Jerusalem QuartetFebruary 19, 2015

JerusalemQuartet

Haydn Quartet No. 59 in G Minor, Op. 74, No. 3

Allegro Largo assai Menuetto: Allegretto Finale: Allegro con brio

Bartók String Quartet No.4, Sz.91

AllegroPrestissimo, con sordinoNon troppo lentoAllegretto pizzicatoAllegro molto

Intermission

Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810

AllegroTheme and Variations: Andante con motoScherzo: Allegro moltoPresto206-543-4880

uwworldseries.org

International Chamber Music Series

February 19, 2015

Special thanks

to our media partner

Thanks the following donors for their

support of this evening’s program

Nancy D. Alvord

Warren and Anne Anderson

Katharyn Alvord Gerlich

Lynn and Brian Grant Family

Dr. Martin L. Greene

Cecilia Paul and Harry Reinert

Mina B. Person

Eric and Margaret Rothchild

Dave and Marcie Stone

Lee and Judy Talner

Alexander Pavlovsky, violinSergei Bresler, violin

Ori Kam, violaKyril Zlotnikov, cello

Support for this event comes from

About the Program

Quartet No. 59 in G Minor,Op. 74, No. 3 ("Rider") Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

During the 1790s Haydn famously made two major voyages to London which resulted in his final 12 symphonies, composed for impresario Johann Peter Salomon. Known collectively as both the “London” and “Salomon” symphonies these wonderfully varied works reveal Haydn at his masterly best. In 1793, sandwiched between his two seagoing journeys, he composed his Op. 74 string quartets dedicated to Count Anton Apponyi, a Hungarian noble who hobnobbed with Baron van Swieten. The latter aristo, a passionate advocate of Baroque music, held a high rank within the court of the Emperor in Vienna. His loan of scores by Handel and Bach to Mozart and Beethoven greatly enhanced Mozart’s and Beethoven’s knowledge of music by their forebears. Haydn, of course was born 18 years before Bach died and 27 before Handel’s death. He was weaned on Baroque polyphony and invested his symphonies and chamber music with lessons learned in his youth.

The three Op. 74 works were aimed at professional ensembles for public performance; most of his earlier quartets were designed for the delectation of amateur musicians. The final quartet in the set, in G minor, carries the nickname “Rider” because of the “galloping” rhythmic figures of first and last movements. Cognizant of the challenge and opportunity to write

a quartet for an audience of some 800 attendees, Haydn lavished his great skill in producing works that boast a nearly orchestral sound and revel in bold dramatic contrasts.

Through a rising minor-key triad a brief introductory theme assumes the nature of a stark and assertive gesture that some commentators have likened to a neighing horse. After a moment of silence the instruments toss the theme fragments to and fro creating colorful and texture-shifting sonorities. Subsequent variants alternate between minor and major, and range in dynamics from Beethovenian sforzando jabs to well-behaved courtliness. A secondary theme group suggests rustic dance music, providing yet more contrast. Although most of the movement hovers in or around the minor Haydn closes in G major.

The tender Largo assai starts serenely in the remote key of E major (four sharps vs the home key’s two flats). What has begun in noble repose soon intensifies to heartfelt pathos. A central section in E minor, urged onward by gentle prodding from the cello, introduces subtle dissonances that add mystery and further depth. Eventually Haydn returns to the opening paragraph but with an overlay of expressive embroidery from the first violin and tremolos from the ensemble, re-introducing the mystery posited earlier in the movement.

A descending theme harmonized with horn fifths sets the Menuetto: Allegretto in motion. Mildly dissonant adjacent notes high in the violin float over

scurrying scales in the lower register. A chromatic theme fills the central Trio before the reprise of the “A” section of the Menuetto.

The finale—syncopated and energized by another “galloping” theme—hurtles onward with great élan. The appeal of this vivacious movement undoubtedly explains the popularity of the “Rider” quartet. Here, as earlier in the quartet, Haydn counterpoises stratospheric theme fragments against busy activity far below in the ensemble. Sudden brief pauses, unexpected dynamic outbursts and the profusion of syncopated phrases conspire to make Allegro con brio stick in one’s appreciative memory.

Quartet for Strings No. 4,Sz. 91 (1928)Béla Bartók (1881–1945)

The venerable string quartet figured prominently throughout Béla Bartók’s compositional life. Even before writing the first of his six published quartets in 1908 he had prepared himself well, composing three student works in that format (the first two of which are lost). No surprise, then, that by the time of the arrival of the “official” No. 1 he had become fluent in writing for that specific foursome.

