Virtual Summer Chamber Music Festival 2020
Virtual Summer Festival - “Beethoven Festival – 250th Birthday Celebration”
ALL SELECTIONS COMPOSED BY LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
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Brightmusic presented its 17th annual chamber music festival, an all-Beethoven program celebrating the 250th birthday of one of classical music’s seminal figures, Ludwig van Beethoven. For the safety of our patrons and musicians, the festival was offered by live stream on Facebook (no account required) and Youtube and shared here in four virtual concerts August 20-23 each night at 7:30 pm. We thank First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City and First Presbyterian Church Norman for allowing us to record in their beautiful buildings.
The program featured duos and trios, limiting the number of musicians to maintain social distancing and demonstrating how much music the German master could coax from only a few instruments in the hands of virtuosos. Join us online to take part in the worldwide celebration of the man who changed music.
CONCERT NO. 1 "Distant Beloved"
THE MAE RUTH SWANSON MEMORIAL CONCERT
- Romance No. 2 in F Major, Op. 50 (for violin and piano)
- An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98 (for tenor and piano) Song Text/Translation
- Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11
CONCERT NO. 2 "Celebratory Cello"
- Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 5, No. 2
- String Trio in G major, Op. 9, No. 1
CONCERT NO. 3 "Immortal Beloved"
- Adelaide for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 46, arranged by Müller
- Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 "Kreutzer"
CONCERT NO. 4 "Joyful Winds"
- Duo for Clarinet and Bassoon, No. 1 in C major, WoO 27
- Trio in E-flat major, Op. 38, for clarinet, cello and piano (arr. Beethoven)
(Programs subject to change)
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Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
“Often, I can scarcely hear anyone speaking to me; the tones yes, but not the actual words; yet as soon as anyone shouts, it is unbearable. What will come of all this, heaven only knows!”
--BEETHOVEN
It is difficult to overstate the impact of Beethoven's contribution to the development of Western Music. Though struggling most of his life with ill health and progressing deafness, and—some would argue—a touch of madness, Beethoven would become perhaps the greatest composer of all time. He is considered the most instrumental force in the transition from the Classical-era music of Mozart and Haydn to the prolific Romantic period of the 19th century.
Born in Bonn in 1770 in the waning years of the Enlightenment, Ludwig van Beethoven would go into the family business—music. His grandfather was the distinguished Kappelmeister at the court of the Prince-Elector in Bonn, where his father, Johann van Beethoven, served as a court musician. Johann, the child's first teacher, struggled with alcoholism and was physically abusive, beating the little boy to get him to practice his instruments. Subsequent teachers were kinder and more competent.
Beethoven was composing by the time he was 13 and, while still a teenager, served as assistant organist and played viola in the court orchestra. It was apparent early on that this young man would “make a noise in the world,” as Mozart is said to have proclaimed, though there is no evidence that the two ever met. Shortly before his 16th birthday, he was sent by the Elector to Vienna to study with Mozart, but before arrangements could be made, he was summoned to the bedside of his dying mother. After her death, he would become head of the family, caring for his two younger brothers and his ailing father. Despite poverty and the burden of familial duties, he would manage to get an adequate musical grounding by the time he left for Vienna at the age of 22, never to return.
Over the next three and a half decades, Beethoven would become the most celebrated composer in Europe. He would kick down doors and bulldoze ramparts with his unorthodox style, revolutionary ideas and his utter disdain for the dying power structures of the eighteenth century. “Prince! What you are, you are by accident of birth!” he would pen in a fit of rage to one of his patrons. “There are thousands of princes, but there is only one Beethoven!” Although he was an enthusiastic bridge burner, his friends and patrons rarely abandoned him, recognizing his genius. But the composer, by all accounts, had a sense of humor and knew his own limitations. He would write to a friend, “Beethoven can write music, thank God, because he can't do another thing on earth!”
