Victor Hugo (1802-1885)
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International Concert Series 2018/2019
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International Concert Series 2018/2019 Daniil Trifonov
International Concert Series 2018/2019
Antoine Tamestit
London Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda
Philip Cobb
conductor
Daniil Trifonov piano Philip Cobb trumpet Antoine Tamestit viola Friday 14 June 8pm Beethoven Egmont Overture in F minor, Op. 84 Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 35 for piano, trumpet and strings Berlioz Harold in Italy Op. 16
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