Sunday, January 30, 2005 7:00 p.m.
Ives Quartet
Featuring Robert Ward, french horn
The Ives Quartet
Robin Sharp, violin
Susan Freier, violin
Scott Woolweaver, viola
Stephen Harrison, cello
Program
Ludwig van Beethoven
Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4
Allegro ma non tanto
Scherzo (Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto)
Menuetto (Allegretto)
Allegro-Prestissimo
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Quintet in E-flat Major for Horn and Strings, K. 407
Allegro
Andante
Rondo (Allegro)
INTERMISSION
Alexander Borodin
Quartet No. 1 in A Major (On a theme of Beethoven)
Moderato-Allegro
Andante con moto
Scherzo: Prestissimo
Andante-Allegro risoluto
Program Notes
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4
(1801)
Beethoven worked painstakingly for two years to produce his first string quartets, Op. 18, published in 1801 in the fashion of the time as a set of six. Pre-dating them are the complete string quartets of both Haydn and Mozart, Haydn having written his last two complete quartets in the same years, finishing in 1799. Just as later composers were daunted by the supreme achievements of Beethoven before them, so Beethoven was acutely aware of the rich legacy of quartet literature already preceding him.
The last to be written, the C minor quartet is unique among the six of Op. 18. First, it is the only quartet for which no previous sketches have been found. This has led scholars to conjecture that the quartet was assembled from earlier music that Beethoven “stockpiled” before coming to Vienna. Others have concluded that the quartet was written without the extensive revisions typical of Beethoven. The quartet is also unique for being the only one of the set in a minor key. C minor is often regarded as “the” minor key for Beethoven, the same he chose for such works as the earlier “Pathétique” piano sonata, the later fifth symphony and his final piano sonata, Op. 111. One of the most popular quartets, this one is full of drama revolving around the gravity of its ruling minor mode.
The first movement has a vivid exposition with the first subject in the minor, the second in the brighter relative major key (E flat). The sonata can be considered nearly monothematic in that the second subject is directly derived from the first. A tense development and conclusion emphasize the “tragedy” of ultimately returning to the minor key. The second movement relieves the tension with an experiment unique for a string quartet of the time showing that Beethoven was already tinkering with the form he inherited. Rather than a slow lyrical movement, Beethoven offers a moderately paced sonata marked Scherzoso and packed with polyphonic play. The exposition is a little fugue whose recapitulation blossoms into three-part counterpoint with an independence of melody and rhythm that is simultaneously learned and gallant.
A more traditional Menuetto restores the dark urgency of C minor with a trio temporarily brightening back into the major. This syncopated scherzo is especially compact and driven since the traditional trio repeat is omitted and the return of the Menuetto marked for a tempo faster than the first time around (yet another novelty of Beethoven’s early quartets). The final movement is a spicy rondo based on a “Gypsy” flavored refrain alternating with more lyrical episodes. The major versus minor drama of the entire quartet is encapsulated here with a battle that extends into the final bars of an exciting coda where Beethoven dissolves the drama into humor, nearly making fun of all the histrionics.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Quintet in E-flat Major for Horn and Strings, K. 407
(Ca. 1782)
Mozart’s Horn Quintet is, like all of his chamber music, utterly charming, engaging and perfectly constructed. But this work is engaging for different and more subtle reasons than his other string chamber music. Rather than the counterpoint, rich harmonies, suave chromaticism and the frequent drama prominent in his other works, this quintet engages with different aspects: the tone and natural personality of the horn, and the unique but dynamic nature of quintet ensemble itself. This is an adventure in sonority and juxtaposition.
The work is curiously scored for two violas rather than two violins. With the weight shifted to the lower voices, the horn seems to enjoy a more kindred, warm accompaniment. In addition, the single violin becomes more prominent. The quintet is sometimes considered to be closer to a concerto than a pure chamber work of equal players, but if this is so, it is for a concertante ensemble that includes the violin as well. Much of the texture features the interplay of the violin and the horn against the backdrop of the lower strings emphasized not only by the presence of the horn but even the frequent absence of the violin. Upon attentive listening, the quintet reveals a constantly shifting texture featuring different sub-groupings: the string quartet and the horn, the violin and the horn, the pairing of the horn and the cello, and the string quartet alone. With the fundamentally contrasting timbre of the horn and the isolation of the violin, the ensemble is more spacious, highlighting these dynamic aspects of texture more vividly than other string chamber ensembles.
The quintet has three movements. The first movement sonata features the antiphony between violin and horn. As is often the case with Mozart, it is the development in the recapitulation that is more interesting than the development section itself. The return of the opening material is treated to delightful elaboration with elongated phrases, richer lines and a refreshing key change. The second movement is literally the heart of the work: it is a sweet and even longing andante with the truest chamber textures in the work in the full range of shifting alliances. The final movement restores the bright mood with a lively rondo, playful but always elegant. Its last episode and rondo refrain satisfy any want of chamber texture with excellent part writing including the final bow of each instrument in five-part imitation for a witty close.
Mozart wrote his horn quintet in 1782 for Ignaz Leutgeb, a horn player in the Salzburg orchestra who also inspired Mozart’s four horn concertos. The entire personality of the quintet is influenced by the horn, not only by its presence but also by the motives and harmonies that so naturally, even affectionately, highlight its essence. (For rich variety of primary intervals, chord inversions, pedals and blending, this is an ingenious and supremely musical study). A work of grace and balance, it nonetheless demands much of the horn player to achieve an effortless effect.
