Download the 2009 Festival Program Book.

The Seventh SeasonBeing Mendelssohn July 17–August 8, 2009

David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic DirectorsCHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL AND INSTITUTE

1www.musicatmenlo.org

Music@Menlo Being Mendelssohnthe seventh seasonjuly 17–august 8, 2009david finckel and wu han, artistic directors

Contents

3 AMessagefromtheArtisticDirectors

5 WelcomefromtheExecutiveDirector

7 Being Mendelssohn:Program

Information

8 Essay:“MendelssohnandUs”byR.LarryTodd

10 EncountersI–IV

12 ConcertProgramsI–V

29 MendelssohnStringQuartetCycleI–III

35 CarteBlancheConcertsI–III

46 ChamberMusicInstitute

48 PreludePerformances

54 KoretYoungPerformersConcerts

57 OpenHouse

58 CaféConversations

59 MasterClasses

60 VisualArtsandtheFestival

61 ArtistandFacultyBiographies

74 Glossary

76 JoinMusic@Menlo

80 Acknowledgments

81 TicketandPerformanceInformation

83 Music@MenloLIVE

84 FestivalCalendar

Cover artwork: untitled, 2009, oil on card stock, 40 x 40 cm by Theo Noll. Inside (p. 60): paintings by Theo Noll. Images on pp. 1, 7, 9 (Mendelssohn portrait), 10 (Mendelssohn portrait), 12, 16, 19, 23, and 26 courtesy of Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY. Images on pp. 10–11 (landscape) courtesy of Lebrecht Music and Arts; (insects, Mendelssohn on deathbed) courtesy of the Bridgeman Art Library. Photographs on pp. 30–31, Pacifica Quartet, courtesy of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Theo Noll (p. 60): Simone Geissler. Bruce Adolphe (p. 61), Orli Shaham (p. 66), Da-Hong Seetoo (p. 83): Christian Steiner. William Bennett (p. 62): Ralph Granich. Hasse Borup (p. 62): Mary Noble Ours. Colin Carr (p. 62): Courtesy of Alliance Artist Management. Eugene Drucker (p. 63): Andrew Eccles. Jorja Fleezanis (p. 63): Anneliese Varaldiev. Jeffrey Kahane (p. 63): Michael Amsler. Paul Neubauer (p. 64): Emiliano Loconsolo. Pacifica Quartet (pp. 29, 65) and St. Lawrence String Quartet (p. 66): Anthony Parmelee. Thomas Sauer (p. 66): Peter Schaaf. Arnaud Sussmann (p. 67): NyghtFalcon. Joseph Swensen (p. 67): Eric Richmond. R. Larry Todd (pp. 8, 68): Les Todd, Duke University Photography. William VerMeulen (p. 68): Eric Arbiter. Paul Watkins (p. 68): Nina Large. Carol Wincenc (p. 69): Cori Wells Braun. Photograph on p. 83 (Music@Menlo LIVE): Nick Stone. Photographs on pp. 3, 5, 15, 40, 42, 46–59, 61 (David Finckel and Wu Han), 63 (Ara Guzelimian), 75–78, 82 (David Finckel, Wu Han, Anthony McGill), and 81: Tristan Cook. Image on p. 82 (The Center for the Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton) courtesy of Hodgetts + Fung.

Art direction and design: Nick Stone Design, www.nickstonedesign.com.

2 Music@Menlo 2009

AnnS.Bowers

Jim&MicalBrenzel

Iris&PaulBrest

Mr.&Mrs.HenryD.Bullock

ChubbGroupofInsuranceCompanies

Jennifer&MichaelCuneo

TheJeffreyDeanandHeidiHopperFamily

DavidFinckel&WuHan

Joan&AllanFisch

Marcia&PaulGinsburg

TheDavidB.andEdwardC.GoodsteinFoundation

Sue&BillGould

WallaceR.&AlexandraHawley

Libby&CraigHeimark

KathleenG.Henschel

TheWilliamandFloraHewlettFoundation

TheHurlbut-JohnsonFund

MichaelJacobson&TrineSorensen

KoretFoundationFunds

MaryLorey

HughMartin

TheMartinFamilyFoundation

Nancy&DuBoseMontgomery

TheDavid&LucilePackardFoundation

Laurose&BurtonRichter

George&CamillaSmith

Marcia&HapWagner

Melanie&RonWilensky

2009 Season DedicationMusic@Menlo’s seventh season is dedicated to the following individuals and organizations that share the festival’s vision and whose tremendous support and commitment continue to make the realization of Music@Menlo’s mission possible.


DearFriends,

Inourrolesasmusicians,educators,musiclovers,parents,and

citizensoftheartisticcommunity,weareperpetuallyinspired

bythepromiseoftoday’syouth.Fromthetimeandconversa-

tionweenjoyatthisfestivaleachsummer,weknowitisan

excitementthattheMusic@Menlocommunitysharesinequal

measure.Eachseason,weallarerejuvenatedbytheenergyand

charismabroughtbythestudentsofourChamberMusicInsti-

tute,anintegralcomponentofMusic@Menlosincethefestival’s

inception.Thefortyyoungartistswhoembarkonthismusi-

caljourneywithuseachsummernotonlyrepresentthenext

generationofgreatchambermusiciansbutalsoarethetorch-

bearersforthespiritandwayoflife—whetherthroughmusicor

anyothervocation—thatwecelebrateandstrivetocultivateat

Music@Menlo:awayoflifemarkedbydeepengagement,insa-

tiablecuriosity,andthestimulatingexchangeofideas.

Thesevaluesareespeciallysalienttothethemeof

Music@Menlo’s2009festival, Being Mendelssohn,whichcom-

memoratesthebicentennialofthebirthofFelixMendelssohn.

ThatMendelssohnbecametheworld’sgreatestcomposer,pia-

nist,andconductorbyhisearlytwentieswouldberemarkable

enoughtowarrantthiscelebration.ButMendelssohnmoreover

complementedhisastonishinggiftswitharavenousappetite

forknowledgeandamotivatingsenseofduty.Thedepthand

breadthofhisartisticlifearestaggering:hisinterestsand

accomplishmentsencompassedliterature,thevisualarts,and

theology;hebroughttothemusicdirectorshipoftheLeipzig

GewandhausOrchestraasenseofcivicresponsibilitythat

revitalizedGermanculturallifeatlarge;andasthefounding

directoroftheLeipzigConservatory,Mendelssohnensuredthat

thetraditionofartisticexcellencetowhichhedevotedhislife

wouldcontinuetothriveforgenerations.

Tohonorthisgreatartist’slegacy,itfallstoeachoneofus

toembraceitasourownandtonurtureitspotentialintheris-

inggenerationofmusiciansandmusiclovers—toprovidethem

witheveryopportunitytoabsorbandbeinspiredbytheMen-

delssohniantraditionofartisticexcellence,intellectualcuriosity,

andpersonalexploration.ThistraditionhasmadeMusic@Menlo

afontofspiritualnourishmentfromwhichweourselvesdraw

inspirationyearafteryear.

Thisseason’stributetoMendelssohnisafittingendeavor

forMusic@Menlo,notonlyincelebrationofhisbicentennial

butbecausetheessenceofhisartistryandwayoflifeexempli-

fiestheidealsthatdefineMusic@Menloandsetitapartthe

worldover.Asyoujoinusforthissummer’sconcerts,Encoun-

ters,masterclasses,andotherofferings,wehopeyouwill

experiencefirsthandtheembodimentandcontinuationofMen-

delssohn’slegacy.Wearepleasedtowelcomeyouas,together,

wediscoveranewtherewardsofBeingMendelssohn.

Bestwishes,

DavidFinckelandWuHan

ArtisticDirectors

TheMartinFamilyArtisticDirectorship

A Message from the Artistic Directors


Welcome from the Executive Director

DearFriends,

IamdelightedtowelcomeyoutoMusic@Menlo’s2009

festival!Ithasbeenanexcitingandeventfulyear.Through-

outthemanymonthsofpreparationandplanning,Ioften

foundmyselflookingforwardtothereturnofsummerand

withitthewonderfulweeksofmusicsharedwithyou.At

longlast,itistimefortheMusic@Menlocommunityto

cometogether,torenewthemanyfriendshipsamongaudiencemembersand

musicians,andtoengageintheenjoymentandexplorationofgreatmusic.

Oneofthedefiningcharacteristicsofthesummerseasonistheslow-

ingoftime—thedaysgrowlonger,andthewarmthgivesourlivesafeeling

ofslowingdown,ifonlyinperception.Likewise,thefullexperienceof

Music@Menlogivesustheopportunitytoslowdown,totakesometimeand

stepbackfromthechaoticrealityofourmodernlives,andtoreconnectto

thespirit,immersingourselvesintheimpulsesthatmakeushuman.Withthe

greatuncertaintiesofthistime,itisevenmoreessentialtocometogetheras

acommunityandjoinourneighborsinthisjourney.

Thissummer’stheme,Being Mendelssohn,isparticularlyappropriatetoourtimes.DavidFinckelandWuHansoeffectivelypointoutthatasyou

learnmoreaboutFelixMendelssohn,youwillrealizethathecanserveasa

rolemodelforusinourpresentlives.Withinthegreaterculturalhistoryof

theWest,hestandsoutastheultimateexplorer.Inhisalltoobrieflife,he

examinedallfacetsofcreativelifewithinsociety,asacomposer,performer,

visualartist,andeducator.

Inthatspiritofexploration,Iwouldurgeyoutotakesometimetowalk

aroundcampus,stopbyoneofourclassroomsandobserveacoaching

session,attendamasterclass,andmeetsomeofourstudentsandfaculty.

[email protected]

sionisnotlimitedtotheyoungartistsoftheChamberMusicInstitute;it

includestheentirefestivalcommunity.Weencourageeveryonetopartici-

pateandtobeabsorbedintothelearningprocess.Usethissummeroasisto

expandandnourishyourownculturallife.

[email protected]

wonderfulfestivalcouldnothappenwithoutthehardwork,dedication,and

financialsupportofallofyou:ourfantasticboard,themanydonorswhogive

sogenerously,thecountlessvolunteerswhogivesoliberallyoftheirtime

andenergy,andastaffthatworkstirelesslythroughouttheyeartomakethis

seasonofmusichappen.

Thankyouall,andenjoythefestival.

EdwardP.Sweeney

ExecutiveDirector

Music@Menlo

BoardAnnS.Bowers

PaulM.Ginsburg

KathleenG.Henschel

MichaelJ.Hunt

EffW.Martin

HughMartin

TrineSorensen

DavidFinckelandWuHan,ArtisticDirectors

WilliamR.Silver,ex officioEdwardP.Sweeney,ExecutiveDirector,ex officio

AdministrationDavidFinckelandWuHan,ArtisticDirectors

EdwardP.Sweeney,ExecutiveDirector

PatrickCastillo,ArtisticAdministrator

ErinHurson,DevelopmentAssociate

MarianneLaCrosse,OperationsDirector

DavidLorey,PlanningDirector

ShayneOlson,MarketingDirector

KatherineRaymond,PatronServicesCoordinator

AdrienneStortz,AdministrativeAssistant

SallyTakada,DevelopmentDirector

DaphneWong,OperationsCoordinator

Mission StatementToexpandthechambermusiccommunityandenhance

its enjoyment and understanding of the art form by

championingthehighestartisticqualityinliveperfor-

mance, promoting extensive audience engagement

withthemusicand itsartists,andproviding intensive

training for aspiring professionalmusicians. In pursu-

ingthismission,thefestivaloffersmyriadopportunities

foraudiencemembers,artists,andyoungmusiciansto

godeepintothemusicanditscontext,gaininggreater

insightandinspiration.Inallitsactivities,Music@Menlo

actively encourages the ongoingdevelopment of the

chambermusic art form, impelling it forward for the

enjoymentoffuturegenerations.

2009–10 Season

VERDIIl Trovatore

PUCCINIIl Trittico

MOZARTThe Abductionfrom the Seraglio

DONIZETTIThe Daughterof the Regiment

STRAUSSSalome

Tickets On Sale Nowsfopera.com • (415) 864-3330

Opera Box Office301 Van Ness AvenueSan Francisco, CA 9410210 am–5 pm Monday10 am–6 pm Tuesday–Friday New Music Director

Nicola Luisotti

VERDIOtello

GOUNODFaust

PUCCINIThe Girl of theGolden West

WAGNERDie Walküre

Experience the Future of

www.sfcm.edu | 415.503.6275

World Class Music Free ConCerts

Music@Menlo - Season AD3.indd 1 6/8/09 1:39:55 PM

Pro Piano San Francisco

760 Tennessee Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

[email protected]

800-256-3054

Pro Piano New York

637 W. 27th Street

Suite 201

New York, NY 10001

[email protected]

800-367-0777

Pro Piano Los Angeles

Warehouse Only

No Public Access

Los Angeles, CA 90064

[email protected]

800-538-3031

www.propiano.com Pro Piano, in service to the great spirit of music since 1969.

Pro Piano is the official provider of Hamburg Steinway grand pianos to Music@Menlo 2009.


programs

Concert Program I: From BachSaturday,July18,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch

Sunday,July19,6:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall

Monday,July20,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall

Concert Program II: Genius ProclaimedFriday,July24,8:00p.m.,MenloParkPresbyterianChurch

Concert Program III: Midsummer Night DreamsMonday,July27,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall

Tuesday,July28,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall

Wednesday,July29,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch

Concert Program IV: Mendelssohn PerspectivesMonday,August3,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall

Tuesday,August4,8:00p.m.,StentFamilyHall

Wednesday,August5,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch

Concert Program V: Promise FulfilledSaturday,August8,8:00p.m.,MenloParkPresbyterianChurch

The Mendelssohn String Quartets: The Early QuartetsTuesday,July21,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch

The Mendelssohn String Quartets: The Opus 44 QuartetsFriday,July31,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch

The Mendelssohn String Quartets: The Final Quartets, opp. 80 and 81Friday,August7,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch

Carte Blanche Concert I: The Romantic Cello SonataSunday,July26,10:00a.m.,StentFamilyHall

Carte Blanche Concert II: The Brahms Sonatas for Violin and PianoSaturday,August1,8:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch

Carte Blanche Concert III: An Evening with Menahem PresslerSunday,August2,7:00p.m.,St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch

PianoJeffreyKahane

GilbertKalish

MenahemPressler*

ThomasSauer*

WuHan

ViolinSibbiBernhardsson*

EugeneDrucker

JorjaFleezanis

SiminGanatra*

GeoffNuttall

ScottSt.John*

ArnaudSussmann

JosephSwensen

ViolaPaulNeubauer

LesleyRobertson

MasumiPerRostad*

CelloColinCarr

ChristopherCostanza

DavidFinckel

BrandonVamos*

PaulWatkins*

BassScottPingel

Pacifica QuartetSiminGanatra,violin*SibbiBernhardsson,violin*MasumiPerRostad,viola*BrandonVamos,cello*

St. Lawrence String QuartetGeoffNuttall,violinScottSt.John, violin*LesleyRobertson,violaChristopherCostanza,cello

FluteCarolWincenc

OboeWilliamBennett

ClarinetAnthonyMcGill

BassoonDennisGodburn

French HornWilliamVerMeulen

Encounter LeadersBruceAdolphe

AraGuzelimian

OrliShaham*

R.LarryTodd*

*Music@Menlodebut

artists

8 Music@Menlo 2009

February3,2009,markedthebicentenary

of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn Bar-

tholdy (1809–1847). He is a musician we

have known in countlessways. Hewas a

childprodigyheraldedasasecondMozart.

For many, Mendelssohn was the primary

player in the Bach revival, who restored

the St. Matthew Passionfromacenturyof

slumberandworkedtirelesslytopromote

Bach’smusicinGermanyandEngland.Mendelssohnwasapia-

nistandorganistwhoseimprovisationsandpowersofmemory

werelegendary.In1842,afterhearingWagnerplayasketchof

theVenusbergmusic forTannhäuser,Mendelssohneffortlesslyreplicated itat thepiano.Hewasaskilledviolinistandviolist

whocouldtakeupapartinhisOctet,composedwhenhewas

onlysixteen.Hewasoneofthefirstorchestralconductorstouse

abaton,andheturnedtheGewandhausOrchestraintooneof

thepremierensemblesofitstime.Hewasamusicologicalsleuth

whoporedovermanuscriptsofBach,Handel,Beethoven,and

SchubertandwhoseinterestsextendedwellbeyondBachtothe

polyphonyofPalestrina,atatimewhenthemusicalsixteenth

centurywaslargelyunknown.And,ofcourse,Mendelssohnwas

the composer of numerous familiar concert-hall staples that

neednointroductionhere.

Beyondhismusical versatility, hewasa remarkablepoly-

math.FluentinGerman,French,andEnglish,hereadLatinand

Greek.Hewasanexcellentdraftsmanandleftdozensofhighly

accomplished drawings and paintings of memorable scenes

encountered in his travels through Europe and Great Britain.

Manyofhismostromanticscores—theHebrides OvertureandItalian Symphonyamongthem—suggestacross-fertilizationof

visual and musical imagery, demonstrating that Mendelssohn

wasasynesthetewhousedonesensetotriggeranother.Men-

delssohn was active as a poet and translator—his German

translationsofTerence,fastidiouslypreservingtheoriginalLatin

meters,delightedGoetheinhiswaningyears.AndMendelssohn’s

circleandlistofcorrespondentsreadlikeawho’swhoofEuro-

pean gentry and elite: Prussian and Saxon monarchs, Queen

VictoriaandPrinceAlbert,AlexandervonHumboldt,Hegel,Sir

WalterScott,Goethe,Heine,HansChristianAndersen,Dickens,

andThackeray,nottomentionmusicalcelebrities,amongthem

Bellini,Berlioz,Cherubini,Chopin,Czerny,Donizetti,JohnField,

Glinka,Gounod,Joachim,JennyLind,Liszt,Meyerbeer,Offen-

bach, Paganini, Rossini, the Schumanns, Spohr, Spontini, Carl

MariavonWeber,andWagner.

Mendelssohn’sprivatecorrespondenceisfilledwithrapier-

like,witty, and ultimately telling comments about the leading

musiciansofhistime.Herearesomechoiceexamples.OnBer-

lioz:“astereotypedgeniusinblackandwhite.”OnCzerny:hewas

“atradesmanonhisdayoff”churningoutanendlesssupplyof

pianovariations,arrangements,andsalonpieces.OnDonizetti,

whocouldproduceanoperaintendays:ifhisreputationfellin

jeopardy,hededicatedthreefullweekstocomposinganopera,

“expendedsomeeffortsonafewnumberssothattheywould

please,andthenresumedtakinghiswalksandwritingbadly.”

AndfinallyonthemusicalathleticismoftheyoungLiszt,whom

MendelssohnmetinParisin1825:“hehadmanyfingersbutlittle

upstairs.”Butthesebitingcommentswerebalancedbynumer-

ous acts of kindness towardmanymusicians and colleagues,

amongthemtheEnglishmanSterndaleBennett,theDaneNiels

Gade,theyoungCharlesGounod,andRobertSchumann.Itwas

MendelssohnwhopremieredSchumann’sfirstandsecondsym-

phonies,premieredClaraSchumann’sPianoConcerto(written

whenshewasfourteen),tooktheyoungJosephJoachimunder

hiswing,andencouragedJosephineLangtostudycomposition

andwritesongs.

At the height of his short, meteoric career during the

1830sand1840s,Mendelssohnwaslionizedasanearlypeerless

composer, especially inGermanandEnglish realms.After the

Düsseldorfpremiereofhisfirstoratorio,St. Paul (1836),theworkwas immediately embraced in Switzerland,Holland,Denmark,

Poland, andRussia and soon reached theUnitedStates.Ureli

Corelli Hill, president of the fledgling New York Philharmonic

Society,invitedthecomposertocometoAmericaasamusical

missionary.HillintendedtoplaceatMendelssohn’sdisposalan

imposingensembleof750,toreplicatethegreatmusicfestivals

thathewasthendirectinginGermanyandEngland.But,owingto

exhaustionfromoverwork,thecomposerdeclinedandprivately

observedthatthetrans-Atlanticjourneywasnomorepossible

forhimthanatriptothemoon.Hisdeathjustthreeyearslater

atagethirty-eightwasviewedasaninternationalcalamityfor

thearts,andhewaseulogizedintermsborderingonherowor-

ship. Thus, theEdinburgh Review in 1862: “none to comecan

tarnishthereputationwhichbelongstoFelixMendelssohnBar-

tholdy, as a complete, successful, and thoroughly happyman

andartist,whodiedinearlymanhood,butinthemeridianofhis

fame.”Mendelssohn’s lifewas a “complete poem”; for Robert

Schumann,itwasa“consummateworkofart.”

But for all of Mendelssohn’s celebrity, he paradoxically

remained insomecirclesanoutsider.Hewasthegrandsonof

MosesMendelssohn,theeighteenth-centuryJewishphilosopher

oftheHaskalah, whohadarguedfortheassimilationofPrussian

JewryintomainstreamGermanculture.ForMosesMendelssohn,

Judaism was not incompatible with an enlightened Prussian

state.Nevertheless,duringthepost-NapoleonicRestoration, on

Mendelssohn and UsBy R. Larry Todd

But surely the Mendelssohn reception tells us as much about ourselves as about the composer—and the ways in which succeeding generations celebrate and revaluate their canonical figures.


March21,1816,thecomposer’sparentshadtheirchildrenbap-

tizedintotheLutheranfaith,andaroundthistimetheybegan

usingasasecondsurname,Bartholdy.AsHectorBerlioz later

recalled, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy practiced his adopted

faithwithconviction.Still, threeyearsafterhisdeath,Richard

Wagnerargued(anonymously)thatasaJewMendelssohncould

only imitate theprofunditiesof thegreatGermancomposers,

andthatforallitscrafthismusicwasderivativeandsuperficial.

By theendof thenineteenthcenturya reactionagainstMen-

delssohnhadtakenholdinGermanyandEngland.Asamusician

who had visited England ten times and as the composer of

theoratorio Elijah,embracedfor its reformingspiritbyPrince

Albert,MendelssohnwasaneasymarkforthosewhofoundVic-

torianculturesuperficialandprudish.By1911,SirDonaldTovey

wasobservingthatMendelssohn’sreputation,exceptinregard

toafew“inexplicablybeautifulandoriginalorchestralpieces,”

hadvanished.Thefinalblowcameinthe1930s,whentheNazis

banned his music and removed his statue that had stood in

Leipzigsince1892.

Pendulum-like, perceptions of Mendelssohn have indeed

variedconsiderably.ButsurelytheMendelssohnreceptiontells

us asmuchaboutourselves as about the composer—and the

waysinwhichsucceedinggenerationscelebrateandrevaluate

theircanonicalfigures.ForthetruthisthatMendelssohn’sinflu-

ence never completely disappeared. Composers as disparate

as the Schumanns,Brahms,CharlesAlkan, Tchaikovsky, Sibel-

ius,Reger,andRichardStraussweredrawntohismusic(when

StrausswasaskedduringtheThirdReichtocomposenewmusic

forA Midsummer Night’s Dream,hedemurred,citinghisinabil-

itytoimproveuponMendelssohn’sincidentalmusic).Duringthe

FirstWorldWar, Ravel edited Mendelssohn’s complete piano

works,andSchoenberg,onthethresholdofrealizinghisradically

newtwelve-tonesystemofcomposition,includedaLied (ohne Worte) in hisOp. 24Serenade of 1923. Finally,Mendelssohn’smusic was embraced by twentieth-century mass culture. To

leave alone the omnipresentWedding March, one might cite

IrvingBerlin’s ragtime “ThatMesmerizingMendelssohn Tune,”

releasedduringthecentenaryyearof1909;ErnestLough’s1927

recordingoftheanthem“HearMyPrayer,”whichsoldmillionsof

copies;andMaxReinhardt’s1935filmofA Midsummer Night’s Dream, with a lavish score, prepared by Erich Korngold, thatimpressed as an anthology-like celebration of Mendelssohn’s

music.

Todayweare in the full stagesof aMendelssohn revival,

andhispositioninmusichistoryisonceagainsecure.Historians

arerewritingthenarrativeofhislifeandworkanddrawingupon

freshinsightsfromtheburgeoninginterest inthemusicofhis

sisterFannyHensel(1805–1847),herselfachildprodigyandthe

composer of well over four hundred compositions. Complete

editions ofMendelssohn’smusic and letters—scholarlymonu-

mentstohislifeandwork—areunderwayfromleadingGerman

publishinghouses,andinLeipzig,areplicaofthestatueremoved

bytheNazishasrecentlybeenunveiledneartheThomaskirche.

Notfaraway,hisfinalresidenceisnowahandsomelyrestored

museum.

Nodoubt,Mendelssohnwill continue tocome inandout

offashion,andgenerationswillresistorsuccumbtohisartand

itsmanifoldvariety.FordevoteesofBachandHandel,onecan

findinMendelssohncomplexfuguesandgrand,sweepingcho-

ruses; formusicofgreatdramaticpower,stretchesofSt. Paul andElijah and the cantataDie erste Walpurgisnacht, admired

byBerliozforits“apparentconfusion”thatwasthe“perfection

ofart”;forelegantmusicwithclassicalpoise,thefinaleofthe

ViolinConcertoandtheOp.44stringquartets;forpurelyricism,

the Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words); and forwhatEdwardLockspeiserdescribedasaprotomusicalimpressionism,

theHebrides Overture.AllthisandconsiderablymoreisinMen-

delssohn’smusic.Writingontheoccasionofthe1909centenary,

theAmericancriticHenryMenckenventuredthatifMendelssohn

missed truegreatness, hemissed it by “nomore than a hair-

breadth.”Perhapstoday,ontheoccasionofthebicentenary,we

shouldfinallygivehimthebenefitofthedoubt.

R. Larry Todd (Duke University) is the author of Mendelssohn:ALifeinMusic,named Best Biography of 2003 by the Association of American Publishers, and the forthcoming biographyFannyHensel,theOtherMendelssohn (Oxford University Press).

Music@Menlo 200910

July 17

Encounter ILife of Discovery: A Portrait of Felix Mendelssohn,with Orli ShahamFriday, July 17, 7:30 p.m.

Martin Family Hall, Menlo School

DriventoabsorbandmastertheWesternmusical traditionas

comprehensivelyashisgeniuswouldallow,FelixMendelssohn

assembledabodyofwork that represents theculminationof

musichistoryuptohisownlifetime.Hismusiceducationfound

firm grounding in the music of Bach and Mozart; he discov-

eredand internalizedthe innovationofBeethoven’senigmatic

latestyleduringhisprecociousteenageyears;andbyhisearly

twenties,hewasalreadycreatingmusicthatforecastthedirec-

tionofthelatternineteenthcentury.Pianist,writer,andlecturer

OrliShahamexploresthecreativeoriginsofthisquintessential

Romantic master, tracing Mendelssohn’s path from insatiable

curiositytogroundbreakinggenius.

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this Encounter to Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Bullock with gratitude for their generous support.

July 23

Encounter IIIntuition, Intellect, and Insects: Felix and the Fireflies, with Bruce AdolpheThursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.


In Felix Mendelssohn we find the extraordinary musical intu-

ition of a child prodigy combined with a prodigious intellect

thatembracedallareasofartandliterature.Intuitively,hefound

musicinthebuzzofbugsandintheflickeringlightofafirefly.

Intellectually,hewasinspiredbythepoetryofGoetheandShake-

speare.Theresultwasthat,atagesixteen,hegavethemusical

world a new kind of scherzo—dizzy, comical, and delightfully

mysterious.Joincomposerandpublic radiopersonalityBruce

AdolpheforaseriouslistentoMendelssohn’spersonalmagic.

E n c o u n t E r s

Theodor Hildebrandt (1804–1874): Felix Mendelssohn, 1835. Oil on canvas.

(Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY)

Musical Insects, illustration from Stories of Insect Life by William J. Claxton, 1912.

Color litho by Louis Fairfax Muckley (1887–1914).

(Private collection/The Bridgeman Art Library)

www.musicatmenlo.org

E n c o u n t E r s

11

July 25

Encounter IIIThe Grand Tour, with R. Larry ToddSaturday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.


“This prophet, too, is not honored in his own country,”wrote

thecomposerandpianistIgnazMoschelesofMendelssohn.“He

mustgoelsewhere.”Attwentyyearsold,the insatiableyoung

polymath—alreadyemerging,despitehisyouth,asastandard-

bearerofWesternmusic—grewrestless inBerlinandpinedto

travelabroad.In1829,heembarkedonhisGrandTourthrough

GreatBritain,Italy,andFrance,intentonabsorbingthosecountries’

myriadofferings,fromShakespeareandSt.Peter’stoScottishand

Italianfolksong.LeadingMendelssohnscholarR.LarryToddwill

takeaudiencesalongonthecomposer’sfascinatingthree-yearcul-

turalodyssey,examininghowMendelssohn’stravelsbothinspired

newworks(suchastheScottishandItaliansymphonies)andculti-

vatedhissenseofidentityasaGermanmusician.

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this Encounter to the Hurlbut-Johnson Fund with gratitude for its generous support.

August 6

Encounter IVSongs without Words: Mendelssohn’s Last Year, with Ara GuzelimianThursday, August 6, 7:30 p.m.


In1847,thelastyearofhislife,Mendelssohnfacedtheunimagin-

ablelossofhisbelovedsisterFanny.HesoughtrefugeintheSwiss

Alps,wherehecomposedhisprofoundlyaffectingStringQuartet

infminor,op.80,asapersonalrequiemtoFanny.Theseason’s

finalEncounterexploresthisremarkableworkwiththemembers

ofthePacificaQuartet;otherfestivalartistsprovideasampling

ofworksfromMendelssohn’sfinalyear.Asthissummer’sexplora-

tionofMendelssohndrawstoaclose,AraGuzelimianexamines

thecriticalresponsetoMendelssohn’smusicbothwithinhisown

timeandinthe150yearssincehisdeath.

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this Encounter to Lindy Barocchi with gratitude for her generous support.

Mendelssohn’s Scottish drawing (1829), surrounded by notes from his Scottish

notebooks that he kept on his journey. (Lebrecht Music and Arts)

Rudolf Julius Benno Huebner (1806–1882): Felix Mendelssohn on his deathbed,

ca. 1847. Pencil on paper. (Private collection/The Bridgeman Art Library)

12 Music@Menlo 2009

Saturday, July 18

8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

(Prelude Performance 6:00 p.m., see page 48)

Sunday, July 19

6:00 p.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School


Monday, July 20



SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates these performancesto the following individuals and organizationswith gratitude for their generous support:

July 18: Laurose and Burton RichterJuly 19: Jim and Mical BrenzelJuly 20: Eileen and Joel Birnbaum

CORPORATE SPONSOR:

Program OverviewNocomposer exercised amore formative influenceonMendelssohn than Johann

SebastianBach,whosemusicalintegrationofformalperfectionandexpressiveideal

would guideMendelssohn throughout his creative life.Of especial importance to

theyoungMendelssohnwasthediscoveryandrigorousstudyofBach’smasterful

fugues.Music@Menlo’s2009season-openingprogramtracestheillustriousmusical

lineagefromBach,throughMozart,toMendelssohn,whodeeplyabsorbedtheles-

sonsfromhismusicalforebears.“FromBach”culminatesintheMendelssohnSextet,

thebeginningoftheyoungcomposer’sjourneyintotheRomanticera.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Selectionsfrom The Art of Fugue, BWV1080(1748–1749) ContrapunctusI

ContrapunctusIV

ContrapunctusVII,à4,perAugmentationemetDiminutionem

ContrapunctusXI,à4

ContrapunctusIX,à4,allaDuodecima

St.LawrenceStringQuartet:

ScottSt.John,GeoffNuttall,violins; LesleyRobertson,viola; ChristopherCostanza,cello

Ricercarà6fromMusical Offering,BWV1079(1747)

GeoffNuttall,ScottSt.John,ArnaudSussmann,violins;LesleyRobertson,viola;ChristopherCostanza,cello;DennisGodburn,bassoon;ScottPingel,bass

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

AdagioandFugueforStringQuartetincminor,K.546(1788)


GeoffNuttall,ScottSt.John,violins; LesleyRobertson,viola; ChristopherCostanza,cello

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)

Sinfoniesatzno.13incminor(1823)

JorjaFleezanis,KristinLee,*GeoffNuttall,ArnaudSussmann,violins;LesleyRobertson,OnYouKim,*ScottSt.John,SunmiChang,*violas;ChristopherCostanza,EricHan,*cellos; ScottPingel,bass

INTERMISSION

Felix Mendelssohn SextetinDMajor,op.110(1824) I.Allegro vivace II.Adagio III.Menuetto: Agitato IV.Allegro vivace

WuHan,piano; JorjaFleezanis,violin;LesleyRobertson,ArnaudSussmann,violas;ChristopherCostanza,cello;ScottPingel,bass

*ChamberMusicInstituteInternationalProgramparticipant

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847):

Lauterbrunner Valley, Switzerland. Watercolor, 1847.


c o n c E r t P r o g r A m s

concert Program I:

From BachJuly 18, July 19, & July 20

c o n c E r t s



Johann Sebastian Bach(Born March 21, 1685, Eisenach; died July 28, 1750, Leipzig)

Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue), BWV 1080: Con-trapunctus I; Contrapunctus IV; Contrapunctus VII, à 4, perAugmentationemetDiminutionem;ContrapunctusXI,à4;Contra-

punctusIX,à4,allaDuodecima

Musikalisches Opfer (Musical Offering),BWV 1079: Ricercarà6

Composed: Die Kunst der Fuge:TheprecisedateofthestartofBach’sworkonThe Art of Fugue*isunknown;theearliestextantsource,theBerlinmanuscriptMus.MSBachP200,datesfrom1742.

ThecycleendswithaquadruplefuguewhichBachleftunfinished

athisdeath.Musikalisches Opfer:May–July1747.

Other works from this period: ThefinaldecadeofBach’slifepro-ducedsomeofhismostseminalcreations.InadditiontoThe Art of Fugue and theMusical Offering, he composed theGoldberg Variations,BWV988(1741);theCanonicVariationson“VonHim-

melhoch,”BWV769(1747);andtheMassinbminor(assembled

ca.1747–1749fromnewandpreexistingmovements).MartinGeckwrites:“Alltheseprojectsspringfromthesameintention:hisdesire

toarticulateandsummarizetheessentialsofhiswork.Theresult

arecyclesthatgototherootofoneparticularsubject,thatdemon-

stratetherichnessofmusicthroughtheuseofonemodeltheme.”

Approximate duration:Die Kunst der Fugeselections: 16min-

utes;Ricercar:7minutes

Though primarily celebrated in his own lifetime as a supremely

giftedorganist,JohannSebastianBachhassincebecomeuniver-

sallyrecognizedasacomposerandmusicalinnovatorofthehighest

pedigree.Hewasanartistofthemostprofoundtechnicalcreativity

andemotionaldepthwhofullyabsorbedandintegratedallmusical

resourcesavailabletohim.Bachwasasprolificashewasmasterful,

producinganenormousbodyofwork that includesanextensive

catalogof keyboardmusic, seminalworks for solo and chamber

ensembles,orchestral concerti,more than twohundredcantatas,

andsuchlandmarksacredchoralworksastheMassinbminorand

St. Matthew Passion(whichlatterworkisforeverlinkedtoFelixMen-delssohn,who,asatwenty-year-oldphenomconductorin1829,led

acelebratedperformanceof theoratorioat theBerlinSingakad-emie,thussparkingthemodernBachrevival).

Bachpossessedaninsatiablemusicalcuriosityandearnestly

soughttodiscoverallofthetechnicalandexpressivepossibilities—

inhisownwords,“everypossibleartistry”—ofhiscraft.The Art of FugueandMusical Offeringdemonstratewhatmightbeconsidered

theheartandsoulofBach’smusic:hismasteryofcounterpointandfugalwriting.

Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue)BachlikelyintendedThe Art of Fugueaskeyboardmusic,despite

havingwrittentheworkout infullscoreratherthansimplekey-

boardnotation. Itwouldhavebeencommonpractice,especially

foranorganistofBach’sability,toreadsuchaworkatthekey-

boardinfullscore,whichhasthebenefitofclearlydemonstrating

theactivityofeachindividualvoiceandthemusic’soverallstruc-

ture.Moreover,justasthefullscoreoffersclarityforstudy,sodoes

it lendThe Art of Fugue toperformanceby fourdistinct instru-

ments,whichinturntranslatethisvisualclarityintosound.

The fourteen fugues, two mirror fugues, four canons, andincompletequadruple fugue thatconstituteDie Kunst der Fuge derivefromamodesttwelve-notesoggetto,statedattheoutsetofthefirstfugueinsuccessionbyeachofthefourvoices.

WhatBachcreatesoverthecourseofThe Art of Fugue fromthis

simplesubjectisnothingshortofmiraculous.Thecyclerepresentsan

exhaustiveexplorationofthecontrapuntalpossibilitiescontainedin

onemusicalidea;somehavegonesofarastoregardtheworkasa

cosmicquesttounlocknature’ssecrets.AfterBach’sdeath,thecom-

poser’sobituarynoted:“Oncehehadheardaparticulartheme,he

couldgrasp,asitwereinstantaneously,almostanythingartisticthat

couldbebroughtforthfromit.”

The Art of Fugue is thecrowning testament to thisclaim.To

wit:theseventhfugueofthecyclebeginswithaslightlyembellished

statementofthesubject;againstthis,Bachpitsthreesimultaneous

statementsofthesubjectininversion—inthesoprano,alto,andbass—

witheachoccurringatadifferentspeed.Midwaythroughtheeleventh

fugue,Bachweaveshismusicalsignatureintothepolyphonictexture:

inGermannotation,thelettersB,A,C,andHrepresent,respectively,

thenotesB-flat,A,C, andB-natural.After cleverly fashioning this

chromatic four-notemotif intoacountersubject,Bachcombines it

withthesoggetto todrivethefuguetoaclimacticconclusion.

Musikalisches Opfer (Musical Offering)In1747,BachvisitedthecourtofFredericktheGreat.Widelyhailed

asanenlightenedmonarchandadevotedpatronofthearts,Fred-

erickwasmoreoveratalentedflutistandcomposer.Uponhisascent

topower,he installedanexcellentrosterofmusiciansatthePrus-

siancourt, includingthecomposerCarlPhilippEmanuelBach,son

ofJohannSebastian,andundertooktorevitalizeGermanmusicallife

atlarge.

ItwasCarlPhilippEmanuelwhobrokeredhis father’svisit to

Frederick’scourt.Bach’sreputationasagreattheoreticianandcon-

trapuntalistprecededhim,andupontheoccasionofhisvisit,hewas

givenadifficulttheme,composedbytheking—henceknownasthe

King’sTheme—toimproviseonatthekeyboard.

Bachrosetotheoccasionandthensome:twomonthslater,he

publishedtheMusical Offering,acollectionofvariouscompositions

basedon theKing’s Theme,which hededicated to Frederick the

Great.Thecompleteworkcomprisestencanons,atriosonata forviolinandflute(presumablyintributetoFrederick’sfluteplaying),a

three-partricercar,andasix-partricercar.(Atraditionalforminthesixteenthandseventeenthcenturies,

“ricercar”wasanantiquatedtermbythemid-eighteenthcentury;in

Bach’sday, ithadessentiallybecomesynonymouswithfugue.But

designatingthefuguesofthe Musical Offeringasricercariheldsym-

bolic import: in the dedicated autograph sent to Frederick, Bach

handwrotetheheading“ricercar”asaLatinacrostic:RegisIussuCan-tioEtReliquaCanonicaArteResoluta—“Attheking’scommand,the

song[i.e.,thefugue]andfurtherexamplesoftheartofthecanon.”)

Program Notes: From Bach

*Bolded terms are defined in the glossary, which begins on page 74.

c o n c E r t s

14 Music@Menlo 2009


LikeThe Art of Fugue,the Musical Offeringservestosummarize

thedepthofBach’smasteryofcounterpointandfugue.Bachbiog-

rapherMartinGeckwrites: “Thededicateeof theMusical Offering,FredericktheGreat,wasthegreatestrepresentativeofsecularpower

intheGerman-speakinglands:assuch,hewasbeinghonoredwith

aworkwhichinBach’sviewwouldbeatthehighestlevelofmusical

composition.”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born January 27, 1756, Salzburg; died December 5, 1791, Vienna)

Adagio and Fugue for String Quartet in c minor, K. 546

Composed: June26,1788(datefromMozart’sVerzeichnüss aller meiner Werke [Catalog of All My Works]). TheFugue(withoutAdagio introduction)wasoriginallycomposedin1783fortwo

keyboards,K.426.

Other works from this period: OtherentriesinMozart’sVerzeich-nüss aller meiner Werke from1788includethePianoConcertoinDMajor,K.537(February24);Ah se in ciel, benigne stelle, K.538,anariacomposedforAloysiaLange(néeWeber),Mozart’ssister-

in-law(March4);Ein Deutsches Kriegslied (A German War Song), K.539(March5);theAdagioinbminor,K.540(March19);Dalla sua pace, K.527,anadditionalariacomposedforthepartofDon

Ottavio inDon Giovanni (April24); thePianoSonatano. 16 inC Major, for beginners, K. 545 (June 26); the Violin Sonata

no.36inFMajor,forbeginners,K.547(July10);thePianoTrioin

CMajor,K.548(July14); Più non si trovano, K.549,acanzonettafortwosopranosandbass(July16);andthefinaltwosympho-

nies,no.40ingminor,K.550(July25),andno.41inCMajor

(theJupiter Symphony),K.551(August10).

Approximate duration:8minutes

Mozart’sAdagioandFuguebeganlifeastheFugueincminor,

K. 426, for two keyboards. Composed in 1783, that work (to

which Mozart would add the Adagio introduction when pre-

paring the stringquartetarrangement)appearedaspartofa

flurryofnewpiecesthecomposerproduceduponhisarrivalin

Viennain1781.Indeed,Mozart’sproductivityduringtheseyears

seemstohaveknownnolimits.Between1781and1785,hisout-

putincludednumerouspianoconcertiandsymphonies;important

chamberworksincludingviolinsonatas,theQuintetforPianoand

Winds,K.452,andthesix HaydnQuartets;theMassincminor;and

theoperasDie Entführung aus dem SerailandLe nozze di Figaro.The string quartet version of theAdagio and Fugue came

about under quite different circumstances. By the late 1780s,

Mozart’spopularity(and,consequently,his income)hadtakena

downward turn. Although Figaro had been wildly acclaimed in

Prague,theopera’sViennapremierein1786waspoorlyreceived

anditsproductiondidnotprovelucrativeforMozart.Thefollow-

ingyear,Don Giovanni likewisefailedtoplease:itwascriticizedasbeingoverlylearnedandtoosophisticatedforthegenerallistener.