Romance No. 2 in F major, Op. 50, for violin and piano (arr. Joseph Joachim)
One of Beethoven's most enchanting works, the Romance No. 2 was written for violin and orchestra in 1798, toward the end of the Classical era, and dedicated to the premier violinist of the day, Ignaz Schuppanzigh. This sentimental adagio cantabile was written before the Romance No. 1 but published two years later, in 1805. Both romances were written in the rondo form, built around recurring themes. It was later transcribed for violin and piano by the great 19th-century violinist Joseph Joachim, a close friend of Johannes Brahms.
An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98 (for piano and tenor)
“To the Distant Beloved,” Beethoven's only song cycle, was written in 1816. It is considered the first song cycle by a major composer, setting the stage for many who would follow, in particular, Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, whose songs and song cycles are considered the pinnacle of the art. The six songs of “An die ferne Geliebte” make up a circle of songs, not a chronological narrative, where the theme of the first reappears as the conclusion of the last and each song, in different keys and time signatures, moves without a break into the next. The text was written by a poet/physician, Alois Isidor Jeitteles, at the composer's request. The work centers on the longing for a young man's distant beloved and his painful separation from her. The work is often thought to be a reflection of the composer's own yearning for his “Immortal Beloved,” the subject of his enigmatic letter written in July 1812. Found in his personal effects after his death, apparently never sent, the letter is a torrent of longing for a woman whose identity remains unknown. According to a close friend, “There was never a time when Beethoven was not in love.”
Piano Trio Op. 11 in B-flat major “Gassenhauer” (for clarinet, cello and piano)
Composed around 1797-1798, Beethoven's trio was written toward the beginning of his career when the clarinet was a relative newcomer. The work makes technical demands on all the instruments but the piano is the star, as it was with many of Beethoven's works which included the piano. Beethoven was impressed by the virtuosity of an Austrian clarinetist, Franz Joseph Bähr. According to a cellist friend of the composer's, Beethoven exclaimed, “Bähr blows like a god!” Bähr likely performed the work in its premier, as he likely did for many of Beethoven's works for the clarinet. Though at the time Beethoven was relatively unknown in Vienna, the leading music newspaper of the day, Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, wrote, “This trio is by no means easy in parts, but it runs more flowingly than much of the composer's other work and produces an excellent ensemble effect….” Beethoven would not long remain in the shadows.
About Mae Ruth Swanson
For more than a half-century, the Civic Music Association of Oklahoma City brought the world's finest musicians to Oklahoma. Soloists, chamber ensembles, choirs, and orchestras graced our stage. To be a member of Civic Music was to be at the center of the city's cultural life. Through its distinguished artist series – as well as through a variety of lectures, masterclasses, and outreach programs – Civic Music represented the best in classical music, attracting seasoned music lovers and casual listeners alike.
At the helm of the association was Mae Ruth Swanson, Oklahoma's grand dame of the performing arts. Her imprimatur was golden; her influence, indelible. For decades, as executive vice-president, she bestowed upon the association her warmth, her wisdom, and her abiding love. An exacting leader with a penchant for the sublime, she worked indefatigably to ensure that our deserving community had access to live performances of the world's finest music. Her elegance adorned every corner of the association and her dedication to the cause of great music persevered through every vicissitude.
Mae Ruth understood that great art is eternal and that we are but its acolytes. The Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble, under the auspices of the Civic Music Association, dedicates this evening's concert to her lasting memory. The annual Mae Ruth Swanson Memorial Concert evinces Mae Ruth's unwavering commitment to the performing arts. Tonight we honor her with superb music performed by extraordinary artists in a sublime setting – and we thank the Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble for its exemplary work in perpetuating her legacy.