The winter of 1927–28 found Bartók touring the United States, his first visit to what would eventually become his final home after the Nazis gained control in Hungary. A fine pianist, Bartók enjoyed a successful run in America. During the tour he entered his third string quartet in a

A-18 UW WORLD SERIES

JerusalemQuartet

Haydn Quartet No. 59 in G Minor, Op. 74, No. 3

Allegro Largo assai Menuetto: Allegretto Finale: Allegro con brio

Bartók String Quartet No.4, Sz.91

AllegroPrestissimo, con sordinoNon troppo lentoAllegretto pizzicatoAllegro molto

Intermission

Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810

AllegroTheme and Variations: Andante con motoScherzo: Allegro moltoPresto206-543-4880

uwworldseries.org

International Chamber Music Series

February 19, 2015

Special thanks

to our media partner

Thanks the following donors for their

support of this evening’s program

Nancy D. Alvord

Warren and Anne Anderson

Katharyn Alvord Gerlich

Lynn and Brian Grant Family

Dr. Martin L. Greene

Cecilia Paul and Harry Reinert

Mina B. Person

Eric and Margaret Rothchild

Dave and Marcie Stone

Lee and Judy Talner

Alexander Pavlovsky, violinSergei Bresler, violin

Ori Kam, violaKyril Zlotnikov, cello

Support for this event comes from

About the Program

Quartet No. 59 in G Minor,Op. 74, No. 3 ("Rider") Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

During the 1790s Haydn famously made two major voyages to London which resulted in his final 12 symphonies, composed for impresario Johann Peter Salomon. Known collectively as both the “London” and “Salomon” symphonies these wonderfully varied works reveal Haydn at his masterly best. In 1793, sandwiched between his two seagoing journeys, he composed his Op. 74 string quartets dedicated to Count Anton Apponyi, a Hungarian noble who hobnobbed with Baron van Swieten. The latter aristo, a passionate advocate of Baroque music, held a high rank within the court of the Emperor in Vienna. His loan of scores by Handel and Bach to Mozart and Beethoven greatly enhanced Mozart’s and Beethoven’s knowledge of music by their forebears. Haydn, of course was born 18 years before Bach died and 27 before Handel’s death. He was weaned on Baroque polyphony and invested his symphonies and chamber music with lessons learned in his youth.

The three Op. 74 works were aimed at professional ensembles for public performance; most of his earlier quartets were designed for the delectation of amateur musicians. The final quartet in the set, in G minor, carries the nickname “Rider” because of the “galloping” rhythmic figures of first and last movements. Cognizant of the challenge and opportunity to write

a quartet for an audience of some 800 attendees, Haydn lavished his great skill in producing works that boast a nearly orchestral sound and revel in bold dramatic contrasts.

Through a rising minor-key triad a brief introductory theme assumes the nature of a stark and assertive gesture that some commentators have likened to a neighing horse. After a moment of silence the instruments toss the theme fragments to and fro creating colorful and texture-shifting sonorities. Subsequent variants alternate between minor and major, and range in dynamics from Beethovenian sforzando jabs to well-behaved courtliness. A secondary theme group suggests rustic dance music, providing yet more contrast. Although most of the movement hovers in or around the minor Haydn closes in G major.

The tender Largo assai starts serenely in the remote key of E major (four sharps vs the home key’s two flats). What has begun in noble repose soon intensifies to heartfelt pathos. A central section in E minor, urged onward by gentle prodding from the cello, introduces subtle dissonances that add mystery and further depth. Eventually Haydn returns to the opening paragraph but with an overlay of expressive embroidery from the first violin and tremolos from the ensemble, re-introducing the mystery posited earlier in the movement.

A descending theme harmonized with horn fifths sets the Menuetto: Allegretto in motion. Mildly dissonant adjacent notes high in the violin float over

scurrying scales in the lower register. A chromatic theme fills the central Trio before the reprise of the “A” section of the Menuetto.

The finale—syncopated and energized by another “galloping” theme—hurtles onward with great élan. The appeal of this vivacious movement undoubtedly explains the popularity of the “Rider” quartet. Here, as earlier in the quartet, Haydn counterpoises stratospheric theme fragments against busy activity far below in the ensemble. Sudden brief pauses, unexpected dynamic outbursts and the profusion of syncopated phrases conspire to make Allegro con brio stick in one’s appreciative memory.

