PROGRAM NOTES – FESTIVAL CONCERT 1

Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio Sonata in G Major, BWV 1039:  The conventional wisdom is that Bach wrote this Trio Sonata about 1720, when he was the concertmaster for Prince Leopold in Cöthen.  More recent scholarship theorizes that it was composed about 1736-41 in Leipzig, where Bach served not only as the Cantor of the St. Thomas Church, but also as the City Music Director.  In the latter capacity, he directed the Collegium Musicum, a chamber music society, which gave free weekly concerts in the Zimmerman coffee house (which had an auditorium that could seat 150 patrons).  Bach may well have composed some version of this work for those performances.  Whenever he composed BWV 1039, Bach adapted it for other instrumentation during his lifetime.  Since then, the Sonata has been scored for any number of instrumental combinations.  The four movements of this work are typical of the Italian Baroque “church sonata” form:  I. Adagio, II. Allegro ma non presto, III. Adagio a piano, and IV. Presto.

Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050:  “One of the ironies of music history is that Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are dedicated to a prince who never paid for them, never used them, and probably never even looked at them” [Ted Libbey].  Bach probably composed them in Cöthen for performance for Prince Leopold (who sometimes played with Bach’s orchestra).  Some of the concertos may have been based upon ensemble works he composed during his Weimar period.  On a trip to Berlin in 1718-19, Bach met Christian Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg.  Hoping to gain favor and perhaps a commission for future work, Bach made an elegant copy of the six concertos in his own hand, and sent them to Ludwig, under cover of a downright obsequious letter.  The Margrave never responded.  That is why John Keillor called the Brandenburg Concertos “the most complex and artistically successful failed job application in recorded history.”  Concerto No. 5 “finds chamber music and symphonic music living cheek by jowl” [James Keller].  In this work, “Bach shows himself in an elegant, worldly and virtuosic light” [Martin Geck].  The extended role for the keyboard in Concerto No. 5 also demonstrated the potential of the concerto form, almost anticipating the piano concertos of Mozart [Joe Staines].  Concerto No. 5 is scored in three movements:  I. Allegro, II. Affettuoso and III. Allegro. 

Johann Sebastian Bach, Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D Minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004:  The Chaconne is the fifth movement of Bach’s Partita in E Minor for Violin, written about 1717-23, during Bach’s time as a court musician in Cöthen.  Joshua Bell has said that the Chaconne is “not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history.  It is a spiritually powerful piece, emotionally powerful, structurally perfect.”  All of Bach’s Partitas “demand an indomitable will and a complete grasp of the violin, as well as high musicianship” [David Dubal].  Brahms knew and loved Bach’s music at a time when it was mainly of historical interest.  His respect for the Chaconne was reverential: “The Chaconne is in my opinion one of the most wonderful and incomprehensible pieces of music.  Using the technique adapted to a small instrument, [Bach] writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings.”

Johann Sebastian Bach, Cantata, Ich habe genug, BWV 82:  “Of the over 250 cantatas that Bach wrote, it’s astounding that so many of them shine so brightly as musical gems.  His Cantata No. 82 is one of them” [Max Derrickson].  Ich habe genug is one of Bach’s best known sacred cantatas.  He composed it in 1727, his fourth year in Leipzig.  It must have been one of Bach’s own favorites, because he performed it, adapted for different voices and instruments, three more times.  The libretto was written by an anonymous poet, inspired by the Biblical story of Simeon in Luke 2:22-33.  After holding the infant Jesus, Simeon said, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace ... for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.”  The cantata alternates between three arias and two recitatives.  The first aria conveys a contentment with life, and a serene acceptance of death.  The second aria is a gentle lullaby, rhythmically conveying the peaceful closing of one’s life.  The third aria is almost a dance, joyously embracing death.  “It is one of Bach’s most intensely personal and consolatory works” [Staines].  In his 2013 book, Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven, John Eliot Gardiner described Ich habe genug as an “intimate and evocative” work in which “Bach sought to deprive death of its powers to terrify.”  The German libretto and our guest artist’s English translation accompany these program notes.       

PROGRAM NOTES – FESTIVAL CONCERT 2

Johannes Brahms, Six Deutsche Volkslieder (“German Folk Songs”) from WoO 33:  “Brahms was more attracted to folk poetry than were his illustrious predecessors,” Schubert and Schumann [Susan Youens].  “Despite the folk influences ... Brahms’ songs are highly sophisticated, refined, and polished” [Emily Davis].  The six songs you will hear this afternoon were selected from Brahms’ collection entitled 49 Deutche Folkslieder published in 1894, less than three years before his death.  Brahms took the texts and primary melodies from an 1838 two-volume collection, Deutsche Volkslieder mit ihren Original-Weisen (“German Folk Songs with Their Original Melodies”) published by Anton Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio and two co-editors in 1838-40.  The German texts and our guest artist’s English translations accompany these program notes.    