Steve Blevins, MD
President, Civic Music Association, 2002-2005
English Translations by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold
1 - Auf dem Hügel sitz ich spähend
Auf dem Hügel sitz ich spähend In das blaue Nebelland, Nach den fernen Triften sehend, Wo ich dich, Geliebte, fand. |
I sit on the hill, gazing Into the blue expanse of sky, Searching the far-off mists to see, Where I can find you, my beloved. |
Weit bin ich von dir geschieden, Trennend liegen Berg und Tal Zwischen uns und unserm Frieden, Unserm Glück und unsrer Qual. |
Far from you have I been parted, Mountain and vale separate us, Dividing us and our peace, Our happiness and our pain. |
Ach, den Blick kannst du nicht sehen, Der zu dir so glühend eilt, Und die Seufzer, sie verwehen In dem Raume, der uns teilt. |
Ah, you cannot see my gaze, That hastens so passionately to you. Nor the sighs I squander On the void that parts us now. |
Will denn nichts mehr zu dir dringen, Nichts der Liebe Bote sein? Singen will ich, Lieder singen, Die dir klagen meine Pein! |
Is there nothing more that can reach you, Nothing to bear my love's message to you? I want to sing, to sing songs, Which remind you of my pain! |
Denn vor Liedesklang entweichet Jeder Raum und jede Zeit, Und ein liebend Herz erreichet Was ein liebend Herz geweiht! |
Because before love's lament Every mile and every hour vanishes, And a loving heart attains What a loving heart has consecrated. |
2 - Wo die Berge so blau
Wo die Berge so blau Aus dem nebligen Grau Schauen herein, wo die Sonne verglüht, Wo die Wolke umzieht, Möchte ich sein! möchte ich sein! |
Where the blue mountains Rise from the lowering skies Peering at where the sunsets, Where the clouds spread, There would I like to be! there would I like to be! |
Dort im ruhigen Tal Schweigen Schmerzen und Qual. Wo im Gestein still die Primel dort sinnt, Weht so leise der Wind, Möchte ich sein! möchte ich sein! |
There in that quiet vale Which silences pain and woe. Where in rocky spaces softly sleep the primroses, And sweeps so gently the wind, There would I like to be! there would I like to be! |
Hin zum sinnigen Wald Drängt mich Liebesgewalt, Innere Pein, innere Pein. Ach, mich zög’s nicht von hier, Könnt ich, Traute, bei dir Ewiglich sein! ewiglich sein! |
My love’s longing Draws me to the shadowy wood’ Inner pain, inner pain. Ah, nothing would ever tempt me from here, If I could faithfully stay by your side Forever! forever by your side! |
3 - Leichte Segler in den Höhen
Leichte Segler in den Höhen, Und du, Bächlein klein und schmal, Könnt mein Liebchen ihr erspähen, Grüßt sie mir viel tausendmal. |
Graceful sailor of the heights, And you, tiny, narrow brooklet, Should my little love spy you Greet her for me a thousand times. |
Seht ihr, Wolken, Sie dann gehen sinnend in dem stillen Tal, Laßt mein Bild vor ihr entstehen In dem luft’gen Himmels Saal. |
Look, you clouds, at her, As she goes wandering through the quiet vale, Let my image greet her In your airy, heavenly place. |
Wird sie an den Büschen stehen, Die nun herbstlich falb und kahl. Klagt ihr, wie mir ist geschehen, Klagt ihr, Vöglein, meine Qual. |
Should she linger near the bushes, Which now are yellow and bare, Tell her what has befallen me, Tell her, little bird, of my suffering! |
Stille Weste, bringt im Wehen Hin zu meiner Herzenswahl Meine Seufzer, die vergehen Wie der Sonne letzter Strahl. |
Silent breezes, flutter To my heart’s beloved, My sighs which sink Like the sun’s last ray. |
Flüstr’ ihr zu mein Liebesflehen, Laß sie, Bächlein klein und schmal, Treu in deinen Wogen sehen Meine Tränen ohne Zahl! ohne Zahl! |
Whisper to her my love’s entreaty, Let her, tiny, narrow brooklet, See clearly in your ripples, My numberless tears, my numberless tears! |
4 - Diese Wolken in den Höhen
Diese Wolken in den Höhen, Dieser Vöglein munt’rer Zug, Werden dich, o Huldin, sehen. Nehmt mich mit im leichten Flug! |
These clouds on the heights, These birds in merry passage Will see you, my beauty. Take me with you in your flight! |
Diese Weste werden spielen Scherzend dir um Wang’ und Brust, In den seid’nen Locken wühlen. Teilt’ ich mit euch diese Lust! |
These breezes will playfully caress Your cheek and breast, Toying with your silken locks. If I could but share this pleasure! |