Quartet for Strings No. 4,Sz. 91 (1928)Béla Bartók (1881–1945)

The venerable string quartet figured prominently throughout Béla Bartók’s compositional life. Even before writing the first of his six published quartets in 1908 he had prepared himself well, composing three student works in that format (the first two of which are lost). No surprise, then, that by the time of the arrival of the “official” No. 1 he had become fluent in writing for that specific foursome.

The winter of 1927–28 found Bartók touring the United States, his first visit to what would eventually become his final home after the Nazis gained control in Hungary. A fine pianist, Bartók enjoyed a successful run in America. During the tour he entered his third string quartet in a

encoreartsseattle.com A-19

competition under the aegis of the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, winning first prize jointly with Italian composer Alfredo Casella. Encouraged by the welcome reception of his entry Bartók quickly put pen to paper and began working on his String Quartet No. 4, completing in in the summer of 1928.

As with a number of later works, e.g., the fifth string quartet and Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Bartók employed an “arch” structure to the fourth quartet. Simply put, the first and last (fifth) movements are thematically related, as are the second and fourth movements, while the middle (third) movement essentially stands alone. The composer noted that the central movement was the “kernel of the work” around which the surrounding movements are arranged.

The opening Allegro begins vehemently and throughout its pages demands a high level of virtuosity of the performers. Several of Bartók’s trademarks are heard: sul ponticello (playing close to the bridge, thereby producing a rasping edgy tone), fiercely plucked pizzicatos that force the string to strike the fingerboard, and eerie glissandos. Harmonically bold and dissonant, the music reveals rhythmic gestures from Hungarian folk music as well as whole-tone scales, which had been used by composers since Debussy.

Moving quickly and far more quietly than the opening Allegro, the ensuing Prestissimo, con sordino is essentially a scherzo performed with mutes in

place (i.e., con sordino). Here too are traces of the sonoric devices found in the opening movement. Kaleidoscopic segments of lightning-quick scales, trills and vibrato add further color and contrast.

Marked Non troppo lento, the central movement brings the listener into a world of mysterious sotto voce musings and tension-enhancing silences that are often and justly referred to as Bartók’s “night music” style. In contrast to the opening movements’ chromatic and dissonant harmony, here one finds the composer adopting an essentially diatonic harmonic system, enhanced by a pentatonic scale and lots of energetic pizzicatos.

The Allegretto pizzicato fourth movement, as mentioned, connects thematically to the second movement; it is fast and furious, its abundant energy raised by constant pizzicato playing.

Also as mentioned above, the concluding Allegro molto mirrors the opening movement, including adoption of its second theme. Strongly accented quarter notes add a distinctive percussive quality. Well-versed in historical structures Bartók resurrects the world of such Baroque-era masters as Bach in “playing” with thematic material through inversion (playing a theme upside/down) and retrograde motion (in which a theme is played backwards.

String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, (“Death and the Maiden”), D.810 Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

From early childhood Franz Schubert’s life drew sustenance from the interpersonal musical relationships built on performing chamber music with his family. During his all-too-brief life he composed 15 string quartets of which No. 14, Death and the Maiden has resonated most keenly in music-lovers’ collective heart and soul.

Schubert began tentative work on the Quartet in 1824, waiting two years before completing it. Its title, Death and the Maiden, derives from the variation theme of the second movement, taken from a song the composer had written in 1817 to a text by Matthias Claudius. In the poem/song, a young maiden begs Death to spare her, only to hear the following words coming from the spectral figure: “I do no harm. Come, sleep peacefully in my arms.” Though Schubert most likely composed the Quartet in response to a request from a group of his friends to utilize the above-mentioned song, the depth and power of the music undoubtedly grew out of a grave medical crisis with profound emotional consequences. By 1822, he had contracted syphilis, exacerbated by the presumed “cure” of the day—mercury—which brought him face-to-face with mortality and colored much of the music he wrote for the next six years accorded him. (A small wind ensemble played the variations movement at the composer’s funeral.)

A dramatic and often grave demeanor prevails throughout the Quartet. Except for the Scherzo’s Trio, it is cast in emotionally troublesome D minor, a key long associated with dark, tempestuous drama as in the massive and fearsome first movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as well as Mozart’s turbulent Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466.

The opening Allegro begins stormily with a series of fiercely inflected chords; an atmosphere of nearly continuous turbulence propels the music forward with unflagging energy. A secondary theme, ordinarily conceived to provide contrast to the opening idea, is less aggressive but is still filled with anxiety. Indeed, an undercurrent of unease permeates the entire movement.

