April
2012 SBCMS Concert
Program Notes for
Musicus
(Adapted from the credited sources)
Sonata a Quattro No.2 in A Major;
Gioachino Rossini (1792 – 1868)
The six sonata a quattro for two violins, cello and
double bass were composed by Rossini for the landowner and merchant Agostino
Triossi, in the summer of 1804, when Rossini was 12 years old. The unusual
composition of the score — with no violas — was not a deliberate choice by
Rossini but was rather determined by the absence of viola players among his
friends, who were the intended interpreters of the works. The six sonatas
display a remarkable mastery of form and tonal contrasts for such a young
composer. They also show an instinctive feel for rhythm, where good humor is
accompanied by a rich lyricism. Moreover, they reveal his rising opera buffa
style, of which he would make such perfect use in the operatic masterpieces
that followed.
Later, he wrote of the sonatas: “They were all
composed and copied in three days and performed in a doggish manner” by
Rossini and his friends. Despite the apparent denigration this statement may
contain, the numerous corrections and new versions he would publish over the
years proved the importance Rossini would lend to his first works. It comes as
no surprise that he criticized the first performance of these sonatas,
considering their great technical difficulties. The virtuoso passages are
played in turn by the first and second violins in a dueling fashion; we can
assume that Rossini, playing second violin, went along with this game out of
pure bravado.
Duo for Violin and Cello, Op.7;
Zoltán Kodály (1882 – 1967)
Despite their close personal and professional
relationship, Kodaly’s compositional style contrasts sharply with that of
Bartok, his fellow Hungarian composer and colleague. Where Bartok made
extensive use of dissonances and propulsive rhythms and worked largely with
instrumental music, Kodaly was a vocal oriented composer. Melody and lyricism
were of prime importance to him. Indeed, the bulk of Kodaly’s works are for
chorus. Despite the difference in their musical styles, the foundation of
their work in both cases is folk music.
The Duo for Violin and Cello is one of Kodaly’s
chamber music compositions written during the First World War, which had
temporarily put a halt to his folk music collecting field trips through
Central Europe. The cello, an instrument on which he himself played, features
prominently in his comparatively small output of chamber music. His chamber
music works of this period also share stylistic traits; namely, melodic
construction featuring the phrasing and inflections of Magyar folk music, slow
sections featuring rubato melody types (these are melodies that are phrased
and inflected more like speech than song), as well as fast "ostinato"
rhythmic figures derived from folk dances.
String Quintet (Bass) No. 2 in G
major, Op. 77, B. 49, Op. 120, No. 1; Anton Dvořák (1841 – 1904 )
The String Quintet in G major, Op. 77 was written
much earlier in his career than its opus number would suggest. It is written
in 1875, when Dvořák was 32 years old, originally numbered Op. 18. It
lay, unknown, for over a decade, until Dvořák returned to some of his
earlier unpublished work to polish and print in order to keep up with the
demands of his well established fame. Though it is an early chamber work, it
is unmistakably Dvorak.
Dvořák played the viola, putting
him right in the very middle of the chamber ensemble texture. Most string
quintets feature either an additional viola or cello. But in this case, Dvořák
chose the double bass, selecting an infrequent guest in the chamber ensemble
but thereby matching the full palette of the symphony orchestra. The breadth
and range of sound is notable in this lush quintet in at least three ways: the
surprisingly deep baselines, the liberation of the cello, and the sheer
fullness of sound. With Dvořák’s skill, what borders on the edge of a
chamber orchestra maintains a rich chamber texture throughout.
The first movement is an energetic (con
fuoco or with fire) sonata with crystal clear themes and a powerful
development. The second movement comes closest to Dvořák’s later style
characterized by lively folk dance and his ability to expand the scherzo form
with cogent variety. The third movement slows into a lyrical song, tinged with
a blend of melancholy and nobility that earned Dvořák comparisons with
Schubert. The finale restores the drive and drama of the earlier movements
with yet more winning melodies, the fullest textures and the most prominent
parts for the mighty groundswell of the bass.
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April 6, 2012
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