Hinzu dir von jenen Hügeln Emsig dieses Bächlein eilt. Wird ihr Bild sich in dir spiegeln, Fließ zurück dann unverweilt! |
Toward you, my love, every little hill Every little brook busily hastens. When your face is mirrored there, Then flow back without delay. |
Fließ zurück dann unverweilt, ja unverweilt! | Flow back without delay, yes, without delay! |
5 - Es kehret der Maien
Es kehret der Maien, es blühet die Au’, Die Lüfte, sie wehen so milde, so lau, Geschwätzig die Bäche nun rinnen. |
Maytime returns, the meadows are in bloom The breezes waft so gently and so mildly. The murmuring brooks flow by. |
Die Schwalbe, die kehret zum wirtlichen Dach, Sie baut sich so emsig ihr bräutlich Gemach, Die Liebe soll wohnen da drinnen, die Liebe soll wohnen da drinnen. |
The swallow who returns to her home in the eaves, She builds her bridal bower industriously, So love may dwell there, so love may dwell there. |
Sie bringt sich geschäftig von Kreuz und von Quer Manch’ weicheres Stück zu dem Brautbett hieher, Manch’ wärmendes Stück für die Kleinen. |
Flitting from here to there, She busily brings soft lining to her bridal bed, Much warm material for the little ones. |
Nun wohnen die Gatten beisammen so treu, Was Winter geschieden, verband nun der Mai, Was liebet, das weiß er zu einen, was liebet, das weiss er zu einen. |
Now the couple lives together faithfully, What winter has divided, now May rejoins, Lovers he knows to reunite, to reunite. |
Es kehret der Maien, es blühet die Au’, Lüfte, sie wehen so milde, so lau, Nur kann ich nicht ziehen von hinnen. |
Maytime returns, the meadows are in bloom, The breezes waft so gently, so mildly, But I cannot stray from here. |
Wenn alles, was liebet, der Frühling vereint, Nur unserer Liebe kein Frühling erscheint, Und Tränen sind all ihr Gewinnen, und Tränen sind all ihr Gewinnen. |
Though everywhere all who are in love, are joined by spring, Only our love knows no springtime And tears are our only reward, our only reward. |
6 - Nimm sie hin denn diese Lieder
Nimm sie hin denn, diese Lieder, Die ich dir, Geliebte, sang, Singe die dann abends wieder Zu der Laute süßem Klang. |
Take my songs, The songs I sang you, my love, And sing them nightly on the lute With sweetest tone! |
Wenn das Dämm’rungsrot dann zieht Nach dem stillen, blauen See, Und sein letzter Strahl verglühet Hinter jener Bergeshöh. |
When the twilight wanes On the still blue lake, And the last sun’s rays sink Beyond the mountain tops. |
Und du singst, und du singst, Was ich gesungen, was mir aus der vollen Brust Ohne Kunst gepräng’ erklungen, Nur der Sehnsucht sich bewußt, nur der Sehnsucht sich bewußt. |
And you sing, you sing, What I have sung from deep within What has sprung artlessly from me, Only conscious of longing, only conscious of longing. |
Dann vor diesen Liedern weichet, Was geschieden uns so weit, Und ein liebend Herz erreichet, was ein liebend Herz geweiht. |
Then before these songs fades, What has divided us so long and far, And a loving heart attains what a loving heart has consecrated. |
Dan, dann vor diesen Liedern weichet, Was geschieden uns so weit, Und ein liebend Herz erreichet, Was ein liebend Herz geweiht. |
Then before these songs reclaim all that was separated by lonely hours, And a loving heart attains what a loving heart has earned. |
Then surely does my soul regain all we lost in lonely times, And a loving heart attains what a loving heart has earned, ay, What a loving heart has earned. |
Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 5, No. 2
A pair of cello sonatas make up Beethoven's Op. 5. Written in 1796 while Beethoven was in Berlin to meet King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm II, himself an accomplished cellist, Beethoven performed both sonatas for the king with the king's first cellist, a virtuoso named Jean-Pierre Deport, in the premier of these works. The G minor sonata begins, as does the Sonata No. 1, with a long atmospheric adagio sostenuto introduction followed by an allegro in sonata form. The second and final movement is a joyful rondo finale. The piano part, like much of Beethoven's works for keyboard, is virtuosic and intended as a showcase of his skill.