The somber variation movement follows. Its song-derived theme’s slow and nearly static pace provides a striking contrast to the feverish motion of what has preceded it. Additionally, the intentionally limited range of the song’s melody—really more of a rhythmic figure historically associated with death—allowed Schubert to more fully explore the emotions that underlay this simple theme. Despite a powerful climax attained in the fifth, final variation, the prevailing mood is grieving.

Syncopation and displaced accents impart to the Scherzo an unsettling fervor that recalls the first movement. The threatening dynamism of the Scherzo proper (the opening and

closing sections) is briefly leavened by the unexpectedly tranquil Trio.

Emotional relief does not come in the Finale. As an early Romantic, Schubert rejected the semi-obligatory “happy ending” that would have lifted the spirits had it been conceived in the spirit of late 18th century Classicism. Instead, the music becomes even stormier, its galloping rhythms as menacing as the piano accompaniment to his first published (though by no means first written) song, Der Erlkönig (“The Erl-king”).

© 2015 Steven Lowe

About the Jerusalem Quartet

With their 1996 debut, these Israeli musicians embarked on a journey of growth and maturation that has resulted in a wide repertoire and a stunning depth of expression: a journey still motivated by the energy and curiosity with which the ensemble began. The Jerusalem Quartet carries on the string quartet tradition in a unique manner. The ensemble has found its inner center in a warm, full, human sound and the balance between high and low voices, giving it the freedom both to refine its interpretations of the classical repertoire and to explore the works of new genres and epochs—all the while striving for perfection of sound. Collaborations with exceptional musicians such as Martin Fröst, Steven Isserlis, Sharon Kam, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Alexander Melnikov and András Schiff demonstrate clearly the ways in which the musicians

benefit from their work, as each guest becomes an integral part of the indivisible ensemble.

The Jerusalem Quartet is a regular and beloved guest on the world's great concert stages. The ensemble has been especially well-received in North America, where it has performed in cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Washington. In Europe, as well, the quartet enjoys an enthusiastic reception, having appeared in prominent concert halls such as the Zürich Tonhalle, the Munich Herkulessaal, Wigmore Hall in London, and the Parisian Salle Pleyel, as well as special guest performances at the Auditorium du Louvre Paris, the Laeiszhalle Hamburg and festivals like Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Verbier Festival, Rheingau Musikfestival and many more.

The Jerusalem Quartet has an exclusive recording contract with Harmonia Mundi. Recordings of Haydn's string quartets and Schubert's “Death and the Maiden” have been honored with numerous awards such as the Diapason d'or, the BBC Music Magazine Award for chamber music, and the ECHO Klassik.

A-20 UW WORLD SERIES

competition under the aegis of the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, winning first prize jointly with Italian composer Alfredo Casella. Encouraged by the welcome reception of his entry Bartók quickly put pen to paper and began working on his String Quartet No. 4, completing in in the summer of 1928.

As with a number of later works, e.g., the fifth string quartet and Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Bartók employed an “arch” structure to the fourth quartet. Simply put, the first and last (fifth) movements are thematically related, as are the second and fourth movements, while the middle (third) movement essentially stands alone. The composer noted that the central movement was the “kernel of the work” around which the surrounding movements are arranged.

The opening Allegro begins vehemently and throughout its pages demands a high level of virtuosity of the performers. Several of Bartók’s trademarks are heard: sul ponticello (playing close to the bridge, thereby producing a rasping edgy tone), fiercely plucked pizzicatos that force the string to strike the fingerboard, and eerie glissandos. Harmonically bold and dissonant, the music reveals rhythmic gestures from Hungarian folk music as well as whole-tone scales, which had been used by composers since Debussy.

Moving quickly and far more quietly than the opening Allegro, the ensuing Prestissimo, con sordino is essentially a scherzo performed with mutes in

place (i.e., con sordino). Here too are traces of the sonoric devices found in the opening movement. Kaleidoscopic segments of lightning-quick scales, trills and vibrato add further color and contrast.

Marked Non troppo lento, the central movement brings the listener into a world of mysterious sotto voce musings and tension-enhancing silences that are often and justly referred to as Bartók’s “night music” style. In contrast to the opening movements’ chromatic and dissonant harmony, here one finds the composer adopting an essentially diatonic harmonic system, enhanced by a pentatonic scale and lots of energetic pizzicatos.

The Allegretto pizzicato fourth movement, as mentioned, connects thematically to the second movement; it is fast and furious, its abundant energy raised by constant pizzicato playing.

