Mainstage Concert 4 – July 29, 2021
Mainstage Concert 4 – July 29, 2021
2:00PM & 7:30PM, Arkell Pavilion, SVAC
Georg Friedrich Händel (b. Germany | d. England; 1685 – 1759)
arr. Johan Halvorsen (b. Norway | d. Norway; 1864 – 1935)
Passacaglia in G minor for Violin & Cello (arranged 1893)
Based on the Passacaille movement from Händel’s G minor Suite for Solo Keyboard, HWV 432, this arrangement by Halvorsen substantially augmented the dramatic scope of the original work to match a late 19th-century aesthetic. A passacaglia is an antique form that uses a recurring bass line throughout while harmonic and motivic changes occur around it, exploiting the inherent unity while freeing the composer to explore variations in expanding degrees of complexity. In Halvorsen’s case, he deliberately pushed the violin and cello to channel a high degree of virtuosity, resulting in not only an innovative reminting of an older work, but also a dazzling feat of performative brilliance.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (b. Austria | d. Austria; 1756 – 1791)
Piano Trio in C Major, K. 548 (composed 1788)
Although 1788 was a particularly difficult year in the personal life of Mozart, he was at the zenith of his creative output, publishing such masterworks as his Symphonies Nos. 39 and 40. Within its conservative three-movement framework, this piano trio is nonetheless infused with admirable subtleties and bold harmonic and contrapuntal devices that reflect the ripening maturity of Mozart’s late compositional period. Adorned with concerto-like runs in the piano and rhetorical motives in the strings, the self-assured first movement remains undaunted by the occasional foray into stormy territories. The second movement draws upon Mozart’s love of opera, presenting each instrument as a “singing” protagonist amidst a backdrop of undulating accompaniments that bask in soothing tranquility. The charming third movement is lighthearted and graceful, with momentary lapses into seriousness easily disarmed by an overarching sense of fun and good humor.
Johannes Brahms (b. Germany | d. Austria; 1833 – 1897)
Scherzo in C minor from the FAE Sonata (composed 1853)
The so-called FAE Sonata is the result of a collaborative project for which three noteworthy composers each contributed to the composition of a whole work. The letters FAE signify the German phrase “Frei aber einsam,” or “Free but lonely,” adopted by renowned violinist Joseph Joachim as his personal motto. This project was cooked up by Robert Schumann, who commissioned his own pupil Albert Dietrich to compose the first movement and his young protégé Johannes Brahms to write the third movement scherzo. Schumann himself wrote the second and fourth movements, and the completed sonata bore the dedication: “F.A.E.: In expectation of the arrival of their revered and beloved friend, Joseph Joachim, this sonata was written by R.S., J.B., A.D.”
Robert Schumann (b. Germany | d. Germany; 1810 – 1856)
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 63 (composed 1847)
The “romantic” artist-persona represents a mercurial individual, a free-spirited wanderer governed primarily by emotion. Schumann embodies this persona both figuratively and literally: as a composer whose music radiated from furious bursts of unpremeditated creative activity; and as a tormented man whose mental sanity hung precariously in the balance for the majority of his adult life.
It comes, therefore, as no surprise that a work such as his Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 63, eschews many of the structural norms of its predecessors, swirling feverishly toward an emotional catharsis only fully realized at its end. Dramatic, large in scope, and yearning for resolution, the first movement charges ahead through bold gestures, countered by thoughtful episodes, ultimately concluding in a state of introspection. All pessimism is briskly cast aside by the scherzo movement that follows, with quick dotted rhythms and playful imitative gestures between piano and strings depicting unrestrained happiness. By contrast, the profound third movement casts a long shadow, wallowing in aimless despair with a few sweet moments of nostalgia along the way. The emergence of the optimistic fourth movement delivers an antidote to the pervasive melancholy of the third, and, despite some ominous detours, the movement drives to a joyous coda that washes away all hints of darkness.