Johann Sebastian Bach (arranged for four-hand piano by Max Reger), Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047:  “One of the ironies of music history is that Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are dedicated to a prince who never paid for them, never used them, and probably never even looked at them” [Ted Libbey].  Bach probably composed them in Cöthen for performance for Prince Leopold (who sometimes played with Bach’s orchestra).  Some of the concertos may have been based upon ensemble works he composed during his Weimar period.  On a trip to Berlin in 1718-19, Bach met Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg.  Hoping to gain favor and perhaps a commission for other work, Bach made an elegant copy of the six concertos in his own hand, and sent them to Ludwig, under cover of an obsequious letter.  The Margrave never responded.  That is why John Keillor called the Brandenburg Concertos “the most complex and artistically successful failed job application in recorded history.”  The German pianist, organist, composer and conductor Max Reger (1873-1916) admired Bach and transcribed about 150 of his works, including all six Brandenburg Concertos.  In Reger’s arrangements, “four hands on a single keyboard must encompass all of the parts, unleashing a formidable challenge for the pianists and a healthy dose of adrenaline for listeners” [Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe].  Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 (which employs a virtuoso Baroque trumpet in Bach’s original version) may be the most popular of the six Brandenburgs.  Indeed, the Concerto’s first movement is one of the 27 examples of “Music from Earth” recorded on the famous gold-plated disk that has been riding aboard the Voyager I spacecraft since 1977, for possible future discovery by an extra-terrestrial civilization.  The Concerto is scored in three movements:  I. Allegro, II. Andante and III. Allegro assai.   

Johannes Brahms, Five Lieder from opp. 43, 47, 72 and 106:  Brahms wrote songs throughout his career, about 225 of which were published during his lifetime.  Five songs are presented in this set.  Sonntag (“Sunday”), op. 47, no. 3, was written in 1860 with text by Johann Ludwig Unland.  It is “exceedingly beautiful” and conveys a sense of serenity [Kelly Dean Hansen].  Ständchen (“Serenade”), op. 106, no. 1, was composed in 1888 based on a text by Franz Kugler.  It is “cheerful” [Hansen] and “delightfully genial” [John A. Fuller-Maitland].  Die Mainacht (“The May Night”), op. 43, no. 2, was written in 1866, based on a poem of Ludwig C. H. Hölty.  It is “an aural painting of loneliness” [Brandon Cash], “gorgeously lyrical” [Hansen], and “one of Brahms’ most popular songs” [Walter Frisch].  Verzagen (“Despondency”), op. 72, no. 4, was composed in 1877 and is based on a poem of Carl von Lemcke.  It reflects “emotional turmoil in the form of despair and the wind-whipped sea ... with its driving, almost obsessive accompaniment” [Arthur Smith].  Von ewiger Liebe (“Of Eternal Love”), op. 43, no. 1, was written in 1864 and, like its opus 43 companion in today’s concert, is based on a text by Hölty.  It is “one of Brahms’ greatest and grandest songs” [Dennis Arrowsmith], a “sublime masterpiece” [Hansen].  The German texts and our guest artist’s English translations accompany these program notes.

Johannes Brahms, Piano Trio No. 3 in C Minor, op. 101:  Brahms composed his final piano trio in Thun, Switzerland during the summer of 1886.  This was after he had published his four symphonies and was “at the height of his career” [Jason Heilman].  This work is the “shortest and most compact” of his three piano trios ... Even though it has much to say, it is, by Brahmsian standards, positively taut and pithy” [Michael Morrison].  After hearing it in performance, Clara Schumann wrote in her diary, “No other work of Johannes has so entirely transported me; so tender is the flow of the third movement, which is wonderfully poetic.  I am happier tonight than I have been for a long time.”  The premiere was given in Leipzig in December 1887 with Brahms at the keyboard.  During a rehearsal the day before the premiere, Brahms and Tchaikovsky met for the first time.  (Tchaikovsky was not a champion of Brahms’ music, but the Christmas Day meeting was amiable enough.)  The Trio is scored in four movements:  I. Allegro energico, II. Presto non assai, III. Andante grazioso and IV. Allegro molto.”  At the end of the last movement, “Brahms bids goodbye to the storm and stress of C-minor, ending the piece in the major, enveloped in warmth” [Steven Lowe].

