The Concert - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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93. Finding A Voice May 01, 2010

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Webern: Two Early Pieces for Cello and Piano
Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34

Today’s podcast pairs two composers who seem rather different: Anton Webern and Johannes Brahms. Webern’s Two Early Pieces was written in 1899, when the composer was just 15 years old, and is believed to be his very first composition. But the pair of slow movements sound not at all like Webern’s sparsely orchestrated, mostly atonal later works. Brahms had a bit more experience under his belt when he wrote his Piano Quintet in F minor, but it’s still considered a relatively early work. Clara Schumann consulted with Brahms on the many drafts of this piece, which began its life first as a string quartet and then as a two-piano sonata. The result still preserves a sort of satisfying youthful impetuousness, with passionate themes and bold harmonic transitions, if not as much of the formal structure and counterpoint that would characterize Brahms’s later work.

92. At the Top of Their Game Apr 15, 2010

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Haydn: String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 71, No. 3
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2

The idea of the underappreciated composer has a strong foothold in popular lore. But, of course, that myth is far from universal. Today, we’ll hear string quartets written by two composers at the top of their game. Haydn’s opus 71 quartets were written with an eye towards Haydn’s upcoming appearances in London. Unlike some of his earlier quartets, this piece is designed for an 800-seat concert hall, not the parlor. The Mendelssohn quartet, his fourth, was an immediate hit. He was just 28 years old and was already leader of the acclaimed Gewandhaus orchestra, as well as a love-struck newlywed. Portions of this quartet are believed to have been written during his honeymoon.

91. Die Schöne Müllerin Apr 01, 2010

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Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795, Op. 25

Schubert’s song cycle Die schöne Müllerin is a supreme accomplishment: one of the very first song cycles written, and still one of the most respected. Our narrator begins as a wanderer, without destination, but when a brook leads him to the miller’s beautiful young daughter, he is immediately taken. Yearning gives way to infatuation, a brief and nearly wordless meeting, the joy of possession, and shortly thereafter suspicion, jealousy, and despair. His final dialogue with the flowing brook haunts the listener long after the last notes sound.

90. In the Salon Mar 15, 2010

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Ravel: Miroirs
Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45

We go inside the French salon to hear works by two great composers working about the turn of the last century: Ravel and Fauré. First up is a suite of bravura piano of which Chan performs three of the original five movements. The first, “Night Moths,” includes quiet, quick chromatic runs, and the second movement, “Sad Birds,” was apparently inspired by a blackbird’s song. The fourth movement of the suite, “Alborada del gracioso,” is a Spanish-tinged comic serenade. From this highly evocative, programmatic set, we move on to Fauré’s more abstract Piano Quartet. Probably best known for his art songs, Fauré was an expert melodist, which you can hear in the work’s long, soaring lines. And, as in most of his songs, each movement begins with a bit of a piano introduction, setting the scene for the string instruments’ melody.

89. What's in a Name Mar 01, 2010

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Reinecke: Flute Sonata in E Major, Op. 167 (“Undine”)
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in D Major, Op. 28 (“Pastoral”)

Both of the sonatas on today’s podcast have descriptive titles but opinions vary as to the significance of these titles. It’s unknown whether or not Reinecke meant his flute sonata to be explicitly programmatic, but it’s interesting to know the namesake. The tale of Undine is similar to “The Little Mermaid,” but a bit more sinister. After longing for a life beyond her underwater kingdom, Undine marries her prince, but when she disappears and he marries another woman, she returns to kill him—with a kiss. Beethoven’s publisher, Cranz, supplied the nickname for his sonata opus 28, presumably to make the work more memorable and attractive to potential customers. One cannot help but look for reasons for his choice, though. The lilting downward scale and bass pedal in the first movement’s opening seem vaguely rustic, and the final movement has a bit of a barn dance quality.

