Night Music

Night Music. Brings to mind Bob Seger and his evident work regarding “night moves.” However, we at WWCMF are taking a different tack. Night means all sorts of things. For example, there are animals that only come out at night. Turns out, these animals make different sounds than those that inhabit daylight. Béla Bartók was a composer who was famously fascinated by night sounds. His Third String Quartet stands as a great example of music conceived with a nocturnal soundscape in mind.

But Bartók is modern, you say. Yes, ’tis true. However, the night occupied classicists, modernists and romantics alike. That’s why we are placing a little bit of each on this program. I don’t need to say anything about Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, do I? And what about poor Schubert? He worked on his “night moves,” too. Enter the Notturno in E Flat, D. 897, which stands as a late masterpiece by Schubert, as late as we can consider age 31 to be.

So, join us for a little bit of night music. We’ll throw in a little bit of Nachtmusik for free.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Notturno In E Flat, D. 897 (1827)

I. Adagio

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

String Quartet No. 3 (1927)

I. Prima parte: Moderato

II. Seconda parte: Allegro

III. Recapitulazione della prima parte: Moderato

IV. Coda: Allegro molto

INTERMISSION

Joaquín Turina (1882-1949)

Circulo, Op. 91 (1936) For Piano Trio

I. Amanecer

II. Mediodia

III. Crepúsculo

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Serenade In G, K. 525 (1787) Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

I. Allegro

II. Romanze: Andante

III. Menuetto: Allegretto

IV. Rondo: Allegro

Artists: Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Jingwen Tu, piano; and the Girsky String Quartet: Natasha Bazhanov, violin; Timothy Christie, viola; Artur Girsky, violin; and Rowena Hammill, cello.

Violist, Dr. Marcus Thompson is the Artistic Director of the Boston Chamber Music Society, Institute Professor at MIT and on the faculty of the New England Conservatory. He also has a role in the origin story of WWCMF. You’ll have to attend his Portrait of an Artist recital to find out the details and partake in an incredible evening of music for viola and piano.

We return to the gallery at Foundry Vineyards for this virtuoso recital featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Clarke, and Enescu.

Artists: Marcus Thompson, viola and Henry Kramer, piano.

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Mary and David Meeker. The Steinway grand piano has been provided by the Walla Walla Piano Group.

The Impromptus of Franz Schubert represent some of the most lyrical and intimate works in the solo piano repertoire. Numbering eight in all, the Impromptus mark an important moment in time between the prevailing absolute music of “The Sonata” (Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven), and the more personified music of the character piece (Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt and beyond).

Triumphs of large scale musical form like the Sonata in B flat, D. 960, the Cello Quintet in C, D. 956 and the “Great” C Major Symphony, D. 944 tend to dominate reflections on Schubert’s final year. The Impromptus, however, offer a different sort of prism— eight little gems set amid the crown of Schubert’s greatest achievements. The Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival is thrilled to return to Foundry Vineyards for this special performance, and to welcome back virtuoso pianist, Winston Choi.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

FOUR IMPROMPTUS, OP. 90 (D. 899)

No. 1 in C minor, Allegro molto moderato

No. 2 in E flat, Allegro

No. 3 in G flat, Andante

No. 4 in A flat, Allegretto

INTERMISSION

FOUR IMPROMPTUS, OP. 142 (D. 935)

No. 1 in F minor, Allegro moderato

No. 2 in A flat, Allegretto

No. 3 in B flat, Theme (Andante) with variations

No. 4 in F minor, Allegro scherzando

Artist: Winston Choi, piano

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of the Dos Rios Fund of the Blue Mountain Community Foundation. The Steinway grand piano has been generously provided by the Walla Walla Piano Group.

Ching-chu Hu (b. 1969)

SPHERES OF INFLUENCE (2013) FOR STRING SEXTET

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Commission

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)

MYTHES, TROIS POÈMES, OP. 30

I. La Fontaine d’Arethuse

II. Narcisse

III. Dryades et Pan

INTERMISSION

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

STRING QUINTET IN C MAJOR, D. 956

I. Allegro ma non troppo

II. Adagio

III. Scherzo. Presto. Trio. Andante sostenuto

IV. Allegretto - Più allegro

Artists: Heather Bentley, Viola; Winston Choi, piano; Timothy Christie, viola; Katri Ervamaa, cello; Andrew Jennings, violin; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; and MingHuan Xu, violin.

Tonight’s performance has been made possible by the generosity of Kenneth Goldsmith and Jo Anne Ritacca.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

STRING QUINTET IN C MAJOR, D. 956

I. Allegro ma non troppo

II. Adagio

III. Scherzo. Presto. Trio. Andante sostenuto

IV. Allegretto - Più allegro

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Katri Ervamaa, cello; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; and Stephen Miahky, violin.

Tonight’s program is made possible by the generosity of Iain and Stephanida Christie.

When Will Then Be Now?: The song Die Forelle (The Trout) by Franz Schubert is one of his most beloved. Its popularity is greatly enhanced by the Quintet in A Major for Piano and Strings, D. 667. The poem on which Schubert based his song was penned by the poet Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart. That’s right… Schubert setting Schubart. Confused? Good. Then it will come as no shock that the other works on this program were both composed by guys named Max, Reger and Bruch respectively. If only there were a composer named Max Schubort, we could have had a Max on the second half, too. Each composer, names aside, has a very interesting relationship to the notion of musical past, present and future. Schubert, generally under-appreciated in his own time, has come to be seen as one of the Greats. Max Bruch, whose tastes were considered conservative even in the mid-19th century, lived and composed until 1920, but clung tightly to the musical language of a less mechanized age. Reger on the other hand, who died in 1916, embraced a shifting and elusive tonality that was greatly admired by the likes of Arnold Schönberg. Though ever tonal, his music invited a changing of the guard. Regrettably, outside of his prolific output for the organ, Reger is not widely played in our time. So it’s time now!