Inordertogeneratemuchneededincomeinthesummerof1788,

Mozartcomposedatafuriouspace,completingasymphony,avio-

linsonata,apianotrio,apianosonata,andthisarrangementofthe

Fugueincminor,withtheaddedAdagiointroduction,inthespan

ofonlyafewweeks.

ThecharacteroftheAdagioandFugueisseverethroughout.

Theopeningdialoguebetweenthecelloandtherestoftheensem-

bleestablishesamajestic,rhythmicfeel.Usinganuncompromising

pattern that continues for the rest of the introduction, Mozart

interspersesmusicthatservestooffsettheaggressive,conquer-

ingopeningmeasures.Thiscontrastingmaterial—asmysteriousas

theopeningisobvious—infusestheAdagiowithadisturbingand

ominous atmosphere. It isMozart theopera composer atwork,

introducing a shady character that puts everyoneen garde. Asthe stentorian sections repeatat the same length, the shadowy

phrasesgrowlongerandlonger,ultimatelyleavingtheAdagioina

moodofgreattensionandanticipation.

Thecelloonceagainhasthefirstsayastheangularfuguesub-

jectbreaksin.AsinthefugueshehadarrangedfromBach’sThe Well-Tempered Clavier in1782(oneyearbeforethisfugue’soriginalversionfortwokeyboards),Mozart—stillundertheBaroquemas-

ter’sspell—demonstratesacompletemasteryoffugaltechnique.

TheFugueservessimultaneouslyasanhomagetoBachandasan

announcementtotheViennesemusicalcommunityofthearrival

ofacompellingandindividualcompositionalvoice.

Felix Mendelssohn (Born February 3, 1809, Hamburg; died November 4, 1847, Leipzig)

Sinfoniesatz no. 13 in c minor

Composed:CompletedDecember29,1823

Other works from this period: Detailedinthenotesbelow

Approximate duration: 8minutes

ThoughcomposedwhenMendelssohnwasjustfourteenyears

old, theSinfoniesatz in cminor is anadolescentworkonly in

termsofchronology.Artistically,thisconcisesingle-movement

work—liketheOpus110SextetforPianoandStrings,composed

thefollowingyear(andalsoofferedonthisprogram)—exhibits

thecraftsmanshipofafullymaturedcomposer.Moreover,both

theSinfoniesatzand theSextet represent the impressivepro-

ductivityofMendelssohn’searly teens. In theyear 1823alone,

Mendelssohncompletedfourstringsymphoniesandthecminor

Sinfoniesatz;twodoubleconcerti:oneforviolinandpianoand

anotherfortwopianos;theOpus2PianoQuartet,Opus4Violin

Sonata,andE-flatMajorStringQuartet;andDie beiden Neffen,his fourth opera, among other works. The prodigious young

Mendelssohn consequently caught the attention of Western

Europe’smusicalcommunityandcametoberegardedbymany

as the second Mozart. Astonished at his rapid development,

Mendelssohn’steacherCarlFriedrichZelternoted,“Heisgrow-

ingbeneathmyeyes.”

AsubstantialportionofMendelssohn’scompositionalactiv-

ityduring this timewasdevoted topolishinghiscraftvia the

stringsymphonygenre.Hecomposedhisfirstsixstringsympho-

niesinthefallof1821,theseventhandeighththefollowingyear,

andtheninththroughtwelfth,plustheunnumberedSinfoniesatz

(typicallylabeledno.13),in1823.Thestringsymphonyofferedthe

advancedstudentcomposeramediumwherehecouldbecome

proficient insymphonicformandpracticed inmanaging large

ensembles (the Sinfoniesatz expands the standard four-part

texturetofivevoicesbydividingtheviolas),aswellasopportu-

nityforfurtherpracticeatcounterpoint.

The work betrays Mendelssohn’s immersion in themusic

ofBach immediately from its slow, neo-Baroque introduction;

the persistent short-long rhythmic figure demonstrates the

eighteenth-centuryFrenchoverturestyle.Themainbodyofthe

workcomprisesanadeptlyconstructeddoublefugue.(Inboth

its structure—slow introduction, fast fugue—and content, the

SinfoniesatzlikewiseechoesMozart’sownhomagetoBach,the

cminorAdagioandFugue.)ButwhiletheSinfoniesatz,likethe

otherstringsymphonies,reliesonBachiancounterpoint,so,too,

doesitforeshadowtheinfluenceofBeethoveniandrama.

c o n c E r t s



Felix MendelssohnSextet for Piano and Strings in D Major, op. 110

Composed: April28–May10,1824

Published:Posthumously,in1868



By1824,Mendelssohn’sseductionbythedramaticforceofBeethoven’s

languagewascomplete.ThoughnolessunderthespellofBach,the

music composed duringMendelssohn’s fifteenth year increasingly

foreshadowsRomanticsensibilities.Thespateofworkscompleted

in1824anddistinctlymarkedbyBeethoven’sinfluenceincludeMen-

delssohn’sSymphonyno.1,theCapriccio ine-flatminorforPiano,the

cminorViolaSonata,andtheSextetinDMajorforPianoandStrings,

publishedposthumouslyasMendelssohn’sOpus110.

JustasimpressiveastheSextet’sartisticmaturityisthespeed

withwhichtheyoungMendelssohncompletedit:hecomposedthe

Sextetinlessthantwoweeks,betweenApril28andMay10,1824.

Thewell-to-doMendelssohnfamilyregularlystagedSundaymorn-

ingmusicalesattheirhomethroughoutMendelssohn’syouthasa

vehicleforFelix’sblossominggifts,andtheSextetwascomposed

forandpremieredatoneoftheseevents.Inadditiontoshowcasing

Felixthecomposer,theSextet,whichMendelssohndesignedasa

virtualminipianoconcerto,waslikewiseintendedtospotlightFelix

thepianovirtuoso.Therestoftheensemblecomprisesaunique

instrumentation:oneviolin,twoviolas,cello,anddoublebass.

The firstmovementAllegro vivace’s sonata-form structure

offersfewsurprisesintermsofdesign,butaudiencesatthepre-

mieremusthavebeentakenabackbythefifteen-year-oldpianist’s

staminaandlimbervirtuosity.Particularlyimpressiveisthesalvoof

trickytripletrunsthatclosestheexpositionandcontinuesunre-lenting into the development section. (Nor does Mendelssohnrelegatehiscolleaguestotheroleofsupportingcast:thoughtful

conversationalpassagesbetweenthestringsproducesomeofthe

Sextet’smostdramaticallycompellingmoments.)

TheAdagiolikewisefeaturesthepianoinaconcertanterole.Themovementbeginswithahymn-likesolemnity;Mendelssohn

instructs the violin and violas to play con sordino (withmuted

strings),imbuingthemusicwithahushedtimbre.

Thoughlabeledaminuet,theelegantdanceformtraditionally

foundinmultimovementClassicalperiodworks,thethirdmove-

mentissuchinnameonly.Itsagitatedcharactermoreaptlybefits

the scherzo, the frenzied triple-meter movement that came to

replacetheminuetintheRomanticperiod.

TheSextet’smostcompellingmomentcomesneartheendof

thegregariousfinale.ChannelingBeethoven,Mendelssohnusesa

dramaticdevicelearnedfromthemaster’sFifthSymphony(which

premieredabout amonthbeforeMendelssohnwasborn): in the

midstofthecontentedlyMozartianrecapitulation,theagitatedmin-

uetmakesanunexpectedreturn,likeamischievousrabble-rouser

crashinganaristocraticsalon.ListenersattheSextet’spremiere—

stillstrugglingin1824toabsorbthebreadthofBeethoven’sfierce

creativity—musthavebeenastoundedbyyoungFelix’saudacity.For

allitsgracefulelegance,theSextetdidmuchmorethanannounce

Mendelssohn as a delightful child with a charming gift.Western

music’snextgreatartistictalenthadarrived.

©2009PatrickCastillo


16 Music@Menlo 2009

c o n c E r t s

concert Program II:

Genius ProclaimedJuly 24

Friday, July 24

8:00 p.m., Menlo Park Presbyterian Church


SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Michael Jacobson and Trine Sorensenwith gratitude for their generous support.

Program OverviewFollowing theportentofBeethoveniandrama in theearlyMendelssohnworks that

close “FromBach,” this summer’s secondConcert Programdelves further into the

artisticsympathiessharedbetweenBeethovenandMendelssohn.“GeniusProclaimed”

bringstogetherearlymasterpiecesbybothcomposers—worksthatputtheworldon

noticeofgroundbreakingartistsdestinedforsuperlativeachievements.Theprogram

beginswithBeethoven’sStringQuartetinB-flatMajor,op.18,no.6,oneofthecompos-

er’searlyessaysinagenrethathewouldeventuallycometoredefine.Mendelssohn

followswiththeOpus18StringQuintet,likewiseagemfromthecomposer’syouth.The

programendswiththeimmortalOctetforStrings.Thismagnificentwork,composed

in1825whenMendelssohnwasonlysixteenyearsold,isuniversallyacknowledgedas

oneofthesinglegreatestworksinthechambermusicliterature.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

StringQuartetinB-flatMajor,op.18,no.6(1798–1800) I.Allegro con brio II.Allegro ma non troppo III. Scherzo: Allegro IV.La Malinconia (Adagio – Allegretto quasi allegro – Adagio – Allegretto – Poco adagio –

Prestissimo)


ScottSt.John,GeoffNuttall,violins; LesleyRobertson, viola; ChristopherCostanza,cello


StringQuintetno.1inAMajor,op.18(1826) I.Allegro con moto II.Intermezzo III.Scherzo: Allegro di molto IV.Allegro vivace


ScottSt.John,GeoffNuttall,violins; LesleyRobertson, viola; ChristopherCostanza,cello MasumiPerRostad, viola

INTERMISSION

Felix Mendelssohn OctetforStringsinE-flatMajor,op.20(1825) I.Allegro moderato, ma con fuoco II.Andante III.Scherzo: Allegro leggierissimo IV.Presto


GeoffNuttall,ScottSt.John,violins; LesleyRobertson, viola; ChristopherCostanza,celloPacificaQuartet:

SiminGanatra,SibbiBernhardsson,violins;MasumiPerRostad,viola;BrandonVamos,cello


Lucerne, Switzerland. Watercolor, 1847.






Ludwig van Beethoven (Born in Bonn, baptized December 17, 1770; died March 26, 1827, Vienna)

String Quartet in B-flat Major, op. 18, no. 6

Composed: 1798–1800

Published: Vienna,1801

Dedication: PrinceKarlLobkowitz(seebelow)

First performance: TheOpus18quartetswereallpremieredat

theFridaymorningmusicalesheldatPrinceLobkowitz’shome.



The six string quartets of Beethoven’sOpus* 18mark a coming

ofageinthecomposer’scareer.Theydatefromhisearlyyearsin

Vienna,wherehehadarrivedin1792fromhisnativeBonninorder

to, in the famouswordsof his patronCountWaldstein, “receive

the spirit ofMozart fromHaydn’s hands.” Beethoven composed

theOpus18quartetsbetween1798and1800.Theseyearssawthe

completionofnumerousotherimportantearlyworks:inadditionto

thequartets,theOpus9stringtrios;thepianosonatasofOpuses10and22;theSeptetforWindsandStrings;theOpus23andOpus

24violinsonatas;andtheFirstSymphony,amongotherworks.

TheOpus18quartetsmaycollectivelybethemostimportant

ofthese.NotonlydidtheyforcefullyannounceBeethoven’sarrival

toWestern Europe’smusical capital but theymore importantly

representtheyoungcomposer’sfirstattemptsatwhatwasand

hassinceremainedthequintessentialchambermusicgenre.His

eventualcycleofsixteenquartetsstands,tothisday,amongthe

cornerstonesofthecanonofWesternmusic.

Composing these quartets served as an important step in

Beethoven’ssuccessionofHaydnandMozart.Haydn—thefatherof

theClassicalstyle,andBeethoven’steacher—hadsingle-handedly

definedthegenreandmoreoversetanintimidatingstandardwith

hisnearlyseventystringquartets.Mozart,too,hadmadeimpor-

tantcontributionstothequartetliterature,particularlywithhisset

ofsixquartetsdedicatedtoHaydn.

Beethovenwasclearlyconsciousofthesignificanceattached

tohisfirststringquartets.Thechoicetopublishasetofsixworks—

asopposedtoasingleworkorhisusualsetofthree—fell inline

withseveralsetsofsixbyHaydn,aswellasMozart’sHaydnQuar-tets.Andasifcomposingtheseworkswerenotpressureenough,

PrinceKarlLobkowitz,theAustriannoblemanwhocommissioned

thequartets,simultaneouslycommissionedasetofsixfromHaydn,

stokingtheunspokenbutintensifyingcompetitionbetweenpupil

andmaster.Perhapsasasymbolicpassingofthetorch,theaging

Haydncompletedonlytwoofthesix.

Work began on theOpus 18 quartets in 1798. Beethoven’s

sketchbooksrevealhisgreatcareandattentiontodetailinperfect-

ingtheworks.TheyunderwentconstantrevisionbeforeBeethoven

finallysentthemtohispublisher.In1799,Beethoveninscribedan

autographcopyoftheQuartetinFMajor,op.18,no.1,asafarewell

gift tohis friendKarlFriedrichAmenda: “DearAmenda,Accept

thisquartetasasmalltokenofourfriendship,andwheneveryou

playitrecallthedayswepassedtogetherandthesincereaffec-

tionfeltforyouthen,whichwillalwaysbefeltby:Yourwarmand

truefriend,LudwigvanBeethoven.”Onlyoneyearlater,Beethoven

sentthefollowingrequest:“Mydear,mygoodAmenda,myheart-

ilybelovedfriend…Don’tlendoutmyquartetanymore,becauseI

havemademanychangesinit.Ihaveonlyjustlearnthowtowrite

quartetsproperly,asyouwillseewhenyoureceivethem.”

Thefirsttwomovementsof theB-flatMajorQuartet,op. 18,no.6,followstraightforwardlyenoughtheexampleofHaydnand

Mozart. The opening Allegro con brio begins to demonstrate

Beethoven’s developing penchant for such forceful dramatic

devices as jarring sforzandi and unexpected silences but doessowithintheClassicalmoldofHaydn’squartets.Theslowsecond

movement does likewise; its leisurely pace equals with patience

whatthefirstmovementsuggestedofBeethoven’srestlessenergy.

The delicious rhythmic confusion that begins the scherzo(isitin2/4?3/4?andwhohasthedownbeat,theviolinsorlower

strings?) pointsmoredecisively towardsBeethoven’s innovative

bent.Butitisonaccountoftheremarkablefinalmovement,titled

“LaMalinconia”(melancholy)byBeethoven, thatmanyconsider

theB-flatMajorQuartetthemostpowerfuloftheOpus18s.The

movement’s slow, gripping introduction—in which Beethoven

instructstheplayers,“Questopezzosidevetrattarecollapiùgran

delicatezza” (“Thispiecemustbeplayedwith thegreatestpos-

sibledelicacy”)—continuestoemployshockingdynamiccontrasts,

here,topunctuatemelancholywithoutburstsofdespair.Further

deepeningthesenseofanxiety,themusicwandersfromonetonal-

itytoanother,asiflostandsearchinghelplesslyforitswayback

tothehomekey.WithBeethoven,onelearnstoexpecttheunex-

pected:ratherthanbecomingdarkerandmoreanguishedstill,the

mainbodyofthefinalerespondstothegravityofitsintroduction

withacarefreecountry-dance.Butthegaietyofthedanceremains

hauntedbyrecurrencesofLaMalinconia,evenuntilthequartet’s

blazingPrestissimofinish.


String Quintet in A Major, op. 18

Composed:MendelssohncompletedthefirstversionoftheAMajor

QuintetonMarch31,1826;therevisedversion,containingthesec-

ondmovementintermezzo,wascompletedonFebruary23,1832.

(Detailsbelow.)

Published:Parts:Bonn,1833;fullscore:Bonn,1849

Other works from this period:TheOpus18Quintetiscontem-

poraneous with two of Mendelssohn’s most highly regarded

masterpieces,which are all themore revered for dating from

Mendelssohn’slateteens:theOctetinE-flatMajor,op.20(see

below),andtheOvertureto A Midsummer Night’s Dream,op.21(seeConcertProgramIII).Alsocompletedduringthistime:the

PianoSonatainEMajor,op.6(completedMarch22,1826),and

SiebenCharakterstückeforPiano,op.7(June6,1826).


MendelssohncomposedtheStringQuintetinAMajorwhileasev-

enteen-year-oldstudentatBerlinUniversity.Hecuriouslywould

not revisit this particular combination of instruments—string

quartetwithaddedviola—untilnearlytwentyyearslaterwiththe

QuintetinB-flatMajor,op.87.TheAMajorQuintetoriginallycom-

Program Notes: Genius Proclaimed


c o n c E r t s

18 Music@Menlo 2009


prisedfourmovements:anAllegrofirstmovement,followedbya

scherzo,aminuetandtrio,andaconcludingAllegro vivace.Sixyearslater,whiletravelinginParis,Mendelssohnhadan

opportunitytohearthequintetreadbyacrackpickupensemble,

ledbytheeminentFrenchviolinistPierreBaillot.Mendelssohn

heldhiscolleaguesinsufficientlyhighregardtoseriouslycon-

sidertheironecriticismofthework:theconspicuousabsence

of a slow movement. By unhappy coincidence, Mendelssohn

receivedwordaround this timeof thedeathofEduardRietz,

his violin teacher and collaborator in staging the celebrated

1829performanceofBach’sSt. Matthew Passion.MendelssohnmournedhisdearfriendbycomposingaNachruf,ormemorial,

whichwouldmakeitswayintothequintetandsatisfyBaillot’s

solequalmwiththework.TheQuintetinAMajorwaspublished

in1833asMendelssohn’sOpus18withtheNachrufasitssecondmovement;Mendelssohneliminatedtheminuetandretainedthe

scherzoasthethirdmovement.

Theopening themeof the triple-meterAllegro con moto recallsthegracefulnessofaMozartminuet.Followingtheequally

amiablesecondtheme,theexpositionendswithquick,staccato whispers,coloredbypizzicatiinthelowerstrings.Thisisatex-turethathasbecomespecificallyassociatedwithMendelssohn

and inparticularwithhis incidental music toShakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s Dream. MendelssohnscholarR.LarryTodddescribesthispassage“asifanotherwiseconventionalsonata formmomentarilyfellunderthespellofanelfinworld.”

TheNachruf,Mendelssohn’sheartfeltmemorial toEduard

Rietz,servesasthequintet’semotionalcenterpiece.Inobvious

homagetotheartistryofhis friendandteacher,Mendelssohn

caststhefirstviolininaconcertanterole.

TheMidsummer Night’s DreamcharacterofMendelssohn’s

musicreturnsinthethirdmovementscherzo,nowcombinedwith

thecomposer’sfascinationwithBaroquecounterpointtoembark

onafive-voicefugue.TheclosingAllegro vivace letsgoofthefantastical aura and full-tilt scherzando of Mendelssohn’sMid-summer Night’s Dreammusicbuthangsontoitswhimsicalair.

Felix MendelssohnOctet for Strings in E-flat Major, op. 20

Composed:CompletedOctober15,1825

Published:Parts,witharrangement for four-handpiano: 1833;

fullscore:1848

Other works from this period:Seeabove.


As masterful a work as Mendelssohn produced in the Opus 18

Quintet, that andother gemsof the composer’s late teenswere

overshadowedduringhislifetimebyhisgreatmasterpieceof1825.

Mendelssohn completed the Octet for Strings on October 15 of

thatyear;thework’spremierelikelytookplaceatoneoftheMen-

delssohnfamily’sSundaymorningmusicales(thesamevenuefor

thefirstperformanceoftheOpus110Sextet,heardonConcertPro-

gramI).MendelssohndesignedtheOctetasabirthdaypresentfor

hisviolinteacher,EduardRietz,thesamemanwhomhewouldlater

memorializeintheOpus18Quintet.TheOctet’svirtuosicfirst-violin

partisclearlyintendedforRietz;Mendelssohn,himselfanablevio-

linistandviolist,maywellhavealsotakenpart intheOctet’sfirst

performance.

TheOctetisthegreatestmonumenttotheyoungMendelssohn’s

tremendousgifts.HisreputationasWesternmusic’sgreatestprodigy

couldrestonthisworkalone,foritfarexceedsanyaccomplishment

ofMozart,Schubert,oranyotherwunderkindbytheageofsixteen.ButtheOctetismorethananimpressiveshowofprecocity:indeed,

itisanimpeccableworkofartirrespectiveofthecomposer’sage.

R.LarryTodddescribesitastheworkthat“catapultedFelixintothe

Westerncanonof‘great’composers.Theprodigy’ssixteen-year-old

creativevoicenowreachedfullmaturityinanirrepressiblymasterful,

ebullientcomposition.”Overtime,theOctethascometooccupya

placeintheliteraturealongsidesuchworksastheBeethovenstring

quartetsandtheSchubertCelloQuintetasoneofWesternmusic’s

mostperfectcreations.

One of theOctet’smost compelling attributes is its display

of Mendelssohn’s uncanny mastery of sonority. Throughout the

work,heexploreseachofthevarioustexturesaffordedbythelarge

ensemble at hand.Among themost strikingof these is the first

movement’s unforgettable opening: Mendelssohn sets a soaring

themeinthefirstviolinaboveexpectanttremolando(foreshadow-ingthedramaticclimaxoftheOpus18Quintet).Acrooningduet

betweenthefourthviolinandfirstviolaintroducesthelyricalsecond

theme;asMendelssohndevelopsthisidea,thefirstviolincontinues

to commentwith fragments of its cavalier openingmelody. The

movement’sdevelopmentsectionisrifewithBeethovenianSturm und Drang;tentativesyncopations buildtoanexhilaratingcrest,asalleightplayerscometogetherinafortissimosixteenth-noteruntotherecapitulation.

ThethoughtfulAndanteprovidesafoilforthefirstmovement’s

forwardthrust.Withoutlosinganythingoftheensemble’sexpres-

sivecapacity,Mendelssohnparesdowntheoctettexturetoachieve

heartrendingsubtletyanddelicacy.

ThescherzomovementoffersfurtherexampleofMendelssohn’s

Midsummer Night’s Dream style(seeabove).Thankstothecom-

poser’ssisterFannyMendelssohn,wehaveinsightintothecreative

impetusbehindthismovement. Inthescherzo,Fannywritesthat

Felix “set to music the stanza fromWalpurgis Night’s Dream in

[Goethe’s]Faust—

Theflightofthecloudsandtheveilofmist

Arelightedfromabove.

Abreezeintheleaves,awindinthereeds,

Andallhasvanished.

Tomealonehetoldthisidea:thewholepieceistobeplayedstac-

catoandpianissimowithshiveringtremolosandlightningflashesof

trills.Allisnew,strange,andyetsofamiliarandpleasing—onefeels

soclosetotheworldofspirits,lightlycarriedupintotheair.Indeed

onemighttakeabroomsticksoastofollowtheairyprocession.At

theendthefirstviolinsoarsfeather-lightaloft—allisblownaway.”

AnarrestingfuguelaunchesthePrestofinale,itsbarrelingsub-jectintroducedbythesecondcello,followedbythefirstcello,andthen thesecondandfirstviola,andsoon, to thefirstviolin.But

justasMendelssohn’sdeftcounterpointandfugaltechniquealways

remindusofhisdeepstudyofBach,sodoesthesymphonicbreadth

oftheOctet’sfinalerevealfurthertheinfluenceofBeethoven.For-

tissimo octaves across the full ensemble punctuate the opening

fugato, emitting a caffeinated energy that continues unrelenting

fortheremainderofthework.Neartheend,Mendelssohnborrows

thesamemovefromBeethoven’splaybookthathewoulddeployin

theOpus18Quintet:hereintroducesthescherzomelody,transport-

ingthelistenerbacktotheenchantedworldofthethirdmovement

beforebringingthemagnificentOctettoitsthrillingconclusion.





concert Program III:

Midsummer Night DreamsJuly 27, July 28, & July 29

Monday, July 27



Tuesday, July 28



Wednesday, July 29



SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates these performancesto the following individuals with gratitude for their generous support:

July 27: Kathleen G. HenschelJuly 28: Kris KlintJuly 29: The Jeffrey Dean and Heidi

Hopper Family

Program OverviewThefantasticalairofMendelssohn’sincidentalmusictoShakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s Dreamhasplaceditamongthecomposer’smostbelovedworks.“Midsum-

merNightDreams”resetsthismusicasaprismtorevealthebroadswathofmusical

stylesfoundinLigeti’spuckishSixBagatelles(composedmorethanacenturyafter

Mendelssohn’s death), Schumann’s spellbinding First Piano Trio, and the kaleido-

scopicNonetforWindsandStringsbyMendelssohn’sclosefriendLouisSpohr.

György Ligeti (1923–2006)

SixBagatellesforWindQuintet(1953) I.Allegro con spirito II. Rubato. Lamentoso III.Allegro grazioso IV.Presto ruvido V.Adagio. Mesto(BélaBartókinmemoriam)

VI.Molto vivace. Capriccioso

CarolWincenc,flute; WilliamBennett, oboe;AnthonyMcGill,clarinet; DennisGodburn,bassoon;WilliamVerMeulen,French horn

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

PianoTrioindminor,op.63(1847) I.Mit Energie und Leidenschaft II.Lebhaft, doch nicht zu rasch III. Langsam, mit inniger Empfindung IV.Mit Feuer

JeffreyKahane, piano;JosephSwensen,violin;PaulWatkins,cello

INTERMISSION


A Midsummer Night’s Dream, op.61,arr.forpiano,fourhands (1843) Scherzo

Nocturne

JeffreyKahane,WuHan, piano

Louis Spohr (1784–1859)

NonetinFMajor,op.31(1813) I.Allegro II.Scherzo: Allegro III.Adagio IV. Finale: Vivace

CarolWincenc, flute; WilliamBennett, oboe; AnthonyMcGill,clarinet; DennisGodburn, bassoon;WilliamVerMeulen,French horn; ArnaudSussmann, violin;MasumiPerRostad,viola;PaulWatkins,cello;ScottPingel, bass


Interlaken (unfinished). Watercolor, 1847.


c o n c E r t s

20 Music@Menlo 2009


György Ligeti (Born May 28, 1923, Dicsöszentmárton [Diciosânmartin, now Tîrnäveni], Transylvania; died June 12, 2006, Vienna)

Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet

Composed: 1953

First performance: Detailedinthenotesbelow



Unquestionably one of themost singular compositional voices of

thetwentiethcentury(andwidelypopularizedbyStanleyKubrick’s

appropriationofseveralofhisworksinthefilms2001: A Space Odys-sey,The Shining,andEyes Wide Shut),GyörgyLigetiwasregardedbymany,by theendofhis life,asWesternmusic’sgreatest living

composer.Hismusicreflectshisassimilationofawidespectrumof

culturalelements.ArtisticallydescendantfromBartók(oneofthefew

prominenttwentieth-centurymasterswhosemusichehadexposure

toinhisyouth),Ligetilaterencounteredtheavant-gardecommunity

emergentatDarmstadt.Intheearly1980s,heextendedhissonicpal-

ettefurther,immersinghimselfinnon-Europeanmusicalcultures:his

interestinCaribbean,African,andEastAsianmusiccomplemented

theinfluenceofhisownHungarianheritage.Ultimately,regardlessof

hisaestheticsources,Ligetiwasalwaysguidedbyhispersonalsound

ideal.Giventosonicexplorationandadventure,hismusicrevealsa

free-spiritedimaginationandinfinitecuriosity.

Ligeti’sSixBagatelles*arehisownwindquintetarrangements

fromhisMusica ricercata,acycleofelevenshortpianopiecescom-

posedbetween1950and1953.Inadditiontothiswork,theseearly

yearsofLigeti’scareer(priortohisflightfromBudapestinthewake

ofthefailed1956revoltagainstStalinistrule)alsoproducedhissemi-

nalFirstStringQuartet,SonataforSoloCello,andnumerouschoral

worksontraditionalHungarianthemes.Thechoralmusicfulfilledthe

societalexpectationsforLigetiasanartistunderdespoticrule;his

moredaringinstrumentalworks, includingtheMusica ricercata,forthetimebeingremainedunderlockandkey.

LigetiwroteoftheSixBagatelles:

AsastudentinKolozsvárandBudapestIwasaconfirmed

believerinthefolkloristicallyorientedmusicofthe“New

HungarianSchool”;Bartókwasmycompositionalideal.I

wroteelevenpianopiecesinBudapestbetween1950and

1953, in an attempt—initially fruitless—to find a style of

myown.ThiswasMusica ricercatainthetruesenseof“ri-cercare”:totryout,toseek.WhentheeminentHungarian

windensembletheJeneyQuintetaskedmeforapiece

in1953,Iarrangedsixoftheelevenpianopiecesforflute

(doublingpiccolo),oboe,B-flatclarinet,F-horn,andbas-

soon.Fourpiecesfromthiscycleare“pseudo-folkloristic”:

noactualfolksongsarequoted,butnos.2and5havea

“Hungariandiction”aboutthem(no.5depictsmourning

bellsinmemoryofBartók);no.4,withits“limping”dance

music, isBalkan;andno.3depictsanartificialhybridof

Banat-RomanianandSerbianmelodicidioms.

TheFranzLisztAcademypresentedthefirstFestival

ofNewHungarianMusicattheendofSeptember1956.

My Bagatelleswere finally performed at the instigation

oftheJeneyQuintet.AtthattimetheywerecalledFive

Bagatelles,sinceno.6—despite thethaw in thepolitical

climate—stillcontainedtoomanyminorseconds.(Disso-

nances and chromaticismwere still “cosmopolitan” and

“hostiletothepeople,”justsomewhatlesssothanprevi-

ously.)Theaudienceofintellectualsandmusicianswasat

alossastowhetherornottheywerepermittedtoenjoy

themusicortoapplaud.Oneofmyearlierteacherstried

cautiouslytocongratulatemeonmy“success”:heshook

myhandbutshiftedhisweightfromonefoottotheother

inembarrassment.

Robert Schumann (Born June 8, 1810, Saxony; died July 29, 1856, Endenich, outside Bonn)

Piano Trio no. 1 in d minor, op. 63

Composed: 1847

Published: 1848

Other works from this period: TheOpus63PianoTriomarksaperiod

ofgreatproductivityinSchumann’scareer,particularlyinthecompo-

sitionofchambermusic.In1847,healsopennedhisSecondPianoTrio

inFMajor,op.80.Theyear1849—well-knownasaprolificchamber

musicyearforSchumann—sawthecreationoftheOpus70AdagioandAllegroforHorn(ViolinorCello)andPiano,theOpus94DreiRomanzenforOboe(ViolinorClarinet)andPiano,andFünfStücke

imVolkstonforCelloorViolinandPiano,op.102.


TheGermancomposerRobertSchumannstandsamongthequint-

essentialsymbolsoftheRomanticera.Justashismusicexhibited

thehallmarksofRomanticism,sodidtheeventsofhislife.Whenhe

waseighteenyearsold,hetraveledtoLeipzigtostudywiththepia-

nistFriedrichWieck,whosenine-year-olddaughter,Clara,wasalsoa

giftedpianist.RobertandClaradevelopedaclosefriendship,which

blossomedyears later intooneof themost intense loveaffairsof

musichistory.AfteraprotractedlegalbattlewithClara’sforbidding

father,thetwoweremarriedin1840.

Bythemid-1840s,Schumann’sphysicalandmentalhealthboth

begantodecline.Hefrequentlybattledboutsofdepression,insomnia,

and,eventually,psychosis.Inhisearlyforties,hismentalstatereached

itsnadir,andafterweeksofunbearablepsychoticepisodes,Schu-

mannattemptedtokillhimselfbyjumpingintotheRhine.Following

hissuicideattempt,Schumanndemandedthathebecommittedto

amentalasylum,forfearofinadvertentlyharmingClaraortheirchil-

dren.HewassenttoanasyluminBonnin1854andneversawhis

childrenagain.Hestarvedhimselftodeathtwoyearslater;Clarawas

notpermittedtoseeherhusbanduntilthedaybeforehedied.

(Aproposof theMendelssohnbicentennial: Schumannheld a

specialaffectionforMendelssohn,withwhomheandClarabecame

personally close, and whose music he passionately adored. Men-

delssohnheroically stepped in at the lastmoment to takepart in

thepremiereofSchumann’sPianoQuintet,beingperhapstheonly

pianistinEuropecapableofsight-readingsuchachallengingwork

afterClara,theintendedpianist,fellsuddenlyill.Someyearslater,

Schumann,shortlyafterenteringtheasylumwherehewouldspend

Program Notes: Midsummer Night Dreams


c o n c E r t s



thelasttwoyearsofhislife,receivedaletterfromClaratellinghimof

thebirthoftheirson.RobertrepliedtoClara,“Ifyouwishtoconsult

withmeinthematterofaname,youwilleasilyguessmychoice—

thenameoftheunforgettableone!”Claraimmediatelyunderstood

andsochristenedFelixSchumann.)

ThePianoTrioindminor,op.63,isthefirstofSchumann’sthree

pianotrios(notcountingtheOpus88Fantasiestücke,alsoscored

forviolin,cello,andpiano)andhasenduredasthemostbelovedof

thesetamongconcertgoers.Schumanncomposedtheworkin1847,

thesameyearasMendelssohn’sdeath.

The trio bleeds Romantic pathos throughout its four move-ments.Eveninitstempoinstructions,Schumannseesachancefor

poetry;thefirstmovementisnotmerelyAllegrobutMit Energie und Leidenschaft—withenergyandpassion.Themovementdoesnever-

thelessofferasalientmomentofrespitefromtheintensedminor

Leidenschaft when,aftereachofthethemesfromtheexpositionisextended,thedevelopmentcomestoanabrupthaltandintroducesa

newmusicalidea.Schumanncreatesafragilesonictexture:inaddition

tomarkingthemusicpianississimo,heinstructsthepianisttodepressthesoftpedalandthestringstoplay sul ponticello(bowingnearthebridge, thusproducinga thinner, rarefied tone).Aftera full reca-pitulation,Schumannbrieflyrecallsthisoptimistic interludebefore

themovement’s tragicconclusion.Following the jauntyscherzo,abreathlesslylongphraseintheviolinsetstheweepingtoneforthethirdmovement,markedLangsam, mit inniger Empfindung—slowly,withintimatefeeling.Abrightermelodyappearsmidwaythroughthe

movementtocontrasttheelegiaccharacteroftheopeningtheme.

R.LarryToddnotesthattheensembletextureattheoutsetofthe

finale—lyrical themesetagainst shimmeringchords in thepiano—

recallsthe“sparkling,effervescentvirtuosity”ofMendelssohn’sCello

SonatainDMajor,op.58.ThevastemotionalterrainthatSchumann

traverses—fromthetragicfirstmovement,throughthelivelyscherzo

andbrokenheartedslowmovement,andfinallyarrivingatthetrium-

phantfinale—illustratesthearchetypalRomantic journey.Thetrio’s

impulsive rhetoricandgreatemotivebreadthconfirmSchumann’s

placeamongthedefinitivevoicesofhisgeneration.


A Midsummer Night’s Dream (arr. four-hand piano): Scherzo and Nocturne

Composed:Detailedinthenotesbelow

First performance: Potsdam,October14,1843



Mendelssohn’sincidental musictoShakespeare’sA Midsummer Night’s Dreamhasbecomeahabitualpointofreferenceinthedis-

cussionofhiscompositionallanguage.Whenscholarsdescribethat

chimerical dimension of Mendelssohn’s music—marked by fleet-

footedtempiandfeatherweight,staccatotextures—ithasbecome

instinctivetorefertoitashisMidsummer Night’s Dreammusic.The

workitselfhasbecome,morethanaMendelssohnsignature,oneof

thetruelandmarkpiecesoftheRomanticperiod.

ThecompositionofA Midsummer Night’s Dream tookplace

over twoperiods.MendelssohnpennedtheOverture in 1826, the

sameyearinwhichhecomposedtheOpus18StringQuintetand

oneyearafterhecompletedtheOctet.Duringtheidyllicsummer

of1826,theseventeen-year-oldFelixwroteinalettertohissister

Fanny: “I havegrownaccustomed to composing in our garden…

TodayortomorrowIshalldreamthereA Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Indeed, the Mendelssohn children held Shakespeare’s fantastical

comedyespeciallydear.Fannylaterrelated,“Fromouryouthonwe

wereentwinedinA Midsummer Night’s Dream, andFelixparticularlymadeithisown.Heidentifiedwithallofthecharacters.Herecre-

ated them, so to speak—every one of thosewhomShakespeare

producedintheimmensityofhisgenius.”

Sixteen years later, Mendelssohn received an appointment as

MusicDirectorofthenewAcademyoftheArtsinBerlin.KingFriedrich

WilhelmIVhadluredMendelssohnaspartofawidespreadeffortto

revitalizePrussia’sculturalprofile.Aspartofhisposition,Mendelssohn

receivedanumberofroyalcommissionstoproduceincidentalmusic,or

musiccomposedtoaccompanydramaticperformance,forupcoming

theatricalproductions.OneofthesewasanewstagingofA Midsum-mer Night’s Dream, plannedincelebrationoftheking’sbirthday.ForMendelssohn,theopportunitytorevisithismostbelovedShakespeare

playwasahappyoccasionamidwhatwould,forvariousreasons,be

anultimatelyunhappyandshort-livedtenure.Thepremieretookplace

onOctober14,1843,attheNeuesPalaistheaterinPotsdam.

Despitehisscantcatalogofmusicfortwopianists,Mendelssohn

was nevertheless a lifelong devotee of four-hand and two-piano

music,oftenperformingpianoduetswithhissisterFanny(herself

a similarlygiftedmusician). The four-handpianoarrangementof

Midsummerwaslikelycomposedconcurrentlywiththeorchestral

work.FelixandFannyareknowntohaveperformedtheOverture

inNovember1826atoneofthemusicaleventsthefamilyregularly

presentedattheirhome.

TheNocturneaccompaniestheendofActIII, inwhichPuck,

themischievousservanttothefairykingOberon,sprinklesamagical

lovepotionontheeyesofthesleepingLysander.

Ontheground

Sleepsound:

I’llapply

Toyoureye,

Gentlelover,remedy.

Whenthouwakest,

Thoutakest

Truedelight

Inthesight

Ofthyformerlady’seye:

Andthecountryproverbknown,

Thateverymanshouldtakehisown,

Inyourwakingshallbeshown:

JackshallhaveJill;

Noughtshallgoill;

Themanshallhavehismareagain,andallshallbe

well.

(III.ii.472–487)

ThescherzohighlightsPuck’sfirstappearanceattheoutset

ofActII.Thelithe,breathlesscharacterofthismusicisthehall-

markofavintageMendelssohnscherzo.

Louis Spohr (Born April 5, 1784, Brunswick; died October 22, 1859, Kassel)

Nonet in F Major, op. 31

Composed:1813

Published: Parts:Vienna,1819;fullscore:Berlin,1878

Other works from this period: In1813,Spohralsocomposedthe

c o n c E r t s

22 Music@Menlo 2009


Octet inEMajor,op.32 (seebelow), and theoperaFaust andbegantheOpus33setofsevenviolaquintets,completedin1814,

andOpus29setofthreestringquartets,completedin1815.


Althoughhisrenownhasflaggedsincehisdeath in1859,theGer-

mancomposerLouisSpohrwasregardedbyhiscontemporariesas

anequaltoHaydn,Mozart,andBeethoven.MusicologistCliveBrown

notesthatbothMozart’sThe Marriage of FigaroandWagner’sTristan und IsoldewerecomposedwithinthespanofSpohr’slifetimeand

that “his ownwork looks, Janus-like, towards both the formalism

andclarityoftheClassicaltradition,andthestructuralandharmonic

experimentationassociatedwithnineteenth-centuryRomanticism.”

LikeMendelssohn,withwhomheenjoyedagreatmutualrespectand

advocacyforeachother’smusic,Spohrwasafamousmultihyphen-

ate:awidelyacclaimedconductorandviolinist,aswellasoneofhis

generation’smostfamouscomposers.

SpohrcomposedhisOpus31NonetforWindsandStrings in

1813.HehadrecentlybeenappointedKapellmeisteroftheorches-

traofVienna’sTheateranderWien,where,amongotherimportant

developments,hebecamefriendswithBeethoven.Healsoreceiveda

curiouscommissionduringthistimefromtheprominentartspatron

JohannTost(ahighlyskilleddilettantehimselfwhohadservedas

Haydn’s second violinist for five years at theEsterháza court and

who later received the dedication of Mozart’s String Quintet in

DMajor,K.593,andStringQuintetinE-flatMajor,K.614).FromSpohr’sautobiography:

WordhadhardlygottenaroundViennathatIwastosettle

therewhenonemorningadistinguishedvisitorpresented

himself:aHerrJohannvonTost,manufacturerandpassionate

musiclover.Hebeganahymnofpraiseaboutmytalentasa

composerandexpressedthewishthat,forasuitableemolu-

ment,everythingthatIshouldwriteinViennabereckoned

ashispropertyforaperiodofthreeyears.Thenheadded,

“Yourworksmaybeperformedasoftenaspossible,butthe

scoremustbeborrowedfrommeforeachoccasionandper-

formedonlyinmypresence…Ihavetwoobjectives.First,I

wanttobeinvitedtothemusicaleswhereyourpieceswill

beplayed,andthereforeImusthavetheminmypossession.

Secondly,Ihopethatonmybusinesstripsthepossessionof

suchtreasureswillbringmetheacquaintanceshipofmusic

loverswho,inturn,maybeusefultomeinmybusiness.”

TheOpus31NonetwasoneoftheworkscomposedforJohann

Tost. Tost’s commission also resulted in four string quartets, two

quintets,andtheOpus32OctetforClarinet,TwoHorns,andStrings.

