Program Notes
Terzetto in C Major, op. 74 (1887)
In January 1887, Antonín Dvořák composed his Terzetto in C Major, op. 74, scored for two violins and viola. At the time, the Dvořák family had a lodger in their Prague home, Josef Kruis, a chemistry student. Kruis, an amateur violinist, was the violin student of Jan Pelikán, a member of the Prague National Theater Orchestra. Dvořák, a talented violist in his own right, intended the Terzetto as a piece he could perform with Kruis and Pelikán. But the Terzetto proved beyond Kruis’s technical abilities. And so, Dvořák immediately composed a new work for the same complement of instruments, titled Miniatures. Dvořák rescored the Miniatures for violin and piano. And it is in that latter arrangement, Four Romantic Pieces, op. 75b, that the work is best known.
When Dvořák wrote his Terzetto, the Czech composer was at the height of his fame and powers. And despite the modest and intimate circumstances of its creation, the Terzetto has long remained a concert favorite.
I. Allegro ma non troppo
The opening movement begins with the first violin singing an elegant, flowing melody, marked espressivo. Throughout the movement, this melody alternates with a more agitated, quicksilver episode. A final return of the melody leads to a series of chords, initially fortissimo, then pianissimo. The Larghetto follows without pause.
II. Larghetto
The first violin introduces a flowing melody in 6/8 time, marked dolce and molto espressivo. The ascending and descending contour of the melody also provides the basis for the ensuing dotted-rhythm episode, and the slow-tempo movement’s dolce concluding section, capped by the shimmering ppp final bars.
III. Scherzo
The Scherzo is in the spirit of a rustic country dance. Dvořák explores a wide variety of techniques and colors, including bowed and pizzicato notes, double-stops, and sul ponticello effects (the last, requiring the strings to play close to the bridge, produces an eerie, glassy sound). The central Trio section (poco meno mosso) is by contrast, a leisurely waltz. The movement concludes with a repeat of the Scherzo.
5
IV. Tema con variazioni
The finale is in the form of theme and variations. The first violin leads the introduction of the principal theme (poco adagio), cast in recitative style. A series of variations on the theme follows, culminating in the vigorous fortissimo closing bars.
Sonata (Duo) for Violin and Cello, M. 73 (1920–1922)
Maurice Ravel’s relationship with Claude Debussy (1862–1918) was marked by complexity. Throughout his life, Ravel maintained a profound respect for the great French composer, deeming him “the most phenomenal genius in the history of French music . . . His genius was obviously one of great individuality, creating its own laws constantly in evolution, expressing itself freely, yet always faithful to the French tradition. For Debussy, the musician and the man, I have had profound admiration, but by nature I am different from Debussy . . .” And to be sure, the composers’ personal relationship encountered challenges, some outside their control. To a degree, the composers were victimized by their respective supporters and the press, who delighted in debating the relative merits of Debussy and Ravel’s music. Louis Laloy, Debussy’s first French biographer, commented: “I did everything in my power to prevent a break between them, but too many stupid meddlers seemed to take pleasure in making it inevitable, by sacrificing, for example, Debussy’s Quartet on the altar of Ravel’s . . .” Ravel finally wrote to Debussy: “It is probably better for us, after all, to be on frigid terms for illogical reasons.”
But Ravel’s admiration for Debussy, the composer, never wavered. After Debussy’s death in 1918, Henri Prunières commissioned several prominent composers, including Ravel, to contribute a brief memorial work for publication in La Revue musicale. Ravel composed a movement scored for violin and cello, which premiered, along with the other commissioned works, at a Debussy memorial concert in Paris on January 24, 1921. During the next several months, Ravel added three movements to the existing Allegro, expanding the work into a four-movement composition, dedicated “To the Memory of Claude Debussy.” It premiered at the Paris Salle Pleyel on April 6, 1922, with violinist Hélène JourdanMorhange and cellist Maurice Maréchal. At the time, the work was titled Duo for Violin and Cello. When first published later that year, it was renamed Sonata for Violin and Cello.
Ravel commented: “I believe this Sonata marks a turning point in the evolution of my career. Economy of means is here carried to extreme limits; there are no harmonies to charm the ear; but a pronounced reaction in favor of melody.” Within the composer’s professed “economy
6
of means,” Ravel’s Sonata offers a brilliant fusion of thematic creation and development, couched in a breathtaking instrumental palette. Ravel’s friend, music critic Roland-Manuel described the Sonata as “bristling with virtuosity and lyricism which spits like an angry cat . . .”
I. Allegro
The violin repeats an ascending and descending figure, over which the cello introduces the first of two principal themes, each of which will return in various guises throughout the Sonata. The violin presents the wide-ranging second theme. The development and varied restatement of the themes resolve to the mysterious final measures.
II. Très vif
The Sonata’s scherzo movement juxtaposes 3/8 and 2/8 time signatures, the foundation for music of extraordinary energy and force. A brief contrasting episode (Moins vif) is swept aside by the scherzo’s even more imposing reprise.
III. Lent
The cello presents the mournful first theme of the Sonata’s slowtempo movement. The cello also introduces the flowing second theme. The music builds to an anguished climax before resolving to a reprise of the opening section, now played by muted strings, and leading to a peaceful close.
IV. Vif, avec entrain
The cello launches the closing movement with a fanfare motif, in turn the opening of the finale’s central dance melody. The finale is a tour-de-force of thematic invention, irrepressible energy, and variety of instrumental colors. The fortissimo dash to the finish culminates in a pizzicato chord.
Trauermusik (Mourning Music) for Viola and Strings (1936)
In addition to his achievements as a composer, Paul Hindemith was a highly accomplished conductor and violist. For example, on October 3, 1929, Hindemith was the soloist in the world premiere of William Walton’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra.
On January 19, 1936, Hindemith arrived in London for a scheduled January 22 concert at Queen’s Hall. Hindemith was to appear as viola soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Sir Adrian Boult, but on January 20, King George V died. It was clear that the music previously scheduled for the concert was now inappropriate.
7
The artists could not agree on substitute repertoire. And so, Hindemith volunteered to compose a new work, dedicated to the memory of King George V. At 11:00 a.m. on January 21, Hindemith began composing his Trauermusik (Mourning Music) for Viola and Strings, completing the piece at 5:00 p.m. that afternoon. The rehearsal and premiere took place the following day at London’s BBC Studios. The composer was soloist and Boult conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Hindemith’s Trauermusik is in four brief sections, played without pause. The final section is Hindemith’s setting of the beautiful chorale, Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit (Before Your throne I now appear). Johann Sebastian Bach previously arranged this music as the last of his Leipzig 18 Chorale Preludes (BWV 651–668).
Octet in C Major, op. 7 (1900)
George Enescu remains the most prominent of Romanian musicians. He was born in the province of Moldavia. At the age of seven, Enescu attended the Vienna Conservatory where he studied violin, chamber music, harmony, and composition. Enescu then traveled to Paris and studied at the National Conservatory, where his teachers included the distinguished French composers, Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré. Enescu also studied counterpoint and fugue with André Géldage. Enescu established himself as a composer and virtuoso violinist of the first order, as well as a highly accomplished pianist and conductor.
Most of Enescu’s artistic life was centered in Paris. Enescu also made several visits to the United States, the earliest in 1923. Despite his busy international schedule, Enescu found time to return to his native country, where he contributed much to Romanian musical life. However, once the Communists took control of Romania after World War II, Enescu left his native country for the duration of his life.
Among his pupils were several eminent violinists, including Arthur Grumiaux and Yehudi Menuhin. Menuhin began studies with Enescu in Paris during the American-born prodigy’s second decade. Menuhin described his teacher, mentor, and friend as: “the absolute by which I judge all others . . . the most extraordinary human being, the greatest musician, and the most formative influence I have ever experienced.”
Enescu was a versatile composer whose catalog includes several chamber pieces, shorter orchestral works (the Romanian Rhapsodies, op. 11, being the best known), symphonies, and the lyric tragedy, Oedipe. Enescu completed his Octet for Strings in C, op. 7, in 1900, the year following his graduation from the Paris Conservatoire. Enescu dedicated the work to André Géldage. During 1900, Enescu was performing (as
8
violinist, pianist, and conductor) in numerous concerts in Paris and Bucharest. It appears that the Octet had its premiere in Paris on December 18, 1909, as part of “Soirées d’Art” concert presenting works by Enescu. Like Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings (1825), Enescu’s Octet would be a remarkable achievement for a composer at the height of his maturity, let alone one still in his teenage years.
The score of the Octet contains the following preface by the composer: This Octet, cyclic in form, presents the following characteristics: it is divided into four distinct movements in the classic manner, each movement linked to the other to form a single symphonic movement, where the periods on, an enlarged scale, follow one another according to the rules of construction for the first movement of a symphony. Regarding its performance, it is to be noted that too much emphasis should not be given to certain contrapuntal artifices in order to permit the presentation of essential thematic and melodic elemental values. This work can be played with a full string orchestra on condition that certain singing parts be entrusted to soloists. I leave it to the judicious choice of the conductor to decide which passages are to be played solo.
The Enescu Octet is scored for a double string quartet—four violins, two violas, and two cellos.
I. Très modéré
The opening movement is based upon a pair of extended themes. The wide-ranging first theme is presented at the outset by the ensemble, in unison. After the opening theme reaches a fortissimo resolution, the first violin and first viola introduce, in canon, the second principal theme, marked très doux. The themes undergo the traditional development and varied restatement of this sonata form movement. In the final measures, the muted first violin intones the initial theme over sustained accompaniment by the remaining members of the ensemble. The composer directs that a short pause be taken after the movement’s hushed conclusion.
II. Très fougueux
The expressive marking for the second movement, très fougueux, may be translated as “very fiery” or “very impetuous.” The movement serves as the Octet’s scherzo, with energetic, irrepressible, and forceful music in the spirit of a danse macabre. That music alternates with a far more elegant sequence (Moins vite). The frenetic energy of the closing measures finally subsides, leading to the third movement, which follows without a break.
9
III. Lentement
The slow-tempo movement opens with hushed music, in the spirit of a nocturne, played by muted strings. Midway, the mood brightens, as the first violin soars over the ensemble (Plus animé). Toward the close, the music takes on a restless character, leading to the finale, which again ensues without pause.
IV. Mouvement de Valse bien rythmée
The finale is a series of waltzes, encompassing an impressive variety of moods and instrumental colors. Echoes from previous movements appear as well, as the Octet propels to a vibrant conclusion.
—Program notes by Ken Meltzer
Performer Biographies
Michael Barenboim, violin and leader
Michael Barenboim’s 2011 performance of Schoenberg’s Violin Concerto with Pierre Boulez in the Cologne Philharmonie was the beginning of a remarkable career. Following this celebrated debut, he has since performed the Schoenberg concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic under Daniel Barenboim, the Chicago Symphony under Asher Fisch, the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, and the Berlin Philharmonic under Vasily Petrenko. Barenboim regularly gives solo recitals in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, such as Wigmore Hall in London, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Sydney Opera House, and Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. He presented a program with works by Pierre Boulez in Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Opéra National de Paris, the Barbican Centre in London, the Dortmund Konzerthaus, and the Salzburg Festival.
Barenboim has premiered numerous new works by composers including Jörg Widmann, Kareem Rouston, and many others. He is a professor for violin and chamber music at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin and has been the academy’s dean since 2020. In addition, he founded the West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, a group derived from the world-renowned orchestra of the same name, and continues to spread its message of dialogue and understanding in a more intimate setting. He
10
Photo by Marcus Hoehn
has taken this ensemble on tours in the United States and Europe since its creation in 2020.
Since the beginning of the COVID–19 pandemic, Barenboim has performed with numerous orchestras. The 2022–2023 season has him touring South Korea with WKO, as well as performances all across Europe. Soloist and chamber music partners include Anne-Sophie Mutter, Pinchas Zukerman, and Daniel Hope.
Barenboim’s first solo album featured compositions by Bach and Bartók as well as Boulez’s Anthèmes 1 and 2. In 2018 there followed a CD with works by Tartini, Berio, Paganini, and Sciarrino. For Deutsche Grammophon, Barenboim has recorded the Mozart piano quartets and trios as well as the complete Beethoven piano trios—together with Kian Soltani and Daniel Barenboim.
West-Eastern Divan Ensemble
The West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, led by the orchestra’s concertmaster Michael Barenboim, draws upon players of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. The ensemble is the most recent imprint of this project and brings the highly praised artistry of the large orchestra into an intimate chamber music format. In 2020, when the orchestra celebrated its 20th anniversary, Barenboim—who as a soloist has recently appeared with Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, and Chicago Symphony—founded this ensemble to spread the ideas behind the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra even further and to give the public an opportunity to experience the musicians’ unique artistry and personalities up close.
The first tour of the West-Eastern Divan Ensemble took place between the months of February and March 2020 in the United States. The ensemble performed chamber music repertoire from the Romanticism, 20th century, and contemporary periods. The second international tour saw the ensemble perform throughout Europe between the months of October and November 2022.
11
Photo by Peter Adamik
20TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
The foundation of the performing arts at Emory began with the vision and gifts of Flora Glenn Candler and came to full fruition in this exquisite venue with the support of Donna and Marvin Schwartz. The 2022–2023 season marks 20 years of world-class performances at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.