Alexander Borodin
Quartet No. 1 in A Major (On a theme of Beethoven)
(1879)
Alexander Borodin was a full-time professional chemist, and in his spare time, a composer. Still, he managed to write a small but highly regarded oeuvre including two symphonies, two operas, and two string quartets among his mature works. All of them show tremendous craftsmanship, a gift for melody, a distinctive personality, and they secure Borodin’s reputation as one of the great Russian composers emerging in the late 19th century.
Borodin’s first quartet is overshadowed by his more popular second perhaps in part because it is more complex with its density of ideas and the extensive use of counterpoint. Though the quartet is intellectual, it is not dry. Just the opposite: it is a sensuous feast of melody and color, with lyricism matching the second quartet, and a palette of string writing novel for the late nineteenth century. Romantic, and definitely Russian, the psychological and emotional range of the quartet is vivid and vast, while, like the best of chamber music, its structure and detail offer plenty for the connoisseur. It is rich fare.
It bears the subtitle “On a theme of Beethoven”. The original theme is from the finale of Beethoven’s late quartet, Op. 130. Borodin uses a slight variation of the theme as his main theme in the first movement. The sonata begins with a substantial introduction on a three-note motive, a reflective preamble also reminiscent of Beethoven’s late quartets. The main body of the movement features two important themes and a distinctive bridge passage that all combine, along with the climactic reappearance of the introductory theme, in a variety of contrapuntal combinations and fugato passages. The final movement is also a sonata, with a substantial slow introduction, a vigorous risoluto theme and compelling counterpoint as well.
The quartet’s two inner movements are particularly distinctive. The second movement is the quartet’s center of gravity. It begins with a lamenting theme in spare two-part counterpoint based on a Russian folk-song that suddenly bursts into a dramatic cry, subsiding again into wistful reflection. A brooding fugue follows. Upon returning, the somber theme inverts its counterpoint for an especially icy and urgent tone, fateful against the dirge-like pulsing of the lower strings. The ponderous andante relaxes into the refreshing third movement scherzo, a treasure in the chamber music literature. The quicksilver scherzo is full of energetic rhythmic play a la Mendelssohn and the trio presents an astonishing contrast: using a combination of mutes and harmonics, it sparkles like a precious music box, delicate and poised amidst the rush of the surrounding scherzo. Borodin demonstrates that, even in the medium of the string quartet, he is a master of color.
Borodin wrote the quartet over a period of two years and published it in 1879 with a dedication to Rimsky-Korsakov’s wife. It was well received, prompting one critic to pronounce that Borodin had produced Russia’s first great piece of chamber music.
-- Kai Christiansen
The Ives Quartet
The Ives Quartet has captivated audiences from San Francisco to New York, Taiwan to London. Committed to presenting the full scope of the string quartet literature, the Ives Quartet continues to earn critical and popular acclaim for the depth and diversity of its programming, with repertoire ranging from recognized classics and neglected masterpieces of the past to new commissions and distinctive collaborations with guest artists.
Formerly in residence at Stanford University as the Stanford String Quartet from 1983-98, the Quartet departed the university to seek greater artistic independence. A fully-independent touring and recording ensemble, the Ives now performs home season concert series in San Francisco, San Jose, and on the Peninsula and appears on noted chamber music series and festivals nationwide. In addition, the Quartet devotes time to a wide range of educational projects, from performing for school-aged children to visiting Trinity College for annual residency activities.
The Ives Quartet combines the talent and experience of the international, solo, orchestral, chamber, and recording careers of its artist members – Robin Sharp, Susan Freier, Scott Woolweaver and Stephen Harrison. Each player is an acclaimed performer on his/her instrument, earning distinction with other renowned chamber music ensembles, including the Chester Quartet, the Boston Composers’ String Quartet, the New England Piano Quartette, and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. This variety and breadth in each artist’s background contributes to the ensemble’s unique sound.
In recent seasons the Ives Quartet has premiered commissioned scores by American composers Ben Johnston, William Bolcom, Donald Crockett, Henri Lazarof, Mark Volkert, Eric Sawyer, and Andrew Norman.
Robert Ward
Robert Ward is Acting Principal Horn player of the San Francisco Symphony and holder of the Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Chair. Born in Schenectady, New York, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in 1977 and studied privately with Kendall Betts and Charles Kavalovski, principal horn player of the Boston Symphony. He also spent two summers at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, where he received the Harry Shapiro Award and the C.D. Jackson Master Award.
Mr. Ward has performed as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony on several occasions, including in Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4, Martin’s Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, and Quaterni II by Jan van Vlijmen. He also presented the world premiere of Avram David’s Sonata for Solo Horn at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music in 1978. Mr. Ward’s own Quartet for Horns was performed at Davies Symphony Hall in a concert in the SFS Chamber Music Series in 1999. He performs frequently in chamber concerts and is a founding member of both the Foxglove Chamber Ensemble and the Bay Brass, with which he has recorded a CD of Christmas music and played the national anthem on opening weekend of the inaugural season at Pac Bell Park.
Prior to joining the SFS as Associate Principal in 1980, Mr. Ward was a member of the Atlantic Symphony of Halifax, Canada, and the Denver Symphony (now known as the Colorado Symphony). He has taught at Dalhousie University and Acadia University in Nova Scotia, and he currently serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of California at Berkeley.