Spohr’sOpuses31and32(andalsotheOpus147SeptetforWinds,

Strings,andPiano)rankamongthefinestofhischamberworksand

suggestthatunusualcombinationsofinstrumentsespeciallypiqued

his imagination.Thebroadpaletteof instrumental colors afforded

bytheensembleofflute,oboe,clarinet,Frenchhorn,bassoon,vio-

lin,viola,cello,anddoublebassendowstheNonetwithitsparticular

charm.BefittingSpohr thevirtuosoviolinist, theNonetmoreover

featuresaconcertantepartfortheviolin.




concert Program IV:

Mendelssohn PerspectivesAugust 3, August 4, & August 5

Monday, August 3



Tuesday, August 4



Wednesday, August 5



SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates these performancesto the following individuals and organizations with gratitude for their generous support:

August 3: Hugh MartinAugust 4: Libby and Craig HeimarkAugust 5: Melanie and Ron Wilensky

CORPORATE SPONSOR:

Program OverviewSetaroundthecomposer’ssignatureSongs without Words,“MendelssohnPerspec-tives” illuminatesthemusicofMendelssohn’spredecessorsandheirs:Beethoven’s

dramaticKreutzer Sonata, a recital specialty of Mendelssohn the chambermusi-

cian;Brahms’sSecondPianoQuartet, representing the lateRomanticperiod; and

renownedAmericancomposerPierreJalbert’sthrillingPianoTrio.


ViolinSonatainAMajor,op.47 (Kreutzer) (1802–1803) I.Adagio sostenuto – Presto II.Andante con variazioni III.Finale: Presto

ArnaudSussmann,violin; WuHan,piano

Pierre Jalbert (b. 1967)

PianoTrio(1998) I.Life Cycle II.Agnus Dei

WuHan, piano;ArnaudSussmann,violin;DavidFinckel,cello

INTERMISSION


Selected Lieder ohne Worte Lied ohne Worteingminor,op.19,no.6,Venezianisches Gondellied(Venetian Boat Song) Lied ohne Worteinaminor,op.85,no.2

Lied ohne WorteinCMajor,op.67,no.4,Spinnerlied(Spinning Song)

GilbertKalish,piano

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

PianoQuartetno.2inAMajor,op.26(1861) I.Allegro non troppo II.Poco adagio III.Scherzo: Poco allegro IV.Finale: Allegro

GilbertKalish, piano; JorjaFleezanis,violin;PaulNeubauer,viola; DavidFinckel,cello


Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen, Hotel Weber. Watercolor, 1847.



c o n c E r t s

24 Music@Menlo 2009



Violin Sonata in A Major, op. 47 (Kreutzer)

Composed:1802–1803

Published: BonnandLondon,1805

Dedication: Originally composed forGeorgeBridgetower but

laterdedicatedtoRodolpheKreutzer(seebelow)

First performance: May24,1803

Other works from this period: TheKreutzerSonata*isrepresen-tativeofBeethoven’s“heroic”period;otherimportanthallmarks

ofthisstageinhiscreativecareerincludetheEroica (1803–1804)andFifth (1807–1808) symphonies, theWaldstein (1803–1804)andAppassionata (1805) piano sonatas, and theRazumovsky Quartets,op.59(1806).


The KreutzerSonata,theninthofBeethoven’stensonatasforviolinandpiano,haslongbeenthemostfamousofthetenowingequally

toitsbold,dramaticdesignanditsfiendishwritingforbothinstru-

ments.Beethovennotedinhissketchbookthatthesonatais“written

inahighlyconcertantestyle,almostinthemannerofaconcerto.”Tolstoy’s novella of the same name, inwhich the sonata’s volca-

nicenergyprecipitatesa jealousmurder,has likewisecontributed

totheKreutzer’snotoriety.Uponhearingthesonata,Pozdnyshev,the novella’s cuckolded tragic hero, observes “that entirely new

impulses,newpossibilities,wererevealedtomeinmyself,suchas

Ihadnotdreamedofbefore.Suchworksshouldbeplayedonlyin

grave,significantconditions,andonlythenwhencertaindeedscor-

respondingtosuchmusicaretobeaccomplished.”

Beethovencomposedthesonatainthespringof1803fora

concerthewastogiveinViennawiththeEthiopian-Polishviolinist

GeorgeAugustusPolgreenBridgetower.Althoughtheperformance

wasaresoundingsuccess,Beethovenrescindedthededicationto

Bridgetower,apparentlyfollowingadisagreementoveralady.The

sonata’ssurvivingdedicationhonorstheFrenchviolinistRodolphe

Kreutzer,who,despitehisownhighlytoutedvirtuosity,foundthe

worktoodifficultandironicallyneverperformedit.

TheKreutzer SonatafulfillsBeethoven’sremarkin1803that

“IamnotsatisfiedwithwhatIhavecomposeduptonow.From

nowonIintendtoembarkonanewpath.”Amongtheviolin-and-

pianoliterature,the Kreutzer’sambitiousscalerepresentedanovel

conceptionofthemedium’sdramaticcapacity.Theequalpartner-

shipbetweenviolinandpianothroughoutthesonatafurthermore

yieldsadiscursiveelementlikewisenewtotheduorepertoire.The

Adagio sostenutointroduction—theonlyslowintroductionamong

Beethoven’sviolinsonatas—immediatelyestablishesadeclamatory

dimensionunprecedentedinthesonatasofMozart.Moreover,the

work’sformaldesign,irrespectiveofgenre,signalstheaudacityof

Beethoven’s“newpath.”Presagingthemotivicconstructionofthe

FifthSymphony,thehalf-stepgesturethatcoquettishlyclosesthe AdagiointroductiongerminatesintothePresto’ssubsequentthe-maticmaterial.Thebreadthofthemiddlemovement,anelegantthemewithfivevariations,furtherextendstheMozartianmodel;

the unexpected piano recitative that heralds the final variationinjectsanarrativequalityquitedistinctfromthestandardvariations

form.TheconcludingPrestomovement,originallycomposedasthe

finaletotheOpus30Number1ViolinSonata,morefittinglycapsthe

Kreutzer’sgranddesign. Atarantellainrondoform,themovementis

propelledbyaninsistentiambicgaittoadazzlingfinish.

Pierre Jalbert (Born November 15, 1967, Manchester, New Hampshire)

Piano Trio

Composed:1998

Published:Currentlyself-published(availablestartingthissum-

merthroughBillHolabMusic)

First performance: ReynoldaHouse,MuseumofAmericanArt,

Winston-Salem,NorthCarolina, as part of the FoothillsMusic

FestivalonAugust29and30,1998,byAmyAppold,violin,Ben

Wolff,cello,andRachelMatthews,piano

Dedication: HarrisBerman,forhiscontributionstohealthcare

and the arts. The second movement bears a dedication to

MotherTeresaofCalcutta.

Other works from this period: Dual Velocityforcelloandpiano(1998),TwoCharacterPiecesforSoloTuba,SonatineforViolin

andGuitar(1999)


PierreJalbertisoneofthemosthighlyregardedAmericancom-

posersofhisgeneration,earningwidespreadnoticeforhisrichly

coloredandsuperblycraftedscores.Jalberthasdevelopedamusi-

cal language that is engaging, expressive, and deeply personal.

AmonghismanyhonorsaretheRomePrize,theBBCMasterprize,

and,mostrecently,theChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter’s

2007StoegerPrize,givenbiennially“inrecognitionofsignificant

contributionstothechambermusicrepertory.”

HismusichasbeenperformedthroughouttheUnitedStates

as well as internationally, including four performances of his

orchestralmusicatCarnegieHall.HehasservedasComposer-in-

ResidencewiththeLosAngelesChamberOrchestra(2002–2005),

theCaliforniaSymphony(1999–2002),andMusicintheLoftinChi-

cago(2003).Selectcommissionsandperformancesincludethose

of theYing,Borromeo,Maia,Enso,andChiaraquartets,violinist

Midori,theLondonSymphony,theBudapestSymphony,theHous-

ton Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, and the Chamber Music

SocietyofLincolnCenter.HewasselectedtoparticipateinMeet

theComposer’sMagnumOpusproject inwhich threeCalifornia

orchestras(theOaklandEastBay,Marin,andSantaRosasympho-

nies)eachperformedhisnewworkin2007–2008.

Jalbert isAssociateProfessoratRiceUniversity’sShepherd

SchoolofMusicinHouston,andheservesasoneoftheArtistic

Directors of Musiqa, a Houston-based contemporary chamber

ensemble.CurrentprojectsincludeworksfortheEscherQuartet

(commissionedbytheCaramoorFestival),theVermontSymphony,

andtheEmersonStringQuartet.

Composer’s NoteThisworkisintwomovementsofextremelycontrastingcharac-

ter.Thefirstmovement,Life Cycle,consistsoffoursections.Eachsectioncontainsthesamequickpulse;whilethemusicchanges

Program Notes: Mendelssohn Perspectives


c o n c E r t s



considerablyfromsectiontosection(andincludesajazzriff),the

basicpulseorbeatremainsconstant.(Iheardmyson’sheartbeat

forthefirsttimeafewmonthsintomywife’spregnancyandwas

verysurprisedathowrapid itwas.Thisrapidpulsebecamethe

basisforthefirstmovement.)

Thesecondmovement,Agnus Dei,representsthesacredandismysteriousandlyricalincharacter.Thestructureofthemovement

ismodeledafterthethree-partformoftheAgnusDeiprayer:

AgnusDei,quitollispeccatamundi,misererenobis.

AgnusDei,quitollispeccatamundi,misererenobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis

pacem.

LambofGod,who takesaway thesinsof theworld,

havemercyonus.


havemercyonus.


grantuspeace.

It openswith a violinmelody, full of pitch bends, played

overacellodrone.Thismelodyisthenpassedontothecello,

finally cadencing with all three instruments. This material is

then repeated (much like the repetition of the second line in

theprayer)butatadifferentpitchlevel.Themusicthenmoves

ontoamoredevelopmentalsection,stillcontainingtheoriginal

tune,butultimatelyendsupinadifferentplace(muchlikethe

last lineoftheprayer).Themovement isdedicatedtoMother

TeresaofCalcutta.


Lied ohne Worte in g minor, op. 19, no. 6, Venezianisches Gondellied (Venetian Boat Song)

Lied ohne Worte in a minor, op. 85, no. 2

Lied ohne Worte in C Major, op. 67, no. 4, Spinnerlied (Spinning Song)

Composed:Op.19No.6:completedOctober16,1830;Op.85No.2:

completedJune9,1834;Op.67No.4:completedMay5,1845

Published: Opus19(volumeI):originallypublishedasOriginal Melodies for the Pianoforte(London,1832);Bonn,1833;Opus67(volumeVI):Bonn,1845


The Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words)—ofwhichMen-delssohncomposedeightvolumescomprisingsixsongsapiece

overhiscareer—provideanessentialsnapshotofRomanticism.

They are, first and foremost, a paean to the sovereignty of

melody.Theyalsoreference, inanabstractway,theRomantic

generation’spreoccupationwithpoetry,asreflectedinthe lie-der ofSchubert, Schumann, andothers;Mendelssohn’sSongs without Wordssucceedincapturingtheclarityandexpressivityofsungtexts,buttheydosorelyingsolelyonmusicalcharac-

ter,withouttheaidofpoetry.MendelssohnbiographerR.Larry

ToddwritesthattheSongs without Words“broachedinadif-ferentway theabilityofmusic toconveyextramusical ideas.”

Indeed,RobertSchumannsurmisedthatMendelssohnoriginally

composed them as songswithwords and thenwithdrew thetexts.Toddcontinues:“Thenewgenre,whichblurredthelines

betweenthesongandthecharacterpiece,laterenjoyedgreat

successandbecamesynonymouswithMendelssohnism.”

Johannes Brahms (Born May 7, 1833, Hamburg; died April 3, 1897, Vienna)

Piano Quartet in A Major, op. 26

Composed:1861

Published:1863

Dedication:E.Rösing

First performance:November29,1862,Vienna,bymembersof

theHellmesbergerQuartet,withBrahmsaspianist

Other works from this period:Detailedinthenotesbelow


Whereas Beethoven catalyzed Western music’s transition

from the Classical period into the Romantic era, and just as

Mendelssohn represents the cultivation of Romanticism that

followed,Brahmsisemblematicofwherethisnewdirectionin

musicwouldlead.Hebecameacknowledgedinthelatterhalfof

thenineteenthcenturyasWesternmusic’s leadingcomposer;

hisascenttothepantheonwasconfirmedduringhislifetimeby

theconductorHansvonBülow’sfamouscanonizationoftheso-

calledthreeB’sofmusic:Bach,Beethoven,andBrahms.

Whileanunquestionablyaccomplishedsymphonist,Brahms

especiallythrivedinwritingforsmallforces.Followingthedeath

of hismentor Robert Schumann in 1856, Brahms emerged as

chamber music’s most significant voice. His chamber works,

whichspanthewholeofhisartisticmaturity,reflecttheessence

of his creativity as thoroughly as his orchestral pieces and

embodythespiritoftheRomanticperiod.

ThePianoQuartetno.2,op.26,datesfrom1861;scholars

widelyrefertothisstageofBrahms’scareerashisfirstmaturity,

inwhichthecomposerwasabletofullyassimilatetheinfluences

ofsuchpredecessorsasBach,Beethoven,andSchubertintohis

owndistinctcompositionalvoice.Significantly,thisperiodwas

heralded by numerous outstanding chamberworks, including

twostringsextets;theOpus34PianoQuintet;theOpus38Cello

Sonata;theOpus40HornTrio;andthefirsttwopianoquartets,

opp.25and26.WhiletheseworksmarkBrahms’searlycareer,

theyneverthelessareallacknowledgedmasterpiecesandreflect

afullydevelopedlanguage.

TheOpus26Quartetisaworkofgrandandquintessentially

Romanticscale,flushwitheloquentmelodic ideas.TheAllegro non troppobeginsonanoteofBrahmsianwarmth,nevertheless

tingedbythefirsttheme’sunsettlingrhythmicsway.Despitethe

movement’s tendercharacter,asubtle rhythmic tensionunder-

scores the entire movement as steady eighth-note and triplet

patternsvieforsupremacy.ThebreathtakingPoco adagiopres-entsanunassumingmelody inthepianoatopagentlyrocking

accompanimentplayedbymutedstrings.Mysteriousarpeggios

interruptthemovement’sdream-likeserenity;themusicsteadily

escalates to more impassioned heights but never exceeds

Brahms’ssure-handedrestraint.Thethirdmovementissimilarly

understated,blithesomewithoutthewild-eyedfreneticismtypi-

cally associated with scherzi. Brahms backloads the quartet’s

most boisterous energy into the finale, whose folk dance–like

subjectmildlyrecallstheOpus25Quartet’sfamousGypsyrondo.

NotesforBeethoven,Mendelssohn,andBrahms:



26 Music@Menlo 2009Music@Menlo 2009


concert Program V:

Promise FulfilledAugust 8

Saturday, August 8


(Koret Young Performers Concert 1:00 p.m., see page 56; Prelude Performance 5:00 p.m., see page 53)

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto the Martin Family Foundation with gratitude for its generous support.

Program OverviewIn1832,FelixMendelssohnmodestlyutteredtohissisterFanny:“Ishouldliketocom-

poseacoupleofgoodtrios.”Theworksthatresultedwentfarbeyondsatisfyingthis

yen.Thissummer’sfinalprogram,“PromiseFulfilled,”featurestheOpus49PianoTrio

indminor,composedin1839,andtheOpus66PianoTrioincminorof1845.These

worksreflectMendelssohn,oneofthequintessentialvoicesoftheRomanticgenera-

tion,attheheightofhiscreativepowers.RobertSchumanncountedMendelssohn’s

Opus49amongtheera’smeistertrios, alongsideBeethoven’sArchdukeandGhost triosandthepianotriosofFranzSchubert,whoseAMajorViolinSonatabeginsthe

program.

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

ViolinSonatainAMajor,op.162,D.574 (1817) I.Allegro moderato II.Scherzo and Trio III.Andantino IV.Allegro vivace

EugeneDrucker, violin;MenahemPressler,piano


PianoTrioindminor,op.49(1839) I.Molto allegro e agitato II.Andante con moto tranquillo III.Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace IV. Finale: Allegro assai appassionato

MenahemPressler, piano;EugeneDrucker,violin;DavidFinckel, cello

INTERMISSION

Felix MendelssohnPianoTrioincminor,op.66(1845) I.Allegro energico e con fuoco II.Andante espressivo III.Scherzo: Molto allegro, quasi presto IV.Finale: Allegro appassionato

MenahemPressler,piano;EugeneDrucker,violin;DavidFinckel,cello


The Cathedral of Durham. Watercolor, 1829.


c o n c E r t s



Franz Schubert (Born January 31, 1797, Vienna; died November 19, 1828, Vienna)

Violin Sonata in A Major, op. 162, D. 574

Composed: August1817

Published: 1851

Other works from this period: The summer and fall of 1817

sawSchubert prolific in small and large forms alike. Between

MarchandNovember,hecompletedfivepianosonatas,*among

numerousotherpianoworks;theorchestralOvertureinDMajor,

D.556(May1817),andtwooverturesdesignated“imitalienischen

Stile,”inDmajor,D.590,andCmajor,D.591(November1817);

thePolonaise inB-flatMajor forViolinandOrchestra,D.580;

the String Trio in B-flatMajor, D. 581 (September 1817); Sym-

phonyno.6inCMajor,D.589(October1817–February1818);and

numerouslieder.


LikeMendelssohn, Schubertwas a great child prodigywhose

comingofageoccurredintheshadowofBeethoven.Butunlike

Mendelssohn,whoseaffluentupbringingprovidedampleoppor-

tunities to cultivate his gifts and nurture his budding career,

Schubert,despitehisconsummateartistry,enjoyedonlymod-

estprofessionalsuccess.Onthestrengthofsuchworksasthe

Opus 12 andOpus 13 stringquartets and theOpus20Octet,Mendelssohn was an international sensation by his twenties.

Bycontrast,despitehissimilarlyprolificoutput—which,byhis

twentiethbirthday,includedfivesymphonies,fourmasses,seven

stringquartets,andmorethanthreehundredsongs—Schubert

hadnotyetreceivedanyperformancesinViennanorhadasin-

gleworkpublished.

But theyear 1817 saw thebeginningofSchubert’spublic

success.Theprevioustwoyearshadbeenastonishinglyproduc-

tive,and in 1817,Schubert followedupwith roughlysixtynew

lieder,includingsuchgreatesthitsas“DieForelle”and“AndieMusik,” as well as a wealth of important instrumental music,

ranging from piano sonatas to orchestral works. Though he

achievednowherenearthemeasureofMendelssohn’scelebrity,

thesepiecessteadilygarneredSchubertsomeattention,install-

inghimasanimportantfigureinVienna’smusicalcommunity.

The Sonata forViolin andPiano inAMajor is the last of

fourviolinsonatasSchubertcomposedbetween1816and1817;

likemanyofhisworks,noneofthemwaspublisheduntilyears

afterhisdeath.MusicologistRobertWinterhasdescribedthese

duo sonatas as “compact, graceful works whose unassuming

characterconcealsanintimateunderstandingofthemedium’s

conversationalpotential.”

Oneof Schubert’s greatestmusical contributionswas his

catalogofmorethansixhundredlieder.Eveninhisinstrumen-

talwriting,hispenchantforsongisalwaysevident.Witnessthe

sonata’selegantopeningtheme;withthechangeofcharacterthataccompanies themorepiquantmusical idea that follows,

themusicretainsaclear,expressivevocalquality.Followingthe

gregariousscherzo,theAndantinoradiateswiththewarmthof

apleasantsummer’sday.Ornamentingthemovement’stunefulmelody,trillsinboththeviolinandthepianoevokesingingbirds

andbabblingbrooks.

As if restless from the relaxedgait of theAndantino, theviolinandpianostarttheconcludingAllegro vivacewithaspir-ited game of leapfrog. The remainder of the finale continues

toofferonepoeticmusical ideaafteranother.AstheAMajor

Sonatadrawstoaclose,Schubertoffersanidyllicfarewell.But

assoonasthisgentletunefadesintothedistance,thesonata

endswithajoyfulshout.


Piano Trio no. 1 in d minor, op. 49

Composed: Mendelssohn completed an early version of the

Opus49TrioonJuly18,1839;thefinalrevisionwascompleted

bySeptember23.

Published:1840



Anyattempt to correlateartists’personal liveswith theemo-

tivecontentof theirworkmakes for tenuousscholarship,and

Mendelssohn’s spring and summer of 1839 is a case in point.

Mendelssohnveryhappilyspentthistimewithhisfamilyanda

coterieof friendsandcolleagues inFrankfurt.Thethirty-year-

oldcomposerwasatthetopofhisprofessionandhadrecently

celebratedhisfirstanniversarywithhisbelovedwife,Cécile,who

wasexpectingthecouple’ssecondchild.(Thiscontentedperiod

of Mendelssohn’s career also produced the Opus 44 string

quartets.)Despitethefelicityofthisperiod,Mendelssohnnev-

erthelessproducedastringofausterepieces,includingasetof

threerigorousorganfugues,betrayingthecontinuedinfluenceofBachthathadsocompelledthecomposersincehisyouth.

Butthetruemasterpieceof1839istheOpus49PianoTrio.

MendelssohndraftedthetriobetweenJuneandJulyofthatyear

andcompletedarevisioninSeptember.Againseemingtocon-

tradictMendelssohn’scontentedlifestyle,theTrioindminorisa

studyinRomanticSturm und Drang,whichelementisstrongly

present from the opening measures of the first movement,

markedMolto allegro e agitato. Mendelssohnentruststheinitialstatementsofboththeominousfirstthemeandthelyricalsec-

ondthemetothecello.Thoughworldsapartincharacter,these

diametricideasmirroreachotherinthearchoftheirrespective

melodiccontoursandconsequentRomanticardor.

Formuchof the firstmovement (and indeed throughout

thetrio),Mendelssohncaststhepianoinaconcertanterole.The

pianistFerdinandHiller,oneofMendelssohn’sclosefriendsand

confidants,apparentlysteeredMendelssohntowardsthework’s

moreprogressivelyvirtuosicstyle.Whenshownanearlydraft

of the trio, he remarked that he found thepianowritingold-

fashioned.Hillerlaterrecalled:

IhadlivedmanyyearsinParis,seeingLisztfrequentlyand

Chopineveryday,sothatIwasthoroughlyaccustomedto

therichnessofpassageswhichmarkedthenewpianoforte

school.ImadesomeobservationstoMendelssohnonthis

point,suggestingcertainalterations…Wediscusseditand

Program Notes: Promise Fulfilled


c o n c E r t s

28 Music@Menlo 2009


tried itonthepianooverandoveragain,andIenjoyed

thesmalltriumphofatlastgettingMendelssohnoverto

myview.

The middle movements demonstrate two essential dimen-

sionsofMendelssohn’smusicallanguage.Thesecondmovement,

markedAndante con moto tranquillo,beginsinthestyleofMen-delssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte. The piano introduces the lied, thereaftersetasalovingduetbetweentheviolinandcello.After

themovement’sdarker,minor-keymiddle section, the lied ohne worte returns,setnowintheviolin’shighregisterabovecellopizzi-cati.ThescherzoreflectstheMidsummer Night’s Dream characterfrequentlyencounteredthroughoutMendelssohn’scatalog.

Thefinalebeginswithaportentousquiet.Thedactylthat

marks the opening theme drives the entire movement; even

the sunnier second theme, introduced by the piano,marches

tothisrhythm.Underneathanensuingcantabilesection,remi-

niscentof the secondmovement’s lied ohne worte, thepianorecallsatripletaccompanimentalfigureusedinthefirstmove-

ment.Mendelssohn thus confirms this finale as a thoughtfully

wroughtsummationoftheentirework,aswellasadramatically

fitting exclamation point. After thorough development of the

movement’svariousthematicideas,theworkemergesfromthe

broodingkeyofdminortothesunnierkeyofDmajorandends

withatriumphanthurrah.

Felix MendelssohnPiano Trio no. 2 in c minor, op. 66

Composed:CompletedApril30,1845

Published:1846

Dedication: LouisSpohr

Other works from this period: Alsocomposedin1845wereMen-

delssohn’sincidental musictoSophocles’sOedipus at Colonus, op.93,andRacine’sAthalie,op.74;theStringQuintetinB-flatMajor,op.87;andindividualLieder ohne WortefromOpuses67,85,and

102,aswellastheOpus109Lied ohne Worteforcelloandpiano.


Mendelssohncompletedthesecondofhistwopianotrios,the

Opus66Trioincminor,in1845,sixyearsafterthefirst.Though

hepresentedtheworkasabirthdaypresenttohissisterFanny,

thepublishedscorebearsadedicationtoMendelssohn’sfriend

and colleague Louis Spohr. In addition to his compositional

renown,Spohrwasknownasoneoftheleadingviolinistsofthe

dayandtookparthimself innumerousperformancesofMen-

delssohn’sTrioincminorwiththecomposeratthepiano.

Likeitseldersibling,thistrioexudesRomanticpathosimme-

diatelyfromitsopeningstrains.Aserpentinepianomelodyrises

to a forcefulcadence, only to return to a nervouswhisper inthestrings.Mendelssohnextendsthisthemetoanotherupward

archingmusicalideaintheviolinandcello;afrenzyofsixteenth

notesinthepianounderneathinvertsthecontourofthetheme,

quietlysinkinglowerandlower.Themovement’ssecondtheme,

introducedbytheviolin,couldbethedoppelgangerofthefirst:

theheroiccounterparttothetorturedopeningmeasures.

TheAndante espressivo,analogoustotheAndante move-

mentoftheOpus49Trio,isavintagelied ohne worte: thismusic

encapsulatesRomanticismat itsmostdeeplyheartfelt.Ofthe

quicksilverthirdmovement,markedMolto allegro, quasi presto, Mendelssohnyieldedthattheperilouslyfasttempomightbe“a

triflenastytoplay.”

AmongthecompellingnarrativethreadsofMendelssohn’s

lifeandlegacyishiscomplicatedrelationshipwithreligion.He

wasborn intoaprominentJewishfamily—hisgrandfatherwas

thedistinguishedJewishphilosopherMosesMendelssohn—but

Felix’sfather,Abraham,insistedthatthefamilyconverttoChris-

tianity as ameans of assimilating into contemporaryGerman

society.Thehyphenatedsurnameoftenusedinreferencetothe

composer,Mendelssohn-Bartholdy,was likewise insisted upon

byAbrahamMendelssohn, on thepremise that “there canno

morebeaChristianMendelssohn than there canbea Jewish

Confucius.”

Though it does not bear any explicit program, theOpus

66finalemightneverthelessbeheardtoreflectsomewhatthe

nuancedrolethatreligionplayedinMendelssohn’slifeandart-

istry. The movement begins with a dance-like theme whose

shapeandarticulation(andopeningmelodicintervalofaminor

ninth)suggestJewishfolkmusic.Laterinthemovement,Men-

delssohnunexpectedlyintroducestheLutheranhymn“Gelobet

seist Du, Jesu Christ.” While the piano offers the hymn, the

strings play fragments of the opening theme. Music scholar

RobertPhiliphas likenedthis juxtapositionto“twodiminutive

figuresspeaking inhushedtonesas theyenteragreatcathe-

dral.” Extending this juxtaposition of musical ideas—indeed,

ultimately reconciling the two—themovementescalates toan

ecstaticclimax.Aradiantlytransfiguredversionoftheopening

dance-likemelodygets the lastword,propelling the trio toa

rivetingfinalcadence.


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m E n d E l s s o h n s t r I n g q u A r t E t s

the mendelssohn string quartets

The Early QuartetsJuly 21

Tuesday, July 21



SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Joan and Allan Fisch with gratitude for generously underwriting the Mendelssohn String Quartet Series.

String Quartet Series OverviewFelixMendelssohn’scycleofsevencompletedstringquartets,plusthefourindividual

movementspublishedashisOpus81,representsanimportantpillarofhisoeuvre.By

thetimeMendelssohnpennedhisfirstquartet,thegenrehadlongbeentheheartofthe

chambermusicrepertoire,thankstothecontributionsofHaydn,Mozart,Beethoven,

andSchubert.TheformoccupiedMendelssohnthroughouthiscreativelife:heentered

hisfirstessayinthegenre,therarelyheardQuartetinE-flatMajor,in1823,whenhe

wasonlyfourteenyearsold—stilltwoyearsawayfromcreatingthemasterfulOctet.

ThesubsequentstringquartetstraceMendelssohn’screativejourneyfromhisyouthful

absorptionofBeethoven’s innovationstotheunbridledRomanticexpressionof the

devastatingOpus80Quartetinfminorandtheephemeralworkspublishedposthu-

mouslyasOpus81,whichdocumentMendelssohn’sfinalmonths.

Program OverviewJustasBeethoven’scycleofsixteenstringquartetsarefashionablydividedintohis

early,middle,andlatequartets,soareMendelssohn’squartetsoftenseenasfalling

intothreecategories.ThecyclebeginswiththeearlyE-flatMajorQuartet,ahighly

sophisticatedfour-movementworkfromMendelssohn’sadolescence.Mendelssohn

composedtheStringQuartetinaminor,op.13,in1827andtheE-flatMajorQuartet,

op. 12, in 1829, likewiseprior tohis twenty-firstbirthday.Bothworks illustrate the

youngcomposerunderthespellofBeethoven.

StringQuartetinE-flatMajor(1823) I.Allegro moderato II.Adagio non troppo III.Minuetto – Trio – Minuetto IV. Fuga

StringQuartetno.1inE-flatMajor,op.12(1829) I.Adagio non troppo – Allegro non tardante II.Canzonetta – Allegretto III.Andante espressivo IV.Molto allegro e vivace

INTERMISSION

StringQuartetno.2inaminor,op.13(1827) I.Adagio – Allegro vivace II.Adagio non lento III. Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto IV.Presto – Adagio non lento

PacificaQuartet:

SiminGanatra,SibbiBernhardsson, violins; MasumiPerRostad,viola;BrandonVamos,cello


30 Music@Menlo 2009

Friday, July 31


SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Wu Han and David Finckel with gratitude for their generous support.

The Mendelssohn String Quartet Series is underwritten by Joan and Allan Fisch.


The Opus 44 QuartetsJuly 31

Program OverviewThethreequartetsofOpus44—composedbetween1837and1838—markahappy

time inMendelssohn’s life andcareer.His numerous successeshad installedMen-

delssohn, not yet thirty years old, as themost renownedmusician in Europe. He

hadbeenappointedMusicDirectoroftheLeipzigGewandhausOrchestraandhad

recentlymarried.Thejoythatfilledtheseyearsisnowheremoreclearlytranslated

thanintheexuberanceandbrilliantvirtuosityoftheOpus44quartets.

StringQuartetinDMajor,op.44,no.1(1838) I.Molto allegro vivace II.Menuetto: Un poco allegro III.Andante espressivo ma con moto IV.Presto con brio

StringQuartetineminor,op.44,no.2 (1837) I.Allegro assai appassionato II.Scherzo: Allegro di molto III.Andante IV.Presto agitato

INTERMISSION

StringQuartetinE-flatMajor,op.44,no.3(1838) I.Allegro vivace II.Scherzo: Assai leggiero vivace III.Adagio non troppo IV.Molto allegro con fuoco

PacificaQuartet:

SiminGanatra,SibbiBernhardsson,violins;MasumiPerRostad,viola;BrandonVamos, cello






The Final Quartets, opp. 80 and 81August 7

Friday, August 7



SPECIAL THANKS

The Mendelssohn String Quartet Series is underwritten by Joan and Allan Fisch.

Program OverviewTheStringQuartetinfminor,op.80,isinescapablyassociatedwiththemosttrau-

matic event ofMendelssohn’s life: the death of his beloved elder sister, Fanny, in

May1847.TheoverwhelmingpathosoftheworkloudlyproclaimsMendelssohn’spro-

foundmelancholy.HecompletedthequartetinSeptemberofthatyearanddiedjust

weekslater,onNovember4.Theprogramalsoincludesthefourindividualquartet

movements,spanningMendelssohn’screativeoeuvre,publishedposthumouslyashis

Opus81.

FugueinE-flatMajor,op.81,no.4(1827)

Capriccioineminor,op.81,no.3(1843)

AndanteinEMajor,op.81,no.1 (1847)

Scherzoinaminor,op.81,no.2(1847)

INTERMISSION

StringQuartetinfminor,op.80(1847) I.Allegro vivace assai II.Allegro assai III.Adagio IV.Finale: Allegro molto

PacificaQuartet:

SiminGanatra,SibbiBernhardsson, violins; MasumiPerRostad,viola;BrandonVamos, cello


In his sixteen string quartets, Beethoven moved from the

conventions of the Classical era to the dramatic, dynamic

tensionsandemotionalstormsofhislateworks.Reactingto

thoselateworks,andtotheemphasisonmelodyandpersonal

expressiveness that characterized the Romantic era, Felix

Mendelssohncraftedagroupofstringquartetsonasmaller

scalethanBeethoven’s:feweractualworks,ofshorterlength,

and with a less extreme emotional range. Yet his achieve-

mentinthequartetrealmisofnolessquality,eventhoughit’s

somewhatlessfamiliar.

In the autumn of 1825, a fewmonths shy of his seven-

teenthbirthday,MendelssohncompletedhisOctetforStrings

in E-flat Major, generally acknowledged as one of hismost

accomplished and most inspired masterpieces, and also as

oneofthepinnaclesofallofWesternstringchambermusic.

Toaconsiderableextent,hisotherchambermusichasbeen

overshadowedbytheOctet,anunfaircircumstancethatpre-

cludesawell-roundedunderstandingofhisoutputasawhole.

Mendelssohn’schambermusiclist includesawidevarietyof

pieces:theOctet,threepianoquartets,varioussonatas*andshorterpiecesforviolinorcellowithpiano,twostringquin-

tets,twopianotrios,asextetwithpiano,andsevencompleted

stringquartets,alongwithfourindividualmovementsforthesame medium that are basically unrelated but which have

beentreatedasakindofsupplementalworkwhenplayedin

combination.Thechronologylookslikethis:

1823StringQuartetinE-flatMajor

(publishedposthumously)

1825OctetforStringsinE-flatMajor

1827StringQuartetno.2inaminor,op.131827FugueinE-flatMajor[op.81,no.4]1829StringQuartetno.1inE-flatMajor,op.12

1837StringQuartetineminor,op.44,no.2

1838StringQuartetinE-flatMajor,op.44,no.3

1838StringQuartetinDMajor,op.44,no.1

[Opus44waspublishedasasetin1839]

1843Capriccioineminor[op.81,no.3]

1847StringQuartetinfminor,op.80

1847AndanteinEMajor[op.81,no.1]1847 Scherzoinaminor[op.81,no.2]

[TheartificiallycreatedOpus81waspublished

posthumously]

Like Mozart and Schubert, Mendelssohn compressed a

tremendous amount of creativity into relatively few years;

“early,”“middle,”and“late”stylesarenotterriblyusefulcon-

cepts when we’re considering three composers who didn’t

survivepast thedecadeof their thirties. Yet stylistic evolu-

tionisclearinthemusicofallthreeofthesechildprodigies,

whoseskillandunderstandinggrewandchangedasdothose

of all human beings, whatever their age. Early,middle, and

late are divisions more easily and commonly made when

studyingtheworksofBeethoven,whomadeitintohismiddle

fifties(areasonablelifespanfortheearlynineteenthcentury)

andwhosemusicquiteclearlyfallsintothreedistinctstylistic

groups.Eachof theseBeethovenianperiodscanbedefined

at least in part by the nature of oneof his threegroupsof

string quartets: the Opus 18 set that confronts and builds

upontheachievementsofHaydnandMozart;thefivelength-

ierandmorecomplicatedquartetsof1806–1810;andthefive

astonishing late works that seemed to attempt to redefine

completelywhatastringquartetcouldbe.Aparallelcanbe

discernedinthesequenceofMendelssohn’squartets.

TheearlyE-flatMajorQuartet(1823),Opus 12,Opus 13:

Theseworksfindayouthfulcomposerappraising,confronting,

and partially transcending the traditions of his eighteenth-

centurypredecessors in thefirst instanceandofBeethoven

inthecaseofOpuses12and13,worksthatspecificallytake

someofBeethoven’squartetsaspointsofdeparture.

Opus 44, Numbers 1–3: These are “middle” in terms of

ourparallel;Mendelssohnhasdevelopedtheindividualquar-

tet voice he found in Opuses 12–13 and now forges a true

Classical-Romanticunionofsatisfyingformalstructuresand

expressivemelody.

Opus 80: Grief dominates this work written almost

literally under the shadow of death. Mendelssohn’s always-

fragile health had been failing for some time by 1847,

due at least in part to overwork and constant wearisome

traveling, but it would be impossiblymelodramatic to sug-

gest that he foresaw his own imminent demise. At the

time of the writing of the emotionally wracked Quartet in

f minor, the death that loomed before him was that of his

beloved older sister, Fanny, who from earliest childhood

had closely shared Felix’s love for music, art, and poetry.

Mendelssohn had always had happy personal relationships:

with his parents, with his wife and their five children, with

his friends.ButFannyhadbeenextra special, and fromher

lossheneverrecovered.TheOpus80Quartetconfrontsthe

anguishofmortality.

The Early QuartetsMendelssohn’s E-flat Major Quartet (1823)waswrittenverymuchundertheinfluenceofhisprincipalteacher,CarlZelter,

who was granted the opportunity to train a prodigiously

gifted boy, already proficient on both piano and violin, in

the traditionsofpastgreatness.Zelter emphasizedBachian

counterpointandtheinstrumentalproceduresofHaydnand

Mozart in his teaching ofMendelssohn, and the early E-flat

quartet(notpublisheduntilthe1870s)reflectsthesepreoccu-

pations.Moststrikingtoourearsistheconstantprominence

ofthefirst-violinpart.Thisprominencewouldneverentirely

goawayinMendelssohn’squartets,butinthisfirstworkthe

lowerpartsarequiteobviouslysubjugated.Alsotobenoted

here is the sequence of themovements and their tempi. In

almostallhisopus-numberquartets,Mendelssohnplacedthe

slowmovementinthirdplace.Theearlyoneplacestheslow

movementasHaydnandMozartusuallydid,insecondplace.It

maybeanobeisancetotradition,butitalsoservestoheighten

contrast.Thesonata-formfirstmovementisveryregularinits

layoutoftwoconventionallypatternedthemesthroughexpo-sition, development,andrecapitulation.TheensuingAdagioismuchmorelyricalandchromaticandshiftstotherelative

32 Music@Menlo 2009

Program Notes: The Mendelssohn String Quartets



cminor.Tofollowit,Mendelssohncreatesasprightlyminuetveryreminiscentoftheeighteenthcenturyandthenproceeds

toshowoffhisskill inadouble-fuguefinale,whereinforthe

firsttimewereallyhearthesecondviolin,viola,andcelloas

individuals.FugalfinaleswerecharacteristicofHaydn’searly

quartets,showingonceagaintheyoungMendelssohn’sdirect

inspirationfromhispredecessors.

It’s rather unusual to talk about a composer’s first two

“mature” quartets when they date from his eighteenth and

twentieth years, but the quartets of Opus 12 and Opus 13

show Mendelssohn’s individual voice emerging from the

years of apprenticeship. Two earlier works had shown the

true genius also: theOctet and theOverture toA Midsum-mer Night’s Dream. The 1820s foundMendelssohnmaturing

from the child-prodigyeraof string symphonies andcham-

beroperas,fromschoolboytointernationaltraveler;theyalso

sawhimconfrontinghisgriefoverthedeathofBeethovenin

1827andrespondingmusicallytowhatheregardedassome

oftheViennesemaster’smostsignificantworks,themiddle-

and late-period string quartets. (His attitude in this regard

marked a completebreakwithZelter,who in commonwith

manyleadingmusiciansofthetimethoughtBeethoven’slate

quartetswereunplayable.)Beethoven’sinfluenceplaysapart

inbothOpus12andOpus13,thelatterbeingoneofthemost

strikinglyoriginalofallofMendelssohn’schamberworks,an

accomplishment fullyworthy of comparisonwith the iconic

Octet.BothworksshowMendelssohn’sskillwithcyclicform

inhisabilityto interconnectthethemesofeachofawork’s

movements. Theworks are highly contrasted inmood,with

Opus12emphasizingserenegoodhumorandOpus13charac-

terizedbyadegreeofpassionanddramaticcontrastwedon’t

alwaysassociatewiththissupremelyrefinedcomposer.

TheE-flat Major QuartetpublishedasOpus 12wascom-

pleted in London in 1829, during the first of Mendelssohn’s

many journeys to the British Isles; this first one would find

him exploring England,Wales, and Scotland, in which latter

nation he found inspiration for twobetter-knownworks, the

Scottish Symphony and theHebrides Overture. Opus 12 hasanAdagio introductionthatrecallsthesimilar introductionin

Beethoven’sE-flatHarp Quartet,op.74.Thisleadstoaninter-estinglylabeledmainportion,Allegro non tardante:Lively,anddon’thesitate.Essentiallymonothematicinitsexposition,the

firstmovementalsofeaturesaminor-modethemethatreturns

in thefirstmovement’scodaandalso,withstructuralpromi-

nence, in the final movement. The recapitulation varies the

mainthemewithgentleornamentation.TheCanzonetta(Littlesong)movement used to be performed on its own, back in

thedayswhen itwasn’tconsideredheresy toplay individual

movementsof longerpieces.Thekey isgminor; the folklike

main theme is contrasted with a faster paced, almost scur-

ryingmidsection in theparallelGmajor.This isoneofmany

Mendelssohnian quartet movements that have been likened

tothemagicalscherzooftheincidental musicforA Midsum-mer Night’s Dream. Thequartet’sthirdmovement,inB-flat,is

characteristicallyMendelssohnianwith its richmelodiousness

andcloselydrawnharmonies.Arecitative-likesoloforthefirstviolinstandsoutbeforethemovement’send,whichleadswith

onlytheslightestofpausestotheabruptlydeclamatoryopen-

ingofthefinale.Thismovementstartsoutunconventionallyin

cminorandthenmodulatestogminorbeforethereintroduc-

tionoftheauxiliarythemefromthefirstmovement,adevice

thatenablesMendelssohntoreturntothehomekeyofE-flat

forabravuraconclusiontoamostingeniouslyunifiedwork.

