THE BELFAST MUSIC SOCIETY C ELEBRITY CONCERTS -1990-91- AT THE ELMWOOD HALL

the Costa trier THE BRITTEN STRING QUARTET Peter Manning (violin) Keith Pascoe (violin) Peter Lale (viola) Andrew Shulman (cello) ********* Quartet in C op 76 no 3 ("Emperor") The Journey of the Magi (World Premiere: BMS Commission) Quartet in D K575 pected - INTERVAL ********* 024 Saturday 9 February 1991 7.30 pm Elmwood Hall Haydn David Byers Mozart Berg

SA DINT Tall ********* Ita Ind

Quartet in C, op 76/3 (Emperor) Allegro Poco adagio, cantabile Menuetto (Allegro) Presto The six quartets of op 76 were probably composed in 1796/7, shortly after Haydn's return from his second visit to England; they were commissioned by Count Joseph Erdödy (a name that crops up frequently in Beethoven studies, too the Countess was the dedicatee of a number of his works, including the Op 70 piano trios). Joseph Haydn 1732-1809 Charles Burney wrote to Haydn from England in 1799, after hearing a performance of op 76, "(I) never received more pleasure from instrumental music: they are full of invention, fire, good taste, and new effects. The Divine Hymne, written for your imperial master, in imitation of our loyal song 'God save great George our King' and set so admirably to music by yourself, I have translated and adapted to your melody, which is simple, grave, applicating and pleasing". The Divine Hymne that so pleased Burney is Haydn's, Gotterhalte Franz den Kaiser', often known as the Emperor's Hymn, later Germany's National Anthem, used by the composer as the theme for variations in the slow movement of this quartet (hence its nickname). movement Haydn gives each instrument in turn the theme, while varying the surrounding harmony and texture. Finally there is a poignant variation for all four instruments. The craments opening movement is a good example of Haydn deriving his material from one principal theme, rather than from two In this ivin or more The 200 subjects; the necessary contrasts are provided by key and treatment. central part of what is traditionally known as the development section (though. Haydn actually develops his material from the start) presents a sudden surprise in the unexpected key of E, over a rustic drone bass, the violins transform the main theme into a snatch of Croatian folksong (a close relation of the one Liszt was later to use in his second Hungarian Rhapsody). This is a reminder that Haydn did have Croatian blood in his veins, and folksong influences are found not infrequently in his works. fole oud tol 2000 Also possibly of folk origin is the wavering betweeen major and minor tonality that characterises several of the op 76 quartets. Thus the minuet of this quartet is in C major, while the A minor theme of the trio is unexpectedly then heard in A major before returning to the minor mode. Although not titled 'scherzo' (a term he only used in the op 33 set), this fast minuet movement has something of a scherzo character. For much of its length, the finale is in C minor, but finally the sun emerges and the closing pages of the quartet are bathed in C major. The Journey of the Magi Philharmonia Shulen (World Premiere; BMS Commission) We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, actie led But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. David Byers TS Eliot (The Journey of the Magi)

The Journey of the Magi was written towards the end of 1990 for the Britten String Quartet. At the time I had just revised a flute piece first written twenty years ago and I was preoccupied with how my writing had changed and continues to change over the years. This, alongside the idea of a new work marking seventy years of the BMS, seems to have encouraged the idea of retrospection. In 1981 I wrote a work for the Arditti String Quartet which also had a TS Eliot title, At the Still Point of the Turning World, This piece had contrasted calm and bustle, aiming to achieve some sort of co-existence. between the two. Nine years on, the musical processes have become simpler, more direct and my concerns are perhaps best summed up in the adage, "To travel hopefully is better than to arrive". The calm and bustle of the earlier work are replaced by an attempt to reconcile the inevitability of journeys, whether of musical progressions or of life itself, and the supposed freedom of the individual with his unique ability to shape his own destiny. The music is based on a plainsong melody taken from the twelfth century liturgical drama The Play of Herod, The words set to it in the original play (Herod questioning the Magi) seemed to carry resonances with so many current concerns. bin e11 oed) 2310up and unt Quae rerum novitas ..... What novelty or cause prompted you to attempt an unknown journey? Where are you going? Of what race are you? What is your home? Do you bring peace or war? acto Alb at eldf av 388) The shape of the piece is best explained as three songs (for cello, for viola, and for two violins respectively) enclosed by four refrains. All seven sections are variations on the plainsong melody and the final refrain comes closest to being a statement of the original plainsong. The Journey of Magi was commissioned for this concert by the Belfast Music Society to mark the Society's 70th anniversary. The commission was made possible with financial assistance from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. namin 3 Quartet in D, K575 Allegretto Andante Menuetto Allegretto - INTERVAL - wi (selec *** Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791 The two greatest composers of quartets in the classical period are of course the two greatest composers of the period, Haydn and Mozart. Yet their approach to and attitude to the quartet seems intriguingly different. It was Haydn who, if not the creator of the genre, was certainly in there at the beginning; once he had, probably fortuitously, begun writing for the medium, >

