Mainstage Concert 2 – July 15, 2021
Mainstage Concert 2 – July 15, 2021
2:00PM & 7:30PM, Arkell Pavilion, SVAC
Franz Schubert (b. Austria | d. Austria; 1797 – 1828)
Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major, D. 898 (composed 1827 – 1828)
Towering a list of timeless chamber music classics, Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major, D. 898, has long endeared itself to performers and audiences alike. Its infectious charm is apparent from the outset with a joyous theme that recurs and transforms across a broad first movement. Of all musical idioms, Schubert is most revered for his nearly 700 art songs pairing German Romantic poetry with sublime melodies and imaginative textures; the second movement of this work draws upon a seemingly endless reserve of melodic genius to which Schubert had unfettered access. The movement proceeds as a “song without words” in which the violin and cello serve as the “singers” and the piano provides textures that contextualize the narrative, beginning and ending gently with a brief turn to agitation in the middle area. The third movement begins as a lighthearted scherzo that becomes lyrical in the middle section, all the while retaining a dance-like rhythmic pulse. Short and sweet, the third movement gives way to the finale: a rondo in which a folksy main motive returns numerous times, interspersed with contrasting episodes.
Sergei Rachmaninoff (b. Russia | d. United States; 1873 – 1943)
Prélude & Danse Orientale for Cello & Piano, Op. 2 (composed 1891 – 1892)
Composed during a happy phase in which he studied music during the academic year in Saint Petersburg and summered at his family’s idyllic countryside estate at Ivanovka, these short works are vintage early Rachmaninoff. The Prélude is lush and melodic, while the Danse Orientale follows a popular trend of the day by drawing upon melodies, harmonies, and rhythms attributed to the exotic “East.” Though the piano was Rachmaninoff’s instrumental mother tongue, throughout his career he felt a special affinity for the cello, as evidenced by the composition of not only these colorful works but also by his masterful Sonata for Cello & Piano, Op. 19.
Béla Bartòk (b. Hungary | d. United States; 1881 – 1945)
Romanian Folk Dances for Violin & Piano (composed 1915)
Bartòk cuts a unique figure in the history of Classical music as a pioneer in the field of ethnomusicology (the study of music’s role in its respective culture, particularly non-Western cultures). Along with his friend and musical colleague Zoltán Kodály, he dedicated a significant portion of time to capturing and transcribing phonograph recordings of the folk music of villages in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and elsewhere. Though he began his career at the tail end of the Romantic period, he became increasingly fascinated by the music of eastern Europe, and these influences eventually permeated every aspect of his compositional style, transforming him into one of the renowned modernists of the 20th century.
The Romanian Folk Dances for Violin & Piano are among his most beloved works, equally popular in its original version for solo piano. Concision was one of Bartòk’s many gifts, and as short as these pieces are, each dance perfectly encapsulates the distinctive Romanian folk rhythms and melodies that continue to entrance audiences to this day.
Paul Schoenfield (b. United States; b. 1947)
Café Music for Piano Trio (composed 1986)
Owing to its eclectic style and jazzy overtones, Café Music has earned an enthusiastic following among contemporary piano trios. Set in three movements, it jives with abandon in the first movement, sings theatrically in the lyrical second movement, and burns with fiery energy in the finale. According to Schoenfield himself, “The idea to compose Café Music first came to me in 1985 after sitting in one night for the pianist at Murray’s Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota…My intention was to write a kind of high-class dinner music – music which could be played at a restaurant, but might also (just barely) find its way into a concert hall. The work draws on many of the types of music played by the trio at Murray’s. For example, early 20th-century American, Viennese, light classical, gypsy, and Broadway styles are all represented. A paraphrase of a beautiful Hassidic melody is incorporated in the second movement.”