Chamber Music by Candlelight
Chamber music performed by members of the BSO
Program
Violin Sonata in A Major
César Franck (1822 – 1890)
arr. Jules Delsart (1844 – 1900)
Allegretto ben moderato
Allegro
Recitative – Fantasia: Ben moderato
Allegretto poco mosso
Bo Li, cello; Lura Johnson, piano
Bagatelles, Op. 14/d
György Kurtág (b. 1926)
Furious Chorale
Hommage à J.S.B.
Like the flowers of the field (Dirge in memorian Ilona Ligeti)
Wild and Tame
Flowers we are, mere flowers
The Crazy Girl with the Flaxen Hair
Marcia Kämper, flute; Dariusz Skoraczewski, cello; Michael Sheppard, piano
String Quartet No.12 in E-flat Major, Op. 127
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Maestoso – Allegro
Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile – Andante con moto – Adagio molto espressivo
Scherzando vivace – Presto
Finale: Allegro
Qing Li, violin; Wyatt Underhill, violin; Chiara Dieguez, viola; Seth Low, cello
This concert will end at approximately 9:00pm.
Franck’s Violin Sonata is one of his best-known compositions. It was written in 1886 as a wedding present for violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. The piece is notable for the difficulty of its piano part; technical problems include frequent extreme extended figures – the composer himself having possessed very large hands – and virtuoso runs and leaps, particularly in the second movement. It exists in nine versions for other instruments, however the setting for cello and piano, created by Jules Delsart, was the only alternative version sanctioned by Franck.
Though brief, the Bagatelles, Op. 14/d capture a world of references. Dedicated to British flutist Michelle Lee, these pieces are transcriptions of Kurtág’s earlier pieces Játékok andHerdecker Eurythmie. In Bagatelles, Kurtág embraced these experimental jottings, both as an inspiration for young pianists and as a source of ideas for future works. Thus, they form a sort of diary of his musical thoughts.
String Quartet No. 12 is the first of Beethoven’s late quartets, and is in many ways the most accessible of all Beethoven’s late quartets. The first movement alternates leisurely between the Maestoso opening and a gentle Allegro in triple time. Tenderness and lyricism, which predominated in the first movement, continue with an unexpected foray into the world of dance in the second movement. The third movement, Scherzando vivace, is in a brisk 3/4 meter, which Beethoven interjects periodically with brief segments of 2/4 time. It is a reminder that startling contrast was still in his repertoire. In the Finale, Beethoven’s themes are straightforward and danceable. This is jovial music that reminds us of a rustic village band.
Composers
Franck
Beethoven
Kurtag
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