Two years before this remarkable achievement, Men-

delssohndealtwithBeethovenandwithcyclicforminaneven

moredramaticwayinhisQuartet in a minor, op. 13.HealsoadoptedatechniquebelovedbySchubertinhischambermusic,

thatofusingasongmotiveasthegeneratingelementofimpor-

tantthemes.Insteadofusingthesongfragmentasthebasis

forjustonemovement,however,Mendelssohnincorporatesit

anditsvariantsandexpansionsthroughoutalmostallofthe

aminorquartet.(ThisquartetwaspublishedlaterthanOpus12,

thoughwrittenearlier,hencetheconfusionofopusnumbers.)

ThemovementpatternofOpus13placestheslowmovement

insecondplace,placingthelightertexturedAllegrettointer-mezzointhirdplaceasakindoftransparentinterludebeforethe intricate,extendedfinale, thework’s longestmovement,

whichreintegratesmanyelementsfromearlieron.

The major Beethovenian influence on Opus 13 comes

fromtheoldercomposer’sOpus132,astringquartetalsoin

the key of a minor. The slow introduction to Opus 13, par-

allel to Beethoven’s opening, introduces the motive from

Mendelssohn’sown songFrage (Question), a charming love

lyricpublishedaspartofhisOpus9.Thethree-notemotive

has a clearly interrogatory sound; the song’swords include

these:“Isittruethatyouwaitformeeacheveningunderthe

arbor,thatyouaskthemoonlightandthestarsaboutme?Is

ittrue,ohtellme.”Themotiveappearsintheslowintroduc-

tionandinthemovement’spassionatemainsection,Allegro vivace.Lyricismanddramacombineinthishighlyexpressive

movement,whichisledbythefirstviolinbutprovidescontra-

puntalinterestinallfourparts.There’saclearrecollectionof

Beethoven,andyetthesoundisreallynotatallBeethovenian.

ItisMendelssohn:lyricalmelodies,richharmonies,andsym-

metricalphrases.ThesecondmovementisoddlylabeledAdagio non lento,

whichcouldbetranslatedas“Slownotslow.”“Adagio”refers

more to mood, however, and “lento” to pace: the music is

intensely felt but should be played deliberately, not slowly.

Themaintheme,inFmajor,recallingahymn,isintroducedby

thefirstviolin,buttheotherinstrumentscontributetheirown

contrapuntal variants. The agitated midsection yields to a

heartfeltrecapitulationofthehymnmotive.Intheintermezzo,

pizzicato accompanimentpunctuates a folklikemain theme

whosedancinggaietyiscontrastedwithanagitated,staccatomidsection. Returning to the emotional realm of the open-

ingmovement,thefinale isanextendedsonata-formPrestowhosefirst-violin themewith tremolo accompanimentonce

againrecallsBeethoven’sOpus132.MotivesfromtheAdagiomovementreturn,andalsorecapitulatedisthethemeofthe

originalslowintroduction,re-emphasizingthequartet’sasso-

ciationwiththeyearning“question”ofthesong.

The Opus 44 QuartetsDuringtheearlyandmiddle 1840sMendelssohnabandoned

the string quartet medium. He was no longer a student

experimentingwiththemusicalmediaofhiseldersandpre-

decessors; hewasnowan internationally famousperformer

andconductorforwhoseservicescitiesandkingscompeted.

His orchestral and choral works won him praise and fame.

He accepted the directorship of the Leipzig Gewandhaus

Orchestrain1835andturneditintooneofEurope’spremier

ensembles, establishing high standards of discipline and

enriching the repertory.He led thefirstpublicperformance

ofSchubert’sSymphonyno.9,reawakenedinterestinHaydn



andMozart,andencouragedtheworkofhiscontemporaries,

Schumannespecially.InhisworkwiththeGewandhaushehad

thehelpofoneofhisbestfriendsandmostsympatheticartis-

ticcollaborators,theviolinistFerdinandDavid,whobecame

ConcertmasterinLeipzigatthesametimeMendelssohntook

over the podium. It was for David that hewrote the Violin

Concerto in e minor in 1842, and it was for David’s cham-

bermusic evenings that hewrote the three string quartets

of Opus 44 in 1837 and 1838. David and his chosen cham-

bermusic colleagueswere technical virtuosi andmusicians

ofdeepsensitivityandunderstanding.Theirperformancesof

thenewworksmust havebeenextremely special treats for

thesmall invitedaudiencesofknowledgeableLeipzigmusic

lovers.Whentheywerepublishedasasetin1839,theywere

dedicated(oddly,perhaps)nottoDavidbutto“HisHighness

theRoyalPrinceofSweden.”

It’s rather hard to understand why these quartets are

not performedmore often. True, theymake heavy virtuosic

demandsonall fourplayers,butthemodernworldcontains

any number of fine quartets that wouldn’t be in the least

dismayed by the scores’ challenges. And they are utterly

delightfulto listento:fullofrichmelody,entrancingharmo-

nies,andpiquantdynamiccontrasts.Bythispoint inhis life

Mendelssohn had become an absolute master of Classical

formsandusedthemsoskillfullythatthelayoutofeachwork

iscleartothelistenerstraightaway.Thesoundmanagestobe

densewith interest, yet transparent; the complexities come

off simply as delights. All three are laid out in the pattern

Mendelssohnhadcometoprefer,withtheslowmovementin

thirdplace.Twoofthemarecastintwoofhisfavoritekeys,

E-flatmajorandeminor,withabravuraDmajorworktolead

thesetoff.(Theactualorderofcompositionwasno.2,no.3,

andthenno.1.)

The brilliant and exuberant openingMolto allegro vivaceand concluding Presto con brio of the D Major Quartet, op. 44, no. 1—eachmovementalmostaperpetuum mobile—arecontrastedwithaneighteenth-century-styleminuetforthesec-

ondmovement. The thirdmovement,Andante espressivo ma con moto—moderately slow, expressive, but don’t drag it—is

characterized by the evanescent pizzicato string playing that

appearsinsomanyMendelssohnianscherzos,butherethepace

isslowedtocreateagentle,almostretiringsongwithoutwords.

Thefinaleisstructuredwithingeniouscounterpoint.Theopen-

ingoftheAllegro assai appassionato(Ratherlively,passionate)oftheQuartet in e minor, op. 44, no. 2,with itssingingmain

themeoverrestlesslinesofaccompaniment,hasremindedsome

commentatorsofthemuchmorefamiliaropeningoftheViolin

Concertointhesamekey.Inthiswork,thesecondmovementis

averyrapidlypacedscherzothatonceagainhassetupechoes

in themindsofmusiciansandaudiences recalling the famous

scherzo fromA Midsummer Night’s Dream. AsoulfulAndanteleadsintoafinalewhoserhythmsarecastintriplemeter,nottheduplemeter that characterized the earliermovements. (Men-

delssohnoften liked touse thecontrastof triplemeter,often

6/8,andthroughouthisquartetsheoftenvariesthepacewith

tripletfigurations inmovementscast in2/4or4/4 time.)The

Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 44, no. 3, features characteristicsixteenth-notefiguresthatappearprominentlyandserveasa

kindofthematiclink.There’sagreatdealofcontrapuntalinter-

estthroughoutthefourmovements;theemotionalheartisthe

thirdmovement,Adagio non troppo,perhapsthemostheartfelt

slowmovementintheentiretriptych.

The Final Quartets, opp. 80 and 81“It would be difficult to cite any piece of music which so

completelyimpressesthelistenerwithasensationofgloomy

foreboding,ofanguishofmind,andofthemostpoeticmelan-

choly,asdoesthismasterlyandeloquentcomposition.”Those

arethewordsofcomposer-conductorJuliusBenedict,along-

timefriendofMendelssohn’s,abouttheOpus 80 Quartet in f minor, of which the third movement Adagio is subtitled“RequiemforFanny.”Thetotallyunexpectedlossofhisolder

sister,fellowcomposer,childhoodcompanion,andadultsoul-

matehadacompletelyshatteringeffectonMendelssohn.For

weeksafterherdeathonMay12,1847,herdevastatedbrother

wasincapableofanykindofwork.HavingretreatedtoSwit-

zerland forsomerecuperationbothphysicalandmental,he

wrotethesixthquartetinJuly.Agitation,expressedthrough

dissonanceandunsteadyrhythms,isthekeynoteoftheentire

piece outside of theAdagio. The second theme of the first

movement, Allegro vivace assai (very fast), unfolds over aharshpedalpoint in thecellopart.Anuncertainsilencefol-

lows the exposition, with the development then picking up

thehighly chargedatmosphereof thework’sopening.Syn-copatedrhythmicfigurescharacterizethesecondmovement

Allegro assai;it’shardtocallthismovementascherzo,since

there isvery little joy in it.TheAdagio ismostly intherela-

tiveA-flatmajor,butthisnormallyserenekeyproducesinthis

instanceafeelingofresigneddespair;asobbingclimaxleads

tothemovement’sgradualdyingaway.Thenthetremolopas-

sagesthatlentsuchrestlessnessanduncertaintytothefirst

movement return in the concluding Allegro molto. ThoughmostofMendelssohn’sstringquartetmovementsfeaturecon-

stantandstrikingcontrastsbetweenloudandsoftdynamics,

thefinaleofthefminorquartet istoalargedegreelabeled

forteorfortissimo.Weepinghasturnedintoanoutcryagainst

inexorablefate.

Hewroteabout this timetohis friendKarlKlingemann:

“Now I must gradually begin to put my life and my work

together again,with the awareness that Fanny is no longer

there,and it leavessuchabittertastethat Istillcannotsee

mywayclearly,orfindanypeace.”Hewouldhavelittletime

for rebuilding his life; in October 1847 he suffered a series

of increasingly severe strokes. In November, at the age of

thirty-eight,hediedandwasburiednexttoFannyinaBerlin

churchyard.

ThefourindividualquartetmovementsthatMendelssohn

left unpublished are often performed together as “Opus 81,”buttheypossiblyworkbetterasindividualpieces,sincethey don’t have the logical relations to each other that are

so audible in the full-length quartets. In order of composi-

tion, thesepieces are a cleverly-worked-outFugue inE-flat

Major from 1827, the same year as the Opus 13 Quartet;

a Capriccio in e minor from 1843, structured as an intro-

ductoryAndante followed by yet another fugue, the fuguebased on a four-note motive from the main theme of the

Andante; a Theme and Variations in E Major from 1847,

the last of the five variations modulating dramatically to

e minor; and a Scherzo in a minor, light-footed and light-

hearted,withpizzicatopunctuation.

©2009AndreaLamoreaux

34 Music@Menlo 2009


carte Blanche concert I:

The Romantic Cello Sonata: Colin Carr and Thomas Sauer July 26

Sunday, July 26

10:00 a.m., Stent Family Hall, Menlo School

(Koret Young Performers Concert 5:00 p.m., see page 54)

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Iris and Paul Brest with gratitude for their generous support.

Program Overview TheRomanticperiodsawthecello,traditionallycastinasupportingrole,blossominto

aprominentlyricalvoice,ascomposersincreasinglycontributedsonatas,concerti,and

othersoloworkstothecelloliterature.“TheRomanticCelloSonata”bringstogether

theessentialcello-and-pianoworksbyMendelssohn,Schumann,andBrahms.


CelloSonatano.1inB-flatMajor,op.45(1838) I.Allegro vivace II.Andante III.Allegro assai


AdagioandAllegro,op.70(1849)

Phantasiestücke,op.73(1849) I.Zart und mit Ausdruck II.Lebhaft, leicht III.Rasch und mit Feuer

Felix MendelssohnVariationsConcertantesinDMajor,op.17 (1829)


CelloSonatano.1ineminor,op.38(1862–1865) I.Allegro non troppo II.Allegretto quasi menuetto III.Allegro

INTERMISSION

Felix MendelssohnCelloSonatano.2inDMajor,op.58(1843)

Robert SchumannFünfStückeimVolkston,op.102(1849)

Felix MendelssohnLied ohne Worte, op.109(1845)

Johannes BrahmsCelloSonatano.2inFMajor,op.99(1886)

ColinCarr,cello,andThomasSauer, piano

I.Allegro assai vivace II. Allegretto scherzando

III.Adagio IV.Molto allegro e vivace

I.Allegro vivace II.Adagio affettuoso

III. Allegro appassionato IV. Allegro molto

I.Mit Humor II.Langsam III.Nicht schnell, mit viel Ton zu spielen

IV.Nicht zu rasch V.Stark und markiert

c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s



Cello Sonata no. 1 in B-flat Major, op. 45

Composed:CompletedOctober13,1838

Published: 1839

Other works from this period: SerenadeandAllegro*giocosoforPianoandOrchestra,op. 43(April1,1838);Violin Sonata inFMajor(June15,1838);Andante cantabileandPrestoagitatofor Solo Piano (June 22, 1838); the Opus 44 string quartets

(1837–1838);PianoTriono.1indminor,op.49(1839).


Thesummerand fallof 1838,whentheOpus45CelloSonata

wascomposed,markedahappytimeforMendelssohn.Already

recognizedasEurope’s leadingmusician—primarily as a com-

poserbutlikewiseashisgeneration’sgreatestpianist,organist,

and conductor—he had furthermore been ensconced since

1835 asMusicDirector of the LeipzigGewandhausOrchestra,

which role he parlayed into a position of great cultural influ-

ence.Mendelssohnwasresponsibleforrevampingtheorchestra

intooneofWesternEurope’stop-flightbands,andthesteady

dietheoversawofBach,Handel,Mozart,Gluck,Beethoven,and

Cherubini (pepperedwiththecontemporarymusicof theday

ofRobertSchumann,LouisSpohr,andhimself)establishedthe

GewandhausasathrivingcenterofGermanconcertlife.

Mendelssohn’sprogramchoices seemalso tohavesuited

theworkingsofhisownmusical imaginationduring this time.

TheCelloSonatainB-flatMajor,op.45,emanatesacopacetic

Mozartian Classicism, demonstrating the principles of formal

symmetryandclarityofexpressionlearnedthroughdeepstudy

ofthemusicofhispredecessors.Schumannwroteofthesonata:

“Asmilehoversroundhismouth,butitisthatofdelightinhis

art,ofquietself-sufficiencyinanintimatecircle.”

Inadditiontohisnumerousprofessionalaccomplishments,

Mendelssohnhadalsorecentlymarriedandwitnessedthebirth

of his first child, Karl Wolfgang Paul—“Paul” honoring Felix’s

brother,theamateur(butneverthelesshighlyskilled)cellistPaul

Mendelssohn, for whom the Opus 45 Sonata was composed.

Mendelssohn’s feelings of parental and fraternal fondness are

audiblyembeddedinthework’sthreemovements. Schumann

additionallysurmisedthatthesonatawouldbe“especiallyfit-

tingforthemostrefinedfamilycircles.”

Robert Schumann (Born June 8, 1810, Saxony; died July 29, 1856, Endenich, outside Bonn)

Adagio and Allegro, op. 70

Composed: 1849

Published: 1849

Other works from this period: Theyears1848–1850sawagreatsurge in Schumann’s creative output. In 1849 alone, he com-

pletednearlyfortyworks,includingtheSpanisches Liederspiel, op.74,andLieder-Album für die Jugend, op.79,amongnumer-

ousothersongs;theZwölfvierhändigeClavierstückefürkleine

und grosse Kinder (Twelve Four-Hand Piano Pieces for Small

and Large Children), op. 85; the orchestral Concertstück for

FourHorns,op.86,andIntroductionandAllegroappassionato,

op.92;andanassortmentofchamberworks:theOpus70Ada-gioandAllegroforHorn(ViolinorCello)andPiano,theOpus73PhantasiestückeforClarinet(ViolinorCello)andPiano,the

Opus94DreiRomanzenforOboe(ViolinorClarinet)andPiano,

andFünfStückeimVolkstonforCelloorViolinandPiano,op.102.


Theamazing lifeofRobertSchumannrivalsBeethoven’s in its

intensityandcomplexity.Obsessive,brilliant,paranoid,wayward,

exceedinglyemotional,andgiventofantasy,Schumannwalked

afinelinebetweensanityandinsanityformostofhisadultlife,

finally throwing himself into the Rhine at age forty-four. The

year1849,duringwhichhecomposedsometwentyimportant

works,wasagoodoneforhim.Schumanncomposedlargelyin

creativeburstsinwhichhewouldfocusallhisattentiononacer-

tainkindofrepertoire.Inthespringtimeheapparentlybecame

enamoredoftheFrenchhorn,writingaconcertoforfourhornsandorchestraandtheAdagio(originallycalledRomanza)and

Allegro,op.70.(Themanuscriptgivestheoptionofplayingthe

solopartonthecelloorviolin,aswell.)

The Adagio is one of the most romantic partnerships

between two instruments imaginable. For forty-one bars, the

cello and piano exchange melody in a practically unbroken

phrase;it’saconversationbetweenlovers,sometimescomple-

menting, interrupting, and questioning but in the end finally

uniting (after some suggestive turbulence) in a calm A-flat

major.Thepianoletsouttwolittlesighsandonebigoneand

thecello respondswitha tenderandnoblecadentialflourish.

Thecodahasa radianceandpeacenotheardbefore,andfor

want of a bettermetaphor, the lovers soondrift off to sleep.

TheatmosphereisthentotallyshatteredbytheAllegro,which

beginsasthoughshotfromagun.

Interrupted only momentarily by a slower section, in an

unrelatedkey,theAllegrochargestothefinishinajoyful,unbro-

ken stream of energy. Because of the key (A-flatmajor), the

Allegroissomewhatawkwardforthecello,butthestruggleto

reachthehighE-flat,asontheFrenchhorn,makesasuccessful

ascentallthemorerewarding.

©1996ArtistLed

Robert SchumannPhantasiestücke, op. 73

Composed:1849

Published:1849

Other works from this period:Seeabove


Inhisdiaries,letters,andcriticalwritings,Schumannofteninvoked

thefictionalalteregosFlorestanandEusebius, archetypescon-

ceived to symbolize two components of his own artistic and

36 Music@Menlo 2009

Program Notes: The Romantic Cello Sonata



psychologicalworld.FlorestanrepresentsSchumanntheRoman-

tic hero, vigorous and optimistic; Eusebius reflects Schumann’s

tender,lyrical,andintrospectiveside.MuchofSchumann’smusic

derivesitsélanfromthedramatictensionbetweenFlorestanand

Eusebius.WhileSchumann’screation,thesemetaphorscouldlike-

wiseservetheRomanticperiodinmusicasawhole.

SchumanncomposedtheOpus73FantasyPiecesforClarinet

andPianoin1849.(Theyexistaswellinarrangements,preparedby

thecomposer,forviolinandforcello.)Itisadelicioussetofminia-

turesthathasremainedaperennialfavoriteofconcertaudiences.

Although theFantasyPiecesarenotamongthoseworkswhich

explicitlyciteFlorestanandEusebius,theirenergycanneverthe-

lessbefelt.ThefirstofthethreeminiaturesbelongstoEusebius.

EvenSchumann’stempomarkingisemotionallyloaded:whereas

Haydnwouldpresumablyhaveusedamorecommontempoindi-

cationsuchasAndanteorAllegro, Schumann’sinstructiontothe

performerreads,Zart und mit Ausdruck—Tenderlyandwithexpres-sion. Likewise the charming second movement: Lebhaft, leicht(Lively,easily).Withtheonsetof the lastof theFantasyPieces,

Florestanhaswontheday.Schumann’sexpressiveinstructionto

theperformer:“Rapidlyandwithfire.”

Felix MendelssohnVariations Concertantes in D Major, op. 17

Composed:CompletedJanuary30,1829

Dedication: PaulMendelssohn

First performance:London,June15,1829,bycellistRobertLind-leywithMendelssohnatthepiano

Other works from this period: ThegreatprojectthatoccupiedMen-delssohnalongsidethecompositionoftheVariations ConcertanteswasnotanotheroriginalworkbutthecelebratedrevivalofBach’s

St. Matthew Passion, whichthetwenty-year-oldMendelssohncon-ductedonMarch11,markingtheoratorio’sfirstpublicperformance

inonehundredyears.Early1829alsosawthetirelessMendelssohn

atworkontheReformationSymphony,op.107(completedinMay

1830),andtheconcertaria Tutto è silenzioforsopranoandorches-tra, composed forAnnaMilder-Hauptmann, oneof the soprano

soloistsintheSt. Matthew Passionperformance.


LiketheOpus45CelloSonatapennedadecadelater(andwhich

begins this program), Mendelssohn’s Variations Concertantes

were conceived for the composer’sbrother, PaulMendelssohn,

and likewiseevidence theamateurcellist’s instrumental facility.

Thedulcetthemeexploitsboththecello’ssonorousdepthanditsbrighttenorregistertowardsestablishinganaffabledialogue

betweenthecelloandpiano.Thesubsequentsetofeightvaria-

tionsexpandsthetheme’sexpressivereach,puttingbothplayers

throughtheirpacesalongtheway.Thefourthvariation,marked

Allegro con fuoco,dispatchesanespeciallyathleticpianopart,answeredbythecello’szestypizzicati inthefifth.Thetranquilsixth variation sets up the turbulent Presto ed agitato, whoseclimacticexplosionofoctavesinthepianofurtherdeepensthe

tendernessofthethemeuponitsreturn.


Cello Sonata no. 1 in e minor, op. 38

Composed: Brahmscompletedthefirsttwomovementsinthe

summerof1862inMünsteramStein;thefinalewascomposed

three years laterwhile the composer summered in Lichtental

(Baden-Baden).

Published: 1866,Simrock(Berlin),afterarefusalbyBreitkopf&

Härtel

First performance: TheGewandhausinLeipzig,January14,1871,by cellist Emil Hegar and pianist (and Concertmaster of the

GewandhausOrchestra)CarlReinecke

Other works from this period: TheseyearssurroundingtheFirstCelloSonatasawagooddealofchambermusicfromBrahms’s

pen,includingthepianotriosinBmajor,op.8(1854),andE-flat

major,op.40(1865);thesextets inB-flatmajor,op.18(1860),

andGmajor,op.36(1865);andthepianoquartetsingminor,

op.25(1861),andAmajor,op.26(1862).Thesummerhebegan

workon theFirstCelloSonata,Brahmsalsobegan thePiano

Quintetinfminor,op.34,anddraftedasymphonicmovement.


BrahmscomposedthefirsttwomovementsoftheOpus38Cello

Sonata(hisfirstworkforasoloinstrumentwithpiano)whilein

his late twenties.By this time,Brahmshadalreadycomposed

a great deal of chambermusic and become sufficientlywell-

versed in thenuancesofwriting for individual instruments. In

thesummerof1862,BrahmsvisitedtheLowerRhineMusicFes-

tivalinCologneandspentthefollowingweeksonholidaywith

the conductor and composerAlbertDietrich andClara Schu-

mann, Robert Schumann’s widow. The vacation was a happy

one:BrahmsandDietrichspentthedayshikingandcomposing;

intheevenings,Clara—oneofhergeneration’sgreatestpianists

andagiftedcomposerinherownright—wouldplay.

BrahmsreveredBachaboveallcomposersandpaidhom-

age to himwith the Sonata in eminor. The firstmovement’s

principal theme resembles in shape andmood the fugal sub-jectofBach’sDie Kunst der Fuge,andthefugalsubjectofthethirdmovementdirectlyquotesthesamework’sContrapunctusXIII.Nevertheless,inhislatetwentiesandearlythirties,Brahms

theyoungRomantichadalreadyestablishedhisvoicewithsuch

confidence thatdespite theexplicitnod toapastmaster, the

languageofthissonataisunmistakablyhisown.

Aninsistent,syncopatedpianoaccompanimentunderscores

thecello’sbroodingopeningmelody,creatingafeelingofinner

agitation. This tension culminates as the cello ascends to its

upperregister,andasthepianoassumesthetheme,thefirstof

aseriesofheatedargumentsbetweenpianoandcellobegins.A

stillmoreimpassioneddialoguefollows,usheringinthesecond

subject.CommentaryonthetwocellosonatasofBrahmsoften

makesnoteoftheinherentproblemsofsonicbalanceinpairing

cellowithpiano (asdensekeyboard textures easilydrownout

thecello’smiddleregister).ThroughoutthisopeningAllegronon troppo,Brahmsmakesavirtueofthechallenge,oftenpittingthe

twoinstrumentsascombatantsincontentiousdialogue.

Although composed before Brahms’s move to Vienna,

the secondmovementminuet exudes adistinctViennesefla-vor:exuberant,butwithatingeofdarknessmoreevocativeof

MahlerthanofStrauss’swaltzes.Theheartofthemovementis

thedivine triosection,whichdepartsfromthekeyofaminorto

theevenmoremysterious,remotetonalityoff-sharpminor.The

cellooffersalyricalmelody,doubledbyashimmeringaccom-

panimentintherighthandofthepiano:ripplingsixteenthnotes

givetheeffectofavoice-likevibratointhepiano.

Thefinaleisathree-voicedfugue,inturnsgentleandunre-lenting.ThemovementisindebtednotonlytoBachbutalsoto



thefugalfinaleofBeethoven’sOpus102Number2CelloSonata.

Brahmsdepartsfromthatmodel,however,bytraversingmore

extreme emotive territories. An unexpected più presto codadrivestheworktoarestlessfinish,withthecelloandpianocon-

tinuingtheirbattleforsupremacytotheend.

Felix MendelssohnCello Sonata no. 2 in D Major, op. 58

Composed:ca.June1843

Dedication: Count Mateusz Wielhorski, a Russian cellist and

arts patron—although the sonata was truly intended, like the

B-flatMajorSonataandVariationsConcertantes,forPaulMen-

delssohn

First performance:Leipzig,November18,1843

Other works from this period:Detailedinthenotesbelow


Mendelssohn penned the Opus 58 Sonata in 1843, a year of

considerable personal upheaval. Having at last concluded an

unhappyresidencyinBerlin,Mendelssohnandhisfamilyreturned

toLeipzig,wheretheyhadpreviouslyspenttheyears1835–1840,

duringwhichtime,R.LarryToddnotes,thecomposer“stoodat

theforefrontofGermanmusic”despitestillbeinginhistwenties.

Hence in 1840,aspartofasweepingattempt to installBerlin

amongEurope’smajorculturalcapitals,therecentlyascendant

FriedrichWilhelmIVhadluredMendelssohnfromLeipzig.How-

ever, though compensated handsomely in both payment and

prestige,Mendelssohnwould not find personal satisfaction in

Berlinover the coming threeyears.Hisprofessional responsi-

bilities remained frustratingly undefined—besides which, he

regardedthatcityas“oneofthemostsourapples intowhich

amancanbite”—and, in 1843,Mendelssohn resumedhiscon-

ductingdutiesat theLeipzigGewandhaus.Moreover,withhis

belovedmother’sdeathonDecember12,1842,Felixsharedthe

realizationwithhisyoungerbrother,Paul,that“wearechildren

nolonger.”

Despitetheturbulencesurroundingthistime, 1843never-

thelessrepresentedasolidlyproductiveyear.Inadditiontothe

Opus58Sonata,Mendelssohncompletedhis incidental music toA Midsummer Night’s Dream,theCapriccioforStringQuar-tet(laterpublishedasop.81,no.3),fiveLieder ohne Worteforpiano,andnumerouschoralpieces,amongotherworks.

Befitting Mendelssohn’s mature compositional language,

theDMajorSonataisfirmlyrootedinthetenetsofClassicism

inherited from Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven but meanwhile

demonstratesthepathosof theRomanticperiod.Eachof the

sonata’s four movements portrays a vital dimension of Men-

delssohn’smusicalidentity.TheopeningAllegro assai vivaceisallsoaringlyricismandpropulsiverhythmicenergy,evenatits

tendersecondtheme.Themovement’secstatictonedispelsthe

misguidedaphorismthatmusic’semotionalcontentmustcor-

relatewithbiography—thereisnothinginthismovement,after

all, to betrayMendelssohn’s grief over hismother’s passing—

but,rather,itsgreatemotivebreadthreflectsthezeitgeistofthe

Romanticperiodatlarge.Thesecondmovementoffersfurther

RomanticcantabilebutcouchedinasignatureMendelssohnianscherzo.Thecellocomplementsthepiano’sslystaccatofigureswith piquant pizzicati before indulging in breathless melody.

The hymn-like piano introduction to the slowmovement fur-

tivelyrecallsBachbutwithanunmistakablynineteenth-century

touch: Mendelssohn’s instruction sempre arpeggiando col

pedale (arpeggiatedandwithpedal) imbueseachchordwith

adistinctlymore lushand immersive sound thanwouldchar-

acterize a Baroque organ chorale. The cello answers with a

dramaticrecitative,markedappassionato ed animato.Thespir-iteddialoguebetweencelloandpianocontinues in thefinale,

nowreturningtotheeffervescenceoftheopeningmovement.

Anincreasedrestlessnessinthepianoaccompanimentmatches

thevirtuosiccellowritingmeasureformeasureuntilthestirring

finalcadence.

Robert SchumannFünf Stücke im Volkston, op. 102

Composed: 1849

Published: 1851

Other works from this period: Seeabove


TheFünfStückeimVolkstonrepresenttheonlyduoworkscon-

ceivedbySchumannforcelloandpiano; theotherSchumann

duostypicallyofferedascellorepertoire(asonthisprogram)

wereoriginallyintendedforotherinstruments,withthecelloan

optionsanctionedbythecomposer.Butforthese“piecesinfolk

style,”whichstrivetocapturetheessenceofpopularmusicina

mannerbefittingtheRomanticperiod,itcanonlybethecello.

Schumannhimselfstudiedthecelloinhisyouth;hisfondaffinity

forthe instrument ismatchedbyhis innatesensitivity inwrit-

ing for it. ThemusicologistDonaldFrancisToveyoncenoted,

“Thequalitiesofthevioloncelloareexactlythoseofthebeloved

dreamerwhomweknowasSchumann.”Thesurrealsongfulness

ofthesecondoftheFünfStückeparticularlyrequirestheinstru-

ment’ssingularlyhumanizingquality.

Felix MendelssohnLied ohne Worte, op. 109

Composed:1845

Published: 1868

First performance: October18,1845,bytheFrenchcellistLisaCristianiwithMendelssohnatthepiano

Other works from this period: Also composed in 1845 were

Mendelssohn’sincidentalmusictoSophocles’sOedipus at Colo-nus,op.93,andRacine’sAthalie,op.74;thePianoTriono.2incminor,op.66; theStringQuintet inB-flatMajor,op.87;and

individualLieder ohne WortefromOpuses67,85,and102.


Inadditiontotheforty-eightLieder ohne Worte hecomposedfor

solopianooverhiscareer(seepage25),Mendelssohnpennedthe

Opus109Lied ohne Worte,hisfinalworkforcelloandpiano, in1845.ThecellobecomestheLied ohne WortegenreassuitablyasitdoesSchumann’sFünfStückeimVolkston: itsvocalquality

offersanidealvehiclefortheexpressivelyricismofwhathad,by

Mendelssohn’sthirty-sixthyear,becomeanindispensabledimen-

sion of his musical imagination. While the song-without-words

aestheticsuffusesmuchofMendelssohn’s instrumentalchamber

musicbeyondthesixvolumesforsolopiano—theslowmovements

ofthetwopianotriosarereadyexamples—thesingle-movement

Opus109duobringsthecatalogtoamarkedlypoignantcadence.

38 Music@Menlo 2009


Johannes BrahmsCello Sonata no. 2 in F Major, op. 99

Composed:1886

Published:1887,Simrock

First performance:Vienna,November24,1886,byRobertHaus-

mannwithBrahmsatthepiano

Other works from this period: The summer of 1886 also saw

thecompletionoftheViolinSonatainAMajor,op.100,andthe

PianoTrioincminor,op.101.Thefollowingyear,Brahmswould

completeanotherseminalcontribution to thecello repertoire,

theDoubleConcertoforViolinandCello,op.102.


Brahmsspentthesummerof1886 inthe idyllicSwissresort

townofThun.Herentedthesecondfloorofahillsidehouse

on theAarRiver and spentmuchof the summer at a local

casino,drinkingbeerandplayingcardswithmusiciansfrom

thehouseorchestra.HewrotehappilytohisfriendMaxKal-

beck, “It is simply glorious here. I only sayquite in passing

thattherearecrowdsofbeergardens—actualbeergardens—

theEnglish[tourists]arenotathomeinthem!”

The F Major Cello Sonata was composed for Robert

Hausmann,aclosefriendofBrahms’sandcellistofthegreat

JoachimStringQuartet.LiketheviolinistJosephJoachimand

theclarinetistRichardMühlfeld,HausmannservedBrahmsas

theprototypicalperformer-muse,directlyinspiringBrahms’s

cellowritingoverthelastdecadeofhiscareer.Byallaccounts,

Hausmann played with a remarkably burnished tone and

ample technique;Brahms’swriting suggests thatHausmann

hadnotroublenegotiatingthecello’shighestregistersorris-

ing above the piano’s clanging fortissimo. Brahms’s facility

withinstrumentaltechniqueissimilarlyevidentinthestriking

tremolo across the strings, taken from the piano’s opening

gestures,whichBrahmsusestoendtheexpositionandthenechoesat thehauntingendof thedevelopment section. (Itisalsointerestingtonotethat,despitethatmasteryBrahms

hadachievedinwritingforthecellobythetimeofthiswork

aswellastheDoubleConcertothefollowingyear,hestillwas

notsatisfied.UponhearingDvorák’sCelloConcertoof1895,

heexclaimed,“Whyonearthdidn’tIknowonecouldwritea

violoncelloconcertolikethis?HadIonlyknown,Iwouldhave

writtenonelongago!”)

TheFMajorSonataunfoldswithabristlingenergy,with

ajoltingexplosioninthepianoansweredbyatriumphantcry

fromthecello.At the timeof thework’spremiere, thecon-

ductorandcriticEduardHanslickwrote,“Inthecellosonata,

passion rules, fiery to the point of vehemence, now defi-

antly challenging, now painfully lamenting. How boldly the

firstAllegro themebegins, how stormily theAllegro flows!”Remarking on its unusual rhythms and boldmelodic leaps,

Schoenbergwouldlaterwrite:“Younglistenerswillprobably

beunawarethatatthetimeofBrahms’sdeath,thissonatawas

stillveryunpopularandwasconsideredindigestible”—ause-

fulremindertothecontemporarylistener,forwhomthiswork

fitswellwithincommonpractice, thatBrahmswas in facta

“progressive”composer.Themovement’sharmonyissimilarly

insolent,handilyintegratingdissonanttonesandflirtingwith

minor-keytonalitythroughouttheexposition.

The work’s harmonic boldness carries into the Adagio affettuoso, which begins in the surprising key of F-sharp

major, a half-step from the key of the opening movement.

Hypnoticpizzicatimarktimeunderthemelody inthepiano

beforeBrahmsagainemploysthecello’sluminousupperreg-

istertosinga longphrasewhichclimbspassionatelybefore

settlingintoasweetlullaby.

The fiery scherzo recalls Brahms’s ebullient Hungarian

dances,with itschromaticmelodicturnsandhardsyncopa-

tions.Thetriosectionlendsthemovementalyricaltenderness,

albeitstillwithdensechromaticchords inthepianoaccom-

paniment.

Brahms the extroverted Romantic emerges in full form

forthesonata’sfinale,whichseemstogofromoneepisodeto the next with child-like impatience. The subject’s pasto-

ralmelodyoffersacontrastfromtheferocityoftheprevious

movements. Soon after the opening, however, the music

buildstoacrispmarch,heraldedbystaccatodouble-stopsinthecello.Thenextepisodedepartsfromthemovement’sidyl-

licqualitywithalyricalmelodyinb-flatminor,suffusedwith

nineteenth-century Sturm und Drang. Thepiano’s sweepingtripletaccompanimentleadsseamlesslyintoarestatementof

the theme, againstwhichBrahmssetsacharmingpizzicato

commentary.Themovementends triumphantly in aflourish

andwithgreatabandon.




40 Music@Menlo 2009

carte Blanche concert II:

The Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano:Joseph Swensen and Jeffrey Kahane

August 1

Saturday, August 1



SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Camilla and George Smith with gratitude for their generous support.

Program OverviewTheviolinsonatasofJohannesBrahmsencapsulatetheallureoftheRomanticmas-

ter’s compositional language. Eachof the threeoffers thepoignant intimacy and

symphonic breadth—and, above all, the devastating lyricism—that characterize

Brahms’smaturestyle.Violinist JosephSwensenandpianistJeffreyKahane,both

passionate interpretersof theRomantic literature, join forcestopresentthis lumi-

nouscycleofworks.


ViolinSonatano.1inGMajor,op.78(1878–1879) I.Vivace ma non troppo II.Adagio III.Allegro molto moderato

ViolinSonatano.2inAMajor,op.100(1886) I.Allegro amabile II.Andante tranquillo III.Allegretto grazioso (quasi andante)

INTERMISSION

ViolinSonatano.3indminor,op.108(1886–1888) I.Allegro II. Adagio III.Un poco presto e con sentimento IV.Presto agitato

JosephSwensen,violin,andJeffreyKahane,piano




Violin Sonata no. 1 in G Major, op. 78


Published:1879

First performance:Bonn,November8,1879


Violin Sonata no. 2 in A Major, op. 100

Composed:1886

Published:1887

First performance: Vienna,December2,1886


Violin Sonata no. 3 in d minor, op. 108


Published:1889

Dedication:HansvonBülow

First performance:Budapest,December21,1888


Brahms’sthreeviolinsonatas*areworksofhisfullestmaturity.In

1853,hehadwrittenascherzo foracollaborativesonata(Schu-mannandAlbertDietrichchippedinwiththeother movements)forJosephJoachim,butduringthefollowingtwenty-sevenyears,

hebegananddestroyedatleastfourfurtherattemptsinthegenre.

(Brahmswasalmostpathologically secretiveabouthis sketches

andunfinishedworks,andherefusedtoreleaseanymusicthatwas

notofthehighestquality.Hesimplyburnedanythingthathedid

notwantotherstosee.Little,therefore,isknownabouthismeth-

odsofcomposition.)Brahmshadlongbeenwaryofthedifficultyin

combiningthelyricalnatureoftheviolinwiththepowerfulchordal

writingthathefavoredforpiano,anditwasonlywiththeKlavier-

stücke,op.76,completedin1878,thathedevelopedakeyboard

styleleanenoughtoaccommodatetheviolinasapartner.HisVio-

linSonatano.1datesfrom1879;theothertwosonatasfollowed

withineightyears.Hisreasonsforconcentratingontheviolin-and-

pianogenreatthattimeinhislifemayhavehadapersonalaswell

asamusicalaspect—aseachoftheseworkswasfinished,itwas

sentasasortofpeaceofferingtoJoachim,fromwhomhehad

beenestrangedforsometime.Brahms,itseems,hadsidedwith

Joachim’swife,themezzo-sopranoAmalieWeiss,inthecouple’s

divorceproceedings,andbitterfeelingswereincitedbetweenthe

old friends, though Joachim never wavered in his support and

performanceofBrahms’smusic.Theriftwasnotfullyhealeduntil

BrahmsofferedJoachimtheDoubleConcertoin1887.

Sonata no. 1 in G Major, op. 78BrahmswasinspiredbyhisfirsttriptoItaly,intheearlymonthsof

1878,towritehisglowingandautumnalPianoConcertoinB-flat

Major.HereturnedtoGoethe’s“landwherethelemontreesgrow”

sixtimesthereafterforcreativeinspirationandrefreshmentfrom

thechillingViennesewinters.OnhiswaybacktoAustriafromItaly

inMay1879,hestoppedinthelovelyvillageofPörtschachonLake

WörthinCarinthia,whichhehadhauntedonhisannualsummer

retreattheprecedingyear.“Ionlywantedtostaythereforaday,”he

wrotetohisfriendthesurgeonTheodorBillroth,“andthen,asthis

onedaywassobeautiful,foryetanother.Buteachdaywasasfine

asthelast,andsoIstayedon.Ifonyourjourneysyouhaveinter-

ruptedyourreadingtogazeoutofthewindow,youmusthaveseen

howallthemountainsroundthelakearewhitewithsnow,whilethe

treesarecoveredwithdelicategreen.”Brahmssuccumbedtothe

charmsoftheCarinthiancountrysideandabandonedallthought

ofreturningimmediatelytoVienna—heremainedinPörtschachfor

theentiresummer.Itwasinthathalcyonsettingthathecomposed

hisSonatano.1forViolinandPiano.

The Sonata no. 1 is, throughout, warm and ingratiating, a

touching lyrical poem for violin and piano. Themain theme ofthesonata-formfirstmovement,sung immediatelybytheviolin

abovethepiano’splacidchords,isagentlemelodylightlykissed

by theMuse of the Viennesewaltz. Its opening dotted rhythm

(long–short–long)isusedasamottothatrecursnotjustinthefirst

movementbutlater,aswell,asubtlebutpowerfulmeansofuni-

fyingtheentirework.Thesubsidiarytheme,flowingandhymnal,

isstructuredasagrand,rainbow-shapedphrase.TheAdagio hasacertainrhapsodicqualitythatbeliesitstightlycontrolledthree-

partform.Thepianoinitiatestheprincipalthemeofthemovement,

whichissoonadornedwithlittlesighingphrasesbytheviolin.The

central section ismoreanimatedand recalls thedotted rhythm

of the previous movement’s main theme; the principal theme

returns intheviolin’sdouble-stops toroundoutthemovement.

BrahmswovetwosongsfromhisOpus59collectionforvoiceand

piano (1873) into the finale:Regenlied (Rain Song—thiswork issometimesreferredtoastheRainSonata)andNachklang (Remi-niscence).Themovementisinrondoformand,initsscherzando quality,recallsthefinaleoftheB-flatPianoConcerto,writtenjust

ayearbefore.Mostofthemovement(whosemainthemebegins

withthefamiliardottedrhythm)iscouchedinaromanticminor

key(itturnsbrighterduringoneepisode forareturnofthetheme

fromthesecondmovement,playedindouble-stopsbytheviolin),

butitmovesintoaluminousmajortonalityforthecoda.