PROGRAM NOTES – FESTIVAL CONCERT 3

Johann Sebastian Bach, Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009:  Bach wrote six suites for unaccompanied cello about 1720, while he was Kapellmeister and director of chamber music at the Court of Prince Leopold in Cöthen (ages 32-38).  The cello suites were not well known until the 20^th Century.  The 13-year-old Pablo Casals was said to have discovered a copy of them in an old music shop in Barcelona.  He began to learn them, perform them and in 1925 recorded them.  Their popularity has grown ever since.  No autograph manuscript survives, but a hand-written copy by Bach’s second wife, Anna Magdalena, does.  Each suite contains six movements, reflective of different dances:  1.  Prélude,  2.  Allemande (a German dance),  3.  Courante (a faster dance),  4.  Sarabande (a Spanish-derived dance),  5.  Galanteries (two minuets in Suites 1 and 2, bourrées in Suites 3 and 4, and gavottes in Suites 5 and 6) and 6.  Gigue (a jig).  Music scholar David Dubal has written, “The six cello suites are the cellist’s bible.  They demand unmitigated labor and devotion.”

Johannes Brahms, Sonata No. 1 in F Minor for Clarinet and Piano, op. 120, no. 1:  Late in his life, Brahms was living comfortably in his adopted city of Vienna.  He was highly respected, world-renowned and, thanks to the enactment of copyright laws, quite wealthy.  These were “shining years of relative peace and prosperity” [David Dubal].  At this time, Brahms met virtuoso clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld and was inspired to write works for his instrument.  In 1894 at age 61, Brahms wrote a pair of clarinet-piano sonatas.  They were published together in 1895 as opus 120 and were dedicated to Mühlfeld.  The two clarinet sonatas of opus 120 were the last chamber pieces Brahms wrote before his death.  They are considered two of the masterpieces in the clarinet repertoire.  About this sonata, Brightmusic’s two-time guest artist, David Shifrin, has said:  “A model of classical form, Sonata No. 1 in F minor falls in four movements, the piano and clarinet presented in dialog as equals.  The prevailing mood of the first movement is melancholic; the second a quiet, reflective lyricism; the third, grace.  A vivace in rondo form in F Major ends the work.”  The four movements are titled:  I. Allegro appassionato, II. Andante un poco adagio, III. Allegretto grazioso and IV. Vivace.

Johann Sebastian Bach, “Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele,” BWV 654:  After serving as an organist in Arnstadt (1703-07) and Mülhausen (1707-08), Bach moved to Weimar, where he served as the court organist, as well as the concertmaster.  His years in Weimar (1708-17) represented the high point of his organ composing.  In 1739, Bach began a project of collecting some of his chorale preludes before he moved to Weimar.  By the time of his death in 1750, he had assembled 15 of the 18 chorale preludes later published as Achtzehn Choräle (“Eighteen Chorales”), BWV 651-668.  Among these was Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele (“Adorn yourself, O dear soul”).  Its quiet, lyrical melody, attributed to Johannes Crüger in 1644, lent itself to use as a communion chorale.  Mendelssohn loved this work and performed it in Leipzig in 1836.  “This is one piece ... that has been raised to level of monumental” [Martin Geck].

Johann Sebastian Bach, “St. Anne” Fugue in E-flat Major, BWV 552/2:  This fugue concludes Bach’s collection of organ works published in 1739 as Clavier-Übung III (“Keyboard Practice III”).  Volumes I, II and IV were devoted to the harpsichord.  Volume III began with the “St. Anne” Prelude, BWV 552/1, and ended with the “St. Anne” Fugue, BWV 552/2.  This volume collected some of Bach’s most complex and technically demanding organ works.  The Prelude and Fugue of BWV 552 were based on a popular English hymn (“O God, Our Help in Ages Past”), which originated at London’s St. Anne’s Church.  The Fugue -- a five-voice triple fugue written in three sections – is quite complex.  Albert Schweitzer described it as follows:  “The triple fugue ... is a symbol of the Trinity.  The same theme recurs in three connected fugues, but each time with another personality. The first fugue is calm and majestic, with an absolutely uniform movement throughout; in the second the theme seems to be disguised, and is only occasionally recognisable in its true shape, as if to suggest the divine assumption of an earthly form; in the third, it is transformed into rushing semiquavers as if the Pentacostal wind were coming roaring from heaven.”

