BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND 1964 1965 THIRD RECITAL under the auspices of THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST The Smetana String Quartet JIRI NOVAK LUBOMIR KOSTECKY MILAN SKAMPA ANTONIN KOHOUT Violin Violin Viola Violoncello SIR WILLIAM WHITLA HALL Queen's University, Belfast TUESDAY, 19th JANUARY, 1965 at 7.45 p.m.

Quartet in D major, K 499 Allegretto Menuetto: Allegretto Adagio Allegro Quartet No. 1 This quartet, composed in 1786, is sometimes known as the "Hoffmeister". It was composed with the ability of the emperor Frederick the Great as a 'cellist in mind, but it is a safe assumption. that much of this prominent cello part would have been beyond His Majesty's powers. Indeed the prominence given to Mozart's beloved viola is no less noteworthy. Con moto Con moto Con moto Con mot Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Written within a week in 1923, this quartet is said to owe something to an early pianoforte trio (now lost), which was inspired by Tolstoi's novel The Kreutzer Sonata. Performers who took part in the original trio performance of 1909 deny that there is a close link; however that may be there is certainly one obvious reference to the Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata, and Janácek himself has re- corded that he had in mind "the pitiable woman who is maltreated, beaten and murdered, such as is described by Tolstoi in his story." If he composed this work in the time he says he did, he is more likely to have delved into his earlier composition than to have thought out the matter anew. Quartet in B flat, Op 130 Janàcek Leos (1854-1928) INTERVAL Alla danza Tedesca: Cavatina: Grosse fugue: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro Presto Andante con moto, ma non troppo Allegro assai Adagio molto espressivo Allegro meno mosso e moderato- allegro molto e con brio When Beethoven sent this composition to his publisher in 1825 exception was immediately taken to it on the score of its length and difficulty. Its first movement is the longest of any first move-

ment in Beethoven and the final fugue was not merely half as long again but of such harshness to contemporary ears and such com- plexity that it was doubted if any audience could listen to it if it had the chance of hearing it. It was long thought to be unplayable; indeed Grove, writing in 1869, said that nobody had any idea what it might sound like as nobody had ever heard it. Beethoven yielded to his publisher's entreaties and substituted another finale (his last composition), a pleasant movement, with which the quartet is nor- mally performed. The standard of instrumental technique and the accomplishment of the leading chamber music groups are now so high that several of them have mastered the fugue; we wonder how many of them have memorized it like our guests of tonight. It may be safely assumed that no Belfast audience has ever before had the privilege of hearing this mighty work in its original form. Long as the first movement is, Beethoven instructed that the exposition should be repeated. This is not generally done. Each of the next three movements is based on simple and heart-searching melodies such as Beethoven was master of in his last period. The Presto is very short, the Andante gracious and with an almost eighteenth century elegance, but still forward-looking, the German dance of the fourth movement bewitching, but with an undercur- rent of sadness. The Cavatina (a slow song-like instrumental move- ment), is of great sadness and great despair but of great beauty. It would be an impertinence to attempt to give a guide to the structure of the Great Fugue to those who are hearing it for the first time; but in our day the mere sound of it should present none of the problems it did to Beethoven's contemporaries. NOTE ON THE INSTRUMENTS Mr. Novak's violin was built by Presmsyl Otakar Spidlen and received the Gold Medal in Liege in 1963. Mr. Kostecky's violin is also a Spidlen of 1962; likewise Mr. Kohout's cello, built to his own design. Mr. Skampa's viola dates from about 1850 and is by Ferdinand August Homolka; it is of interest to note that this was the viola used by Dvorák while he played as a member of the orchestra of the Provisory Theatre of Prague under Smetana. NEXT CONCERTS: Thursday, February 4th: THE WARSAW PIANO QUINTET Quintet, Op 57 Quintet in F minor Shostakovitch Franck

Friday, February 19th : IGOR OISTRAKH Violin VSEVOLOD PETRUSHANSKY Pianoforte Sonata No. 1 in A minor Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op 96 Sonatensatz Chaconne Five melodies Italian suite Friday, March 5th: VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY Sonata in D minor, Op 31 No. 2 (The Tempest) Sonata No. 5 in A major, Op 120 Gaspard de la nuit Pavane pour une Infante défunte Sonata No. 5, Op 53 (one continuous movement) Thursday, March 18th: LOTHAR OSTENBURG Baritone GUNTHER WEISSENBORN Pianoforte An die Hoffnung; Gellertlieder Roncevals An Silvia; Das Rosenband; Der musensohn Ausgewählte Lieder aus "Magelone" Keinen hat es noch gereut; Sind es Schmerzen, sind es Freuden; Se willst du des Armen; Ruhe, Sussliebchen, im Schatten; Wie froh und Frisch mein Sinn sich hebt; Treue Liebe dauert lange Befreit; Ich trage meine Minne; Nachtgang; All mein Gedanken; Wie sollten wir geheim sie halten. Schumann Beethoven Brahms Bach Prokofieff Stravinsky Beethoven Schubert Ravel Ravel Scriabin Beethoven Dallapiccola Schubert Brahms Strauss