Sonata no. 2 in A Major, op. 100Sonata no. 3 in d minor, op. 108Formanyyears,Brahms followed the sensiblepracticeof the

Viennesegentryofabandoningthecitywhentheweathergot

hot.Hespentmanyhappysummersinthehillsandlakesofthe

Salzkammergut,eastofSalzburg,butin1886hisfriendJoseph

Widmann,apoetandlibrettistofconsiderabledistinction,con-

vincedBrahmsto joinhim in theancientSwiss townofThun,

twenty-fivekilometerssouthofBerninthefoothillsoftheBer-

neseAlps.Brahms rentedaflower-ladenvillaon the shoreof

Lake Thun in the nearby hamlet of Hofstetten and settled in

foralong,comfortablesummer.TheperiodsawayfromVienna

werenotmerely timesof relaxation forBrahms,however,but

werereallyworkingholidays.Someofhisgreatestscores(the

ViolinConcerto,thesecond,third,andfourthsymphonies,the

PianoConcertono.2,theHaydn Variations,theTragic Overture,andmanyothers)hadbeenlargelyrealizedathisvarioussum-

merretreatsinearlieryears.Thethreesummersthathespent

atThun (1886–1888)wereequallyproductive: theviolinsonatas

nos.2and3,thePianoTrioincminor,theSecondCelloSonata,

theGypsySongs, theChoralSongs(op.104),the liederofopuses


Program Notes: The Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano



105–107,andtheDoubleConcertowereallwrittenthere.Brahms

composedtheSecondViolinSonata,op. 100, inHofstettendur-

ing the summerof 1886; hegave thework an informal reading

atWidmann’s house (alongwith the new cello sonata and the

cminortrio)beforehereturnedtoViennainthefall.Thesonata’s

formalpremierewasgivenonDecember2,1886,inViennabyvio-

linistJosephHellmesbergerandthecomposer.Brahmsbeganthe

ThirdViolinSonata,op.108,atHofstettenduringthesummerof

1886butcomposedmostofthescoreduringhissojourntwoyears

later.Thesonata’spremierewasgivenonDecember21, 1888, in

BudapestbythecomposerandthecelebratedHungarianviolinist,

composer,andpedagogueJenöHubay.

TheopeningmovementoftheAMajorSonataisafullsonata

structure(thepianoinitiatesboththeprincipalandsubsidiary

themes),thoughitcontainslittleofthedramaticcatharsisoften

foundinthatform.Thisisrathermusicofcomfortingtranquil-

ity and warm sentiment that is as immediately accessible as

anyfromBrahms’s lateryears.TheAndante,with itsepisodesinalternatingtempi,combinesthefunctionsofslowmovement

andscherzo,astructuralmodificationBrahmshadalsotriedin

theFMajorStringQuintet,op.88.(Brahmswasnotaloneinthis

sort of formal experimentation.CésarFranckdid a very simi-

larthinginthesecondmovementofhisSymphonyindminor,

writtenjusttwoyearsafterthissonata.)Thefinaleconfirmsthe

pervasivelyricismoftheentireworktosuchadegreethatthe

composer’s correspondent Elisabeth von Herzogenberg was

movedtosay,“Thewholesonataisonecaress.”

TheViolin Sonata indminorwasdedicated toHans von

Bülow,amusicianofgargantuantalentcelebratedasbothpia-

nistandconductor,whoplayedBrahms’scompositionswidely

andmadethemamainstayintherepertoryofthesuperbcourt

orchestraatMeiningenduringhistenurethereasMusicDirector

from1880to1885.Violinandpianoshareequallythethematic

materialoftheopeningmovement:theviolinpresentstheprin-

cipal subject, a lyrical inspiration marked by long notes that

givewaytoquickneighboringtones;thepiano’sarchingsecond

theme is superblyconstructed froma two-measuremotiveof

stepwisemotionfollowedbyahesitantdotted-rhythmgesture.

Thedevelopment sectionislargelyoccupiedwithadiscussionofthemaintheme.Afullrecapitulationandanetherealcodagrownfromthemainthemeclosethemovement.

TheAdagio isoneofBrahms’smostendearingcreations,

aninstrumentalhymnofdelicatelydappledemotions,touching

melody,andsuaveharmonies.Thethirdmovement(whichthe

scoreinstructsshouldbeplayed con sentimento)replacesthetraditional scherzowithan intermezzo ofpreciselycontrolledintensityandmasterfulmotivicdevelopment.Thesonata-form

finaleresumesthedarklyexpressiveeloquenceoftheopening

movementwith its impetuousmain theme.A chordal subject

initiatedbythepianoprovidescontrast,buttheunsettledmood

ofthefirstthemeremainsdominantthroughtheremainderof

themovement. “Perfectaseachmovementof thethreeviolin

sonatasis,”wroteKarlGeiringer,“theyseem,inthislastmove-

ment,tohavereachedtheirculminatingpoint.”

©2009Dr.RichardE.Rodda

42 Music@Menlo 2009

2009 Mendelssohn Challenge Music@Menlo announces a very special challenge for this summer, one that reflects the spirit of Music@Menlo’s 2009 Mendelssohn season.

Devoted festivalgoers Trine Sorensen (a Music@Menlo board member) and Michael Jacobson have pledged to match gifts to the festival—up to a total of $25,000—from first-time contributors, from donors increasing their gifts from last season, and from supporters who, having already made a gift this year, make an additional gift this summer.

We are very excited to have this opportunity both to further expand our great festival community and to continue to enrich the Music@Menlo experience this summer and in the coming years. Thank you, Trine and Michael, for making this truly Mendelssohnian gesture!

Please help us rise to the 2009 Mendelssohn Challenge by making a new gift, an increased gift, or an additional gift to the festival before August 30. Visit Music@Menlo’s Web site (www.musicatmenlo.org), where you can make your gift online, or call Sally Takada at (650) 330-2133.

Thank you for joining us this summer and for helping us take advantage of this very special opportunity!

Music@Menlochamber music festival and institute

David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors

le Arn M ore : www.musicatmenlo.org • 650-330-2030



c A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t sc A r t E B l A n c h E c o n c E r t s

carte Blanche concert III:

An Evening with Menahem Pressler

August 2

Sunday, August 2



SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performanceto Nancy and DuBose Montgomery with gratitude for their generous support.

Program Overview Having recently concluded his fifty-three-year journey as founding pianist of the

legendaryBeauxArtsTrio,pianistMenahemPressleroffersarecitalprogrambuilt

aroundlateworksbytwoofthecornerstonesoftheRomanticperiod:Beethoven’s

penultimatepianosonata,theSonatano.31inA-flatMajor,op.110,andSchubert’s

PianoSonatainB-flatMajor,composedweeksbeforethecomposer’sdeathatthe

ageofthirty-one.


SelectedLieder ohne Worte Lied ohne WorteinEMajor,op.67,no.5 Lied ohne Worteinf-sharpminor,op.67,no.2

Lied ohne WorteinB-flatMajor,op.62,no.2

MenahemPressler,piano


Allegroinaminor,Lebensstürme,op.144,D.947,forPiano,FourHands(1828)

MenahemPressler,WuHan,piano


PianoSonatano.31inA-flatMajor,op.110(1821–1822) I.Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo II.Allegro molto III.Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga. Allegro, ma non troppo


INTERMISSION

Franz SchubertPianoSonatainB-flatMajor,D.960(1828) I.Molto moderato II.Andante sostenuto III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza IV.Allegro ma non troppo




Piano Sonata no. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110

Composed:1821–1822

Published:Paris,Berlin,andVienna,1822;London,1823

Dedication:Detailedinthenotesbelow

Other works from this period:BeethoveninterruptedworkontheMissa Solemnis in1820uponreceivingthecommissionfor

thelastthreepianosonatas,* opp.109,110,and111,whichwerecompletedwithin the following twoyears.He returned to the

Missa Solemnisin1822andalsobeganworkontheNinthSym-

phony,the Diabelli Variations,theOpus119BagatellesforPiano,andthelatestringquartets.


Likehisninesymphoniesandsixteenstringquartets,Beethoven’s

monumentalcycleofthirty-twopianosonatas is indispensableto

anunderstandingofthecomposer’smusicalidentity.Itisinthese

works—composed for his own instrument—that Beethoven con-

ceived some of his most heartfelt musical ideas. Beethoven’s

confidantandearlybiographerAntonSchindlerwritesthattoward

theendofhislife,Beethovenwouldhammeroutdissonantclusters

ofnoteswithhis lefthand, “andthusdrown, indiscordantnoise,

themusicwhichhis rightwas feelinglygivingutterance.”Biogra-

pherMaynardSolomoncomments, “Hedidnotwanthismusical

thoughtstobeoverheard.Thus,evenattheend,thepianoremained

Beethoven’s most intimate means of self-communion.” Another

reminiscencecomesfromSirJohnRussell,whowrotethefollowing

descriptionofBeethovenin1821:“Themomentheisseatedatthe

piano,heisevidentlyunconsciousthatthereisanythinginexistence

buthimselfandhisinstrument.”

AfterthesublimeandnotoriouslydifficultOpus106Hammer-klavierSonataof 1818camethecommissionforBeethoven’sfinal

triptychofpianosonatas,Opuses109,110,and111.Beethovencom-

pletedtheOpus109Sonata inthesummerof 1820,Opus110on

ChristmasDayof1821,andOpus111inearly1822.Beethovenintended

todedicatethe latter twotoAntonieBrentano, theaddresseeof

thefamous“ImmortalBeloved”letter,butthepublishedversionof

thefinal sonata ultimatelybore adedication toBeethoven’s stu-

dentArchdukeRudolph,whileOpus110borenodedicationatall.

Nevertheless,Beethoven’sintentiontodedicatethesonatastohis

ImmortalBelovedillustratesthedepthofhispersonalattachment

tothem.

Indeed, the compact and gentle character of this sonata,

whichechoesthatoftheprecedingOpus109Sonata,suggeststhat

Beethovenmayhavetakenthecommissionforthefinalthreesona-

tasasanopportunityforrespitefromtheimposingscaleoftheMissa Solemnis,thechoral-orchestralcolossusonwhichBeethovenwasalsoatworkin1821.PianistandmusicscholarCharlesRosencalls

thebriefdevelopmentsectionoftheopeningmovement (Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo) “radicallysimple.”Beethovenmerely

recaststheopeningA-flatmajortheme,firstintherelativekeyoffminorandtheninasequenceoffallingharmonies.Buttherhetori-caleffectofthissimplegambitstirsthelistenerasonlyBeethoven

can.Whenthethemereturnstothehomekey,Beethoventransforms

it by setting it atop arpeggiated thirty-second notes (originallyintroducedintheexposition,followingthefirsttheme),thustrans-

figuringastatementofidyllicserenityintooneofnobleecstasy.

Thequick-tonguedscherzoisrifewiththejoltingsyncopations andabruptchangesindynamicsthatareBeethoven’ssignature.

TheheartoftheOpus110Sonataisitsfinalmovement,which

outlaststhefirsttwomovementscombined.Itbeginswithaslow,

plaintive introduction,whichgiveswaytoathoughtfulrecitative.This dramatic music points to the Klagender Gesang (Song ofLament), towhichBeethovengivesthesorrowfulmarkingArioso dolente. Following the Klagender Gesang comes themain body

of the finale: one of Beethoven’smost eloquent fugues. Late inhiscareer,BeethovenstudiedthemusicofBachandHandelwith

renewedinterest,andhisthoroughexplorationofthisfinale’spoetic

fuguesubjectbetrayshisimmersioninBachian counterpoint.Mid-way through the fugue, Beethoven reintroduces the Klagender Gesang, turningthefinaleintoapregnantdiscoursebetweendia-metricmusicalideas.

Franz Schubert (Born January 31, 1797, Vienna; died November 19, 1828, Vienna)

Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

Composed: 1828(furtherdetailedinthenotesbelow)

Published: Posthumously in1839(possibly1838)bytheViennese

musicpublisherDiabelli,whoacquiredthesetofthreesonatasafter

Schubert’sdeath.Recognizinglucrativepotential,Diabellipublished

thesetas“FranzSchubert’sLastCompositions:ThreeGrandSona-

tas.”Schubert’sintendeddedicateewasthepianistandcomposer

JohannNepomukHummel;however,asHummelhaddiedin1837,

Diabelli’spublisheddedicationhonoredRobertSchumann,thelead-

ingchampionofSchubert’smusicafterSchubert’sdeath.

Other works from this period: Also composed in 1828 were

the“Great”Symphonyno.9inCMajor(D.944)andtheCelloQuintet(D.956),alsoinCmajor.Thethreepianosonataswere

Schubert’s final completed works. A sketch of an unfinished

symphony in Dmajor (D. 936a—not to be confusedwith the

“Unfinished”Symphonyno.8[D.759]of1822)survives,which

maybethelastmusicevercommittedbySchuberttopaper.The

manuscriptbeginswithcounterpointexercises:justtwoweeks

beforehisdeath,Schubertbegan takingcounterpoint lessons

withSimonSechter,acontemporarymusictheorist.


As with Beethoven, Schubert’s final three piano sonatas—the

sonatas in cminor,D. 958;Amajor,D. 959; andB-flatmajor,

D.960—existasatriptychofsorts,composedconsecutivelyin

animpressivelyshortspanoftime.Survivingdraftssuggestthat

Schubertworkedonthemthroughoutthesummerof1828;they

were completed just weeks before the composer’s death on

November19ofthatyear,attheageofthirty-one.

The sonatas exhibit an astounding level of artisticgenius

evenconsideringSchubert’s legendaryprecocity.Despitehav-

ingbeencomposedinsuchcloseproximitytooneanother,each

sonatainhabitsitsowndistinctmusicalworld.Nevertheless,the

threeareboundtogetherbyasublimityofconceptionandcon-

44 Music@Menlo 2009

Program Notes: An Evening with Menahem Pressler



struction.InthecontextofSchubert’sdeathjustonemonthafter

theircompletion, it is temptingtospeculateastowhatmusic

may have yet lain ahead.We are left towonderwhether the

year1828mighthaveheraldedthedawnofastillmoresophis-

ticatedstageinSchubert’smusic,hadthecomposerlivedtobe

asoldasBachorHaydn—orevenBeethoven,whodiedatfifty-

six.Thesesonatassuggestanexquisitelytantalizinganswer.

MuchofSchubert’slegacyrestsonhisenormouscontribu-

tionofmore than six hundred lieder to the repertoire. The artsongaestheticrepresentsanessentialcomponentofSchubert’s

musical identityandisvitallypresentinhis instrumentalworks,

aswell. Thewistful opening theme of the B-flatMajor Sonata

isavintageSchubertmelody,atoncesimplein itsarchitecture

andprofoundin itsemotivecontent.Moreover,withonesubtle

strokeisaddedacomplexdimensiontothetheme:inthemidst

ofSchubert’sidyll,anominousrumblingbeginsinthepiano’slow

register,likedistant,threateningthunder.Anothersongfulmelody

immediatelyfollows,towhich, liketheopeningtheme,onecan

easily imagine poetry being set. Schubert further deepens the

magicalqualityofthisturnofphrasebysuddenlytransporting

thelistenerfromB-flatmajortothefarawaykeyofG-flatmajor.

Athirdthememovestof-sharpminor.Thebroadharmonicland-

scapethatSchuberttraversesinjusttheexpositionreflectsthe

sonata’soverallexpressivebreadth.Inthedevelopmentsection,

Schubert explores thepossibilities contained in thesedifferent

musical ideas,paintingawiderandwideremotional spectrum.

The dramatic climax of the development section, rather than

proclaiming itself forcefully, insteadholdsaquiet intensity.The

openingthemetentativelyreappears,rockinghesitantlybetween

dminorandthehomekeyofB-flatmajor.Afterastringofpen-

sive,semi-improvisatoryutterances,Schubertrecallstheominous

rumbling introducednearthebeginningofthesonata,andthe

musicfinallyarrivesattherecapitulation.Anoften-citedcharacteristicofSchubert’smusicisthedeli-

cate line drawn between happiness and sadness. In 1824, the

composerwroteinhisdiary,“AllthatIhavecreatedisbornof

myunderstandingofmusicandmyownsorrow.”TheAndante sostenuto bears witness to this avowal. Offsetting the graverockabye of the movement’s opening, a contrasting middle

section setsanoptimistic chorale-stylemelodyabovepulsing

sixteenthnotes.Thegood-humoredscherzomovement,marked

Allegro vivace con delicatezza, provides a more pronounced

dramaticfoiltothebrokenheartedslowmovement.

Thefinale’swealthofmusical ideas furtherdemonstrates

Schubert’suncannymelodic instinct.Themovement’ssonata-rondoformallowsSchuberttofullycapitalizeontheexpressive

possibilitiescontained in itsthematic ideas.As intheexpertly

wrought first movement, Schubert uses impeccably simple

buildingblockstoconstructamonolithicfinale.Afterthorough

developmentofthemovement’scentralthemes,acodaoffersenigmatic fragmentsof themain subjectbeforeerupting ina

triumphant frenzy. Somehow, these finalmeasures serve as a

fittinglymajesticconclusiontooneofthelastmasterpiecesof

Schubert’smeteoriccareer.



Join us for our 09-10Chamber Music Series!Hear San Francisco Symphony’s musicians make

the artistic decisions with favorites such as

Beethoven’s String Quartet in F major,

Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet in B minor, and

Ravel’s Piano Trio. A subscription to six concerts

is only $150—Order today!

(415) 864-6000 SFSYMPHONY.ORGBox Office Hours Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat Noon-6pm, Sun 2 hours prior to concertsDavies Symphony Hall Box Office Grove Street between Van Ness and Franklin StreetConcerts at Davies Symphony Hall. Programs and prices subject to change.

Music@Menlochamber music festival and institute

David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors

Make a Difference: Volunteer! A team of friendly, enthusiastic, and hardworking volun-teers always is needed to help the festival run smoothly.

Music@Menlo volunteers (“Friends of the Festival”) contribute their time in a variety of ways, including ushering at concerts, providing general festival hospitality at the Welcome Center, helping with mailings, and hosting artists in their homes.

If you are interested in contributing your time and energy, please contact us at 650-330-2030 or [email protected].

Untitled-1 1 6/30/09 1:36:45 PM

46 Music@Menlo 2009

Music@Menlo’s 2009 ChamberMusic Institutewelcomes approxi-

mately forty outstanding young musicians, selected from an

internationalpoolofapplicants,toworkcloselywithaneliteartist-

facultythroughoutthefestivalseason.Festivalaudiencescanwitness

thetimelessartofmusicalinterpretationpassedfromtoday’slead-

ingartists to thenextgenerationofchambermusicians invarious

settings, includingthefestival’smasterclasses(seepage59),Café

Conversations(seepage58),PreludePerformances,andKoretYoung

PerformersConcerts,allofwhicharefreeandopentothepublic.

International ProgramMusic@Menlo’sdistinguishedtrainingprogramservespre-and

semiprofessionalartistsintheearlystagesoftheircareers.Fol-

lowing their participation in Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music

Institute,alumnioftheInternationalProgramhavegoneonto

performintheworld’smostprestigiousvenues,includingLincoln

CenterandCarnegieHall inNewYorkandLondon’sWigmore

Hall,andearntopprizesattheNaumburgCompetition,Young

ConcertArtistsInternationalAuditions,andothers.

TheInternationalProgramartistsworkonadailybasiswith

Music@Menlo’sesteemedartist-facultyandarefeaturedinthe

festival’sPrelude Performances(seepage48),whichprecedeselectedeveningconcerts.ThesePreludePerformancesexpand

on the festival’s concert programs and offer audiences the

chancetoexperienceexceptionalmusicmakingfreeofcost.

Young Performers ProgramTheYoungPerformersProgramisdesignedtoservepromising

young musicians, ages nine to eighteen. These extraordinary

studentsworkwithadiversefacultycomprisingfestivalartists

andInternationalProgramalumni.Eachweekduringthefestival,

studentensemblessharetheirworkwithaudiencesthroughthe

Koret Young Performers Concerts(seepage54),inwhichtheyintroduceandperformgreatworksofthechambermusiclitera-

tureforlistenersofallages.

Joshua Chiu, violinGeraldine Chok, violinZoë Curran, violinJames Hu, violinManami Mizumoto, violinEmily Shehi, violinAshvin Swaminathan, violinLily Tsai, violinStephen Waarts, violinLinda Yu, violinTheodore Ma, violaRosemary Nelis, violaKaitlin Cullen-Verhauz, celloSarah Ghandour, cello

Matthew Johnson, celloEunice S.J. Kim, celloJeffrey Kwong, celloJulia Rosenbaum, celloIla Shon, celloStephanie Tsai, celloMichael Davidman, pianoLilian Finckel, pianoHilda Huang, pianoLinh Nguyen, pianoAgata Sorotokin, pianoMayumi Tsuchida, pianoRieko Tsuchida, pianoTristan Yang, piano/violin

Chamber Music Institute david finckel and wu han, artistic directorshasse borup, chamber music institute administrator

Kristin Lee,violinOn You Kim,violaEric Han,celloDavid Fung,piano

The Chamber Music Institute, which runs concurrently with the festival, represents Music@Menlo’s strong commitment to nurturing the next generation of chamber musicians.

LK STRING QuARTETSean Lee, violinAreta Zhulla,violinLaura Seay,violaJordan Han,cello

ATRIA ENSEMBLESunmi Chang, violin/viola Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinetHye-Yeon Park,piano


The Ann S. Bowers Young Artist FundBybecomingasponsorofanindividualInstituteparticipantor

ensemble,orbymakingagifttotheAnnS.BowersYoungArt-

istFund,youwillenjoythesatisfactionofhelpingextraordinary

youngmusiciansrealizetheirlifelongpersonalandprofessional

ambitions.

Sponsors help maintain the Institute’s unique focus on

chambermusic,theworld-classcaliberofitsartist-faculty,and

its one-to-one ratio of participants to faculty. Music@Menlo

brings conservatory-level students and emerging professional

artists indirectandsustainedcontactwith leadingmusicians,

musicologists, andothermusicprofessionals for a rich,multi-

levellearningexperience.

WhiletuitionfortheYoungPerformersProgramin2009is

$2,600,thiscoversonlyasmallpercentageofthetotalcostof

hosting these talentedmusicians. The actual costper student,

which includes teaching,performances,meals, concertproduc-

tion, and administration, is more than $12,500. Music@Menlo

awardsall InternationalProgramparticipants full-tuition fellow-

shipsandextendsmeritscholarshipsandneed-basedfinancial

aidtodeservingstudentsintheYoungPerformersProgrameach

year. This season, all Young Performers Program participants

whoappliedformeritscholarshiporfinancialaidconsideration

receivedpartialorfullassistance.

PleaseconsidersupportingayoungartistintheChamber

MusicInstitutewithafullsponsorshiporagifttotheYoungArt-

istFund.Inadditiontothebenefitsoftheannualmembership

levels(seepage76),Institutesponsorsandthosewhocontrib-

utetothefundhavetheuniqueopportunityduringthefestival

tomeet inpersonwiththeyoungmusicianstheyhavegener-

ouslysupported.Thegreatestrewardofsupportingtheseyoung

artistsisknowingthatyouhavehelpedmakeameaningfuldif-

ference in their livesand in theirmusical studies, significantly

advancingtheirartisticandprofessionalfutures.

We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals who

havegenerouslycontributedtotheAnnS.BowersYoungArtist

Fundin2009:

To learn more about sponsoring a young artist in the Chamber Music Institute, please contact Sally Takada, Development Direc-tor, at 650-330-2133 or [email protected].

The Ann S. Bowers Young Artist Fund offers an opportunity to directly support the aspirations of the young artists in Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute.

FuLL SPONSORS:AnnS.Bowers

TheJeffreyDeanandHeidi

HopperFamily

Joan&AllanFisch

Marcia&PaulGinsburg

MaryLorey

Marcia&HapWagner

Melanie&RonWilensky

CONTRIBuTORS:Anonymous

JoanieBanks-Huntand

MichaelJ.Hunt


PatFoster

TheRobertJ.andHelenH.

GlaserFamilyFoundation

Sue&BillGould

InhonorofSukKiHahn

Reuben&MimiLevy

PeggieMacLeod

Dr.&Mrs.TagE.Mansour

PaulavonSimson

Anne&JoeWelsh

MickiWesson

Music@Menlo 2009

Prelude Performancesperformed by the international program artists

Honoring the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for its leadership, vision, and dedication to the arts and education.

48

Saturday, July 18



Fairy Tales,op.132 (1853) I. Lebhaft, nicht zu schnell II.Lebhaft und sehr markiert III.Ruhiges Tempo, mit zartem Ausdruck IV.Lebhaft, sehr markiert

AtriaEnsemble:

SunmiChang, violin; RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;Hye-YeonPark,piano


StringQuartetinFMajor,op.18,no.1(1798–1800) I.Allegro con brio II.Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato III.Scherzo: Allegro molto IV.Allegro

LKStringQuartet:

AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay, viola;JordanHan,cello

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Ann S. Bowers with gratitude for her generous support.

Sunday, July 19

4:00 p.m., Martin Family Hall, Menlo School


StringQuartetinFMajor,op.18,no.1(1798–1800) I.Allegro con brio II.Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato III.Scherzo: Allegro molto IV.Allegro

LKStringQuartet:



PianoQuartetno.1incminor,op.1(1822) I.Allegro vivace II.Adagio III.Scherzo: Presto IV.Allegro moderato

DavidFung,piano;KristinLee,violin;OnYouKim,viola;EricHan,cello

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Sue and Bill Gould with gratitude for their generous support.

July 18 July 19


P r E l u d E P E r f o r m A n c E s E r I E s

49

Monday, July 20



PianoQuartetno.1incminor,op.1(1822) I.Allegro vivace II.Adagio III.Scherzo: Presto IV.Allegro moderato



ClarinetQuintetinAMajor,K.581(1789) I.Allegro II. Larghetto III. Menuetto IV.Allegretto con variazioni

RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;LKStringQuartet:


SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Marcia and Hap Wagner with gratitude for their generous support.

P r E l u d E P E r f o r m A n c E s

Tuesday, July 21



Fairy Tales,op.132(1853) I.Lebhaft, nicht zu schnell II.Lebhaft und sehr markiert III. Ruhiges Tempo, mit zartem Ausdruck IV.Lebhaft, sehr markiert

AtriaEnsemble:

SunmiChang,violin; RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet; Hye-YeonPark,piano


ClarinetQuintetinAMajor,K.581(1789) I.Allegro II. Larghetto III. Menuetto IV.Allegretto con variazioni

RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;LKStringQuartet:


SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Jennifer and Michael Cuneo with gratitude for their generous support.

July 21July 20

50

July 24

Friday, July 24


Libby Larsen (b. 1950)

Dancing Solo(1994) I.With Shadows II.Eight to the Bar III.In Ten Slow Circles IV.Flat Out

RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet

Louis Spohr (1784–1859)

Octetindminor,op.65 (1823) I.Allegro II.Scherzo: Vivace – Trio III.Larghetto IV.Finale: Allegretto molto

KristinLee,SeanLee,SunmiChang,AretaZhulla,violins;OnYouKim,

LauraSeay,violas;EricHan,JordanHan,cellos

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Joanie Banks-Hunt and Michael J. Hunt with gratitude for their generous support.


Monday, July 27


Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904)

TerzettoinCMajor,op.74(1887) I.Allegro ma non troppo II. Larghetto III.Scherzo: Vivace IV.Tema con variazioni

SeanLee,AretaZhulla,violins;LauraSeay,viola


ClarinetTrioinaminor,op.114(1891) I.Allegro II. Adagio III.Andantino grazioso IV.Allegro

RomiedeGuise-Langlois, clarinet;EricHan,cello;DavidFung,piano

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to the David B. and Edward C. Goodstein Foundation with gratitude for its generous support.

July 27

Music@Menlo 2009


51

Tuesday, July 28



ClarinetTrioinaminor,op.114(1891) I.Allegro II.Adagio III.Andantino grazioso IV.Allegro

RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;EricHan,cello;DavidFung,piano


PianoQuintetinE-flatMajor,op.44(1842) I.Allegro brillante II. In modo d’una marcia: Un poco largamente III.Scherzo: Molto vivace IV.Allegro, ma non troppo

Hye-YeonPark,piano; SunmiChang,KristinLee,violins;OnYouKim,viola;JordanHan,cello

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Vivian Sweeney with gratitude for her generous support.

Wednesday, July 29



TerzettoinCMajor,op.74 (1887) I.Allegro ma non troppo II.Larghetto III.Scherzo: Vivace IV.Tema con variazioni

SeanLee,AretaZhulla,violins;LauraSeay,viola


PianoQuintetinE-flatMajor,op.44(1842) I.Allegro brillante II. In modo d’una marcia: Un poco largamente III.Scherzo: Molto vivace IV.Allegro, ma non troppo

Hye-YeonPark,piano; SunmiChang,KristinLee,violins;OnYouKim, viola;JordanHan,cello


July 28 July 29

52

August 3

Monday, August 3



TrioinE-flatMajor,K.498(Kegelstatt) (1786) I.Andante II.Menuetto III.Allegretto

AtriaEnsemble:

SunmiChang,violin; RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;Hye-YeonPark,piano


PianoQuartetinE-flatMajor,op.47(1842) I.Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo II.Scherzo: Molto vivace III.Andante cantabile IV.Finale: Vivace


SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Mary Lorey with gratitude for her generous support.

August 4

Tuesday, August 4



StringQuartetinFMajor,op.135 (1826) I.Allegretto II.Vivace III.Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo IV.Grave ma non troppo tratto – Allegro

LKStringQuartet:

AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay,viola;JordanHan,cello


PianoQuartetinE-flatMajor,op.47 (1842) I.Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo II.Scherzo: Molto vivace III.Andante cantabile IV.Finale: Vivace

DavidFung, piano;KristinLee,violin;OnYouKim,viola;EricHan,cello

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Marcia and Paul Ginsburg with gratitude for their generous support.


Music@Menlo 2009

53

August 5

Wednesday, August 5



TrioinE-flatMajor,K.498(Kegelstatt)(1786) I.Andante II.Menuetto III.Allegretto

AtriaEnsemble:

SunmiChang,violin; RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;Hye-YeonPark,piano


StringQuartetinFMajor,op.135(1826) I.Allegretto II.Vivace III.Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo IV.Grave ma non troppo tratto – Allegro

LKStringQuartet:

AretaZhulla,SeanLee,violins;LauraSeay,viola;JordanHan,cello

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation with gratitude for its generous support.

August 7 & 8

Friday, August 7


Saturday, August 8



AndanteandAllegroBrillantinAMajor,op.92(1841)

DavidFung,Hye-YeonPark, piano

Max Bruch (1838–1920)

EightPieces,op.83(1910) No.1inaminor,Andante No.2inbminor,Allegro con moto No.7inBMajor,Allegro vivace, ma non troppo

AtriaEnsemble:

RomiedeGuise-Langlois,clarinet;SunmiChang,violin; Hye-YeonPark,piano

Felix MendelssohnOctetforStringsinE-flatMajor,op.20(1825) I.Allegro moderato, ma con fuoco II. Andante III.Scherzo: Allegro leggierissimo IV.Presto

SeanLee,SunmiChang,AretaZhulla,KristinLee,violins;LauraSeay,OnYouKim,violas;JordanHan,EricHan,cellos

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates these performances to the followingindividuals and organizations with gratitude for their generous support:

August 7: The Robert J. and Helen H. Glaser Family Foundation August 8: Wallace R. and Alexandra Hawley



Prelude Performance Seriesperformed by the international program artists

54 Music@Menlo 2009

Prelude Performance Seriesperformed by the international program artists

Saturday, July 25


Selected movements from:


StringTrioincminor,op.9,no.3 (1797–1798)

ZoëCurran,violin; TheodoreMa,viola;JeffreyKwong,cello


PianoTrioindminor,op.49 (1839)

LilianFinckel,piano; StephenWaarts,violin;KaitlinCullen-Verhauz,cello


PianoTrioinCMajor,op.87(1880–1882)

RiekoTsuchida,piano; JamesHu,violin;StephanieTsai, cello

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)

PianoTriono.1inFMajor,op.18(1864)

HildaHuang, piano; ManamiMizumoto,violin;EuniceS.J.Kim,cello

Ludwig van Beethoven PianoTrioincminor,op.1,no.3 (1794–1795)

MichaelDavidman,piano; LilyTsai, violin;JuliaRosenbaum,cello

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Koret Foundation Funds with gratitude for its generous support.

Sunday, July 26




ViolinSonatainGMajor,K.301(1778)

GeraldineChok,violin; TristanYang,piano


PianoQuintetinAMajor,op.81(1887)

MayumiTsuchida,piano; LindaYu,JoshuaChiu, violins;RosemaryNelis,viola;MatthewJohnson,cello

Clara Schumann (1819–1896)

PianoTrioingminor,op.17(1847)

AgataSorotokin,piano; EmilyShehi,violin;SarahGhandour,cello

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart PianoTrioinGMajor,K.496 (1786)

LinhNguyen,piano; AshvinSwaminathan,violin;IlaShon,cello

Koret Young Performers Concertsperformed by the young performers program artists

July 25 July 26

K o r E t Y o u n g P E r f o r m E r s c o n c E r t s


August 1

Saturday, August 1




PianoTriono.4ineminor,op.90(Dumky)(1890–1891)

HildaHuang,piano; ZoëCurran,violin; StephanieTsai,cello

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

arr. Johan Halvorsen (1864–1935)

PassacagliaforViolinandCello (1720, arr. 1897)

EmilyShehi,violin;JuliaRosenbaum, cello

César Franck (1822–1890)

PianoQuintetinfminor(1879)

RiekoTsuchida,piano; LilyTsai, ManamiMizumoto,violins; RosemaryNelis,viola; KaitlinCullen-Verhauz,cello

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)

SonataforViolinandCello(1920–1922)

LindaYu,violin;MatthewJohnson,cello


CelloSonatano.2inDMajor,op.58(1843)

IlaShon,cello; MichaelDavidman, piano

August 2

Sunday, August 2




ViolinSonatano.3,op.108(1886–1888)

JoshuaChiu, violin;MayumiTsuchida, piano

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975)

PianoQuintetingminor,op.57 (1940)

LilianFinckel, piano; JamesHu,GeraldineChok,violins;TheodoreMa, viola;SarahGhandour, cello

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)

DollySuite(1894–1896)

LinhNguyen,TristanYang,piano

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)

PianoTriono.2ineminor,op.92(1892)

AgataSorotokin, piano; StephenWaarts,violin;JeffreyKwong,cello

Erwin Schulhoff (1894–1942)

DuoforViolinandCello(1925)

AshvinSwaminathan,violin;EuniceS.J.Kim,cello


56 Music@Menlo 2009

Saturday, August 8




PianoTrioinGMajor,op.1,no.2(1794–1795)

HildaHuang,piano; ZoëCurran,violin;SarahGhandour, cello

Bohuslav Martinu (1890–1959)

SonataforTwoViolinsandPiano,H.213(1932)

GeraldineChok,TristanYang,violins; MichaelDavidman,piano


CelloQuintetinCMajor,D.956(?1828)

StephanieTsai,JuliaRosenbaum,cellos; JamesHu,StephenWaarts,violins;RosemaryNelis,viola

Franz Schubert PianoTrioinB-flatMajor,D.898(?1828)

RiekoTsuchida,piano; JoshuaChiu,violin; KaitlinCullen-Verhauz, cello

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

PremierTrioinGMajor(1880)

LinhNguyen, piano; EmilyShehi,violin;IlaShon,cello


PianoQuintetinE-flatMajor,op.44(1842)

LilianFinckel,piano; ManamiMizumoto,AshvinSwaminathan, violins;TheodoreMa, viola;JeffreyKwong,cello

Ludwig van BeethovenCelloSonatainAMajor,op.69(1807–1808)

EuniceS.J.Kim,cello; AgataSorotokin,piano

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)

SuiteforTwoViolins,Cello,andPiano

(LeftHand),op.23(1930)

LilyTsai,LindaYu,violins;MatthewJohnson,cello; MayumiTsuchida,piano

SPECIAL THANKS

Music@Menlo dedicates this performance to Emiko Higashi and Rod Howard with gratitude for their generous support.

August 8

SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE IN JULY!INFO: livelyarts.stanford.edu | 650-725-ARTS

stanfordP e r f o r m i n g A r t s s e A s o n

Lively Arts explores a year of “Art+Invention” on the Stanford campus through commissions and premieres, ground-breaking collaborations, multi-disciplinary showcases, and still more performances from a wealth of styles and cultures.

‘ART + INVENTION’

SELECTED EVENTS:

EmERSON STRINg

QUARTET

WED, OCT 28, 2009 | 8PmDINKELSPIEL AUDITORIUM

PETER SERkIN, piano, AND ThE ORION

STRINg QUARTET

WED, mAR 3, 2010 | 8PmDINKELSPIEL AUDITORIUM

PLUS: Uri Caine Ensemble (10.10), Cyro Baptista (10.30), St. Lawrence String Quartet (11.1, 1.31, 4.18), Jamie Bernstein with Michael Barrett (11.7) The Prokofiev Project (11.12-15), From the Top with Christopher O’Riley (12.5), Chanticleer (12.10), Kronos Quartet with Wu Man (1.16), Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company (1.22), Misha Dichter (2.17), Vusi Mahlasela (2.19), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (4.21), Mark Twain Tonight!: Hal Holbrook (4.27), Laurie Anderson (5.5) and much more!



Open Housesaturday, July 25Music@Menlo welcomes the community to a daylong series of special events on the beautiful grounds of Menlo School, allowing visitors to get behind the scenes of the festival.

Open House Schedule of Events

8:30a.m.

Q & A Coffee with the Artistic DirectorsFestivalWelcomeCenter,MenloSchool

TakeadvantageofachancetomeetwithDavid

FinckelandWuHaninaninformalsetting.

9:00a.m.–11:50a.m.

Institute CoachingsMenloSchool

Music@Menlo’sartist-facultycoachestheInstitute’s

youngmusiciansinpreparationfortheirupcoming

performances.

11:00a.m.–12:00p.m.

Open RehearsalMartinFamilyHall,MenloSchool

PianistsJeffreyKahaneandWuHanrehearseMen-

delssohn’sA Midsummer Night’s Dream,arrangedforpiano,fourhands.

12:00p.m.–1:00p.m.

Café Conversation: The Art of Theo NollStentFamilyHall,MenloSchool

2009VisualArtistTheoNolldiscusseshisworkwith

CathyKimball,ExecutiveDirectoroftheSanJose

InstituteofContemporaryArt.(Seepage60.)

1:00p.m.–2:00p.m.

Open RehearsalMenloSchool

PianistJeffreyKahane,violinistJosephSwensen,and

cellistPaulWatkinsrehearseSchumann’sPianoTrioin

dminor,op.63.

1:00p.m.–3:00p.m.

Open RehearsalMenloSchool

FlutistCarolWincenc,oboistWilliamBennett,clari-

netistAnthonyMcGill,bassoonistDennisGodburn,

andhornplayerWilliamVerMeulenrehearseLigeti’s

SixBagatellesforWindQuintet.

2:00p.m.

Koret Young Performers ConcertMartinFamilyHall,MenloSchool

TheartistsoftheChamberMusicInstitute’sYoung

PerformersProgramperformmusicbyBeethoven,

Mendelssohn,Brahms,andSaint-Saëns.

7:30p.m.

Encounter III: The Grand TourMartinFamilyHall,MenloSchool

LedbyR.LarryTodd.(Seepage11fordetails.

Ticketsrequired;orderatwww.musicatmenlo.orgor

650-331-0202.)

Schedule of events subject to change. For the latest information, please visit www.musicatmenlo.org.

58 Music@Menlo 2009

Since their inceptionduringMusic@Menlo’s2004season,Café

Conversationshaveexploredavarietyofissuesfromtheunique

perspectivesofMusic@Menlo’sartisticcommunity.CaféConver-

sationsallowaudiencestogaininsightsintoafascinatingarrayof

music-andarts-relatedissues.AllCaféConversationstakeplace

onthecampusofMenloSchoolandareopentothepublic.

Tuesday,July21,12:00p.m.

Audience Engagement in the Age of Digital MediawithBrianNewhouse,Senior Producer, American Public Media

Wednesday,July22,12:00p.m.

A Conversation with the Pacifica QuartetmoderatedbyPatrickCastillo,Music@Menlo Artistic Administrator

Saturday,July25,12:00p.m.

The Art of Theo NollwithTheoNoll, Music@Menlo’s 2009 Visual Artist,andCathyKimball,Executive Director, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art.Receptionwiththeartisttofollow.

Monday,July27,12:00p.m.

Performing at the Presidential InaugurationwithAnthonyMcGill,clarinetist

Thursday,July30,12:00p.m.

Odysseus, Prometheus, and Beethoven: The Mythological Sources of the Eroica Sym-phony and Other Musical Masterworks of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries withJeffreyKahane,pianist

Friday,July31,12:00p.m.

Poetry Reading WorkshopwithMichaelSteinberg,author and musicologist

Monday,August3,12:00p.m.

The Legacy of Isaac SternwithAraGuzelimian,Encounter leader

Café Conversation topics and speakers subject to change. For the latest information, please visit www.musicatmenlo.org.

Café ConversationsMusic@Menlo’s unique series of free and informal discussion events led by festival artists and distinguished guests offers audiences an engaging forum to explore a wide range of topics relating to music and culture.


Free and open to the public, Music@Menlo’s master classes offer a unique opportunity to observe the interaction between mentors and students of the Chamber Music Institute.

Music@Menlounitesthenextgenerationofgreatchambermusi-

cianswitharenownedfacultyoftoday’smostesteemedartists

andeducators.JointheyoungartistsandfacultyoftheCham-

berMusic Instituteduringthe festivalas theyexchange ideas,

discuss interpretive approaches, and prepare masterworks of

theclassicalmusicliteratureforthestage.TheInstitute’smaster

classesandotherselectInstituteactivitiesgivevisitorstherare

opportunitytowitnessthespecialexchangebetweenartistand

apprentice,anartistictraditionreveredforgenerations.

Allmasterclassesareheldat12:00p.m.inStentFamilyHall

ontheMenloSchoolcampusandarefreeandopentothepub-

lic.Pleasevisitwww.musicatmenlo.orgduringthefestivalforthe

mostup-to-dateinformation.

Monday,July20,12:00p.m.

Ian Swensen, violinist

Thursday,July23,12:00p.m.

Bruce Adolphe, composer and Encounter leader

Friday,July24,12:00p.m.

Joseph Swensen, violinist

Tuesday,July28,12:00p.m.

Jeffrey Kahane, pianist

Wednesday,July29,12:00p.m.

Paul Watkins, cellist

Saturday,August1,12:00p.m.

Wu Han, pianist

Tuesday,August4,12:00p.m.

Pacifica Quartet

Wednesday,August5,12:00p.m.

Jorja Fleezanis, violinist

Thursday,August6,12:00p.m.

Menahem Pressler, pianist

Master class schedule subject to change. For the latest information, please visit www.musicatmenlo.org.

