THE BELFAST MUSIC SOCIETY in association with THE ARTS COUNCIL OF NORTHERN IRELAND and THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT, QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY NIGEL KENNEDY (violin) PETER PETTINGER (piano) Saturday 23 March 1985 Elmwood Hall 7.30pm

- 1 - Violin Sonata in E minor, Op.82 Allegro Romance (Andante) Allegro non troppo EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934) In March 1918, Elgar underwent a minor throat operation, to recuperate from which he moved with his wife to a quiet residence at Brinkwells in Sussex. Sir Edward, always the dexterous and inquisitive dabbler, took to helping with the summer harvest and planting a nearby wood. He seems to have falled under the spell of the latter and captured its elusive mystery in a short musical essay he entitled WOOD MAGIC. This found its way into the sonata for violin. and piano as the opening of the central Romance. It took the arrival of a piano at Brinkwells to inspire a break in the virtual creative silence of the previous year. In quick succession, the physically and mentally stronger Elgar produced his three most substantial chamber works the present sonata, the string quartet in the same key and the piano quintet in A minor. Contemporary critics were quick to note the conservative nature of all three works not only in relation to other works written in the same period in Europe, but also when viewed retrospectively alongside Elgar's and oratorios of the preceeding two Newman noted of the sonata that: - - own symphonies decades. Ernest "Elgar's style has become one of extraordinary slenderness as far as the mere notes are con- cerned... every superfluous line has been eliminated from the design, every superfluous note from the harmony; but the music carries a surprising weight of thought and feeling." Such a paring down and economising of means was not unknown among the Romantics as they reached maturity Brahms and Mahler - and with Elgar it marked the final significant phase of an opulent career. The cello concerto followed in 1919, Lady following year and Sir Edward witness Alice Elgar died the

wrote little else of in 1934. - 2- consequence before his death concentrated, The sonata's opening temporarily suggests A minor before two contrasting ideas are presented, each developed in a sometimes contrapuntal manner. The second subject, in the relative major, is an inverted version of the first main idea and leads to a passage of quietly ruminating arpeggios in the violin and music of wandering chromaticism. The entire sequence of events is repeated to form a binary structure before a Coda returns us to the more rhetorical language of the opening. The Romance opens with music of faltering chromat- icism the Wood Magic already referred to. A recapit- ulation of this material "con sordino" follows a central section in B flat major. The E major finale begins by recalling material from the sonata's opening; the second subject comprises key scheme. short figurations repeated through an errant There is a false recapitulation before the entire expos- ition of themes is repeated - a recurrence of the binary design of the first movement. While working on this finale, Elgar heard of the sudden Joshua, death of Mrs Marie the work's dedicatee. As a final soft lament he incorporated Coda a which nostalgically recalls. the central melody of the Romance and presents a minor- key version of the finale's opening theme. This last touching gesture symbolised a break with Elgar's past; within two years came another more which was to result in the virtual most outstanding voice in English music. devastating loss silencing of the

- 3 - Sonata No 1 in G minor for violin, BWV 1001 Adagio Fuga: Allegro Siciliano Presto JS BACH (1685-1750) The six sonatas and partitas of JS Bach for unaccompanied violin are indisputably the greatest works for the medium. They were written at Cöthen in 1720 and it is eternally our loss that much of Bach's other chamber music from this period is unknown to us. Along with the six solo cello suites, the violin works show an unrivalled mastery. of the instru- mental idioms and exploit the stringed double-stopping capability to astonishing contrapuntal effect. Fugal writing of great complexity, sonorous instruments' three and even four-part chords as well as wholesomely accompanied melody are freely indulged with no apparent loss of keyboard partnering. The G minor sonata opens with a majestic Adagio in which the spacious tempo allows for frequent four- part chords and ornate passage-work. The Fugue proceeds as an alternation of contra- puntal ingenuity with sequential broken-chord passages. There are four clearly defined fugal sections while the last eight bars contain music of falling chromaticism which adds significantly to the dramatic rhetoric. The gentle Siciliano provides momentary relaxation in the relative major key of B flat. There is frequent use of sixths in the harmony which contribute to the overall feeling of benignity. The final binary-form presto is an exhilarating 'perpetuum mobile', in which Bach seems to do little other than explore patterns. Such is the that he need do no of consummate ease and sequential scale and arpeggio nature of his genius, though, more than this to produce music mastery. Programme notes by Donal McCrisken

