freements BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND asw 1975-76 SEASON FIFTH RECITAL GALWAY CHAMBER ENSEMBLE olem todmero to Jroa siit James Galway John Georgiadis Roger Best ats/soup edull to toda mabab Moray Welsh (flute) (violin) at 7.45 p.m. (viola) biectuel (cello) Friday 30 January 1976 Fisherwick Presbyterian Church Malone Road

Quartet in G, Op.11, No. 1 2 François Devienne (1759-1803) Allegro Theme and Variations History plays cruel tricks, and the name of Devienne, like that of many of his once famous contemporaries, has now to be nuzzled out from the dense pages of encyclopedias. In his day - and it was not as though there was nobody else around who could pen a good tune - François Devienne enjoyed all the success we associate with a popular and respected composer. In the honoured traditions of the 18th century, he was known as a performer as much as a composer, and excelled not only on the fashionable flute but also on the bassoon. He was therefore well placed to write the sort of chamber music that was in demand - just about playable by gifted amateurs, and easy on the ear, whilst at the same time giving virtuosi like himself the chance to shine and sparkle. Devienne wrote a number of flute quartets which were published in Paris and Amsterdam in 1784-5. This Quartet in G is a typical example of his elegant confidence: the flute asserts its importance in the opening theme, which firmly establishes the harmonic and rhythmic patterns that dominate the work. But the sense of bustling activity is offset by a more poignant secondary theme, in which Devienne exploits the instrument's ability to make wide leaps whilst maintaining a lyrical melodic line. The strings are far from being mere accompanying instruments: after the flute's bravura opening, the violin has a good run for his money before the flute begins to develop the musical ideas that have

so far been aired. The first movement is judged to a nicety and there is a constant sense of freshness about the music as it drives forward, urged on in many instances by syncopations that refuse to let things become in any way four- The second movement consists of a graceful e square. theme, followed by four variations: the first of these is a showpiece for the violin, the second a hair-raising reminder of the flute's virtuosity; it must make the viola feel uncomfortable, as he has to do much the same in the next variation, before everyone submits, in the final section, to the flute's supremacy. The theme is repeated to restore a sense of equilibrium to the proceedings. br 3 Trio in F, Op.40 Albert Roussel (1869-1937) Allegro Adagio Allegro non troppo Albert Roussel is another French composer whose name has begun to slip from the general public's awareness: although he was not a prolific composer, the sixty-odd works he produced in a variety of forms made him, by the 1930's one of, if not the, most respected of living French composers. There was scarcely a form he did not try his hand at with success. Of the chamber works he wrote, those incorporating the flute have a particular historical importance, apart from their intrinsic interest. The Trio Op.40 for flute, viola and cello was written in 1929 and is a work of Roussel's maturity in which his feeling for classical forms is wedded to an ability to think economically and

4 spaciously, using the whole range of the flute's register. The work was written within a fort- night and it is above all the fluency of the music that most immediately strikes the listener at a first hearing. Each instrumental line is given its due importance and there are some interesting aural surprises, as when in the second movement the flute and viola accompany a cello theme that soars above the leger lines, or in the finale, when the rich dark qualities of the flute's lower register are set against arpeggio harmonics on the strings. It is small wonder that of Roussel's compositions, this Trio has become one of the most popular, and not merely for flautists. Serenade in D, Op. 8 INTERVAL Marcia. Allegro Adagio Beethoven (1770-1827) Menuetto; Trio Adagio, Scherzo, Adagio Allegretto alla Polacca Andante quasi Allegretto Marcia. Allegro Beethoven wrote a number of string Trios in the style of serenades. Opus 8, which dates from about 1796 has the extrovert charm we expect in such pieces, but it would be a mistake to dismiss it as merely light-weight. Beethoven in his mid-twenties knew what he was doing, and could make his points with style and vigour. Sandwiched

5 between a march theme at the beginning and end of the work are five fairly short movements, in which succinctness is matched by variety, if not great depth, of feeling. Quartet in D, K.285 Allegro Adagio Rondo Mozart (1756-1791) Mozart had an instinctive understanding of wind instruments, although his own orchestral instrument was the viola. The flute, for which he had less affection than for other instruments, drew from him two quartets, the beginning of a third, and a couple of concertos. These were all sparked off by a commission offered him by the Dutch flautist De Jean, at a time when Mozart needed money and employment. Of the flute quartets, the first in D major, written in Mannheim when he was 21, is undoubtedly the most impressive. The first movement begins in scintillating fashion with a forward-thrusting flute tune wafting above a conventional enough chug-chug accompaniment, a tune that jumps breezily across the bar lines and the rests; and of course before long the accompaniment itself opens out dramatically, and we are forced to realise that in Mozart we can never take anything for granted. The expansive slow movement teaches us the same lesson, and in addition takes us completely

by surprise by leading straight into the final Rondo in which we get the sort of brilliance and wit of which only the young Mozart is capable. Notes by Mark Storey. * la 6 * * * * NEXT CONCERT to getbaaluss br TUO Friday 26 March at 7.30 p.m. Whitla Hall, Queen's University FOU TS'ONG (piano) 4 Mazurkas, op 30 3 Mazurkas, op 50 Polonaise, op 53 Sonata in C, K.330 Sonata in C minor, op 111 Estampes * * Mozart Beethoven Debussy Chopin Chopin Chopin

7 1976-77 SEASON Arrangements are nearly complete for next season's concerts, and it looks like being another exciting series: the Melos Ensemble, Kodaly Quartet, Robles Trio, the violinist Milanova, pianist David Wilde, and the Academy of Ancient Music. The full subscription for next season will be £7.00, but a special reduced rate of £6.00 will be available to persons who pay their subscriptions at the FOU TS'ONG concert on 26 March. Special arrangements will be made to receive subscriptions at this last concert of the present series, and we hope that all our members as well as our many welcome guests will take advantage of this opportunity. * * * * * -

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