String Trio in G Major, Op. 9, No. 1 (for violin, viola and cello)
Though less often performed than the composer's other chamber works, the three trios that make up Opus 9 are considered a significant milestone in Beethoven's development, and the composer considered them some of his best works. Not intended as light chamber pieces, the Op. 9 trios would hone his skills for the string quartets and the symphonic works that would follow. Written in 1797-98 and published a year later, all three trios were dedicated to Count Johann Georg von Browne, a leading patron of Beethoven at that time. Beethoven would write no more trios after he published his Op. 18 string quartets in 1801. The four-movement Op. 9, No. 1 trio has all the rich elegance of Mozart but with a spirited, full-throttle energy that was the hallmark of much of the young Beethoven's work.
Adelaide, Op. 46 (arr. for clarinet and piano by Ivan Müller)
This song composed by Beethoven around 1795 for piano and voice was later arranged for clarinet and piano by Müller. The text, a love poem written by Friederich von Matthisson (1761-1831), would have appealed greatly to the young romantic, who dedicated his composition to the poet. Matthisson is said to have admired the song and wrote in 1825 that, although the poem had been set to music by several composers, “none of them so threw the text into the shade with their melody as did the genius Ludwig van Beethoven.” The piece remains one of Beethoven's most beloved songs and was especially popular in his day. The transcription by Müller for clarinet and piano captures all the lyricism of the song as the clarinet capably assumes the part of the human voice.
Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer”
Intended by the composer to be more of a concerto in scope than a sonata, the three-movement “Kreutzer” is known for its technical difficulty and unusual length, requiring nearly three-quarters of an hour to perform. Written in 1802-03 and published in 1805, the work is named for violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer, the most celebrated violinist of his day. Beethoven originally dedicated the sonata to George Bridgetower, but after a falling out with the violinist, who reportedly insulted a woman whom Beethoven admired, the composer changed the dedication to Kreutzer. By all accounts, Kreutzer did not like the piece and refused to play it, declaring it “outrageously unintelligible.” As with many of Beethoven's sonatas for two instruments, the “Kreutzer” gives equal weight to both and becomes a stormy dialogue. Commentator Rob Kapilow says, “Violinists never like to program this piece, because it's one of the most excruciatingly nerve-wracking beginnings—to play these awkward, slow chords. But what comes after that is even more extraordinary.”
Duo for Clarinet and Bassoon, WoO 27, No. 1 in C major
Beethoven is believed to have written three sets of duos involving the clarinet. The “fingerprints” of the mature Beethoven are not evident, as they are believed to have been composed while Beethoven was still young and strongly influenced by Haydn and Mozart as his own style was evolving. Some have even alleged their origin is spurious. Published in Paris in the early 1820s, this charming piece has been described as “light and agile.”
Trio in E-flat major, Op. 38 “Grand Trio” for Clarinet, Cello and Piano
Following the publication of Beethoven's enormously popular Op. 20 septet written in 1799-1800 and scored for violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, horn and bassoon, Beethoven made a more marketable arrangement for a smaller ensemble. The structure of the septet—and the “Grand Trio” which would follow—is based on the classical-era divertimento with few innovations. Published in 1805, this expansive six-movement trio captures the charm and vitality of the original septet, which is considered the finest example of Beethoven's early chamber works. Beethoven, however, came to resent the septet's wide popularity. “That damn work! I wish it could be burned!” he is said to have grumbled.
Program Notes by Sara Grossman
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