88. Five's A Crowd Feb 15, 2010

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Nielsen: Wind Quintet in A Major, Op. 43
Beethoven: Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 16

Where the string quartet provides a sort of infinite palate with minimal resources—just three instruments, differing chiefly in register—the woodwind quintet offers a much more varied cast of characters: the chipper flute, the dour bassoon, the plaintive oboe, the regal horn, and the smooth clarinet. Carl Nielsen was very familiar with the personalities of not just the instruments in his woodwind quintet, but also the players behind them; the group he originally wrote the piece for was made up of friends. Written in 1922, Nielsen’s work strikes a conversational tone, balancing duets and solos from each of the instruments with more cohesive ensemble sections. Beethoven gained inspiration from a quintet, too—in his case, not an ensemble but a composition by Mozart. Mozart’s 1784 Quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn & bassoon in E flat major came some13 years before Beethoven’s, but the young Beethoven’s work is a clear tribute; his piece shares with the Mozart its instrumentation, structure, and even key.

87. Debussy's Chamber Music Feb 01, 2010

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Debussy: Premiere Rhapsodie
Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Compared to classical-era composers like Haydn and Mozart, Debussy’s chamber music output was rather small: not counting solo piano or vocal works, he wrote only about a dozen chamber music pieces. His string quartet is nonetheless considered among his top compositions, and one of the important impressionist era chamber pieces. The music is classic Debussy in its search for unique colors and sonorities. Before the quartet, we’ll hear one of Debussy’s shorter chamber works. The rhapsody is the more substantial of two works he composed for clarinet in 1910, written for the conservatory as a tool for evaluating their clarinet students. The previous year, Debussy had apparently been taken with the quality of the woodwind players.

86. Three's Company Jan 15, 2010

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Beethoven: String Trio in G Major, Op. 9, No. 1
Ives: Piano Trio

Today we focus on significant trios, from the old and new worlds. A relatively early trio, Beethoven’s String Trio in G Major, may have been an experiment with some of the ideas he would later bring to the symphonic realm. Beethoven plays with form in the movements, surprising listeners with stop-and-start repeats in the scherzo and vividly contrasting themes in the final movement. Charles Ives’ Piano Trio, completed in 1911, went unperformed for years, finally unearthed in 1948 by a music faculty trio in Ohio. In typical Ives fashion, snippets of a number of folk and popular songs interject, particularly in the scherzo. Listen for, among others, "My Old Kentucky Home," "Sailor's Hornpipe," "and "Long, Long Ago.”

85. Music at Home, Pre-iPod Jan 01, 2010

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Haydn: Folk Songs for voice with violin, cello, and piano
Haydn: String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 64, No. 6

It’s easy to forget that chamber music is so called because it was written for performance in one’s own chamber, not the concert hall. The advent of recording and the internet has made it possible for you to listen to this live performance in your car, on the treadmill, or in your living room. In Haydn’s day, though, all music was live. Gathering a few friends to play together in your home was one of the most common ways to experience music. First we’ll hear three folk songs arranged by Haydn for a chamber ensemble of violin, cello, piano, and voice, the sort of instrumentation one could easily imagine gathering together among friends. Then, we’ll hear Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat Major. Written later in Haydn’s career, these quartets were likely composed for one of the violinists in Haydn’s court orchestra, but they were also intended for public performance in London. Thus they draw on the genre’s history as at-home entertainment but also anticipate chamber music’s future as a concert form.

84. Mozart for Four Dec 15, 2009

Show notes

Mozart: String Quartet in F Major, K. 590
Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478

Written in 1790, Mozart’s String Quartet in F Major was Mozart’s final string quartet, part of an incomplete set written for the King of Prussia, an enthusiastic cellist. The quartets were written to show off the King’s cello-playing prowess, and this one is a charming work, sprightly and full of delightful contrasts. Next is Mozart’s first piano quartet, in G minor, which was commissioned as part of a set by the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister. Once Hoffmeister saw this first piano quartet, however, he cancelled the remaining commissions, realizing that the music was far beyond the abilities of most amateur musicians, for whom the publication was intended. At the time, Mozart was giving regular performances of his own piano concertos, and the quartet seems almost like a mini-concerto at times, with virtuosic piano writing. The sections in which all four players are on more equal footing, with intricate contrapuntal writing, were equally daunting to amateur players. Though the work may not have been a commercial success, it has become a well-loved gem in the somewhat limited piano quartet literature.

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