1 he soon found it was an ideal form of expression, and, along with the symphony, it provided the stage for some of his most original thinking. Mozart came to the quartet comparatively late (for him he was all of 14 when he composed his first essay in the form, K80). His early quartets seemed to cause him no great problems, but once he had discovered the quartets of Haydn, he seems to have become rather inhibited in composing in the older composer's shadow. Certainly he described his work on his mature quartets as a de along laborious endeavour' and evidence of this can be seen in the sketches and alterat ons in original manuscripts. His comparative neglect of the form in the last years of his life may also have something to do with his increased interest in the warmer sounds he could create in his quintets with two violas and alterations in his set of In fact he wrote three only quartets after 1786, the three written in 1789 and 1790, and published shortly after his death. They are often known as the Prussian quartets because they were composed for the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm II, a competent cellist. It seems likely that Mozart had intended to compose a set of six quartets for him, but in the end he managed only three. If we are to believe Mozart's own correspondence, the reason for this was financial (he was so short of money he had to send the set off to the publishers with just three completed quartets). or with clarinet. De These Prussian quartets, like Haydn's opus 50 set, also dedicated to the King, have unusually prominent cello parts. The positive result of this is an unusual degree of equality of all four instruments. However, the quartets'. detractors would say that writing such prominent cello parts upsets the balance and that writing equal parts for all instruments as conscientiously as Mozart does in this quartet can make the ensemble sound like a committee in which all must have their say'. Whether this is so must be up to the listener to decide. Certainly the slow movement that results is a beautifully lyrical dialogue, while the minuet's trio section is an almost Schubertian waltz. In fact, all four movements are in moderate tempo, explaining the quartet's leisurely and expansive mood. 201 odslason posto suor wiss Alex Macdonald 1991 pa TONIGHT'S ARTISTS sib The Britten Quartet has rapidly become one of the leading string quartets of its generation. Its four members came to chamber music after first chair experience in London's leading orchestras: Manning and Pascoe were concert masters of the London Philharmonic. Shulman was solo cello of the Philharmonia and Lale was a guest principal with London chamber orchestras such as the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Their extensive experience of the orchestra repertoire under such great conductors as Solti, Haitink, Svetlanov, Karajan, Muti, Guilini and Rattle led them logically to seek a further outlet of expression through chamber music and has enriched their understanding and interpretation of many composers' work. It was also directly responsible for their decision not to specialise in any particular area but to play the full range of the string quartet repertoire. The Britten Quartet, was the first quartet to be offered management by the Young Concert Artists Trust.

Teaching is an important part of the Quartet's activities. They are resident. string quartet at the University of Liverpool where they coach, give masterclasses and recitals. In 1987 they were Quartet in Residence at the Dartington International Summer School when they focused on the complete quartet repertoire of Alfred Schnittke. They have taken part in similar projects this year at the University of Bristol and at Lake District Summer Music in August 1989. Later this year they will give a masterclass at the University of Hong Kong. Following their immensely successful debut at the Wigmore Hall in 1987 the quartet has established a considerable presence in London. The 1988/89 season included performances in the much acclaimed "Genius of Prokofiev" series at the Blackheath Concert Halls and live BBC broadcasts from St John's Smith Square and around the country. On the South Bank the quartet has given five concerts in collaboration with the Alban Berg Quartet as part of the "Beethoven Plus" series in January 1990, appeared in the South Bank's Haydn Series and in October 1990 gave a series of concerts in the Beethoven/Tippett Series. They have performed Schoenberg's Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by Sir Neville. Marriner in the Royal Festival Hall, and given two concerts as part of Hermann Prey's Schubertiade and the Mozart Birthday Concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Other artists with whom the Quartet has appeared include John Ogdon, Maurice Bourgue, Imogen Cooper, Thea King, Lynn Harrell and actors Simon Callow and Nigel Hawthorne. In addition to a busy schedule in London, the Quartet tours the length and breadth of the British Isles. It has appeared at Britain's major music festivals including Brighton, City of London, Greenwich, Canterbury, and Harrogate and is a regular visitor to the Aldeburgh Foundation's "Britten - Festivals". Last year they appeared at Chester, Cheltenham, Cambridge and Norwich Festivals. Visits abroad have included an extensive tour of South America in the Summer of 1988 under the auspices of the British Council, and their debut in Scandinavia. This season they have had highly successful tours of Holland and Germany and Spain and later in the season will visit Austria and Finland while next season includes a tour to the Far East. In the Spring of 1989 the Quartet made their first recording, of Beethoven Op 130 with the Grosse Fuge and Schnittke Quartet No3, which has recently been released by LDR, and the Quartet have just recorded Vaughan Williams 'On Wenlock Edge' with Philip Langridge and Howard Shelley, and the Ravel Quartet with EMI, for whom they will shortly be recording exclusively. In addition they have recorded all the quartets by Britten for Collins Classics and will soon record the Prokofiev Quartets and Haydn's Op 76. Following their second Wigmore Hall recital (in January 1988) the Guardian printed the following: "Bound for fame Although it is only in its second season, the Britten String Quartet has already established itself as outstanding in the younger generation. You have only to hear the euphonious, totally true matching of these four talented young players for a few moments to realise that they are already in the inter- national league

NEXT RECITAL RAPHAEL WALLFISCH (cello) PETER WALLFISCH (piano) Elmwood Hall Saturday 16 March 1991 7.30 pm PRS GIVING MUSIC ITS DUE Representing music creators & publishers. We are pleased to have the support of PRS

The BMS has been presenting concerts of first-rate chamber music, including materpieces which are landmarks in European culture, for 70 years. Some of the world-famous artists who have played and sung for us have included t Amadeus Quartet, Elly Ameling, Claudio Arrau, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Janet Baker, Pierre Bernac and Francis Poulenc, Alfred Brendel, Barry Douglas, Kathleen Ferrier, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, John Lill, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Gerard Souzay and Rosalyn Tureck. Copies of BMS brochures available from the Secretary, Margaret Hunter, 36 Sharman Road, Belfast, BT9 5FX, tel. 661708. CITY HOSPITAL ELMWOOD HALL SBURN ROAD AMDEN LMWOOD AVENUE COLLEGE GARDEN! WELLESLEY AVENUE ODIST COLLEGE 10007 MOUNT CHARLES UNIVERSITY SQUAR DONEGALL PASS -- QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDENS