VCHpresents Chamber: Sparkle & Serenity - Beethoven and Mozart

SPARKLE & SERENITY BEETHOVEN AND MOZART

16 APR 2021 - 30 APR 2021 WATCH THE STREAM ONLINE ON SISTIC LIVE

PROGRAMME

Jeremy Lee, presenter MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581 I. Allegro II. Larghetto III. Menuetto IV. Allegretto con variazioni

30 mins

Ma Yue, clarinet Kong Xian Long, violin Chikako Sasaki, violin Wang Dandan, viola Jamshid Saydikarimov, cello BEETHOVEN Piano Quartet No. 3 in C major, WoO 36 I. Allegro vivace II. Adagio con espressione III. Rondo. Allegro Zhao Tian, violin Luo Biao, viola Chan Wei Shing, cello Albert Tiu, piano

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20 mins

PROGRAMME NOTES WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581 I. II. III. IV.

Allegro Larghetto Menuetto Allegretto con variazioni

When Mozart first heard the clarinet at the age of eight, both he and the instrument were musical novelties. A descendant of the baroque chalumeau, which makes occasional appearances in the music of Vivaldi and Zelenka, it gradually became a standard feature of orchestras by the time Mozart began seriously writing operas and symphonies - it could have been said to mature along with Mozart’s career.

While the clarinet had solo concerti written for it, Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.1 in 1789 was the first real chamber work to utilise it, establishing the instrument’s place as an instrument for chamber music. The work itself has remained a firm favourite in the concert repertoire.

Opening with an Allegro in sonata form, Mozart gives us an undulating first theme as a dialogue balancing the clarinet and the strings. Having settled comfortably, the clarinet gives us the second theme as it dances above the syncopated strings in an almost jazz-like manner. Perhaps it was this carefree abandon that motivated the great jazz clarinettist Benny Goodman, at the height of his career after 30 years of playing, to relearn his clarinet technique from scratch in order to play Mozart’s clarinet quintet and concerto?

In the slow movement, Mozart mutes

the strings to allow the clarinet to shine through with a lyrical and arialike melody, creating a certain relaxed magical peace one also sees in the slow movements of the Flute & Harp Concerto and his Piano Concerto No. 21. The third movement is a menuet with two trios (one more than usual), and the strings return to emphasise their equal partnership in the work, making the first trio their own, before letting the clarinet and first violin dance a country waltz in the second trio.

The finale consists of a theme and six lively variations where Mozart takes us through his inventiveness in adjusting rhythm, tonality, speed, and texture, before the cheery coda to end. In some ways, this work is the clarinet’s comingout party, and what a party it is indeed.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Quartet No. 3 in C major, WoO 36 I. Allegro vivace II. Adagio con espressione III. Rondo. Allegro Teenagers get bored easily and like novelties, or so the stereotype goes. At 14, Beethoven tried his hand at writing piano quartets, a rare genre barely explored except by Mozart, who wrote two the same year. Almost true to the stereotype, Beethoven wrote three and never composed in the genre again, but these were foundational for a genre that was not to mature until Brahms.

The Piano Quartet No. 3 in C major, WoO 36, while appearing as the third in the posthumous edition by Artaria, it appears as the first in manuscript, indicating it was the earliest predating Mozart’s piano quartets.

Some scholars think this work was modelled on Mozart’s Violin Sonata in C major K 296, but at any rate Beethoven felt it was worthy enough a work to reuse some of the thematic material for his Piano Sonata in F minor Op. 2/1 later in life.

The opening Allegro vivace is fast and lively, distinctly Viennese in its lightness and grace. The piano takes prominence while the strings are relegated to being accompanists for the first theme. The strings emerge at the second theme but the piano continues to dominate.

The whole movement feels almost like a chamber version of a Mozart piano concerto.

Following is an Adagio ‘with expression’, and the piano gives us a sweet, tender melody, harmonised by the strings.

The violin then steps forward to dance blissfully above the piano’s support in

the central section, where the strings then take turns leading us back to the first theme.

Still channelling Mozart, the piano announces the start of the jolly Rondo finale before the strings enter giving weight and emphasis to the theme, almost as if to tie the piano to the ground before it floats away in excitement. A second theme sees the strings going into pizzicato mode, before an excursion into A minor gives some contrasting interest. The theme is taken up by the violin resolutely before the cheery and positive ending. While Mozart’s shadow looms large here, Beethoven’s innovative personality and drive are clearly visible emerging from those shadows.

Notes by Edward C. Yong

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Founded in 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is Singapore’s flagship orchestra, touching lives through classical music and providing the heartbeat of the cultural scene in the cosmopolitan citystate. Our Chief Conductor is Hans Graf.

While the SSO performs frequently at the Esplanade Concert Hall, for a more intimate experience, we return to the place of our beginnings, the Victoria Concert Hall (VCH) – the home of the SSO. The VCH is host to our popular Children’s, Family and biannual free Lunchtime Concerts as well as our VCHpresents chamber series.

HANS GRAF Chief Conductor SUPPORTED BY

PATRON SPONSOR