Also as mentioned above, the concluding Allegro molto mirrors the opening movement, including adoption of its second theme. Strongly accented quarter notes add a distinctive percussive quality. Well-versed in historical structures Bartók resurrects the world of such Baroque-era masters as Bach in “playing” with thematic material through inversion (playing a theme upside/down) and retrograde motion (in which a theme is played backwards.

String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, (“Death and the Maiden”), D.810 Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

From early childhood Franz Schubert’s life drew sustenance from the interpersonal musical relationships built on performing chamber music with his family. During his all-too-brief life he composed 15 string quartets of which No. 14, Death and the Maiden has resonated most keenly in music-lovers’ collective heart and soul.

Schubert began tentative work on the Quartet in 1824, waiting two years before completing it. Its title, Death and the Maiden, derives from the variation theme of the second movement, taken from a song the composer had written in 1817 to a text by Matthias Claudius. In the poem/song, a young maiden begs Death to spare her, only to hear the following words coming from the spectral figure: “I do no harm. Come, sleep peacefully in my arms.” Though Schubert most likely composed the Quartet in response to a request from a group of his friends to utilize the above-mentioned song, the depth and power of the music undoubtedly grew out of a grave medical crisis with profound emotional consequences. By 1822, he had contracted syphilis, exacerbated by the presumed “cure” of the day—mercury—which brought him face-to-face with mortality and colored much of the music he wrote for the next six years accorded him. (A small wind ensemble played the variations movement at the composer’s funeral.)

A dramatic and often grave demeanor prevails throughout the Quartet. Except for the Scherzo’s Trio, it is cast in emotionally troublesome D minor, a key long associated with dark, tempestuous drama as in the massive and fearsome first movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as well as Mozart’s turbulent Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466.

The opening Allegro begins stormily with a series of fiercely inflected chords; an atmosphere of nearly continuous turbulence propels the music forward with unflagging energy. A secondary theme, ordinarily conceived to provide contrast to the opening idea, is less aggressive but is still filled with anxiety. Indeed, an undercurrent of unease permeates the entire movement.

The somber variation movement follows. Its song-derived theme’s slow and nearly static pace provides a striking contrast to the feverish motion of what has preceded it. Additionally, the intentionally limited range of the song’s melody—really more of a rhythmic figure historically associated with death—allowed Schubert to more fully explore the emotions that underlay this simple theme. Despite a powerful climax attained in the fifth, final variation, the prevailing mood is grieving.

Syncopation and displaced accents impart to the Scherzo an unsettling fervor that recalls the first movement. The threatening dynamism of the Scherzo proper (the opening and

closing sections) is briefly leavened by the unexpectedly tranquil Trio.

Emotional relief does not come in the Finale. As an early Romantic, Schubert rejected the semi-obligatory “happy ending” that would have lifted the spirits had it been conceived in the spirit of late 18th century Classicism. Instead, the music becomes even stormier, its galloping rhythms as menacing as the piano accompaniment to his first published (though by no means first written) song, Der Erlkönig (“The Erl-king”).

© 2015 Steven Lowe

About the Jerusalem Quartet

With their 1996 debut, these Israeli musicians embarked on a journey of growth and maturation that has resulted in a wide repertoire and a stunning depth of expression: a journey still motivated by the energy and curiosity with which the ensemble began. The Jerusalem Quartet carries on the string quartet tradition in a unique manner. The ensemble has found its inner center in a warm, full, human sound and the balance between high and low voices, giving it the freedom both to refine its interpretations of the classical repertoire and to explore the works of new genres and epochs—all the while striving for perfection of sound. Collaborations with exceptional musicians such as Martin Fröst, Steven Isserlis, Sharon Kam, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Alexander Melnikov and András Schiff demonstrate clearly the ways in which the musicians

benefit from their work, as each guest becomes an integral part of the indivisible ensemble.

The Jerusalem Quartet is a regular and beloved guest on the world's great concert stages. The ensemble has been especially well-received in North America, where it has performed in cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Washington. In Europe, as well, the quartet enjoys an enthusiastic reception, having appeared in prominent concert halls such as the Zürich Tonhalle, the Munich Herkulessaal, Wigmore Hall in London, and the Parisian Salle Pleyel, as well as special guest performances at the Auditorium du Louvre Paris, the Laeiszhalle Hamburg and festivals like Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Verbier Festival, Rheingau Musikfestival and many more.

The Jerusalem Quartet has an exclusive recording contract with Harmonia Mundi. Recordings of Haydn's string quartets and Schubert's “Death and the Maiden” have been honored with numerous awards such as the Diapason d'or, the BBC Music Magazine Award for chamber music, and the ECHO Klassik.

encoreartsseattle.com A-21