Max Reger (1873-1916)

Serenade in G Major, Op. 141a (1915) for flute, violin, and viola

I. Vivace

II. Larghetto

III. Presto

Max Bruch (1838-1920)

Eight Pieces, Op. 83 for piano, clarinet and viola

II. Allegro con moto

V. Rumänische Melodie: Andante

VII. Allegro vivace, ma non troppo

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667, “Trout” (1819) for piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass

I. Allegro vivace

II. Andante

III. Scherzo: Presto

IV. Andantino — Allegretto

V. Allegro giusto

Artists: Sarah Brady, Timothy Christie, Julia Gish-Salerno, Norbert Lewandowski, Stephen Miahky, Christina McGann, Stephen Miahky, J. Patrick Rafferty, Maria Sampen, Steve Schermer, and Wei-Han Wu.

A chemist [Borodin] and a school teacher [Schubert] walk into a bar... There’s no punch line. Just great music.

Festival Series IV will bring the 2012 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival to a close in lyrical fashion. Do you think composer Alexander Borodin had any clue what a Tony Award was? I think it’s safe to say he didn’t. Yet his music played a key role in earning that honor for the 1953 musical Kismet. Skip the awards shows, and go straight to the source. This gorgeous quartet will make you want to steal its melodies and make a great deal of money off of them... It’s that good.

Closing out the 2012 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival is the only piece composed by Schubert that the composer heard performed publicly during his lifetime, the Piano Trio in E Flat, Op. 100. Incidentally, this work figured prominently in Stanley Kubrick’s film Barry Lyndon. It seems that popular culture looks to chamber music when it wants to get down to business... As it should!

Artists: Jennifer Caine, Timothy Christie, Oksana Ezhokina, Icicle Creek Piano Trio, Norbert Lewandowski, Christina McGann, Stephen Miahky, Philip Payton, Maria Sampen, and Sally Singer

A piece that Schubert finished.

Festival Series III walks softly, but carries a big stick. The program will open with the World Premiere of Sotto Voce for piano trio, by composer, Marilyn Shrude. In Italian, sotto voce means “under the voice.” The work inhabits a quiet place, but makes a profound impact. Sotto Voce was composed for WWCMF as part of a Guggenheim Fellowship awarded to Marilyn Shrude in 2011.

Opposite this brand new trio is the B Flat Piano Trio, Op. 99, by Franz Schubert. One of two undisputed masterpieces by Schubert in this medium, the B Flat Piano Trio is a subtle work when compared to its counterpart, the magnificent E Flat Piano Trio, Op. 100. It lives “under the voice,” and yet it speaks volumes. This will be a special night of chamber music.

Artists: Timothy Christie, Katri Ervamaa, Norbert Lewandowski, Christina McGann, Stephen Miahky, Philip Payton, Erik Rynearson, Maria Sampen, Cristina Valdes and Julie Woods

Music by Beethoven, Schubert, and Puccini

Don’t miss the final performance of the 2010 Festival! Featuring the music of Puccini and Schubert, plus the Beethoven Septet in E-flat for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, French Horn, Bassoon, and Clarinet. Quartetsatz: yet another “Unfinished” work by Schubert... What was his deal? Well, he died at 31, and his unfinished pieces tend to be better than most composers’ finished ones. So, you’re in for a treat!

And Puccini’s “Crisantemi”? Yes, Chamber Music goes to the Opera... In fact, Puccini felt so strongly about this youthful attempt at Chamber Music Verismo that melodies from this single movement quartet made it into his later opera, “Manon Lescaut.”

And Beethoven’s Op. 20... Beethoven was used to shaking things up. When the nobility were shocked and outraged by his politics and his nerve, the young Beethoven knew he was headed in the right direction. The Septet, however, was so popular in its day that Beethoven was worried that it was eroding his street cred. Happily for us, Beethoven the innovator is still audible in this delightful work. The 2010 Walla Walla Chamber Music closes amid the champagne sparkle of Beethoven’s lighter side.

Schiff: "New York Nocturnes"

Dohnanyi: Serenade in C Major Op.10

Schubert: Cello Quintet in C Major D. 956

Wine, like classical music, can be an intimidating and complex subject: structure, acidity, balance, tannin, and every fruit imaginable (besides grapes!) seems to assert itself in a glass of good wine.

In music, form, structure, harmony, development, motive, and counterpoint are some of the building blocks that remain a mystery for the well-intentioned listener. Tasting Music addresses both, providing sips and sounds that will enhance the experience of listening to classical music, all in an informal tasting room setting. Guests are invited to sample wines, enjoy a snack, and participate in a discussion/performance of chamber music by Festival musicians. Each Tasting Music event will explore one musical work from the Festival Series in an informal but informative hour-long format. Guests can ask questions and interact with the musicians in a relaxed and fun environment. To learn about wine, one must taste. To learn about music, one must listen. Multitasking never felt so good.

Tonight: Schubert Cello Quintet