Master Classes

60 Music@Menlo 2009

Theo Noll was born in Neuwied, Ger-

many, in 1968. By the time he finished

highschool,hehaddevelopedapassion

forartandclassicalmusic.Consequently,

he studied graphics, painting, art his-

tory,andmusicologyattheUniversityof

Marburg,Germany,from1990until1997.

Through theyears,heappliedhisartis-

tictalentstoavarietyofmedia,fromset

designsandscreenwebdesignstoabstractpaintings.Formore

than a decade now, hisworks havebeen exhibited in various

artgalleriesandpubliccollectionsthroughoutEuropeandthe

Americas.Hismostrecentsoloshowshavebeenondisplayin

Berlin,Germany,inRosario,Argentina,andinBratislava,Slova-

kia.HelivesandworksinNuremberg,Germany.

Theo Noll’s work will be displayed on campus throughout the festival. As part of the Open House on Saturday, July 25, there will be a Café Conversation at 12:00 p.m. that features a dis-cussion with the artist, followed by an artist’s reception, both of which are free and open to the public.

Visual Arts and the Festival2009 Visual Artist: theo nollEach season, Music@Menlo invites a distinguished visual artist to exhibit a selection of paintings at Menlo School throughout the festival and showcases the artist’s work in the festival’s publications. This year Music@Menlo is pleased to feature Theo Noll.

Above: untitled, 2005, oil on card stock, 20 x 20 cm

Top right: untitled, 2006, oil on card stock, 15 x 15 cm

Middle right: untitled, 2009, oil on card stock, 40 x 40 cm

Lower right: untitled, 2009, oil on card stock, 40 x 40 cm

B I o g r A P h I E s



2009 Artist and Faculty Biographies

Artistic Directors The Martin Family Artistic DirectorshipCellist DAVID FINCKEL and pianist Wu HAN, the Founders andArtisticDirectorsofMusic@Menlo, rankamongthemostesteemed

and influential classical musicians in the world today. The talent,

energy, imagination,anddedicationtheybringtotheirmultifaceted

endeavorsasconcertperformers,recordingartists,educators,artistic

administrators,andculturalentrepreneursgounmatched.Theirduo

performancestakethemeachseasontosomeofthemostprestigious

venuesandconcert seriesacross theUnitedStates, includingNew

York’sLincolnCenter,MorganLibrary,TownHall,and92ndStreetY;

Washington’sKennedyCenter,SmithsonianInstitute,andDumbarton

Oaks;theBayArea’sSanFranciscoPerformancesandStanfordLively

Arts;theWisconsinUnionTheaterinMadisonandMilwaukee’sPabst

Theater;UCLA’sPerformingArtsSeries;Atlanta’sSpiveyHall;theUni-

versityofChicago’sMandelHall;Boston’sGardnerMuseum;Princeton

UniversityConcerts;theUniversityofIowa’sHancherAuditorium;the

ClevelandChamberMusicSociety;theNewOrleansFriendsofMusic;

SantaBarbara’sUCSBArtsandLetters;andAspen’sHarrisConcert

Hall.Theduoisregularlyfeaturedinthecountry’sleadingmusicfes-

tivals. Recent highlights include performances at the AspenMusic

Festival,SantaFeChamberMusicFestival,Music@Menlo,andCham-

berMusicNorthwest.

TheirinternationalengagementshavetakenthemtoMexico,Can-

ada,theFarEast,Scandinavia,andcontinentalEuropetounanimous

criticalacclaim.Highlightsfromrecentseasons includetheirdebuts

inGermanyandatFinland’sKuhmoFestival,theirpresentationofthe

completeBeethovencycle inTokyo, and their signatureall-Russian

programatLondon’sWigmoreHall.

DavidFinckelandWuHan’swide-rangingmusicalactivitiesalso

haveincludedthelaunchofArtistLed,thefirstmusician-directedand

Internet-basedrecordingcompany,which,in2007,celebrateditstenth

year.AllelevenArtistLedrecordingshavereceivedcriticalacclaimand

areavailableviathecompany’sWebsiteatwww.artistled.com.The

duo’sRussian Classics recording, featuringworks by Rachmaninov,

Prokofiev,andShostakovich,receivedBBC Music Magazine’scovetedEditor’sChoiceaward.ThetwomostrecentadditionstotheArtistLed

catalogfeatureDavidFinckel’srecordingoftheDvorákConcertoand

AugustaReadThomas’sRitual Incantations(world-premiererecord-

ing) andWu Han’s first full-length solo recording,Russian Recital,featuringworksbyTchaikovsky,Rachmaninov,andScriabin.Thissea-

son,ArtistLedreleaseditseleventhalbum,arecordingoftheSchubert

pianotriosfeaturingDavidFinckel,WuHan,andviolinistPhilipSetzer.

DavidFinckelandWuHanhaveservedasArtisticDirectorsof

theChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCentersince2004.Priorto

launchingMusic@Menlo, they served for three seasons asArtistic

DirectorsofSummerFestLaJolla.

Formanyyears,DavidFinckelandWuHantaughtalongsidethe

lateIsaacSternatCarnegieHallandtheJerusalemMusicCenter.They

appearedannuallyontheAspenMusicFestival’sDistinguishedArt-

istMasterClassseriesandinvariouseducationaloutreachprograms

acrossthecountry.DavidFinckelandWuHanresideinNewYorkwith

theirfifteen-year-olddaughter,Lilian.

Artists & FacultyRecently namedComposer-in-Residence at

theBrainandCreativityInstituteinLosAnge-

les,BRuCE ADOLPHEhascomposedmusic

for someof theworld’sgreatestmusicians,

including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Sylvia

McNair, the Brentano String Quartet, the

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the National

SymphonyOrchestra,theMiamiStringQuar-

tet,ImaniWinds,theChicagoChamberMusicians,andtheChamber

MusicSocietyofLincolnCenter.

ThispastseasonincludedthepremiereofLet Freedom Sing: The Story of Marian Anderson, anoperabyAdolphewithalibrettobyCaroliviaHerron,producedby theWashingtonNationalOpera

andWashingtonPerformingArtsSociety.Theseasonalsofeatured

twootherpremieres:ViolinConcertowithEugeneDrucker;andSelf Comes to Mind,withtextbyneuroscientistAntonioDamasioanda

filmbyIoanaUricaru,withYo-YoMaassoloist.

AdolpheistheResidentLecturerandDirectorofFamilyCon-

certsfortheChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter.Heperforms

hisPianoPuzzlersonpublicradio’sPerformance Today, hostedbyFredChild.

Adolphe has been Composer-in-Residence at the Santa Fe

ChamberMusicFestival,ChamberMusicNorthwest,MusicfromAngel

Fire,theVirginiaArtsFestival,SummerFestLaJolla,andothers.He

wasDistinguishedComposer-in-ResidenceattheMannesCollegeof

Musicin2003–2004.ArecordingofAdolphe’smusicproducedbythe

MilkenArchiveofAmericanJewishMusic/NaxosAmericanClassics

labelwonaGrammyin2005.Adolphe’sfilmscoresincludetheper-

manentdocumentaryattheHolocaustMuseuminWashington,D.C.

CofounderwithJulianFiferoftheLearningMaestros,Adolphe

collaborateswithwritersandscientiststocreateworksthatexplore

subjectsrangingfromdinosaurstowindenergy.Formerlyonthefac-

ultiesofJuilliardandNewYorkUniversityandaVisitingLecturerat

Yale,AdolphehasbeenfeaturedinLive from Lincoln Centertelevi-sionprogramsbroadcastnationwide.

CellistDMITRI ATAPINE,theFirstPrizewin-ner at the 2004 Carlos Prieto International

CelloCompetition(Mexico),isrecognizedas

anexcitingperformerandanaccomplished

chambermusicianwho“hasawarm,vividly

coloristic touch…and seemingly effortless

commandofanystylisticdevice”according

toLucid Cultureandishailedas“asplendid,elegantcellist,withagorgeoussound”byMundoClasico.Aregularsoloistandrecitalist,hehasappearedonsomeoftheworld’smost

covetedstages,includingZankelHallatCarnegieHall,theNational

AuditoriumofSpain,andPrincePhilipAuditoriuminAsturias,among

others.Hehasperformedasasoloistwithmultipleorchestras,among

themtheAsturiasSymphonyOrchestra,LeónSymphonyOrchestra,


62 Music@Menlo 2009


andYalePhilharmoniaOrchestra.Hehasalsoappearedatnumerous

festivals,includingMusic@Menlo,CactusPearMusicFestival,Banff,

Great Mountains International Chamber Music Festival in South

Korea,MiguelBernalJiménezFestivalinMexico,theFrenchAcad-

emyinRome,andthePacificMusicFestivalinJapan.Since2007he

hasservedasArtisticDirectoroftheInternationalMusicFestivalof

RibadesellainSpain.

DmitriAtapine’smultipleawardsincludethePresserFoundation

AwardandtopprizesattheSpanishNationalCelloCompetition,the

NewEnglandInternationalChamberMusicCompetition,thePlow-

manChamberMusicCompetition,theVilladeLlanesInternational

StringCompetition,theWoolseyHallCompetitionatYaleUniversity,

andtheSahagúnInternationalMusicCompetitionatagethirteen.

DmitriAtapineisadoctorofmusicalartscandidateattheYale

SchoolofMusic,wherehecompletedamasterofmusicalartsdegree

andobtainedanartistdiplomaundertheguidanceofthelegendary

cellistandteacherAldoParisot.

WILLIAM BENNETT is Principal Oboist oftheSanFranciscoSymphonyandoccupant

oftheEdodeWaartChair,apositionhehas

heldsinceSeptember1987.AnativeofNew

Haven,Connecticut,hegraduatedfromYale

UniversityandstudiedtheoboewithRob-

ertBloomatYaleandattheJuilliardSchool

ofMusic.Hejoinedtheorchestrain1979as

Associate Principal to Marc Lifschey. Dur-

ingthepast thirtyyears,Bennetthasappearedfrequently insolo

recital, concerto, chamber, and orchestral engagements through-

outtheAmericas,Europe,andtheFarEast.Afrequentsoloistwith

theSanFranciscoSymphony,Bennettgavetheworldpremiereof

JohnHarbison’sOboeConcerto in 1992. Itwascommissioned for

himbytheSFSandhewentontoperformitontourinCarnegie

HallandthroughoutEuropeandrecorditwiththeSFSforLondon

Records.Bennetthasalsoappearedasasoloistwithorchestrasin

Berkeley,Fresno,Modesto,Napa,Stockton,NewMexico,China,Hong

Kong,andJapan.HehasperformedattheMarlboroFestival,Festi-

valD’InvernoinSaoPaulo,theAspenFestival,theBerkshireMusic

Center,[email protected]

ConservatoryofMusic.

Violinist HASSE BORuP, Administrator of

Music@Menlo’sChamberMusicInstitute,isa

professorofviolinandchambermusicper-

formanceattheUniversityofUtahSchoolof

Musicaswellasanactiveperformer.Previ-

ous appointments include positions at the

UniversityofVirginiaandGeorgeWashing-

tonUniversity. He earned degrees in violin

performancefromtheRoyalDanishConser-

vatoryofMusicandtheHarttSchoolofMusicandadoctorate in

musicalartsfromtheUniversityofMaryland.

In addition to numerous prestigious prizes and fellowships,

BorupistheonlyDanetohavewontheInternationalYamahaMusic

Prize.HehasappearedassoloistinVenice,Cremona,Paris,Copen-

hagen, Charlottesville, and Salt LakeCity. Borupwas a founding

member of the award-winning Coolidge Quartet, serving as the

first-everGuarneriFellowshipQuartetattheUniversityofMaryland.

HehasalsoworkedwithmembersoftheEmerson,Guarneri,and

JuilliardquartetsandwithIsaacStern,WilliamPreucil,Rolandand

AlmitaVamos,David Takeno, andHattoBeyerle. Borup has per-

formed live on National Danish Radio, National Slovenian Radio,

NationalAustralianRadio,andRadioHongKongandhasbeenfea-

turedonNPR’sPerformance Today.In2002,heperformedBright

Sheng’sPianoTrio,withthecomposeratthepiano,ataSilkRoad

Project–sponsoredevent.

RecentperformancesincludeappearancesattheGrandTeton

MusicFestival,ArnoldSchoenbergCenter(Vienna),ChineseCentral

Conservatory(Beijing),NanjingUniversity,andinWashington,D.C.,

andSanFrancisco,amongothers.InMarch2008,hereleasedaCD

entitledAmerican Fantasies, which exploresArnold Schoenberg’sinfluenceonAmericanmusic andwas supportedby the Arnold

SchoenbergCenterinVienna.Asanactiveeducator,Boruphaspub-

lishedarticlesintheStradmagazine(August2006issue)andthe

ASTAMagazine(May2008).

CellistCOLIN CARRappearsthroughouttheworldassoloist,chambermusician,recording

artist,andteacher.Asaconcertosoloist,he

hasplayedwithmajororchestrasworldwide,

includingtheRoyalConcertgebouwOrches-

tra;thePhilharmonia;theRoyalPhilharmonic;

theBBCSymphony; theorchestrasofChi-

cago,LosAngeles,Washington,Philadelphia,

andMontreal;andallthemajororchestrasof

AustraliaandNewZealand.Conductorswithwhomhehasworked

includeRattle,Gergiev,Dutoit,Elder,Skrowaczewski,andMarriner.

HeisaregularguestattheBBCProms,hastwicetouredAustralia,

andhasrecentlyplayedconcerti inSouthKorea,Malaysia,Poland,

andNewZealand.

RecitalstakeColinCarrtomajorcitieseachseason;heregu-

larlyperformsinLondon,NewYork,andBoston.Hehasgivenseveral

cyclesoftheBachSuitesaroundtheworld,includingperformances

inLondonandNewYork.AsamemberoftheGolub-Kaplan-Carr

Trio,herecordedandtouredextensivelyfortwentyyears.He isa

frequentvisitortointernationalchambermusicfestivalsworldwide

andhasappearedoftenasaguestwiththeGuarneriandEmerson

stringquartetsandwithNewYork’sChamberMusicSocietyofLin-

colnCenter.

ColinCarr’s recordingsof theunaccompaniedcelloworksof

Kodály,Britten,Crumb,andSchullerandoftheBachSuitesforUnac-

companiedCello(GMRecordings)havebeenhighlyacclaimed.His

recordingoftheBrahmssonatas(Arabesque)withLeeLuvisiisalso

afavorite.ColinCarrwasthesoloistinElgar’sCelloConcertowiththe

BBCPhilharmoniconaBBC Music Magazine coverCD.ColinCarristhewinnerofmanyprestigiousinternationalawards,

includingYoungConcertArtistsAuditions,FirstPrizeintheNaum-

burg Competition, the Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Award, and

SecondPrizeintheRostropovichInternationalCelloCompetition.

CarrattendedtheYehudiMenuhinSchool,studyingwithMau-

riceGendronandlaterWilliamPleeth.Hewasmadeaprofessorat

theRoyalAcademyofMusicin1998,havingbeenonthefacultyof

theNewEnglandConservatoryinBostonforsixteenyears.In1998,

St.John’sCollege,Oxford,createdthepostofMusician-in-Residence

forhim,andinSeptember2002,hebecameaprofessoratStony

BrookUniversityinNewYork.

SelectedbytheBoston Globeasoneofthe“superiorpianistsoftheyear”andpraisedby

RichardDyerfor“awondrouslyrichpaletteof

colors,whichshemixeswithdashingbravado

andwithanuncannyprecisionofcalibration,”

pianistGLORIA CHIEN made her orchestral

debutattheageofsixteenwiththeBoston

Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has appeared as a soloist

underthebatonsofSergiuComissiona,KeithLockhart,andThomas




Dausgaard.ShehaspresentedsolorecitalsattheIsabellaStewart

GardnerMuseum,SanibelMusicFestival,CaramoorMusicFestival,

SalleCortotinParis,andtheNationalConcertHallinTaiwan.Gloria

ChienhasparticipatedinsuchfestivalsastheMusicAcademyofthe

West,theVerbierMusicFestival,andMusic@Menlo.

Anavidchambermusician,Chienhasbeentheresidentpianist

withtheChameleonArtsEnsembleofBostonsince2000.Herrecent

CDfeaturingmusicofGrazynaBacewiczreceivedfantasticreviews

inGramophone, theStrad, andAmerican Record Guide. The Inter-national Record Reviewwrites,“[theviolinist]couldaskfornomore

sensitiveorsupportiveanaccompanistthanGloriaChien…exquisitely

attentive.”

HerrecentperformancesincludecollaborationswiththeDae-

dalusStringQuartet,JamesBuswell,MarcJohnson,PaulNeubauer,

AndrésDíaz,SoovinKim,CarolinWidmann,andAnthonyMcGill.In

thefallof2004,GloriaChienwasnamedAssistantProfessorofMusic

atLeeUniversityinCleveland,Tennessee.Herteachershaveincluded

RussellShermanandWhaKyungByun.

Violinist EuGENE DRuCKER, a foundingmember of the Emerson String Quartet,

is also an active soloist. He has appeared

with the orchestras of Montreal, Brussels,

Antwerp,Liège,Austin,Hartford,Richmond,

Toledo, Memphis, Omaha, Anchorage, and

theRhineland-Palatinate,aswellaswiththe

AmericanSymphonyOrchestraandAspen

ChamberSymphony.

A graduate of Columbia University and the Juilliard School,

wherehestudiedwithOscarShumsky,DruckerwasConcertmaster

oftheJuilliardOrchestra,withwhichheappearedassoloistseveral

times.HemadehisNewYorkdebutasaConcertArtistsGuildwin-

ner inthefallof 1976,afterhavingwonprizesatthe International

ViolinCompetitioninMontrealandtheQueenElisabethCompetition

inBrussels.

Druckerhasrecordedthecompleteunaccompaniedworksof

Bach, recently reissued by Parnassus Records, and the complete

sonatas and duos of Bartók for Biddulph Recordings. His novel,

The Savior,waspublishedbySimon&Schuster inJuly2007and

hasrecentlyappearedinpaperback.EugeneDrucker livesinNew

York with his wife, cellist Roberta Cooper, and their son, Julian.

This summerJORJA FLEEZANIS completes

atwenty-yeartenureasConcertmasterofthe

MinnesotaOrchestraandmovesontobecome

ProfessorofOrchestralStudiesandViolinat

IndianaUniversity’s JacobsSchoolofMusic.

TheMinnesotaOrchestrahascommissioned

twomajorsoloworksforJorjaFleezanis,the

JohnAdamsViolinConcertoandtheIkon of ErosbyJohnTavener,thelatterrecordedon

ReferenceRecords.ThecompleteviolinsonatasofBeethovenwith

the French fortepianist Cyril Huvéwere released in 2003 on the

Cyprès label.Other recordings includeAaronJayKernis’s Brilliant Sky, Infinite SkyonCRI,commissionedforherbytheSchubertClub

ofSt.Paul,Minnesota,andStefanWolpe’sViolinSonata,withGarrick

OhlssonasherpartnerforKochInternational.Herperformanceof

thepremiereofNicholasMaw’sSonataforSoloViolin,commissioned

forherbyMinnesotaPublicRadio,wasbroadcastonPublicRadio

International’sSaint Paul Sundayin1998,andin1999,shegavetheBritishpremiereattheChesterSummerFestival. In 1998,shewas

theviolinsoloistintheUnitedStatespremiereofBritten’srecently

discoveredDoubleConcertoforViolinandViola.

JorjaFleezanishasheldconsecutiveadjunctpositionsat the

SanFranciscoConservatoryand theUniversityofMinnesota.She

hasbeenavisitingartist/teacherattheNewWorldSymphony,the

Round Top Festival-Institute, theUniversity of California atDavis,

Music@Menlo,theBostonConservatory,andtheJuilliardSchool.

DENNIS GODBuRN leads a distinguishedcareerasaperformerofBaroque,Classical,and

modern bassoons, concertizing throughout

theUnitedStates,Europe,Japan,andSouth

America.HehasservedasPrincipalBassoon-

ist for theOrchestraofSt.Luke’s since 1976

andisalsoamemberoftheOrpheusCham-

berOrchestra.DennisGodburnhasperformed

with the Metropolitan Opera, New England

Bach Festival, Boston EarlyMusic FestivalOrchestra, Handel and

HaydnSociety,WaverlyConsort,PhilharmoniaBaroqueOrchestra,

andtheClassicalBand,amongmanyothers.Hehasalsoappeared

assoloistintheGreatPerformersseriesatLincolnCenterandatthe

MostlyMozartFestival,theChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,

theRaviniaFestival,andtheKennedyCenter.

DennisGodburn can be heard in recordings spanningmedi-

eval to contemporary repertoire on RCA Records, Sony Classics,

L’Oiseau-Lyre,Telarc,ColumbiaMasterworks,HarmoniaMundi,EMI,

andDeutscheGrammophon.

ARA GuZELIMIANisProvostandDeanof the JuilliardSchool,whereheover-

seesthefaculty,curriculum,andartistic

planningof thedistinguishedperform-

ing-artsconservatory inall threeof its

divisions:dance,drama,andmusic.He

previouslyservedasSeniorDirectorand

Artistic Advisor of Carnegie Hall from

1998 to2006. In thepasthehasservedasArtisticAdministrator

oftheLosAngelesPhilharmonicandtheAspenMusicFestivaland

SchoolandasArtisticDirectoroftheOjaiFestival.Heisalsoanactive

lecturer,writer,andmusiccritic.Inrecentseasons,hehasbeenheard

ontheMetropolitanOperaRadiobroadcastsandasaguesthoston

AmericanPublicMedia’s Saint Paul Sunday.HeistheeditorofParal-lels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society,acollectionofdialoguesbetweenDanielBarenboimandEdwardSaid.In2003,Ara

GuzelimianwasawardedthetitleChevalierdesArtsetdesLettresby

theFrenchgovernmentforhiscontributionstoFrenchculture.

Renowned as a pianist and conductor,

JEFFREY KAHANE is recognized by audi-ences around the world for his mastery of

diverse repertoire from Bach to Beethoven

and Gershwin to Golijov. As Music Direc-

torof twouniqueensembles—theColorado

Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber

Orchestra,bothofwhichhavewonnumerous

ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Program-

mingunderhisleadership—Kahanehasestablishedareputationas

atrulyversatileartistequallysoughtafterassoloist,conductor,and

chambermusician.

During the 2008–2009 season, Kahane celebrated the Los

Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s fortieth anniversary by performing

Beethoven’s PianoConcerto no. 1with the orchestra’s firstMusic

Director,SirNevilleMarriner,andleadingtheWestCoastpremiere

ofOsvaldoGolijov’sAzulwithcellistYo-YoMa.Otherguestappear-ancesduringtheseasonincludedplayingwithandconductingthe


64 Music@Menlo 2009


DallasSymphonyOrchestra;collaboratingwiththeEmersonString

QuartetaspartoftheChicagoSymphonyOrchestra’sDvorákFesti-

val;andperformingsolorecitalsattheUniversityofOregon,atthe

AspenFestival,and inLincolnCenter’sGreatPerformersseries in

NewYorkCity.KahanerecentlyperformedonBohemian Maestro: Django Reinhardt and the Impressionists,ajazzrecordingfromthe

HotClubofSanFrancisco(www.HCSF.com),releasedinfall2008.

Jeffrey Kahane’s belief in the educational and inspirational

powerofmusicledhimtofoundtheLosAngelesChamberOrches-

tra’sFamilyConcertsseries.Hisinterestinmusicalenrichmentisalso

evidencedbyhispersonalcommitmenttoLACO’sMeettheMusic

program,whichservesapproximately2,700LosAngeleselemen-

tarystudentsannually.Foreducationalprojectsundertakenwiththe

SantaRosaSymphony,whereheisMusicDirectorLaureate,Kahane

receivedoneofthefirstMetLifeAwardsforExcellenceinCommunity

EngagementfromtheLeagueofAmericanOrchestras.InMay2005,

hewasawardedanhonorarydoctorateoffineartsbySonomaState

Universityforhisservicetotheartsandeducation.

GILBERT KALISH leads a musical life of

unusual variety and breadth. His profound

influenceonthemusicalcommunityasedu-

catorandaspianisthasestablishedhimas

amajorfigureinAmericanmusicmaking.A

nativeNewYorkerandgraduateofColum-

bia College, Gilbert Kalish studied with

LeonardShure,JuliusHereford,andIsabella

Vengerova. Hewas the pianist of the Bos-

tonSymphonyChamberPlayersforthirtyyearsandwasafounding

memberoftheContemporaryChamberEnsemble,agroupdevoted

tonewmusic thatflourishedduringthe 1960sand1970s.He isa

frequentguestartistwithmanyof theworld’smostdistinguished

chamberensemblesandisanartist-memberoftheChamberMusic

SocietyofLincolnCenter.Histhirty-yearpartnershipwiththegreat

mezzo-sopranoJanDeGaetaniwasuniversallyrecognizedasoneof

themostremarkableartisticcollaborationsofourtime.Hemaintains

long-standingduoswithcellistsTimothyEddyandJoelKrosnick,and

heappearsfrequentlywithsopranoDawnUpshaw.Asaneducator,

GilbertKalishisDistinguishedProfessorandHeadofPerformance

ActivitiesattheStateUniversityofNewYorkatStonyBrook.From

1969to1997,hewasafacultymemberattheTanglewoodMusicCen-

ter,servingastheChairoftheFacultyfrom1985to1997.Heoften

servesasguestartistatdistinguishedmusicinstitutionssuchasthe

BanffCentre,SteansInstituteatRavinia,andMarlboroFestival.Heis

renownedforhismaster-classpresentations.

In1995,hewaspresentedwiththePaulFrommAwardbythe

UniversityofChicagoMusicDepartment fordistinguished service

tothemusicofourtime.InJanuary2002,hewastherecipientof

ChamberMusicAmerica’sServiceAward forhis exceptional con-

tributionsinthefieldofchambermusic,andmostrecentlyhewas

awardedtheGeorgePeabodyMedalforoutstandingcontributions

tomusicintheUnitedStates.

Anavidchambermusician,violistEDWARD KLORMAN has performed as guest artist

withtheBorromeo,Orion,andYingquartets

andwith veteran pianist Claude Frank. He

isafoundingmemberoftheTesseraQuar-

tet, whose 2009–2010 season includes a

debutatNewSchoolConcerts,residencies

atGeorgetownUniversityandthePeabody

Conservatory, and a tour with composer-pianist Lowell Lieber-

mann.In2006,hewasafellowoftheMusic@MenloInternational

Program,andhereturnsthissummerasacoachfortheChamber

MusicInstitute.

Klorman is committed to educational projects that engage

broaderaudienceswithclassicalmusic.AsafounderoftheCanan-

daigua LakeMusic Festival in Upstate New York, he established

ClassicalBlueJeans,aninnovativeseriesofinteractiveconcertsfor

audienceswhoarenewtoclassicalmusic.Adedicatedteacher,Klor-

manteachesviolaandchambermusicatQueensCollegeandmusic

theoryattheJuilliardSchool.

ANTHONY MCGILL, Principal Clarinetist oftheMetropolitanOperaOrchestra,hasquickly

earnedthereputationofbeingoneofclassi-

calmusic’sfinestsolo,chamber,andorchestral

musicians.BeforejoiningtheMetOrchestrain

2004,he servedasAssociatePrincipalClari-

netist of the Cincinnati SymphonyOrchestra

forfouryears.

In addition to his orchestral career, McGill was a winner of

thehighlyprestigiousAveryFisherCareerGrant in2000andhas

appearedasasoloistwithmanyorchestrasincludingtheBaltimore

SymphonyandNewJerseySymphonyOrchestra. This seasonhe

appearedwiththePeabodyOrchestra,theNewAmsterdamSym-

phonyOrchestra,andtheIllinoisPhilharmonicOrchestra.OnJanuary

20,2009,McGillperformedAir and Simple GiftsbyJohnWilliams

withYo-YoMa,ItzhakPerlman,andGabrielaMonteroattheinaugu-

rationofPresidentBarackObama.

Asadistinguishedchambermusician,McGillhasperformedat

theMarlboroMusicFestival,theSarasotaFestival,LaMusica,Tangle-

wood,andtheGrandTetonMusicFestival,amongothers.Heisalso

amemberofthenewlyformedSchumannTriowithviolistMichael

TreeandpianistAnnaPolonsky.

McGillhascollaboratedwithartistssuchasYo-YoMa,Midori,

LangLang,YefimBronfman,andGilShaham,aswell aswith the

Guarneri,Tokyo,Shanghai,Miami,Miró,andDaedalusstringquar-

tets.HehasperformedthroughouttheUnitedStates,Europe,and

Asiaasachamberandanorchestralmusicianwithartistsincluding

theBrentanoStringQuartet,MusiciansfromMarlboro,theChamber

MusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,MitsukoUchida,MarinaPiccinini,and

BarbaraSukova.

McGill has appeared on Performance Today, MPR’s St. Paul Sunday,Ravinia’sRisingStarsseries,Mister Rogers’ Neighborhoodtelevision show, and at LincolnCenter as amember of Chamber

MusicSocietyTwo.

Inhighdemandasateacher,McGillcurrentlyservesonthefac-

ultiesofthePeabodyInstituteoftheJohnsHopkinsUniversity,the

MannesCollegeofMusic,andManhattanSchoolofMusicPrecol-

lege.Inaddition,hehasgivenmasterclassesattheCurtisInstitute

ofMusic, theUniversityofMichigan,StonyBrookUniversity,Tem-

pleUniversity,UCLA,theUniversityofNewMexico,andManhattan

SchoolofMusic.

ViolistPAuL NEuBAuER’sexceptionalmusicalityandeffortlessplayingdistin-

guish him as oneof this generation’s

quintessential artists. Having been, at

agetwenty-one,theyoungestprincipal

stringplayer intheNewYorkPhilhar-

monic’s history, Neubauer balances a

solocareerwithperformancesasanartist-memberoftheChamber

MusicSocietyofLincolnCenter.HeistheOrchestraandChamber

MusicDirectoroftheOKMozartFestivalinBartlesville,Oklahoma.In

2005,hepremieredJoanTower’sPurple Rhapsody,aviolaconcerto




commissioned for him by seven orchestras and the Koussevitzky

Foundation.Neubauerhasrecentlyreleasedanall-Schumannrecital

albumwithpianistAnne-MarieMcDermottforImageRecordingsand

recordedseveralworksthatwerewrittenforhim:Wild PurpleforsoloviolabyJoanTowerforNaxos;Viola Rhapsody, aconcertobyHenriLazarof,onCentaurRecords;andSoul Gardenforviolaandcham-

berensemblebyDerekBermelonCRI.HisrecordingoftheWalton

ViolaConcertowasrecentlyre-releasedonDecca.Hehasappeared

with over one hundred orchestras throughout the United States,

Europe,andAsia,includingtheNewYork,LosAngeles,Helsinki,and

RoyalLiverpoolphilharmonics;theNational,St.Louis,Detroit,Dal-

las,SanFrancisco,andBournemouthsymphonies;theSantaCecilia

andEnglishchamberorchestras;andtheBeethovenhalleOrchestra.

HegavetheworldpremiereoftherevisedBartókViolaConcertoas

wellasconcertosbyPenderecki,Picker,Jacob,Lazarof,Suter,Mül-

ler-Siemens,Ott,andFriedman.Hehasperformedatthefestivals

ofVerbier,Ravinia,Stavanger,theHollywoodBowl,LincolnCenter,

MostlyMozart,andMarlboro.NeubauerwasanAveryFisherCareer

GrantrecipientandtheFirstPrizewinneroftheWhitaker,D’Angelo,

andLionelTertisinternationalcompetitions.Heisonthefacultyof

theJuilliardSchoolandMannesCollege.

Recognizedforitsvirtuosity,exu-

berant performance style, and

often daring repertory choices,

the PACIFICA QuARTET hascarvedoutacompellingmusical

niche. Recent career highlights

include complete Beethoven

quartet cycles inChicago,New

York City, California, and Wis-

consin,performancesinEurope

and Japan, and the release of

Declarations: Music between the WarsontheCedillelabel.ThereleaseofthefirstCDinatwo-discsetofthecompletequartetsofElliottCarterontheNaxoslabelcoin-

cidedwithaperformanceofCarter’scompletequartetsatLincoln

CenterinJanuary2008.TheCDwonthePacifica—violinistsSimin GanatraandSibbi Bernhardsson,violistMasumi Per Rostad,andcellistBrandon Vamos—the2009GrammyAwardforBestChamber

MusicPerformance.InMay2006,thePacificaQuartetbecameonly

thesecondchambermusicensembletobeawardedaprestigious

AveryFisherCareerGrant.Winnerofthreeofchambermusic’smost

important internationalawards(GrandPrizeatthe1996Coleman

ChamberMusicCompetition, topprize at the 1997ConcertArt-

istsGuildCompetition,and the 1998NaumburgChamberMusic

Award),thequartetwassubsequentlyhonoredin2002withCham-

berMusicAmerica’sprestigiousClevelandQuartetAwardinaddition

to being appointed amember of the ChamberMusic Society of

LincolnCenter’sCMSTwoprogramforgiftedyoungmusicians. In

November2008thequartetwashonoredasMusical America’s2009EnsembleoftheYear.Anardentadvocateofcontemporarymusic,

thePacificahascommissionedandpremieredasmanyaseightnew

worksayearandhasperformedElliottCarter’sfivequartetsonpres-

tigiousstagesintheUnitedStatesandEurope.ThePacificaQuartet

servesasFacultyQuartet-in-ResidenceattheUniversityofIllinoisat

Urbana-ChampaignandPerformingArtists-in-ResidenceattheUni-

versityofChicagoandtheLongySchoolofMusic.

SCOTT PINGEL beganplaying thedoublebassat age seventeenbecauseof a strong interest in jazz, Latin, and classicalmusic. In

2004,atagetwenty-nine,hebecamethePrincipalBassistoftheSan

FranciscoSymphony. Previously, he served asPrincipalBassist of

theCharlestonSymphonyOrchestra.Hehas

performedwiththeMetropolitanOpera,the

BostonSymphonyOrchestraatTanglewood,

and theMetamorphosenChamberOrches-

tra and served as Guest Principal with the

National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada.

Festival performances include Bellingham,

Spoleto, Verbier, Tanglewood, Attergau/

Salzburg,[email protected]

activeeducator,havingtaughtmasterclasses

atprestigiousschoolssuchastheCurtisInstitute,Juilliard,Manhat-

tanSchoolofMusic,theUniversityofMichigan,VanderbiltUniversity,

andtheShanghaiConservatory.Heiscurrentlyafacultymemberof

theSanFranciscoConservatoryofMusic.

Inadditiontohisclassicalmusiccareer,ScottPingelhasworked

withjazzgreatssuchasMichaelBrecker,GeoffKeezer,andthelate

JamesWilliams,performedwithpopiconMadonna,andplayedinan

openingactforTitoPuente.

HisformaleducationbeganwithJamesCluteattheUniversity

ofWisconsin-EauClaire.Afterreceivingabachelorofmusicdegree

in1996,hecontinuedundertheprivatetutelageofPeterLloyd.In

1997hemovedtoNewYorktostudywithTimothyCobbonafellow-

shipatManhattanSchoolofMusicandreceivedamaster’sdegreein

orchestralperformancein1999andaprofessionalstudiescertificate

in2000.HethenspenttwoyearsonafellowshipwiththeNewWorld

Symphony.

Outsideofmusic,Pingelspentmanyyearsstudyingtheancient

KoreanmartialartofHwaRangDo,inwhichheholdsablackbelt.

HewasaninstructorattheMadisonAcademyofHwaRangDoand

foundedtheUniversityofWisconsin-EauClaireHwaRangDo/Tae

SooDoprogram,whichcontinuestothisday.

MENAHEM PRESSLER, former founding

memberandpianistoftheBeauxArtsTrio,

has established himself among theworld’s

mostdistinguishedandhonoredmusicians,

withacareerthatspansoverfivedecades.

PresslerwasawardedFirstPrizeatthe

Debussy International Piano Competition

inSanFrancisco in 1946andsubsequently

madehisAmericandebutwiththePhiladel-

phiaOrchestraunderthebatonofMaestro

Eugene Ormandy. Since then, Pressler’s extensive tours of North

AmericaandEuropehaveincludedperformanceswiththeorchestras

ofNewYork,Chicago,Cleveland,Pittsburgh,Dallas,SanFrancisco,

London,Paris,Brussels,Oslo,andHelsinki,amongmanyothers.

In2007MenahemPresslerwasappointedanHonoraryFellow

oftheJerusalemAcademyofMusicandDanceinrecognitionofa

lifetimeofperformanceand leadership inmusic. In2005Pressler

receivedtwoadditionalawardsof internationalmerit: theGerman

president’s Deutsche Bundesverdienstkreuz (Cross of Merit) First

Class,Germany’shighesthonor,andFrance’shighestculturalhonor,

theCommanderintheOrderofArtsandLettersaward.Amonghis

manyother honors, he has received fiveGrammynominations, a

lifetimeachievementawardfromGramophonemagazine,Chamber

MusicAmerica’sDistinguishedServiceAward,andtheGoldMedalof

MeritfromtheNationalSocietyofArtsandLetters.

MenahemPresslerdebutedasachambermusicianatthe1955

BerkshireMusicFestival,whereheappearedaspianistwiththeBeaux

ArtsTrio.ThiscollaborationquicklyestablishedPressler’sreputation

asoneof theworld’smost reveredchambermusicians.Hisother

chambermusiccollaborationshaveincludedmultipleperformances

withtheJuilliard,Emerson,Guarneri,andClevelandquartets.


66 Music@Menlo 2009


In addition tooverfifty recordingswith theBeauxArtsTrio,

MenahemPressler has compiled over thirty solo recordings,with

worksrangingfromBachtoBen-Haim.

Theeighty-three-year-oldpianistfledtheNazisfromhishome-

townofMagdeburg,Germany,in1938,emigratingtoIsrael.Hislife

hasalwaysbeencompletelydevotedtohismusic.Whennottouring,

givingsoloperformances,orteachingmasterclasses,Presslercan

befoundteachingatIndianaUniversity,whereheholdstherankof

DistinguishedProfessor.PresslerlivesinBloomington,Indiana,with

hiswife,Sara.

PianistTHOMAS SAuERishighlysoughtafterassoloist,chambermusician,and

teacher. A frequent collaborator with

the renowned instrumentalists Midori

andColinCarr,Sauerhasrecentlygiven

concertoperformanceswiththeQuad-

CitySymphonyandGreenwichVillage

Orchestra; solo performances at Car-

negie Hall (Stern Auditorium), Merkin

ConcertHall, andSt. John’sCollege,Oxford;performances at

the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Phila-

delphiaChamberMusicSociety;duorecitalswithColinCarrat

theHolywellMusicRoom,Oxford,Bargemusic(NewYorkCity),

andPrincetonUniversity; duo recitalswithMidori at thePhil-

harmonie inBerlin and thePalais desBeauxArts inBrussels;

performanceswithmembersof theJuilliardStringQuartet at

theLibraryofCongress;andnumerousconcertswiththeBren-

tanoStringQuartet.

Sauerhasperformedatmany leading festivals in theUnited

Statesandabroad,includingMarlboro,Caramoor,ElPasoProMusica,

andthechambermusicfestivalsofPortland,Seattle,Taos,FourSea-

sons(NorthCarolina),andSaltBay(Maine),aswellasLakeDistrict

SummerMusicandFestivaldesConsonances(France).

Sauer’svarieddiscography includes recordingsoffiveHaydn

pianosonatasforMSRClassics,HindemithsonataswithviolistMisha

Amory (MusicalHeritageSociety),musicofBrittenandSchnittke

withcellistWilhelminaSmithonArabesque,musicofRossLeeFinney

withviolinistMirandaCucksononCentaurRecords,andMozartviolin

sonataswithAaronBerofskyonBlueGriffinRecordings. Inrecent

seasons,SauerhaspremieredworksbyPhilippeBodin,RobertCuck-

son,SebastianCurrier,KeithFitch,DavidLoeb,DonaldMartino,and

DavidTcimpidis.

AmemberofthepianofacultyoftheMannesCollegeandthe

musicfacultyatVassarCollege,ThomasSaueristheFounderand

DirectoroftheMannesBeethovenInstitute.

Aconsummatemusicianrecognizedforher

grace,subtlety,andvitality,ORLI SHAHAM

hasestablishedanimpressiveinternational

reputationasoneoftoday’smostgiftedpia-

nists.ShehasperformedwiththeCleveland

andPhiladelphiaorchestras,theBaltimore,

Chicago, Detroit, Houston, St. Louis, and

SanFranciscosymphonies, theBBCSym-

phony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic

Orchestra, the Stockholm Philharmonic, the Taiwan Philhar-

monic,andtheSydneySymphonyOrchestra.A frequentguest

atsummerfestivals,shehasperformedatRavinia,Verbier,Mostly

Mozart,Aspen,Caramoor,andSpoleto.Shahamhascollaborated

withherbrother,violinistGilShaham,onthreeCDs; theirmost

recentrecording,Mozart in Paris, wasreleasedbyCanaryClassicsinspring2008.

During the2008–2009season,OrliShahamdebutswith the

MalaysianPhilharmonic ledbyClausPeterFlorandreturnstothe

SydneySymphonyOrchestra.IntheUnitedStates,sheperformswith

theSt.Louis,SanAntonio,andAkronsymphonies.Herrecitalsched-

ulefeaturesvisitstoCincinnatiandSt.Louisandaspecialappearance

atNewYork’sCarnegieHall,where sheperformsBrahms’s Piano

SonatainfminorandtheF-A-ESonatawithviolinistGilShaham.In

addition,Shahamservesasthe2008–2009ChamberMusicEssen-

tialslecturerfortheChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenterand

curates and performs in the Pacific Symphony’s chamber music

seriesinCostaMesa,California.

Drivenbyapassiontobringclassicalmusictonewaudiences,

OrliShahammaintainsanactiveparallelcareerasarespectedbroad-

caster,musicwriter, and lecturer.Anenthusiastic teacher, shehas

taughtmusicliteratureatColumbiaUniversityandcontributedarti-

clestoPiano Today, Symphony,andPlaybill magazines.OrliShaham

livesinNewYorkandSt.Louiswithherhusband,conductorDavid

Robertson,hertwostepsons,PeterandJonathan,andhernewborn

twinsons,NathanandAlex.