Thème et Variations (1932) - 4 - INTERVAL (b.1908) Messiaen was only 24 when he wrote his Theme and for violin and piano, but his music was already beginning to show a strong individuality, and in this Variations piece his lifelong is fully displayed. by five variations peu moins modéré, fascination for both colour and rhythm The Theme, marked Modéré, is followed played without a break: Modéré, Un Modéré avec éclat, Vif et passionné, final variation restates the theme is now accompanied by powerful and Très modéré. The on the violin, but it chords on the piano. Concert Fantasy on Themes from Bizet's 'Carmen', Op.25 Out of the Cool OLIVIER MESSIAEN I.D.D. PABLO DE SARASATE (1844-1908) One of the great violin virtuosi of the late 19th century, the Spanish composer Sarasate is perhaps best known for his Zigeunerweisen for violin. Bizet's opera Carmen had a disastrous première, but only ten years later Sarasate took some of the best-known melodies from the opera and arranged them for solo violin with orchestral piano accompaniment. Although played continuously, four main sections follow the introduction, and the music is ingenious and technically very demanding. or I.D.D. DAVID HEATH (b. 1956) David Heath is a composer and flautist who has given solo classical concerts around Britain including the Purcell Room and the Wigmore Hall, played principal flute with the Hallé and English National Opera North orchestras

- 5 - and as leader of a jazz quartet, played at Ronnie Scott's, Riverside Studios and the Cork and Chichester International Festivals. Out of the Cool was written in 1978 and, like most of David Heath's compositions, is a direct result of his involvement with modern jazz. The work now has a regular place in Nigel Kennedy's repertoire and has been played by him all over the country, including the Wigmore Hall and at B.B.C. Lunchtime Recitals. Tzigane MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937) he Although Ravel knew most of the best French instrumentalists of his day, he only wrote concertos for his own instrument, the piano. However, did write this very soloistic piece for violin and piano for Jelly d'Aranyi in 1924: she was a disting- uished Hungarian violinist, and so Ravel immediately incorporated the Hungarian gipsy style of her background into the work. It opens with a long unaccompanied violin solo statement of the material. After a short and brilliant cadenza, the piano carries on a theme over which the violin has harmonies and virtuoso music. A grandiose passage full of emotion precedes the return of the main allegro material and the work ends in a headlong, impetuous rush. I.D.D. We apologise to our patrons for any inconvenience which may have been caused by the last-minute change to the advertised programme for tonight's recital.

- 6- TONIGHT'S ARTISTS NIGEL KENNEDY studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and later at the Julliard School in New York. Born in 1956, he is one of the most distinguished violinists of his generation. He was made subject of a five-year BBC Television documentary, which culminated in his Festival Hall début with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Riccardo Muti in 1977. He has appeared with all the major British orchestras, but also gives frequent chamber music recitals, and in addition to Classical music he is very involved. in performing Indian music and jazz. His recordings of the Elgar Violin Concerto and Violin Sonata have won warm critical praise and are best sellers. Nigel Kennedy plays a Stradivari violin. the PETER PETTINGER, who accompanies Nigel Kennedy on his best-selling record of Elgar's works for solo violin (including the Violin Sonata), was born in 1945. Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in Royal His classical training took place at the Academy of Music from 1962-68, studying with pianist Vivian Langrish and composer Hugh Wood. He has travelled extensively including three tours of Japan and countless appearances in the USA. since