4 minute read
THURSDAY, JULY 15
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 11 AM | CIA AT COPIA
FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series
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Aaron Rib, Flute Jillian Coscio, Flute Cassandra Goodwin, Oboe Claire Grellier, Clarinet Melanie Ferrabone, Bassoon Megan Riccio, Horn Bettina Mussumeli, Violin Nathan Hartson, Violin Rosalyn Weiss, Violin Sandra Bouissou, Violin Yuhao Zhou, Violin Hannah Leigh, Viola Jodi Levitz, Viola Ella Tomko, Cello Sarah Huesman, Cello Christopher Yick, Bass
MAX REGER (1873-1916)
String Sonata No. 3 (1804) JEAN FRANÇAIX (1912-1997)
Wind Quintet No. 1 (1948) BEDŘICH SMETANA (1824-1884)
String Quartet No. 1 “From My Life” (1876)
STRING SONATA NO. 3 IN C MAJOR
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
Rossini, best-known for his 39 operas, also composed six string sonatas in 1804 when was only twelve years old. The bass part included in the sonatas could be attributed to the fact that, at the time, he was living in the home of the amateur double bassist Agostini Triossi. Except for the Sonata No. 3, five of the six sonatas were published 22 years later in 1826 as standard string quartets. An arrangement of the sonatas for wind instruments was published in 1828. The sonatas were not heard again until 1942 when the Ricordi publication of them was rediscovered. In 1954 Rossini’s original score was found in the Library of Congress. We are fortunate today to hear the Sonata No. 3 in its original version with two violins, cello, and bass.
SERENADE NO. 1, OP. 141A
Max Reger (1873-1916)
If elusiveness itself can be called a controlling characteristic, then so it is with Reger’s music. In it we are continuously pulled between the restless chromaticism of Wagner and the complex fugues of Bach. At the same time, we feel one foot in the Second Viennese School, one in the Classical tradition of Mozart, and an arm in the Romantic tradition of Brahms.
Despite his enormous productivity—over a thousand works—Reger was not always treated kindly by the critics. Yet when we read that one critic called his music “stuffed far too full of notes,” we must recall that the same was said of Mozart. In answer to accusations of a “preoccupation with counterpoint,” we might admit that he treated the form amply but so did most of the great composers. Reger combined his counterpoint with the Classicism of Mozart, the Romantic spirit of Brahms and Wagner, and added to it a breath of Modernism. You will hear examples of this in his Serenade.
WIND QUINTET NO. 1
Jean Français (1912-1997)
French composer, pianist, and orchestrator Jean Français was known for his rich output and lively style. He began composing at the age of six and later studied at the Paris Conservatoire and with Nadia Boulanger who greatly admired him, as did Maurice Ravel. He was also influenced by such notable composers as Emmanuel Chabrier, Igor Stravinsky, and Francis Poulenc.
Français’s Wind Quintet of 1948 was composed at the request of the well-known French horn player Louis Courtinat. The composer himself gave an interesting description of the work, calling it “very demanding, permitting the five players to display their virtuosity to the fullest!” He also noted that the original players “had to closet themselves for six months in order to get through it.”
STRING QUARTET NO. 1, “FROM MY LIFE”
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
Like his fellow countryman Dvořák (1841-1904), Smetana was inspired by Czech folk music but in no way limited by it. In one of his many detailed letters, Smetana commented lavishly on the String Quartet No. 1 which he completed on December 29, 1876. His comments underscore the Quartet’s subtitle, “From My Life,” and confirm that he intended it as a biographical statement. “The first movement,” he said, “depicts my youthful leanings toward art, the Romantic atmosphere, the inexpressible yearning for something I could neither express nor define, and also a kind of warning of my future misfortune.” The “misfortune” was his deafness.
Happier times are suggested in the second movement which Smetana called “a quasi-polka.” His hesitant definition might well be based on his going well beyond the notion of folk music in his so-called “polka.” He also commented that the movement “brings to my mind the joyful days of youth when I composed dance tunes and was known everywhere as a passionate lover of dancing.” Indeed, a slower section after the lively opening elicits an image of a dancing couple.
The emotional depths of the Largo sostenuto are explained by Smetana’s comment, “The third movement reminds me of the happiness of my first love, the girl who later became my first wife.” Smetana’s passion, in this case, bears the edge of sadness.
The bright nature of the last movement’s opening section suggests a happy ending, but, as both the music and Smetana’s life finally reveal, it was not so. The composer commented, “The fourth movement describes the discovery that I could treat national elements in music and my joy in following this path until it was checked by the catastrophe of the onset of my deafness.” Smetana’s sad condition is reflected by a piercing high E played by the first violin suggesting his battle with tinnitus.
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1 PM | CIA AT COPIA
NIA IMANI FRANKLIN WITH ALDÓ LOPEZ GAVILÁN
Nia Imani Franklin, Composer in Residence Aldo López-Gavilán, Piano
Selections to be announced from the stage
Concert made possible by the generous support of Kenneth and Deborah Novack
A Festival Napa Valley Arts for All program