Having recently celebrated its

twentieth anniversary, the ST. LAWRENCE STRING QuARTET—violinistsGeoff Nuttall andScott St. John,violistLesley Robertson,andcellistChristopher Costanza—ranks among the world-class

chamber ensembles of its gen-

eration. In 1992, the quartet won

boththeBanffInternationalString

Quartet Competition and Young

ConcertArtistsInternationalAudi-

tions,launchingitonaperforming

careerthathasbroughtthemusiciansacrossNorthandSouthAmer-

ica,Europe,andAsia.

Thequartet’sfirst recording,ofSchumann’sfirstand third

quartets,wasreleasedin1999andreceivedthecovetedGerman

criticsaward,thePreisderDeutschenSchallplattenkritik,aswell

asCanada’sannualJunoAward.BBC Music Magazinegavetherecordingits“highestrating,”callingitthebenchmarkrecording

oftheworks. InOctoberof2001,EMIreleased its recordingof

Tchaikovsky’sstringquartets,andin2002Yiddishbbuk,featuringworksofOsvaldoGolijov,receivedtwoGrammynominations.Its

mostrecentrecording,ofShostakovichquartets,wasreleasedin

July2006.

Highlightsofthe2008–2009seasonincludeitspopularseries

Sundays with the St. Lawrence for Stanford LivelyArts and con-certs inNewYork(CarnegieHall),Louisville,LaJolla,PalmBeach,

IowaCity,Houston,Montreal,Toronto,andVancouver.Thesummer

featuresitsthirteenthyearasResidentQuartettotheSpoletoUSA

FestivalinCharleston,SouthCarolina.

The foursome regularly delivers traditional quartet repertoire

but isalso ferventlycommitted toperformingandexpanding the

worksoflivingcomposers.InJanuary,thequartetpremieredanew

workcomposedforitbyJohnAdams,commissionedbytheJuilliard

School,StanfordLivelyArts,andtheBanffCentre.

Having studiedwith the Emerson, Tokyo, and Juilliard string

quartets, themembersoftheSt.Lawrencearepassionateeduca-

tors.Since1998thequartethasservedasEnsemble-in-Residenceat

StanfordUniversity.InadditiontoitsappointmentatStanford,the

St.LawrencehasservedasVisitingArtisttotheUniversityofToronto

since1995andin2006inauguratedanewvisitingchambermusic

residencyatArizonaStateUniversity.




Officially unemployed but in fact

quite busy, MICHAEL STEINBERGwrites books and occasional pro-

gram notes for record companies

andvariousmusicalorganizationsin

additiontogivingpreconcerttalksfor,

amongothers,theBostonSymphony

Orchestra,LosAngelesPhilharmonic,

MinnesotaOrchestra,andSanFranciscoSymphony.Foraquarter

ofacentury,heworkedforvariousorchestrasasprogramannota-

tor,programplanner,lecturer,andmusicologist-in-residence.Before

that,hewasactiveasa teacher,workingatManhattanSchoolof

Music,NewEnglandConservatory,SmithCollege,WellesleyCollege,

BostonUniversity,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,andoth-

ers.Thisspring,hegaveacoursecalled“TalkingaboutMusic”atthe

UniversityofMinnesota,andhehastaughtformanysummersatfes-

[email protected],

hewasmusiccriticoftheBoston Globe.HereceivedhistrainingatPrincetonUniversityandasaFulbrightScholarinRome.

SomeofMichaelSteinberg’sprogramnoteshavebeenpub-

lished inbook formasThe Symphony: A Listener’s Guide, The Concerto: A Listener’s Guide,andChoral Masterworks: A Listener’s Guide(allOxfordUniversityPress);thenextbookinthatseries,Beyond the Symphony: A Listener’s Guide,willcoversymphonic

poemsandotherorchestral repertory.For the Love of Music,abookofessaysbyMichaelSteinbergandhisSanFranciscoSym-

phony colleague Larry Rothe, was published to considerable

acclaimin2006(Oxford).MichaelSteinbergwrotetheprogram

notesandglossaryforThe Beethoven Quartet Companion, editedby Robert Winter and Robert Martin (University of California

Press).Heisalsoacontributortomajorreferenceworks,among

themtheEncyclopædia BritannicaandThe New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

Poetryaboutmusicandmusicians isaspecial interestofhis.

Along with having given poetry readings and taught courses in

poetry,heandEricFriesenoftheCanadianBroadcastingCorpora-

tionareplanningananthologyofsuchworks.MichaelSteinberghas

alsobeenactiveasaperformerofcompositionsinvolvingaspeaker—

among them Haydn’s Seven Last Words; Beethoven’s Egmont;Schoenberg’sGurre-Lieder,Ode to Napoleon,andA Survivor from Warsaw; Walton’s Façade; and Picker’s The Encantadas—workforwhichhecollaboratedwithsuchconductorsasDennisRussell

Davies, Anne Manson, Kurt Masur, Alexander Schneider, Gunther

Schuller,OsmoVänskä,andEdodeWaart.

Twenty-four-year-oldviolinistARNAuD SuSS-MANNisquicklyestablishingareputationasamultifacetedandcompellingartist,earning

thehighestpraisefromcriticsandaudiences

alike.Hehasperformedasasoloistthrough-

out the United States, Central America,

Europe,andAsiaatmanyrenownedvenues

suchasCarnegieHall,AveryFisherHall,Alice

TullyHall,theSmithsonianMuseum,andthe

Louvre Museum. He has recently appeared

withtheNewYorkPhilharmonic,theAmericanSymphonyOrchestra,

theCannesOrchestra,NiceOrchestra,MonacoChamberOrchestra,

theOrchestreNationaldesPaysde laLoire,andtheTanglewood

MusicCenterOrchestraandhasgivenrecitalsinNewYork,Mem-

phis,Chicago,PanamaCity,SanSalvador,Paris,andSt.Petersburg.

ThisseasonheappearswiththeHudsonValleyPhilharmonicand

NiceOrchestra,performsat theMetropolitanandGardnermuse-

ums,andplaysrecitalsinSarasotaandNewYork.

During the 2006–2007 season, he performed at Carnegie’s

SternandZankelhalls,SantaFeNewMusic,RockefellerUniversity,

andtheMusicFestivaloftheHamptons.Healsoappearedincham-

bermusicconcertsattheVirginiaArtsFestivalandparticipatedina

Raviniatour.Heisthewinnerofseveralinternationalcompetitions,

including the Italian Andrea Postacchini Competition, the French

Vatelot/RampalInternationalCompetition,andtheNewYorkSalon

deVirtuosiconcertseriesgrant,whichresultedinalivebroadcaston

WQXR’sYoung Artists Showcase.A leader of the Suedama and Metropolis ensembles, he is

featured on a recording of Mozart piano concertos released on

theVanguard label and has recently recorded chamberworks of

BeethovenandDvorákwithDavidFinckelandWuHan.Heholdsa

bachelor’sandamaster’sdegreefromtheJuilliardSchool,wherehe

studiedwithItzhakPerlman.MadeaStarlingFellow,anhonorquali-

fyinghimasTeachingAssistanttoPerlmanforthenexttwoyears,

SussmannisalsoamemberoftheChamberMusicSocietyofLincoln

Center’sCMSTwoprogram.

IAN SWENSEN is oneof the fewviolinistswiththedistinctionofhavingbeenawarded

theWalterW.NaumburgInternationalCom-

petition’stopprizeforbothchambermusic

and violin. Ian Swensen enjoys a career as

soloist,chambermusician,andprofessorof

violin.HegrewupinNewYork,studyingat

theJuilliardSchoolwithDorothyDeLayand

at theEastmanSchoolofMusicwithDon-

ald Weilerstein. As a teenager, he formed

theMelioraStringQuartetandtouredwith it formanyyears.Pas-

sionateaboutchambermusic,IanSwensenhasperformedinmany

festivals, includingMusic@Menlo,Spoleto,SantaFe, andMarlboro.

HehasperformedwithmembersoftheJuilliard,Cleveland,Emerson,

Takács,Concord,andTokyostringquartets;withtheBeauxArtsTrio

andthePeabodyTrio;andwithGilbertKalish,MarkO’Connor,Yo-Yo

Ma, andMartha Strongin Katz. A frequentmaster-class presenter,

SwensenhascoachedstringplayersfromCaliforniatoCanadaand

acrossEurope.HisrecentschedulehastakenhimtoIreland,wherehe

touredwiththeIrishChamberOrchestra;toAustralia,withtheAustra-

lianYouthOrchestra;totheChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter

foranall-Russianprogram;totheChamberMusicMastersSeriesat

theSanFranciscoConservatoryofMusic;andotherlocales.Recent

performancesincluderecitalswithMenahemPresslerandtheCham-

berMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,theBarberViolinConcertowith

theRogueValleyOrchestra,andperformancesinNewYork,Canada,

Switzerland,LosAngeles,Australia,andKorea.Hehasrecordedfor

TelarcandDeutscheGrammophon.Thissummer,aspartofapartner-

shipwiththeChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,hewilltravel

toKoreatoperformandteachattheLGChamberMusicSchool.

JOSEPH SWENSENwasappointedPrincipalConductorofMalmöOperain2007andhis

contracthasrecentlybeenextendedthrough

2011. Swensen was Principal Conductor of

theScottishChamberOrchestrafrom1996

to2005.Whenherelinquishedthispost,he

wasinvitedtobecometheorchestra’sCon-

ductorEmeritus.

Swensenhasanumberofregularguest

conductingcommitments includingEnsembleOrchestraldeParis,

Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the London Mozart

Players,theHallé,theBBCSymphonyOrchestra,theBBCNational

OrchestraofWales,theLosAngelesChamberOrchestra,Orchestre


68 Music@Menlo 2009


NationaldeMontpellier,NetherlandsSymphonyOrchestra,Orquesta

delaCiudaddeGranada,andOrquestraNacionaldoPorto.

Before dedicating himself solely to his conducting career,

Swensen enjoyed a successful career as a violin soloist and was

an exclusive recording artist with BMG. Nowadays his occasional

appearances as soloist/director (with orchestras with whom he

enjoys aparticularly close relationship) are a natural extensionof

hisworkasaconductor.Hisloveofchambermusicresultsinocca-

sionalperformancesinthatgenre,aswell.Swensenisalsoactiveas

acomposer.Hisorchestrationoftherarelyperformed1854version

ofBrahms’sOpus8Trio,aworkhehasentitledSinfoniainB,was

premieredbyorchestrasinEuropeandtheUnitedStatesduringthe

2007–2008season.Anewwork—Symphony for Horn and Orchestra: The Fire and the Rose,writtenforRadovanVlatkovicandinspiredbyT.S.Eliot’sFour Quartets—waspremieredbytheScottishChamber

OrchestrainApril2009.

R. LARRY TODD is the author of Men-delssohn: A Life in Music(OxfordUniversityPress), named Best Biography of 2003 by

theAssociationofAmericanPublishersand

describedintheNew York Review of Booksas“likelytobethestandardbiographyfora

long time to come.” (AGerman translation

has recently appeared from Reclam/Carus

VerlagasFelix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Sein Leben, seine Musik.)AnArtsandSciencesProfessorofMusicandformerChairoftheMusicDepartmentatDukeUniversity,wherehe

hastaughtforthreedecades,Toddhaspublishedwidelyonnine-

teenth-centurymusicwitha focusonMendelssohnandhissister

FannyHensel, in addition to essays onHaydn, Robert andClara

Schumann,Liszt,Brahms,RichardStrauss,andWebern.Avolume

of his collectedMendelssohn essays has recently appeared from

Routledge.HeisaformerfellowoftheJohnHopeFranklinHumani-

tiesInstituteandtherecipientoffellowshipsfromtheGuggenheim

FoundationandtheNationalHumanitiesCenter.Hisnewbiography

ofFannyHensel,Fanny Hensel, the Other Mendelssohn,willappearfromOxfordUniversityPress laterthisyear.HeservesasGeneral

EditoroftheRoutledgeStudiesinMusicalGenresandoftheMas-

terMusicianSeriesforOxfordUniversityPress.AgraduateofYale

University,hestudiedpianoattheYaleSchoolofMusicandwiththe

lateLilianKallir.

Hailed as “one of today’s superstars

of the international brass scene,”

WILLIAM VERMEuLEN leads a var-iedmusical life as soloist, orchestral

principal, chamber musician, master

teacher,andmusicpublisher.VerMeu-

len has been Principal Horn of the

Houston Symphony since 1990 and

hasperformedasGuestPrincipalHorn

withtheLosAngelesPhilharmonic,CincinnatiSymphony,St.Louis

Symphony,PittsburghSymphony,andSt.PaulChamberOrchestra.

PriortoHoustonheplayedwiththeorchestrasofChicago,Colum-

bus,Honolulu,andKansasCity.Hemaintainsabusyschedulewith

recentandupcomingengagementsinNewYork,Spain,Israel,Can-

ada,Alabama,Colorado,Florida,Ohio,Idaho,OrcasIsland,Virginia,

Washington,andTexas.

VerMeulenparticipatesasaperformerandonfacultywiththe

finestmusicfestivalsandchambermusicpresenters,includingthe

ChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter,Aspen,Music@Menlo,

Banff,DaCamera,OrpheusChamberOrchestra,JoshuaBelland

Friends,Tanglewood,SteamboatSprings,OrcasIsland,Chamber

MusicNorthwest,andtheSunValleySummerSymphony,wherehe

alsoservesasPrincipalHorn.

He has performed to critical acclaimon four continents as

a soloist andchambermusicianand is apopular artist at Inter-

nationalHornSocietysymposiums,whereheisamemberofthe

AdvisoryCouncilandaboardmemberoftheInternationalHorn

CompetitionofAmerica.Achampionofnewmusic,WilliamVer-

Meulenhashadnumerouspieceswrittenforhimincludingconcerti

byesteemedAmericancomposersSamuelAdlerandPierreJal-

bert.Amonghisawardsandhonors,VerMeulenreceivedFirstPrize

atthe1980InternationalHornSocietySoloistCompetitionandthe

ShapiroAwardforMostOutstandingBrassPlayerattheTangle-

woodFestival.

Arguablythemostsuccessfulofhornteachersworkingtoday,

VerMeulenisProfessorofHornattheShepherdSchoolofMusic

atRiceUniversity,with students performing in numerousmajor

orchestras throughout the world including the New York Phil-

harmonic, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Israel

Philharmonic,ClevelandOrchestra,andtheCincinnati,Dallas,and

Houstonsymphonies.In1985hewasinvitedtotheWhiteHouse

toreceiveaDistinguishedTeacherofAmericaCertificateofExcel-

lence fromPresidentReaganand theWhiteHouseCommission

onPresidentialScholars.VerMeulen isFounderandPresidentof

VerMeulenMusic,LLC,whichoffersmusicandproductsforhorn

playersworldwideatwww.vermeulenmusic.com.

PAuL WATKINSisoneofBritain’sforemost

cellists,regularlyacclaimedforhisoutstand-

ingmusicianshipandmovingperformances.

He performs regularly with most of the

majorBritishorchestrasandhasmadesix

concerto appearances at the Proms. He

gavetheworldpremiereofReflections on a Scottish Folk Song by Richard RodneyBennettwiththePhilharmoniaattheSouth

BankCentre inMarch2006and later recorded it forChandos.A

highlightoflastseasonwashistelevisedperformanceoftheElgar

CelloConcertoattheFirstNightofthePromswiththeBBCSym-

phonyOrchestra,conductedbyJiríBelohlávekandrecordedliveby

DeutscheGrammophon.

He has toured Italy and Prague with the BBC Philharmonic

OrchestraandChinaandtheFarEastwiththeBBCScottishSym-

phonyOrchestra.Thisseason’shighlightsincludeconcertsatNew

York’sLincolnCenterandinBelfastandLondonwithbrotherHuw

Watkins.

Alongside his concerto appearances,Watkins is a dedicated

chambermusicianandhasbeenamemberoftheNashEnsemble

since1997.HehasgivensoloandduorecitalsatDeDoeleninRot-

terdam,Wigmore Hall, the South Bank Centre, Bridgewater Hall,

Manchester,andtheQueen’sHall,Edinburgh.

WatkinsisalsoasuccessfulconductorandiscurrentlyAssoci-

ateConductoroftheEnglishChamberOrchestra.Sincewinningthe

2002LeedsConductingCompetition,hehasconductedallthemajor

Britishorchestras,andoutsidetheUnitedKingdomhehasconducted

theTokyoMetropolitanSymphony,ViennaChamberOrchestra,and

RoyalPhilharmonicOrchestraofFlanders,amongothers.

Watkinshasreleasedanumberofrecordings,includingtheBrit-

tensolocellosuitesandarecitalprogramoftwentieth-centuryBritish

repertoireforNimbusaswellastheTobiasPickerCelloConcerto,

Takemitsu’sOrion and Pleiades, and theRichardRodneyBennettCelloConcertoforChandos.MostrecentlyreleasedisCyrilScott’s

CelloConcertowiththeBBCPhilharmonicOrchestra.




Sincewinningthetopprizeinthe1978solo

NaumburgFluteCompetition,CAROL WIN-CENChasbeenoneof theUnitedStates’mostbelovedandcelebratedinternational

stars of the flute.As the vibrantmuse of

today’smostprominentcomposers,shehas

performed in Grammy-nominated record-

ingsandaward-winningpremieresofworks

writtenforher.Wincencwillcelebrateher

fortieth-anniversaryseasonin2009–2010withperformancesofsix

newlycommissionedworksbyJoanTower,JakeHeggie,Shih-Hui

Chen, TheaMusgrave, Jonathan Berger, andAndrea Clearfield at

NewYork’sMerkinRecitalHall,theMorganLibrary,andtheJuilliard

School.RecenthighlightsincludeaperformanceforElliottCarter’s

one-hundredthbirthday,featuringCarter’scompleteworksforwind,

andtoursfeaturingtheVivaldiGardellinoFluteConcerto.Borntotworemarkablemusicianparentswhogavetirelessly

totheartsintheirBuffalo,NewYork,community,Wincenchascon-

tinued this tradition as a distinguishedProfessor ofMusic on the

facultiesofIndianaUniversity,RiceUniversity,ManhattanSchoolof

Music,and,currently,StonyBrookUniversityandheralmamater,the

JuilliardSchool.

CarolWincenchasappearedasconcertosoloistwiththeChi-

cago,SanFrancisco,Pittsburgh,Houston,Detroit,St.Louis,Atlanta,

andIndianapolissymphoniesandhasbeenaregularperformerat

numerousfestivalsincludingMarlboro,MostlyMozart,SantaFe,and

Spoleto. Ingreatdemandasachambermusician,shehasbeena

frequentguestofLincolnCenter’sGreatPerformersseries,of the

ChamberMusicSocietyofLincolnCenter, andwith theEmerson,

Tokyo,andGuarneristringquartets.AmemberoftheveneratedNew

YorkWindQuintetandfounderofLesAmies,hertriowithharpist

NancyAllenandviolistCynthiaPhelps,shehasalsogivenacclaimed

performanceswith notables such as Yo-YoMa, Emanuel Ax, and

Jean-YvesThibaudet.

Hermost recent recordingonNaxos features thenewmusic

ofSamuelAdler,andshepremieredaflutesonatawrittenbythe

composerfortheone-hundredthanniversaryoftheJuilliardSchool.

CarlFisherhaspublishedherSignature Series,whichincludesworkswrittenforherbyFoss,Górecki,Rouse,Tower,Black,Torke,Picker,

Schoenfield,Sierra,Paget,andSchickele.

Chinese violinist SHANSHAN YAO hasappearedasasoloistwiththeBanffCentre

ChamberOrchestra, Calgary Philharmonic

Orchestra, Japan’s Sendai Philharmonic

Orchestra, and the Shanghai Radio Sym-

phonyOrchestra.Herdebut recital at the

NationalArtsCentreinCanadatookplace

inFebruary2009.

Yaoistherecipientofnumerousawardsandprizes including

FirstPrizeintheCalgaryConcertoCompetitionandSecondPrize

in theHellamYoungArtists’Competition, aswell asprizes in the

MichaelHillInternationalViolinCompetitionandCaliforniaInterna-

tionalYoungArtistsCompetition.

Anavidchambermusician,Yaohasparticipatedinfestivalssuch

asMusic@Menlo,theAspenMusicFestivalandSchool,Musicfrom

AngelFire,theBanffCentre,andtheSarasotaMusicFestival.She

hascollaboratedwithsuchrenownedartistsasIdaKavafian,Steve

Tenenbom,JeremyDenk,andRansomWilson,amongothers.

Currently,ShanshanYaoispursuinghermasterofmusicdegree

attheJuilliardSchoolwithDonaldWeilersteinandRonaldCopes.

ShereceivedabachelorofmusicfromtheCurtisInstituteofMusic

underthetutelageofAaronRosand.

Chamber Music Institute International Program ArtistsHailedbytheStradmagazinefor“...raresty-

listic aptness...withmastery of tone and rare

mood in a performer of any age,” violin-

istKRISTIN LEE is emerging as a promising

youngartistofhergeneration.

Lee has appeared as soloist with many

major orchestras, including the Saint Louis

Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Juilliard Orches-

tra,theNewJerseySymphony,theNewMexicoSymphony,the

Albany (New York) Symphony, the Westchester Philharmonic,

UralPhilharmonicofRussia,KoreaBroadcastSymphonyofKorea,

andmanymore.Asarecitalist,shehasperformedinvenuessuch

astheRisingStarsseriesattheRaviniaFestival,SalondeVirtuosi

atSteinwayHallinNewYorkCity,andtheMetropolitanMuseum

ofNewYork.ShehasalsogivenrecitalsattheLouvreMuseumin

Paris,KumhoArtGalleryinSeoul,Korea,andothervenuesout-

sideoftheUnitedStatesandtouredthroughfivedifferentcities

inItaly.

Leehasappearedonmanydifferentbroadcasts, including

BobSherman’sYoung Artists ShowcaseandAnnieBergen’sThe Office HoursonWQXR,WFMTChicagoasaguestartistofthe

RisingStarsseries,PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center,theKennedyCenterHonorsGala,thedocumentaryPerlman in Shanghai,andmanyothers.

Achambermusicenthusiast,KristinLeewasrecentlycho-

sen to takepart in the LincolnCenterChamberMusic Society

Twoprogramandwillbe joining its roster in the2009season.

ShehasparticipatedintheChamberMusicWorkshop@PMPand

theRaviniaFestival-SteansInstituteandhasalsoperformedwith

numerousothermajorartists.

InSeptember2008,shebeganhermaster’sprogramasafull

scholarshipstudentattheJuilliardSchool,servingasaTeaching

AssistantforItzhakPerlman’sstudioasarecipientoftheStarling

Fellowship.She iscurrentlyplayinga1692AntonioStradivarius

throughthegeneroussupportoftheJuilliardSchool.

ViolistON YOu KIMbeganhermusicstudieson

theviolininSeoul,Korea,attheageofsix.As

aviolinist,KimgraduatedfromSunWhaHigh

SchoolinKoreawithtophonors,whichledto

her enrollment at Seoul National University,

whereshecompletedherbachelor’s inviolin

performance.Shewasawinnerofnumerous

competitionsinKorea,leadingtosolorecitals

andappearanceswithmanyorchestrasinSeoul.Asanorchestral

musician,KimhasparticipatedintheOrchestraAcademyatthe

TohoSchoolinJapanandwasaformermemberoftheBucheon

Philharmonic Orchestra. In the summer of 2007, On You Kim

switchedtoviolaandstartedherstudieswithHung-WeiHuang,

PrincipalViolistoftheSeoulPhilharmonic.Sheiscurrentlypur-

suingherartistdiplomaattheColburnConservatoryunderthe

guidanceofPaulColetti.

ERIC HANwasborninSeoul,SouthKorea,in1986.Hebegancellostudiesatageseven,givinghis

firstpublicperformanceattheageofteninthe

GeorgeWestonRecitalHall,Toronto.Hestarted

histrainingwithMinJaHyuninKoreaandlater

studiedwithfacultymembersfromtheVancouver

MusicAcademy,theTorontoRoyalConservatory

ofMusic,andtheColburnConservatory.


70 Music@Menlo 2009


AtagefifteenHanmadehisorchestraldebutwiththeToronto

SymphonyOrchestraat theRoyThompsonHall.Followingthis

successfuldebut,hemadealiverecording(Yamahalabel)ofthe

ElgarCelloConcertowiththeTorontoSymphonyYouthOrches-

tra,underthebatonofSirAndrewDavis.Hehasalsoperformed

withtheSymphonybytheSeainBoston,withwhomhealsohas

futureengagements.In2005,HanmadehisEuropeandebutwith

atwelve-concerttourinEngland.Thetourincludedasolorecital

attheEdinburghFestivalandrecitalsatSt.Martin-in-the-Fields

andtheQueen’sHall.Asanactivechambermusician,hehasper-

formedwithJosephSilverstein,AniKavafian,PaulColetti,andthe

membersoftheAltenbergTrio.HehasperformedattheMaestro

Foundation,LaJollaMusicSociety,and the92ndSt.Y inNew

YorkCity.

EricHanhasbeentherecipientofnumerousawardsinCan-

ada,includingtheTomThomasScholarship,theKiwanisStrings

Division Scholarship, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Scholarship.HehasperformedattheSarasotaMusicFestival,the

BanffCentre,andtheOrfordArtsCentre.HestudiedwithDavid

HetheringtonattheGlennGouldSchooloftheRoyalConserva-

toryofMusic.Heiscurrentlypursuinghisbachelorofmusicatthe

ColburnConservatoryunderthetutelageofRonaldLeonard.

AustralianpianistDAVID FuNGwasonhiswaytobecomingamedicaldoctorafteraccepting

ascholarshiptostudymedicineattheUniver-

sityofNewSouthWales,Sydney.In2003,he

leftmedicalschoolinpursuitofhispassionfor

music.Sincethen,hehasperformedwithmany

majororchestrasaroundtheglobe,mostnota-

bly the IsraelPhilharmonic, theLosAngeles

ChamberOrchestra,theMelbourneSymphony,

the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa of Japan, the Queens-

landOrchestra, and the Sydney SymphonyOrchestra, and has

debutedatsomeofthemostimportantmusicfestivals, includ-

ingtheAspenMusicFestival,theEdinburghInternationalFestival,

andtheInternationalFranzLisztFestival.

In2007,Fungbecamethefirstpianisttograduatefromthe

ColburnConservatoryinLosAngeles.Inadditiontorecordingfor

NaxosandSony/ABCClassics,hehasrecordedthreealbumsfor

YarlungRecords.Hismostrecentsoloreleasewaspraisedas“an

overall favorite” of the 2007piano albums reviewedby James

HarringtoninAmerican Record Guide.In 2008, David Fung was a winner of the twelfth Arthur

RubinsteinPianoMastersCompetitionandwasawardedthePrize

forBestClassicalConcertoandBestPerformanceofaChamber

MusicWork.Heistherecipientofthe2002ABCSymphonyAus-

traliaYoungPerformeroftheYearAward,theNewSouthWales

Premier’sAward, the LordFloreyPrize, and theDukeof Edin-

burghGoldAwardandwasatop-prizewinnerofthethirdLev

VlassenkoCompetition.www.DavidFung.com.

The ATRIA ENSEMBLE is aviolin/viola,clarinet,andpiano

formation, composed of Yale

SchoolofMusicalumniSunmi Chang, Romie de Guise- Langlois, and Hye-Yeon Park.The ensemble was formed in

January2008,yetthemembershavebeenperformingtogether

invariouschambercombinationssince2003,whileactivelypur-

suing solo careers. Two months after its formation, the Atria

EnsemblewonFirstPrizeatthefourthPlowmanNationalCham-

berMusicCompetitioninMissouriwhilealreadysecuringseveral

engagementsintheNewEnglandarea.ThetermAtria,whichin

anatomydescribestheheart’schambers,isaperfectmetaphor

forthegroup’sphilosophyoftouchingtheaudiencewithcham-

bermusic.Thelimitedrepertoirefortheensembleonlyfuelsthe

musicians’desiretoexploreandencouragetheproductionofnew

musicforitsuniqueinstrumentcombination.TheAtriaEnsemble

hasbeenfortunatetoreceivethesupportofsuchchambermusic

luminaries as Peter Frankl, Peter Oundjian, David Shifrin, Ani

Kavafian,andMichaelFriedmann.

SunmiChangstartedstudyingtheviolinattheageofseven

withNam-YunKim in SouthKorea. Shebegan studying at the

YehudiMehuhinSchoolinEnglandin1995,performingregularly

inconcertsorganizedbytheschool,includingthoseatWigmore

Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, and the

PurcellRoom.In1998and1999shealsotouredwiththeYehudi

MenuhinSchoolorchestra,playingtheBachDoubleConcertofor

twoviolinsconductedbyLordMenuhinat theUNESCOHead-

quarters in Paris, Guildford Cathedral, and other venues. After

graduating, shewent toGermany to studyat theHannsEisler

MusikhochschuleinBerlinwithEberhardFeltz.SunmiChanghas

takenpart invariousmasterclassesandsummer festivalswith

Mauricio Fuks, Maya Glezarova, Felix Andrievsky, Zakhar Bron,

RobertMasters,ZviZeitlin,RainerKussmaul,BorisKuschnir,Igor

Ozim,Midori,andLordYehudiMenuhin.She iscurrentlystudy-

ingwithPeterOundjian,pursuinganartistdiplomaatYale.She

tookpartintheCaramoorRisingStarsseriesin2006and2007

andhasperformedwithartistssuchasKimKashkashian,Don-

aldWeilerstein,AniKavafian,MarcyRosen, andEdwardArron.

In2006shewontheWoolseyHallConcertoCompetitionatthe

YaleSchoolofMusicandsheisalsothewinnerofthe2007Inter-

nationalMarkneukirchenViolinCompetitioninGermanyandthe

2007Sion-ValaisInternationalViolinCompetitioninSwitzerland.

Praisedas“aformidableclarinetist”bytheNew York Times, RomiedeGuise-Langlois is currently a fellowof theAcademy,

aprogramofCarnegieHall, Juilliard,and theWeillMusic Insti-

tute.DeGuise-LangloisrecentlywonFirstPrizeintheWoolsey

HallCompetitionatYaleUniversity,whereshealsoreceivedthe

Nyfenger Memorial Prize for excellence in woodwind playing.

SospiroWinds, a New York City–based chamber ensemble of

which she is alsoa foundingmember,won theSilverMedal at

theFischoffNationalChamberMusicAssociationCompetitionin

2007.ShewasalsotheFirstPrizewinnerof theMcGillUniver-

sityClassicalConcertoCompetitionandreceivedtheCanadian

BroadcastingCompanyAwardin2003.RomiedeGuise-Langlois

hasappearedat such festivalsandvenuesas theBanffCentre

for the Arts, MarlboroMusic, and theOrford Arts Centre. She

receivedherbachelorofmusicdegreefromMcGillUniversityas

well as hermaster ofmusicdegree, supportedby theCanada

CounciloftheArts,andanartistdiplomafromtheYaleSchoolof

Music,whereshestudiedunderDavidShifrin.

An outstanding young pianist from Korea, Hye-Yeon Park

hasbeenaprizewinnerattheOberlinCompetitionintheUnited

States,EttlingenCompetitioninGermany,MariaCanalsCompeti-

tioninSpain,andPrixd’Amadeo-JeunesseCompetition,alsoin

Germany.ParkcametotheUnitedStates in2003,aftergradu-

ating from the Korean National University of Arts, where she

workedwithDaejinKim.In2006,shereceivedherM.M.andA.D.

fromYale,studyingwithPeterFrankl.Herfestivalcreditsinclude

SalzburgMozarteum,Vienna,Santander,IshikawaAcademy,and

YellowBarn.ShehasstudiedchambermusicwithPeterOund-

jian,AniKavafian,DonaldWeilerstein,DavidShifrin,andTsuyoshi

Tsutsumi,aswellaswithmembersofthePeabodyTrioandthe




GuarneriandTakácsquartets.Herfirstpiano-celloduo record-

ingwasreleasedinspring2008ontheUrtext label.Shewasa

soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic, the Seoul Symphony, and

theKNUAPhilharmonic.Additionally,shehasappearedonKBS

andEBS television inKorea.Hye-YeonParkhasparticipated in

masterclasseswithClaudeFrank,BorisBerman,RichardGoode,

GaryGraffman, Alicia de Larrocha, Dmitri Bashkirov, and John

O’Connor.Currently,sheispursuingadoctoraldegreeatthePea-

bodyInstitute,underthetutelageofYongHiMoon.

TheLK STRING QuARTET—com-

posed of violinistsSean Lee andAreta Zhulla, violist Laura Seay,andcellistJordan Han—hasbeenrecognizedbytheNew York Timesas“fieryandpropulsive,withstrik-

ing unanimity.” Currently serving

astheChamberEnsemble-in-Res-

idenceat the92ndStreetY, thequartethasmadeappearances

internationallyandperformedatthe2003KennedyCenterHonors

andtheMetropolitanMuseumofArtandonLive from Lincoln Cen-terinNewYorkCity.

CellistJordanHan,FirstPrizewinneroftheAmericanString

Teachers Association (ASTA) Competition, the Pacific Musical

SocietyofCaliforniaCompetition,andtheChineseMusicalSoci-

etyCompetition,hasperformedwiththePeninsulaSymphony,San

JoseSymphony,andKoreanAmericanMusicalSocietyAssociation

(KAMSA)orchestras.Hebeganhiscellostudiesatageeightwith

SieunLinattheSanFranciscoConservatoryandisnowpursuing

hisbachelorofmusicdegreeattheJuilliardSchool,studyingwith

DavidSoyer.Hisotherteachershave includedPeterWyrickand

RichardAaron.

ViolinistSeanLeewas recently selected fromnearly three

hundredapplicantsasSecondPrizewinneroftheYoungConcert

ArtistsInternationalAuditions.Concertoappearancesincludethe

Redlands Symphony, Peninsula Symphony, and Torrance Sym-

phony.LeeisearninghisbachelorofmusicattheJuilliardSchool

under the direction of Itzhak Perlman. Hewas born in the Los

Angelesareaandbeganplayingtheviolinatagefour.Otherteach-

ersincludeRobertLipsettandRuggieroRicci.

Violist Laura Seay, prizewinner at the William C. Byrd

YoungArtistsCompetitionandwinneroftheJeffBradleyYoung

MusiciansAward,hasperformedassoloistwiththeColoradoSym-

phonyOrchestra,theUniversityofNorthernColoradoOrchestra,

andtheDenverYoungArtistsOrchestra.Seayearnedherbachelor

ofmusic(2007)andmaster’sdegree(2008)inviolaperformance

attheJuilliardSchool.TeachersincludeHeidiCastleman,Hsin-Yun

Huang,andStevenTenenbom.OriginallyfromDenver,Colorado,

LauraSeaybeganplayingviolinatagefiveandviolaatagenine.

ViolinistAretaZhulla,winnerofthePanhellenicViolinCom-

petition and the TassosPrassopoulos FoundationCompetition,

hasperformedassoloistwiththeStateOrchestraoftheThessa-

loniki,KenoshaSymphony,AllenPhilharmonic,andWestchester

Philharmonic,amongothers.Sheearnedherbachelorofmusicat

theJuilliardSchool,studyingwithItzhakPerlmanandCatherine

Cho. She is currentlypursuinghermaster’s degree at Juilliard,

continuingwiththesameteachers.OtherteachersincludeLefter

ZhullaandPinchasZukerman.

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Joshua Chiu, violinHometown:FosterCity,CA

Instructor:LiLin

Age:17

Geraldine Chok, violinHometown:Cupertino,CA

Instructor:DavisLaw

Age:11

Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz, celloHometown:NewYork,NY

Instructor:VladimirPanteleyev

Age:14

Zoë Curran, violinHometown:SanFrancisco,CA

Instructor:WilliamBarbini

Age:14

Michael Davidman, pianoHometown:NewYork,NY

Instructor:EfremBriskin

Age:12

Lilian Finckel, pianoHometown:NewYork,NY

Instructor:GoldaTatz

Age:15

Sarah Ghandour, celloHometown:Atherton,CA

Instructor:SieunLin

Age:15

James Hu, violinHometown:SanJose,CA

Instructor:LiLin

Age:15

Hilda Huang, pianoHometown:PaloAlto,CA

Instructor:JohnMcCarthy

Age:13

Matthew Johnson, celloHometown:Lafayette,CA

Instructor:Jean-MichelFonteneau

Age:17

Eunice S.J. Kim, celloHometown:Saratoga,CA

Instructor:SieunLin

Age:13

Jeffrey Kwong, cello Hometown:Saratoga,CA

Instructor:IreneSharp

Age:15

Theodore Ma, violaHometown:Fremont,CA

Instructor:JanetSims

Age:16

Manami Mizumoto, violinHometown:NewYork,NY

Instructor:ViktorBasis

Age:14

72 Music@Menlo 2009

Chamber Music Institute Young Performers Program Artists


Rosemary Nelis, violaHometown:Brooklyn,NY

Instructor:ViktorBasis

Age:14

Linh Nguyen, pianoHometown:RedwoodCity,CA

Instructor:WilliamWellborn

Age:12

Julia Rosenbaum, celloHometown:Potomac,MD

Instructor:DavidHardy

Age:13

Emily Shehi, violinHometown:Olathe,KS

Instructor:AliceJoyLewis

Age:10

Ila Shon, celloHometown:PortolaValley,CA

Instructor:SieunLin

Age:12

Agata Sorotokin, pianoHometown:Cupertino,CA

Instructor:IrinaPrilipko-Morgan

Age:11

Ashvin Swaminathan, violinHometown:Cupertino,CA

Instructor:LiLin

Age:13

Lily Tsai, violinHometown:PaloAlto,CA

Instructor:LiLin

Age:14

Stephanie Tsai, celloHometown:PaloAlto,CA

Instructor:SieunLin

Age:16

Mayumi Tsuchida, pianoHometown:MillValley,CA


Age:18

Rieko Tsuchida, pianoHometown:MillValley,CA


Age:14

Stephen Waarts, violinHometown:LosAltos,CA

Instructor:LiLin

Age:13

Tristan Yang, piano and violinHometown:Cupertino,CA

Instructors:JohnMcCarthyandPatriciaBurnham

Age:10

Linda Yu, violinHometown:PaloAlto,CA

Instructor:LiLin

Age:16


74 Music@Menlo 2009

Adagio–Italian:leisurely.“Adagio”designatesaslowtempo.

Allegro–Italian:merry,lively.“Allegro”

designatesafasttempo.(“Allegretto,”a

diminutiveof“allegro,”isusedtoindicate

tempislightlyslowerthan“allegro.”)

Andante–Italian:atawalkingpace.“Andante”designatesamoderatetempo.

Aria–Italian:air.Alyricalworkforvoice(thoughthetermhasbeenusedfor

instrumentalworks,aswell),typicallypart

ofalargerworksuchasanoperaora

cantata.

Arpeggio–Thesoundingofindividualnotesofachordinsuccessionratherthanallat

once.

Assai–Italian:very(asin“Allegroassai,”“Assaivivace”).

Bagatelle–Ashortandlightpieceofmusic;

literally,atrifle(French).

BWV–Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis(German):

“Bachworkscatalog.”TheBWVindex

isusedtocatalogtheworksofJohann

SebastianBach.

Cadence–Theconclusionorresolutionofamusicalphrase.

Canon–Amusicalpassageinwhichseveral

instrumentsorvoicesstatethesame

melodyinsuccession.

Cantabile–Italian:songlike,singable.

Capriccio–Italian:whim,fancy.A

designationappliedtoapieceofmusicof

capriciouscharacter.

Coda–Italian:tail.Newmusicalmaterial

addedtotheendofastandardmusical

structure.

Con brio–Italian:withvivacity.

Con fuoco–Italian:withfire.

Con moto–Italian:withmotion.

Concerto–Typicallyaninstrumentalwork

markedbythecontrastbetweenan

instrumentalsoloist(orgroupofsoloists)

andanorchestralensemble.

Contrapunctus–FromLatin“contra

punctum”:againstnote.Seecounterpoint.

Counterpoint (contrapuntal)–Themusical

textureproducedbynote-against-

notemovementbetweentwoormore

instruments.

Crescendo–Anincreaseinvolume.

D.–AbbreviationforDeutsch.DeutschnumbersareusedtocatalogSchubert’s

works;afterOttoErichDeutsch

(1883–1967).

Decrescendo–Adecreaseinvolume.

Development–Seesonata form.

Double-stop–Thetechniqueofbowingtwostringsofastringedinstrumentatonce.

(Triple-andquadruple-stopsarealso

employed.)

Episode–Inrondoform,anyofthemusical

passagesthatalternatewiththerefrain.

Espressivo–Italian:expressive.Usedasanemotivequalificationofatempomarking,

asin“Andanteespressivo.”

Etude–French:study.Usedtodescribeshortpiecesdesignedtoexploreand

developacertainperformancetechnique.

Exposition–Seesonata form.

Forte–Italian:loud.(Fortissimo:veryloud.)

Fugue–Amovementorpassageofmusic

basedonthecontrapuntaldevelopment

ofashortmusicalideacalledthesubject,

whichisstatedinsuccessionbyeach

instrumentatthestartofthefugue.

Grazioso–Italian:graceful.

Harmonics–Onastringedinstrument,high

ringingnotesproducedbylightlyplacing

thefingeratnodalpointsalongthestring.

Harmony–Thecombinationofnotes

producingchordsandchordprogressions,

andthesubsequentdeterminationofthe

moodoratmosphereofapieceofmusic.

Incidental music–Musiccomposedto

accompanyadramaticproduction.

Intermezzo –Originally,amusicalinterlude,

suchasanentr’acteinadramaticwork.

Sincethenineteenthcentury,“intermezzo”

hasbeenusedasadesignationfor

independentworksorindividual

movementswithinmulti-movement

works.

K.–AbbreviationforKöchel.K.numbers

areusedtocatalogMozart’sworks;after

LudwigRittervonKöchel(1800–1877).

Largo–Italian:broad.“Largo”indicatesaslowtempo.(“Larghetto,”adiminutiveof

“largo,”isusedtoindicateatemposlightly

quickerthan“largo.”)

Legato–Italian:bound.Amusical

expressionindicatingthatasuccession

ofnotesshouldbeplayedsmoothlyand

withoutseparation.

Leggiero–Italian:light.

Lied–German:song(plural“lieder”).

Maestoso–Italian:majestic.

Meter–Therhythmicorganizationofapiece

ofmusic(forexample,4/4meter:ONE-

two-three-four,ONE-two-three-four).