Johannes Brahms, Sonata No. 2 in F Major for Cello and Piano, op. 99:  Brahms composed his second cello sonata in 1886, 24 years after his first.  Together, they “are two of the most important cello sonatas” in music literature [David Dubal].  He wrote the second sonata on a “working vacation” in Thun, Switzerland.  “He was always inspired and relaxed in Switzerland, away from the fierce musical tensions of Vienna” [id.].  In his first cello sonata, Brahms had favored the lower register of the instrument to emphasize its tonal richness.  In the second, Brahms used the higher register as well, in counterpoint to the first.  The second cello sonata “favors the intense over the idyllic” [Ted Libbey].  It is “marked by youthful boldness and symphonic approach to the piano writing” [James Reel].  An early critic, Eduard Hanslick, wrote, “In the Cello Sonata, passion rules, fiery to the point of vehemence, now defiantly challenging, now painfully lamenting.”  Brahms wrote this sonata for, and dedicated it to, his friend Robert Hausmann.  Hausmann had popularized Brahms’ first cello sonata, premiered the second cello sonata with Brahms, and one year later joined violinist Joseph Joachim in the first performance of Brahms Double Concerto, op. 102.  Cello Sonata No. 2 is written in four movements:  I. Allegro vivace, II. Adagio affettuoso, III. Allegro passionata and IV. Allegro molto.

PROGRAM NOTES – FESTIVAL CONCERT 4

Johannes Brahms, Five Chorale Preludes:  Brahms learned to play the organ early in his career, but composed for organ only sporadically until the last year of his life, when he set a number of Lutheran church chorales in what became his last numbered opus – opus 122.  After his death, the original autograph score was found on his desk, but was not published until 1902.  When he penned these works, his dear friend Clara Schumann had just died, and Brahms probably knew that he had liver cancer.  The works from opus 122 we will hear this evening are: Herzlich tut mich erfreuen (“My faithful heart rejoices”); Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen (“Behold, a rose is blooming”); O Welt, ich muß dich lassen (“Oh world, I must now leave you”); and Mein Jesu, der du mich (“My Jesus calls to me”).  Brahms did not assign the penultimate work in this selection – a prelude and fugue on O Traurigkeit, O herzeleid (“ Oh sorrow, oh suffering”) – to an opus.  That chorale had been set not only by Bach, but also by Johann Pachelbel before 1693.  The style of Brahms’ chorale preludes is interesting:  “Brahms’ use of counterpoint and harmony shows a mixture of baroque techniques and romantic sensibility” [Kelly Dean Hansen].  Perhaps for Brahms, these chorale preludes were his way of paying homage to Bach, as well as his own musical heritage.   

Johannes Brahms, Vier ernste Gesänge (“Four Serious Songs”), op. 121:  Brahms took Clara Schumann’s death on March 26, 1896 very hard.  Whether their relationship was physically intimate is not known, but beyond doubt they were the dearest of friends.  At this time, Brahms probably knew that he was dying.  He decided to cope with his emotions through work.  The texts of what became his penultimate opus 121 were drawn  from Martin Luther’s translations of Ecclesiastes and Corinthians I.  “The four songs represent a progression of thought about, and reaction to, death, and by virtue of their subject hardly require the adjective, ‘serious’” [John Palmer].  The songs are: (1) Denn es gehet dem Menschen (“It is for a person as it is for an animal”); (2) Ich wandte mich und sahe an alle (“I turned and looked upon everyone”); (3) O Tod, wie bitter bist du Bass (“Oh death, how bitter you are”) – all from the Old Testament; and, from the New Testament, (4) Wenn ich mit Menschen und mit Engelszungen redete (“If I speak with the tongues of men and angels”).  David Dubal called these works “stark and overwhelmingly fatalistic.  Brahms was weary, beyond hope, as he set to music words from the Bible, telling a colleague that they were ‘ungodly ditties.’  Here the master composed songs of the utmost gentleness.  He was ready to depart.”  The German texts and our guest artist’s English translations accompany these program notes.

Johannes Brahms, Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B Minor, op. 115:  Many music scholars regard Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet as his supreme achievement in chamber music.  Brahms had already retired from composing when the orchestra conductor Fritz Steinbach brought the clarinet playing of Richard Mühlfeld to Brahms’ attention in March 1891.  That summer, at the Austrian spa town of Bad Ischl, at age 58, Brahms composed the Clarinet Quintet.  The quintet proceeds in four movements:  I.  Allegro, II. Adagio, III. Andantino – Presto non assai, ma con stentimento and IV. Finale: Con moto.  The overall mood of the work is one of “autumnal elegiac beauty” [David Dubal].  The premiere performance was given in November 1891.  Richard Mühfeld played clarinet and the string ensemble was led by Brahms’ long-time friend, Joseph Joachim.