Minuet–AnaristocraticFrenchdance,playedinamoderatetripletempo,which

becameastandardmovementinworks

oftheClassicalperiod.Itcametobe

replacedtowardtheendoftheeighteenth

centurybythescherzo.(French:menuet;

Italian:minuetto.)

Moderato–Italian:moderately.

Modulation–Theharmonicshiftintonal

musicfromonekeytoanother.

Molto–Italian:very.Usedasaqualificationofatempomarking,asin“Moltoallegro.”

Motive–Ashortmusicalgesture.

Movement –Aself-containedsectionofalargercomposition.Movementsofa

pieceofmusicareanalogoustochapters

inabook:althoughtheycanstandon

theirowntosomedegree,theymore

significantlycombinewithandrelate

toeachotherinwaysthatproducea

cohesivewhole.

g l o s s A r Y

Musical Glossary


Non troppo, non tanto–Italian:nottoomuch(asin,e.g.,“Allegromanontanto,”

“Adagiomanontroppo”).

Opus–Latin:work.Themostcommon

methodofcatalogingacomposer’s

work,althoughopusnumbersareoften

unreliableinestablishingthechronology

ofcomposition.(Abbreviatedop.)

Oratorio–Alarge-scalemusicalsetting

ofsacredtexts,e.g.,Bach’sSt. Matthew PassionandMendelssohn’sSt. PaulandElijah.

Phrase–Amusicalgesture.Melodies,as

completeideas,typicallycomprisea

seriesofinterdependentphrases.

Piano–Italian:soft.(Pianissimo:verysoft.)

Pizzicato–Playingbypluckingthestringsofaninstrumentthatisnormallyplayedwith

abow,suchasaviolinorviola.

Presto–Italian:ready,prompt.“Presto”

designatesafasttempo(evenfasterthan

“allegro”).

Recapitulation–Seesonata form.

Recitative–Astyleofwriting,typicallyemployedinoperaandothervocalmusic,

designedtoimitatedramaticspeech.

Ricercar–FromItalian“ricercare”:toseek.

Amusicalterm,which,throughoutthe

sixteenthandseventeenthcenturies,

looselydefinedaninstrumentalwork

ofasemi-improvisatorynature;bythe

mid-eighteenthcentury,thetermhad

essentiallybecomesynonymouswith

fugue.

Rondo–Amusicalstructure,commonly

usedthroughouttheClassicaland

Romanticeras,inwhichamainpassage,

calledtherefrain,alternateswithepisodes,

whichdepartfromthemovement’s

centralmusicalmaterial.

Rubato–i.e.,Temporubato.Italian:robbed,

orstolen,time.“Rubato”designatesa

flexibleorunmarkedtempo.

Scherzo–Italian:joke.Afastmovement

thatcametoreplacetheminuetaround

theturnofthenineteenthcentury.

(Scherzando:playfully.)

Sforzando–Italian:compelling.“Sforzando”

indicatesastronglyaccentednoteand/or

suddenlylouddynamic.

Sonata–Acompositionforoneor

moreinstruments,usuallycomprising

severalmovements.Whiletheterm

hasbeenusedtodescribeworksquite

differentfromeachotherformallyand

stylisticallydependingontheperiodof

composition,asonataalmostalways

describesaworkforsoloinstrument

withorwithoutpianoaccompaniment.

Sonata form–Themoststandardmusical

structurethroughouttheClassical

andRomanticerasforfirst,andoften

final,movementsofmultimovement

piecescomposedforsolo,chamber,

ororchestralforces.Insonataform,

musicalideasareorganizedintothree

sections:theexposition,inwhich

themainthemesareintroduced;the

development,inwhichthethemesare

transformed;andtherecapitulation,in

whichthemusicrestateseachtheme

inthehomekey.(Alsocalledsonata-

allegroform.)

Sonata-rondo–Amusicalform

combiningtheprinciplesofthematic

development,ascharacteristicof

sonataform,andepisodiccontrast,as

characteristicofrondoform.

Sostenuto–Italian:sustained.

Staccato–Italian:detached.Amusical

expressionindicatingthatnotesshould

beplayedwithseparation.

Sturm und Drang–German:stormand

stress.Anartisticmovementthat

valuedimpulseandemotionovermore

Classicalvirtuessuchasbalanceand

form.TheSturmundDrangmovement

hadaprofoundinfluenceontheentire

Romanticgeneration.

Subject–Thecentralmusicalideaofa

fugue,whichisstatedinsuccessionby

eachinstrumenttobeginthefugue.

Sul ponticello–Thetechniqueofplayingnearthebridgeofastringed

instrument,whichimpedesthe

vibrationofthestringtoproducean

unsettlingsound.

Syncopation–Thetechniqueofshiftingtherhythmicaccentfromastrongbeat

toaweakbeat.

Tarantella–AtraditionalsouthernItalianfolkdance,often(andmistakenly)

purportedtocounteravenomous

spiderbite.

Theme–Acentralmusicalideawhich

servesassubstantivematerialinapiece

ofmusic.

Theme and variations–Astandardmusicalforminwhichamainthemeis

followedbyasuccessionofvariations

onthattheme.

Tremolo–Italian:trembling.Amusical

expressionindicatingtherapid

reiterationofasinglenoteorchord.

Trio–Thecontrastingmiddlesectionofa

minuetorscherzo.

Variations–Acompositionaltechniquein

whichathemeisalteredormodified.

Vivace –Italian:lively.“Vivace”designatesafasttempo,inbetween“allegro”and

“presto.”

g l o s s A r Y

76 Music@Menlo 2009

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participantsintheChamberMusicInstitute.Enjoytwo premium seating upgrades*forticketedfestivalevents.

Mozart ($5,000–$9,999) Enjoy a festive evening of music, food, and conversation with the Artistic Directors, artists, and friendsataconcertandpartyduringtheyear.Enjoyfour premium seating upgrades*fortick-eted festival events and aconcert dedication acknowledgingyoursupport.

Make a gift today and deepen your connection to the music, the artists, and the Music@Menlo community during the festival and throughout the year.


Beethoven ($10,000–$24,999)Gettoknowtheartistswhileenjoyingtheuniquecamaraderie

ofthefestivalsettingatanexclusive post-concert dinner party. Enjoy eight premium seating upgrades* for ticketed festivaleventsandaseason dedicationinconcert-hallsignageandthefestivalprogrambook.

Patrons Circle Enjoy live music in the intimacy of a living-room setting—an unparalleled way to further explore the festival’s music and get to know the Music@Menlo artists.

Esterhazy ($25,000–$49,999) JoinusforthePatrons Circle Season Announcement Celebra-tion—aprivateandintimatein-homepartyandconcertwhenthe

themeandprogrammingforthe2010festivalwillbeunveiled

forthefirsttime,withlivemusicalillustration.Enjoytwelve pre-mium seating upgrades*forticketedfestivalevents.

Carnegie ($50,000–$99,999) Enhanceyourenjoymentofchambermusicyear-roundwithcustom-ized benefitsandrecognitiontailoredtomeetyourinterests.Enjoy

sixteen premium seating upgrades*forticketedfestivalevents.

Medici ($100,000+) Host a private concert in your homeandexperienceauniqueopportunity to share your loveof chambermusicwith artists

andyourclosestfriends.

Inadditiontothebenefitsatyourmembershiplevel,youwillreceivethe

benefitsassociatedwithallprevious levelsexcept forpremiumseating

upgradeswherethetotalnumberforeachlevelislistedabove.

* Use your seating upgrades to reserve premium seats on the festival date(s)

of your choosing; Music@Menlo’s friendly staff will assist you personally.

Seating in Music@Menlo’s venues otherwise is by general admission.

Premium seating upgrades require that you hold a regular ticket for the

performance and make an advance reservation for your upgrade.

(Please clip and include the form below with your gift.)

Membership Circles

Patrons Circle

Medici c $100,000+

Carnegie c $50,000–$99,999

Esterhazy c $25,000–$49,999

Composers Circle

Beethoven c $10,000–$24,999

Mozart c $5,000–$9,999

Haydn c $2,500–$4,999

Bach c $1,000–$2,499

Performers Circle

Caruso c $500–$999

Joachim c $250–$499

Paganini c $100–$249

Other c $_______

Yes, I want to join Music@Menlo!Enclosedismy/ourcgiftof$______and/orc pledgeof$_______insupportofMusic@Menlo.

Name/s_______________________________________________________________________________ (Pleasenotehowyouwouldlikename/stoappearinpublications.)

Address_______________________________________________________________________________

Phone_________________________________Email___________________________________________ (We’llnevershareyourtelephoneoremailwithanyothergroup.)

Make a Gift Now:cEnclosedisacheckmadepayableto“MenloSchool–Music@Menlo.”

cPleasechargemyc Visac MasterCardc AmExAccount#____________________________

Accountname__________________________Signature_________________________Expiration ______

cI/wewillbemakingagiftofsecurities.*

cThisgiftwillbematchedby___________________________________________________________ (Pleaseincludenameoforganizationandmatchingforms.)

Pledges:cPleaseacceptthisasmy/ourpledgeofsupport.ThepledgewillbefulfilledbySept.1,2009.

Planned Giving: The Isaac Stern Circle cIhaveincludedMusic@Menloinmyestateplans.

cIwouldlikemoreinformationaboutincludingMusic@Menloinmyestateplans.

Mail to: Music@Menlo, 50 Valparaiso Avenue, Atherton, CA 94027 *Toarrangeatransferofsecurities,pleasecallSallyTakadaat650-330-2133,[email protected].

The Isaac Stern Circle The Isaac Stern Circle has been created by Artistic Directors

DavidFinckelandWuHanasalivingtestamenttothevisionof

oneoftheirmostinfluentialandtreasuredmentors.Legendary

forchampioningthepowerandimportanceofgreatmusicand

nurturingthenextgenerationofclassicalmusicians,IsaacStern

remains a beacon for today’s classical music leaders. Stern’s

legacycontinuestoinspirecountlessmusiciansintheirartistic

endeavorstowardscultivatingafulfillingpresentandpromising

futureforgreatmusic.

Join the Isaac Stern Circle by including Music@Menlo in

your estate plans, and you’ll help ensure that the intellectual

andspirituallivesofgenerationsofartists,students,andmusic

lovers are nourished and sustained by chambermusic of the

highestquality.Plannedcommitmentsofsupportcanfundspe-

cificprojectsorunderwriteactivitiesthatreflectyourindividual

passionsandinterests.

MembershipintheIsaacSternCirclealsobringsimmediate

and importantbenefits, including invitations to special events

and intimateconcertsthatprovideevengreateraccesstothe

programs you are enriching. Most importantly, you will know

thatyouareplayingavitalroleinthefutureofchambermusic.

Wewill be glad to speakwith you in person about your

individualinterestsandwishes.Pleasefillouttheformbelowor

contactSallyTakada,DevelopmentDirector,at650-330-2133or

[email protected].

78 Music@Menlo 2009

Medici Circle($100,000+)TheWilliamandFloraHewlett

Foundation

TheMartinFamilyFoundation

Carnegie Circle ($50,000–$99,999)AnnS.Bowers

Marcia&PaulGinsburg

GoldmanSachsPhilanthropyFund


Esterhazy Circle ($25,000–$49,999)Anonymous

Jim&MicalBrenzel

Iris&PaulBrest

Joan&AllanFisch

KathleenG.Henschel

KoretFoundationFunds

HughMartin

TheDavidandLucilePackard

Foundation

Marcia&HapWagner

Beethoven Circle ($10,000–$24,999)Mr.&Mrs.HenryD.Bullock

ChubbGroupofInsuranceCompanies

TheJeffreyDean&Heidi

HopperFamily

DavidFinckel&WuHan

TheDavidB.andEdwardC.Goodstein

Foundation

Sue&BillGould

WallaceR.&AlexandraHawley

Libby&CraigHeimark

TheHurlbut-JohnsonFund

MaryLorey

Nancy&DuBoseMontgomery

Laurose&BurtonRichter

SiliconValleyCommunityFoundation

Camilla&GeorgeSmith

Melanie&RonWilensky

Mozart Circle($5,000–$9,999)Anonymous

LindyBarocchi

Eileen&JoelBirnbaum


TheRobertJ.andHelenH.Glaser

FamilyFoundation

EmikoHigashi&RodHoward

MichaelJ.Hunt&JoanieBanks-Hunt

KrisKlint

MacCorkleInsuranceService

SPXCorporation

VivianSweeney

Haydn Circle ($2,500–$4,999)Malkah&DonaldCarothers

LindaDeMelis&TedWobber

Mrs.RalphI.Dorfman

FidelityCharitableGiftFund

AnnGriffiths

Grace&LauranceHoagland

JewishCommunityEndowmentFund

Robert&SueLarson

DavidLorey,inmemoryofJimLorey

Drs.Michael&JaneMarmor/Marmor

Foundation

BillMiller&IdaHouby

Stuart&LindaNelson

SchwabCharitableFund

Andrea&LubertStryer

EdwardSweeney&KathyHansen

VanguardCharitableEndowmentFund

Marilyn&BorisWolper

ElizabethFennoWright

Bach Circle($1,000–$2,499)Richard&BarbaraAlmond

David&JudithPrevesAnderson

Helen&StuartBessler

LisaK.Breakey

Mel&MaryBritton

ChrisByrne

GeorgeW.Cogan&MaryFrancesAllen

Dr.MichaelCondie

Maureen&PaulDraper

DeliaF.Ehrlich

Tom&EllenEhrlich

Carolyn&ScottFeamster

HelenFinckel

Betsy&DavidFryberger

InhonorofSukKiHahn

EttyHuynen

Tom&PatriciaKlitgaard

Susan&KnudKnudsen

John&NickiLin

Carol&MacMacCorkle

Kim&JudyMaxwell

Betsy&BillMeehan

MITCommunityRunningClub

(MITCRC)

KayPauling

Bill&LeePerry

Bill&PaulaPowar

PublicWelfareFoundation

Nancy&NormRossen

ArmandSchwartz

PierreSchwob

Alan&AliceSklar

ArtSmall

JenniferWesterlind

Peter&GeorgiaWindhorst

Caruso Circle($500–$999)Anonymous

CarolAdler&AudreyJarach

David&MarthaArscott

EquityFoundation

Joyce&MalFienberg

RichGifford

Peter&LauraHaas

Larry&AnneHambly

AdeleHayutin

Linda&RobertHolub

LeslieHsu&RichardLenon

ThomasHumphrey

Marney&LarryJanss

MarjoLachman

William&MurielMcGee

Janice&JeffPettit

Jeff&DeborahRoisman

Ann&JohnRossi

AudreyRust

Bill&JoanSilver

Carolyn&ChalmersSmith

DarleneP.Vian&BrianP.McCune

RobertWaarts

Joe&AnneWelsh

SusanWilson

Thank You! Music@Menlo is grateful for the generosity of contributing organizations and individuals who have made this year’s festival possible.(Gifts,grants,andpledgesreceivedasofJune10,2009)


Joachim Circle($250–$499)Anonymous(5)

Marilyn&WilliamAbrams

Alan&CorinneBarkin

NeilBrast

JoanBrodovsky&BrunoSchwebel

Joan&VictorCorsiglia

Miriam&DonDeJongh

Jo&JohnDeLuca

RuthEliel&BillCooney

JaneEnright

George&MariaErdi

SuzanneField&NicholasSmith

Les&KayFiller

GladysR.Garabedian

GerryH.Goldsholle&

MyraK.Levenson

Elizabeth&GeorgeGulevich

Helen&GaryHarmon

Raymond&ElsaHeald

Jim&KathyJohnson

AndreaJulian

TerriLahey&SteveSmith

Lois&PaulLevine

Reuben&MimiLevy

RaymondLinkerman&Carol

Eisenberg

JulietMelamid

Shirley&DavidNegrin

AnnePeck

RossannahReeves

Norma&SeymourReiss

Barry&JanetRobbins

SusanSchendel

Barb&WinSeipp

StevenE.Shladover

CurtisSmith

Clinton&SharonSnyder

Peggy&ArtStauffer

Ann&JohnVarady

Terri&MichaelWatters

MickiWesson

Dr.George&BayWestlake

JaneFowlerWyman

Paganini Circle ($100–$249) Anonymous(2)

CaroleAlexander

Marcia&MatthewAllen

AppleFoundationInc.

LianneAraki&EdwardHattyar

Julie&JonBacklund

Robert&AnneBaldwin

CarlBaum&AnnieMcFadden

Elaine&HerbertBerman

DonnaBestock

Frederick&AliceBethke

MelanieBieder&DaveWills

Lu&JohnBingham

Pat&BillBlankenburg

Arnold&BarbaraBloom

Carol&MichaelBradley

LaurelH.Brobst

Katherine&RoyBukstein

William&JoAnChace

Ann&RobertChun

PrueCleary

Nick&BetsyClinch

MartinCohn

Bernard&ShirleyCooper

Michele&LarryCorash

KarenDeMello

TerryDesser&DanielRubin

John&AnnDizikes

AlanEisner

Charlotte&DavidEpstein

Edward&LindaEricson

Tom&NancyFiene

Carole&DavidFlorian

Bruce&MarilynFogel

MarieForster

CarolC.&JoelP.Friedman,M.D.

TyraGilb

Gabe&EdieGroner

Jim&LindaHagan

Laura&JohnHale

MargaretHarvey

Mr.&Mrs.RaymondA.Heald

FredaHofland&LesThompson

Dale&ClariceHorelick

JohnJosse

Tobye&RonKaye

Dorothy&JosephKitchen

JoshuaKlein

Michael&CarolLavelle

RosaleeLefkowitz

Joan&PhilipLeighton

Mr.&Mrs.HaroldLeitstein

Howard&LauraLevin

ClaireLin

BJ&FrankLockfeld

TeresaLunt&ThomasGarvey

SusieMacLean

MarcyMalin

Dr.&Mrs.TagE.Mansour

RobertMarch&LisaLawrence

Rosemary&JohnMaulbetsch

EvelynMiller

TrevorReedNelson

Peter&ElizabethNeumann

PhyllisNewhouse

JoanNorton

AllenOrtega

Betsy&BillPace

MarciaPugsley&KentMather

Drs.MarleneRabinovitch&

RichardBland

Martin&MaryRatner

Nan&BruceReitz

Dr.Renee’sPiano

BarbaraRichards

MyrnaRobinson

RobertM.&AdelleR.Rosenzweig

Paul&MaureenRoskoph

LorraineSeelig

Arthur,Nancie,&CamdenShaw

LaurieSpaeth

ErikaTakada&KevinWasbauer

LesleyTaplin

MarionTaylor

CarolToppel

GenevieveTorresola

PaulavonSimson

Ian&JuliaWall

Susan&LewWexler

Sallie&JayWhaley

MargaretWunderlich

Friends(Gifts up to $99)Anonymous(2)

JaneAaron

Enrico&JaneBernasconi

J.AnneCarlson

PamelaCulp

Alvin&CarylDockter

Eleanor&AndrewDoty

PenelopeDuckham

Sherrie&WallaceEpstein

Ruth&NeilFoley

PatFoster

RoseGreen

EleanorHansen

JenniferHartzell

LiisaJuola

Michael&VickiLink

InhonorofMaryLorey

PeggieMacLeod

LindaMankin

KarlMarhenke

AlanE.Mayers

Mary-MignonMitchell

MerlaMurdock

SidneyMygatt

JuliaOliver

Ed&LindaSeldon

RichardSogg

ElizabethStewart

George&BarbaraUhler

InhonorofBoris&MarilynWolper’s

60thweddinganniversary:

Beverly&DavidAltman,

June&WallyLevin

Matching GiftsWe thank the following organizations for matching their employees’ gifts:TheWilliamandFloraHewlett

Foundation

IBMMatchingGrantsProgram

MicrosoftMatchingGiftsProgram

SiliconValleyCommunityFoundation

SPXCorporation

SteelcaseFoundation

SunMicrosystems

In-Kind SupportWe thank the following individuals and organizations for their in-kind gifts:CorazonasFoods,Inc.

Maureen&PaulDraper

HillViewPackingCo.,Inc.

PoshBagel

RidgeVineyards

TheRubinoFamily

Safeway

StarbucksCoffee,

Alameda&Avy–MenloPark

Music@Menlo thanks the

following foundations,

corporations, and media

partners for their generous

support:

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

RIDGEV I N E Y A R D S

on Monte Bello Ridgeoverlooking the peninsula

408.867.3233

www.ridgewine.com

Open for tastingSaturday & Sunday, 11 - 5

Since 1962traditionally-made wines

from California’s finest old vines

80 Music@Menlo 2009

AcknowledgmentsMusic@Menlo thanks the following individuals and organizations for their dedication and commitment.

Seasonal Staff and Service ProfessionalsDmitriAtapine,Faculty,

ChamberMusicInstitute

HasseBorup,Administrator,


ScottCannon,AudioConsultant

GloriaChien,Faculty,Chamber

MusicInstitute

TristanCook,Video&Photography

MarkHurty,Internet&WebServices,

Webmaster

EdwardKlorman,Faculty,


MatthewF.LewandowskiII,

ProductionManager

JulieLewis,EditorialServices

AdrienneMalley,HouseManager

ZacNicholson,Video&Photography

ClairePrescott,Bookkeeper

Da-HongSeetoo,RecordingEngineer

NickStone,GraphicDesign

(www.nickstonedesign.com)

ShanshanYao,Faculty,


HeathYob,TechnologyServices

Milina Barry PRMilinaBarry,President

YouYouXia,PublicRelationsAssociate

MaryMontalbano,OfficeManager

Internship Program Music@Menlo’s internship program is

underwritten, in part, by the David B.

and Edward C. Goodstein Foundation.

Special thanks to the foundation

directors and staff for their support

in administering and sustaining the

program:

FrancescaEastman

EdwardGoodstein

IngaDorosz

ShelleyFarrell

JennaKahl

AdrienneOrtega

DavidSleeth

2009 InternsCrystalAdams,Marketing&

MerchandisingIntern

KarieChallinor,ProductionIntern

MichelleD’Arpino,EventPlanning&

HospitalityManagementIntern

ZacharyGreen,PatronServicesIntern

KimberlyHeld,StudentLiaisonIntern

SamuelHenline,ProductionIntern

AaronHuang,Marketing&

MerchandisingIntern

JiwonKang,StudentLiaisonIntern

EllenMezzera,AssistantStage

ManagerIntern

MaeganPassafume,AssistantStage

ManagerIntern

WilsonPeters,Video/PhotoIntern

AngelaRagni,DevelopmentIntern

ChandlerRickers,ProductionIntern

SerenaRobbins,ArtistLiaisonIntern

HeatherRosen,EventPlanning&


CaitlinStewart,ProductionIntern

FlorenceWadley,OperationsIntern

TiffanyWang,EventPlanning&


Menlo SchoolSpecial thanks to Menlo School’s

Board of Trustees, faculty, staff,

students, and families for their

continuing enthusiasm and support:

NormColb,HeadofSchool

WilliamR.Silver,BusinessManager&

ChiefFinancialOfficer

TonyLapolla,DeanofStudents

JohnSchafer,UpperSchoolDirector

ErinBrigham,MiddleSchoolDirector

AlexPerez,DirectorofCreativeArts&

StrategicCommunications

DianeClausen,Directorof

Development

LizaBennigson,Alumni

RelationsDirector

ColleenLabozetta,

DevelopmentCoordinator

DeniseMcAdoo,AnnualFundDirector

KrisWeems,DevelopmentOfficer

DavidMcAdoo,Directorof

Operations&Construction

TomDelCarlo,Operations

JeffHealey,Operations

St. Mark’s Episcopal ChurchTheRev.MatthewMcDermott,Rector

TheRev.LoriWalton,AssociateRector

KatieYates,OfficeAdministrator

CharlesMathews,FacilitiesManager

Menlo Park Presbyterian ChurchThestaffandmembersofMenloPark

PresbyterianChurch

American Public MediaAmerican Public Media is the leading

national producer of classical music

programming, including Performance

Today,SymphonyCast,Pipedreams,

ComposersDatebook,and

Classical 24.

GayleOber,DirectorofClassicalMusic

Programming

BrianNewhouse,SeniorProducer,

Host,SymphonyCast

FredChild,Host,Performance Today

JulieAmacher,Manager,Classical24

Home and Event HostsJenniferAcheson&GhassanGhandour

Richard&BarbaraAlmond

David&MartyArscott

JoyceBeattie&MartinPerl

AnnS.Bowers

Mel&MaryBritton

Mr.&Mrs.HenryD.Bullock

Janet&NealCoberly


Sharon&StuartDalton

JeffDean&HeidiHopper

RickDeGolia

DeliaF.Ehrlich

Carolyn&ScottFeamster

SuzanneField&NicholasSmith

Joan&AllanFisch

Anne&MarkFlegel

TheDavidB.andEdwardC.

GoodsteinFoundation

Sue&BillGould

ChristineHansen&RogerKnopf

TheWilliamandFlora

HewlettFoundation

EmikoHigashi&RodHoward

Laurie&GayHoagland


KrisKlint

Susan&KnudKnudsen

JenniferLezin

Art&MargyLim

Patty&EffMartin

KayPauling

JackPhillips&TenochEsparza

Alison&KenRoss

Kim&LeeScheuer

Peggy&ArtStauffer

FrancineToder&JoeHustein

Ian&JuliaWall

Melanie&RonaldWilensky

Marilyn&BorisWolper

ElizabethFennoWright

Friends CouncilJaneFowlerWyman,Chair

Art&MargyLim,UsherLiaisons

PatBlankenburg,WelcomeCenter

Coordinator

RichGifford,CustomMailings

Coordinator

JackPhillips,WinterResidency

Coordinator

AndreaJulian,FriendsNewsletter

Coordinator

JoeHustein,Business&

ProfessionalLiaison

Friends of the Festival VolunteersJudyPrevesAnderson

JoyceBeattie

AnnaBerman

BillBlankenburg

DianaBloch

VeronicaBreuer

MardaBuchholz

JuneCancell

Bernard&ShirleyCooper

EvieDavidson

JeanDehner

Don&MiriamDeJongh

JonathanErman

NancyFlowers

KayGarcia

Mark&RomieGeorgia

David&FaithGobuty

LauraGrimbergen

Gabe&EdieGroner

VirginiaHolcombe

Dale&ClariceHorelick

ShirleyIngalls

LindaKaplan

YunKim

AmyLaden

MarciaLeonhardt

Lois&PaulLevine

PatLevinson

JenniferLezin

DianeLillibridge

John&RosemaryMaulbetsch

MaryMcDonald

Ernst&BettyMeissner

SallyMentzer

ElyseNakajima

JeanNixon

SallyOken

AnnePeck

ChrisPrael&MaryannFodor

JohnProvine

RoxanneReeves

NanReitz

MyrnaRobinson

RobSchreiber

AndreaSmith

Jeff&SueanneStone

CindyStrause

SaraTanke

FrancineToder

CarolToppel

JanaTuschman

Jack&MargritVanderryn

ElizabethWatson-Semmons

SusanWeisberg

AliceWong

Floyd&GeryYearout

More ThanksAccurateStaging

AFestiveAffair

ArguelloCatering

CommunicationRentalService

EnterpriseRent-a-Car,

RedwoodCity/Atherton

GreatAmericanFramingCompany

LeftBankBrasserie

MussonTheatrical

TheoNoll,2009VisualArtist

ProAudio

ProPiano

SanJoseInstituteof

ContemporaryArt

TheTravelAgents,LynneRosenfeld

Weir&AssociatesCateringand

EventPlanning


Ticket ServicesOn-siteticketingandthewill-call table openonehourpriortothestartofeachticketedevent.

All programs and artists are subject to change without notice. All tickets are nonrefundable,exceptincasesofcanceledevents.TicketexchangesarefreeformembersattheBachCircle

($1,000) level and above; a $3.00-per-ticket handling charge

appliestoallotherexchanges.Forticket-relatedquestionsorto

exchangetickets,pleasecontactMusic@Menlo’s ticketservices

[email protected].

Seating Policies•Doors open approximately twenty-five minutes before the

starttimeofeachevent.

•Seating at all Music@Menlo events is by general admis-sion.SeatingatSt.Mark’sEpiscopalChurchandMenloParkPresbyterian Church is by general admissionwithin the two

designatedseatingsections(AandB).

•Student-ticket holderswhoareageseighteenandovermustbe

preparedtopresentavalidfull-time-studentIDatthedoor.

•Latecomerswillbeseatedatthediscretionoftheartistsandhousemanageratanappropriateintervalintheperformance.

•Allperformancevenuesarewheelchairaccessible,andwheel-chair seating is available in all venues in the designatedwheelchairlocationsonly.Pleaseaskanushertoguideyouto

adesignatedlocation.Onecompanionseatisreservednextto

eachwheelchairlocation.Additionalguestseatingisbygen-

eraladmission.

Concert and Event Policies•As a courtesy to the artists and to your fellow audience

members,please turn offcellphones,pagers,watchalarms,

personalorganizers,andall sound-emitting devicesprior tothestartofallevents.

•Pleasemakeaconsciousefforttokeep noises,suchascough-ing and conversation, to a minimum as they can be quite

distracting. Please unwrap any lozenges or other products

before the performance starts. We appreciate your consid-

eration, as will themusicians, your fellow listeners, and our

recordingengineer.

•Childrenneedtobeat leastsevenyearsofageandable tosit quietly throughout a full performance to attend ticketed

concertsandEncounters.Pleaseseepages48–56forevents

designedforyoungeraudiences.

•unauthorized recording or photographing of any kind isstrictlyprohibited.

•Food or beverages (except bottled water) are not allowedinside the performance venues. Concessions are generally

availableforpurchaseoutsideoftheconcerthalls.

•Manypeoplearehighlyallergictoperfume,cologne,orscented products,sowekindlyaskthatpatronsavoidusingthem.

Entry and Re-entry Policy for Prelude Performances and Koret Young Performers Concerts Prelude Performances and Koret Young Performers Concerts

arefreeandopentothepublic.A free seat passisnowrequiredfortheseconcerts.Oneseatpassperpersoncanberequested

atthewill-calltablebeginningonehourpriortothestartofthe

performance.Seatpassescannotbereserved inadvance,and

seatingisbygeneraladmission.

AttheendofPreludePerformancesandKoretYoungPer-

formersConcerts,guestswillbeaskedtoclearthevenuewith

personal belongings in hand for admission to the next event,

whichwill be through two lines: one for arrivalswhodid not

attend the preceding Prelude Performance or Koret Young

Performers Concert and one for re-entry. Doors will open simultaneously for both lines. Any items left behind when

exitingPreludePerformancesorKoretYoungPerformersCon-

certsmaybereclaimedatthewill-calltableoutsidethevenue.

Music@Menloisnotresponsibleforlostorstolenarticles.

Locations and ParkingMenlo School, Martin Family Hall, andStent Family Hall arelocatedat50ValparaisoAvenueinAtherton,betweenElCamino

RealandAlamedade lasPulgasattheMenloParkborder.St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is located at 600 Colorado AvenueinmidtownPaloAlto, betweenMiddlefieldRoad andCowper

Street.Menlo Park Presbyterian Churchislocatedat950SantaCruzAvenueatthewestendofdowntownMenloPark.Parking is free inanyofthevenues’availablelots.Overflowparkingisavailableonnearbyneighborhoodstreets.Pleasebemindfulof

neighborsandpostedparkingrestrictions.

Restrooms and ExitsRestroomsatMenloSchoolarelocatedthroughthesideexitat

thebackofSpiekerBallroomand in thebuildingbehindMar-

tinFamilyHall.RestroomsatSt.Mark’sEpiscopalChurchand

MenloParkPresbyterianChurchare available in the adjoining

walkways, next to the church office. Fire exits aremarked at

eachvenue.

Lost and FoundAnypersonalitemsfoundatfestivalvenueswillbeheldatthe

festivalWelcomeCenter atMenloSchool. Inquire at theWel-

come Center or call 650-330-2030. The festival assumes no

responsibilityforpersonalproperty.

Ticket and Performance Information

82 Music@Menlo 2009


“Hours of world-class chamber music performed by top-ranked players and captured for posterity by a first-rate sound engineer.” —Strings

Music@MenloLIVE, thefestival’sexclusiverecordinglabel,hasbeenpraisedas“themostambitiousrecordingprojectofany

classicalmusicfestival intheworld”(San Jose Mercury News) and its recordings have been hailed as “without question the

best CDs I have ever heard” (Positive Feedback Online). Pro-duced by Grammy Award-winning engineer Da-Hong Seetoo

usingstate-of-the-artrecordingtechnology,theseuniqueboxed

setsfeatureselectconcertrecordingsfromMusic@Menlo’sfirst

sixseasonsandoffer“hoursofchambermusicdelight,recaptur-

ingallthatMenlomagic”(Gramophone).

Latest Release: 2008’s The Unfolding of Music IIThe2008editionofMusic@MenloLIVEoffersfivenewlyassem-

bled programs of the summer’s unforgettable performances,

witheachrecordingpresentingamicrocosmoftherichhistori-

caljourneytakenoverthecourseofthefestival’ssixthseason.

Thisuniquefive-CDboxedsetspansfivehundredyearsofmusic

and includesworksbyBach,Haydn,Shostakovich,Schumann,

Brahms, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Louis Gruenberg, and Tan Dun,

aswellastheworld-premiererecordingofMusic@Menlo’sfirst

commission,apianotriobyKennethFrazelle.

Other recordings include the fifth season’s six-disc set,

Bridging the Ages,thefourthseason’sseven-discset,Returning to Mozart, thethirdseason’sfour-disccollection, Beethoven: Cen-ter of Gravity, thesecondseason’ssix-discset,Origin/Essence: A Musical Odyssey, andthefive-disccollectionInnovation/Evolu-tion: The Unfolding of Music fromthefestival’sinauguralseason.

Coming This Fall: 2009’s Being MendelssohnWatchforthe2009festivalrecordingstobereleasedinlatefall.

CompleteboxedsetsandindividualCDsfromallseasonscanbe

purchasedonourWebsiteatwww.musicatmenlo.org.

Recording Producer: Da-Hong SeetooFive-timeGrammyAward-winningrecord-

ingproducerDa-HongSeetoo returns to

Music@Menlo for a seventh consecutive

season to record the festival concerts.

A Curtis Institute– and Juilliard School–

trained violinist, Da-Hong Seetoo has

emerged as one of a handful of elite

audio engineers, using his own custom-

designedmicrophones,monitorspeakers,

andcomputersoftware.HisrecentclientsincludetheBorromeo,

Escher,Emerson,Miró,andTokyostringquartets;theBeauxArts

Trio;pianistsDanielBarenboim,YefimBronfman,DerekHan,and

ChristopherO’Riley;violinistGilShaham;cellistTrulsMørk;the

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; the Chicago Sym-

phonyOrchestraunderDavidZinman;theEvergreenSymphony

Orchestra (Taipei, Taiwan); the New York Philharmonic under

MusicDirector LorinMaazel; the ProMusicaChamberOrches-

tra(Columbus,Ohio); theRoyalPhilharmonicOrchestraunder

CarlosMiguelPrieto; theSingaporeSymphonyOrchestra;and

DavidFinckelandWuHanfortheArtistLedlabel.Hisrecording

with the Emerson StringQuartet for Deutsche Grammophon,

Intimate Voices,garneredtheGrammyAwardforBestChamber

MusicPerformancein2006.

Broadcast Partner: American Public MediaThissummer, the festival isproudtowelcomebackAmerican

Public Media as Music@Menlo’s exclusive broadcast partner.

PerformancesfromthefestivalwillairnationwideonAmerican

PublicMedia’sPerformance Today™, thecountry’slargestdailyclassicalmusicprogram,whichairson245stationsandreaches

morethan1.2millionpeopleeachweek,andviaClassical24®,

aliveclassicalmusicservicebroadcaston250stationsanddis-

tributedbyPublicRadioInternational.Hostsandproducersfrom

AmericanPublicMediaalsoparticipateinthefestivalasevent

moderatorsandeducators.Visitwww.americanpublicmedia.org

forarchivedperformances,photos,andinterviews.

84 Music@Menlo 2009

Music@Menlo CalendarJuly 17–August 8, 2009

Friday,July 17

7:30 p.m. Encounter I: Life of Discovery: A Portrait of PAGE 10Felix Mendelssohn, with Orli ShahamMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)

Saturday,July 18

8:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)

6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 48St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Sunday,July 19

6:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)

4:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 48Martin Family Hall

Monday,July 20


12:00 p.m. Master class: Ian Swensen, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall


Tuesday,July 21

8:00 p.m. String Quartet Program I: The Early Quartets PAGE 29St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Audience Engagement PAGE 58in the Age of Digital Media, with Brian NewhouseMartin Family Hall


Wednesday,July 22

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: A Conversation with the PAGE 58Pacifica QuartetMartin Family Hall

Thursday,July 23

7:30 p.m. Encounter II: Intuition, Intellect, and Insects: PAGE 10Felix and the Fireflies, with Bruce AdolpheMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)

12:00 p.m. Master class: PAGE 59Bruce Adolphe, composer and Encounter leaderStent Family Hall

Friday,July 24

8:00 p.m. Concert Program II: Genius Proclaimed PAGE 16Menlo Park Presbyterian Church(Tickets: $50/$40)

12:00 p.m. Master class: Joseph Swensen, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall

6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 50Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

Saturday,July 25

Open House

7:30 p.m. Encounter III: The Grand Tour, PAGE 11with R. Larry ToddMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)

8:30 a.m. Q&A CoffeeMenlo School PAGE 57

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: The Art of Theo Noll, with2009 Visual Artist Theo Noll Stent Family Hall

2:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 54Martin Family Hall

Sunday,July 26

10:00 a.m. Carte Blanche Concert I: PAGE 35The Romantic Cello SonataColin Carr, cello, and Thomas Sauer, pianoStent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)


Monday,July 27

8:00 p.m. Concert Program III: Midsummer Night Dreams PAGE 19Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Performing at the PAGE 58Presidential Inauguration, with Anthony McGillMartin Family Hall


Date Ticketed EventsFree Events

Music@Menlo CalendarJuly 17–August 8, 2009

Friday,July 17

7:30 p.m. Encounter I: Life of Discovery: A Portrait of PAGE 10Felix Mendelssohn, with Orli ShahamMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)

Saturday,July 18

8:00 p.m. Concert Program I: From Bach PAGE 12St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)


Sunday,July 19



Monday,July 20


12:00 p.m. Master class: Ian Swensen, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall


Tuesday,July 21

8:00 p.m. String Quartet Program I: The Early Quartets PAGE 29St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Audience Engagement PAGE 58in the Age of Digital Media, with Brian NewhouseMartin Family Hall


Wednesday,July 22

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: A Conversation with the PAGE 58Pacifica QuartetMartin Family Hall

Thursday,July 23

7:30 p.m. Encounter II: Intuition, Intellect, and Insects: PAGE 10Felix and the Fireflies, with Bruce AdolpheMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)

12:00 p.m. Master class: PAGE 59Bruce Adolphe, composer and Encounter leaderStent Family Hall

Friday,July 24

8:00 p.m. Concert Program II: Genius Proclaimed PAGE 16Menlo Park Presbyterian Church(Tickets: $50/$40)

12:00 p.m. Master class: Joseph Swensen, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall

6:00 p.m. Prelude Performance PAGE 50Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

Saturday,July 25

Open House

7:30 p.m. Encounter III: The Grand Tour, PAGE 11with R. Larry ToddMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)

8:30 a.m. Q&A CoffeeMenlo School PAGE 57

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: The Art of Theo Noll, with2009 Visual Artist Theo Noll Stent Family Hall


Sunday,July 26

10:00 a.m. Carte Blanche Concert I: PAGE 35The Romantic Cello SonataColin Carr, cello, and Thomas Sauer, pianoStent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)


Monday,July 27


12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Performing at the PAGE 58Presidential Inauguration, with Anthony McGillMartin Family Hall




Wednesday,July 29

8:00 p.m. Concert Program III: Midsummer Night Dreams PAGE 19St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)

12:00 p.m. Master class: Paul Watkins, cello PAGE 59Stent Family Hall


Thursday,July 30

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Odysseus, Prometheus, PAGE 58and Beethoven: The Mythological Sourcesof the Eroica Symphony and Other MusicalMasterworks of the Eighteenth and NineteenthCenturies, with Jeffrey KahaneMartin Family Hall

Friday,July 31

8:00 p.m. String Quartet Program II: PAGE 30The Opus 44 QuartetsSt. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: Poetry Reading Workshop, PAGE 58with Michael SteinbergMartin Family Hall

Saturday,August 1

8:00 p.m. Carte Blanche Concert II: PAGE 40The Brahms Sonatas for Violin and PianoJoseph Swensen, violin, and Jeffrey Kahane, pianoSt. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $65/$45)

12:00 p.m. Master class: Wu Han, piano PAGE 59Stent Family Hall

6:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 55St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Sunday,August 2

7:00 p.m. Carte Blanche Concert III: PAGE 43An Evening with Menahem PresslerMenahem Pressler, piano, with Wu Han, pianoSt. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $65/$45)

4:00 p.m. Koret Young Performers Concert PAGE 55St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Monday,August 3

8:00 p.m. Concert Program IV: Mendelssohn Perspectives PAGE 23Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)

12:00 p.m. Café Conversation: The Legacy of Isaac Stern, PAGE 58with Ara GuzelimianMartin Family Hall


Tuesday,August 4

8:00 p.m. Concert Program IV: Mendelssohn Perspectives PAGE 23Stent Family Hall (Tickets: $70)

12:00 p.m. Master class: Pacifica Quartet PAGE 59Stent Family Hall


Wednesday,August 5

8:00 p.m. Concert Program IV: Mendelssohn Perspectives PAGE 23St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)

12:00 p.m. Master class: Jorja Fleezanis, violin PAGE 59Stent Family Hall


Thursday,August 6

7:30 p.m. Encounter IV: Songs without Words: PAGE 11Mendelssohn’s Last Year,with Ara GuzelimianMartin Family Hall (Tickets: $40)

12:00 p.m. Master class: Menahem Pressler, piano PAGE 59Stent Family Hall

Friday,August 7

8:00 p.m. String Quartet Program III: PAGE 31The Final Quartets, opp. 80 and 81St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Tickets: $50/$35)


Saturday,August 8

8:00 p.m. Concert Program V: Promise Fulfilled PAGE 26Menlo Park Presbyterian Church(Tickets: $50/$40)



Tuesday,July 28


12:00 p.m. Master class: Jeffrey Kahane, piano PAGE 59Stent Family Hall



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CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL AND INSTITUTE

Download the 2009 Festival Program Book.

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