A Belfast Music Society Celebrity Concerts # (3/4/96 Programme 5

LONDON GRIEG ENSEMBLE PROGRAMME Vasko Vassilev - violin David Burrowes - 'cello Martin Ennis - piano Piano Quartet in G minor pudag sd sd to ameib Flute Quartet in D, K285Vormalmen Variations on "Down by the Sally Gardens" for flute, 'cello and piano, Op. 58 p Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 6011 Supported by the ARTS COUNCIL Stephen Shakeshaft Jennifer Stinton do wol sil diw bonade boom anyola at tona onim Delf da mor best p no se snon ad noltase mome Saturday, 13th April 1996 Elmwood Hallavom at 7.30 pm BELFA CITY C S - viola - flute MOND Mozart Mozart Kurt Roger g Brahmshoq edmonas se geinsgo. adhi ban pobatige to biom adi awora InO ar NATIONAL FEDERATION OF MUSIC SOCIETIES NFMS

Piano Quartet in G minor K.478 allegro andante rondeau Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791) AND MORE Hans Keller once called Mozart's piano quartets "the only absolutely perfect, great, deep masterpieces of their problematic genre". This is all the more remarkable as Mozart's two piano quartets are effectively the first works of any substance written for this combination of instruments. Mozart had the example of J.C. Bach to follow, but the latter had written quartets in which the piano was treated as a concerto soloist, and other early examples of the genre are in essence piano pieces with a more or less dispensable string accompaniment. Like his predecessors, Mozart sets the piano aside from the string instruments, but he is also concerned to develop the string parts, so that the overall result is one of pure chamber music. The G minor Quartet was written in 1785. It was published by Mozart's friend Hoffmeister, but apparently enjoyed so little success that Hoffmeister decided not to pursue his idea of publishing two more quartets. The public, expecting something closer to salon music, was probably unsettled by the high drama of the music, but from our perspective we can see the music as a forerunner of the Romantic movement, exploring moods hitherto unfamiliar to contemporary audiences. From what we can judge, Mozart himself was not dismayed by the public's reaction and a second quartet was written the following year, shortly after the first performance of The Marriage of Figaro. The G minor Quartet is stormy in character, a mood shared with the few other pieces which Mozart wrote in this key. The first movement takes its lead from the turbulent unison opening. There are a number of contrasting themes including an unusually expressive melody at the start of the development section, but none succeeds in dispelling the pervading mood of agitation, and the movement ends with a restatement of the opening idea. The slow movement shows the instruments in more relaxed mood, but the underlying sense of pathos is never distant. Only the last movement serves to dispel the tension. Here the music turns to the major for a light-hearted rondo theme. There is a large contrasting middle section, but the work ends affirmatively. 2THA JIOKUGO

Flute Quartet in D K.285 allegro adagio rondeau: allegretto Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791) Between 30th October 1777 and 14th March 1778, Mozart was resident at his mother's house in Mannheim. During this period, he was introduced to a wealthy Dutch merchant named De Jean who was a keen amateur flautist. On 10th December 1777, Mozart wrote to his father, Leopold, that De Jean had commissioned him to compose three "short and simple" flute concertos and two quartets for flute and strings for the sum of 200 gulden (about 5 guineas). Progress was uneven, bearing in mind that throughout his short life, Mozart normally composed at tremendous speed, and in the event, he only managed to finish two of the concertos. In another letter to his father, he declared that: "It is not surprising that I have not been able to complete the commission, for I never have a single quiet hour here. I can only compose at night. Moreover, you know that I am quite powerless whenever I am obliged to write for an instrument which I cannot bear." Mozart's sentiments about the flute are not reflected in this wonderfully fresh and varied composition and the flute quartets have justly taken their places as cornerstones of the chamber music repertoire for the flute. ortum quaris 3 at horisoooo yllezigho se uzmit beanas nos otroslavezzib Variations on an Irish Air Kurt Roger (1895-1966) "Down by the Sally Gardens" Op. 58 10110 The Austrian-born composer Kurt Roger studied with Karl Weigl, Guido Adler and Arnold Schoenberg. He obtained his Doctorate of Music from Vienna University in 1918 and later taught theory and composition at the Vienna Conservatoire. From 1938 he lived and worked in the United States, becoming an American citizen in 1945. After the war he was asked to return to his native Austria, and the government conferred on him the Order of Merit, first class in the field of Art and Science. The total number of his works reached the opus number 116, and many of them were performed by highly prestigious ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Rafael Kubelik, the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Northern Orchestra under Sir Charles Groves. Kurt Roger died on a visit to Vienna in 1966 and has been given a grave of honour in his native city where a Kurt Roger archive has been established at Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde.

The variations on an Irish air Op. 58 was composed in New York in 1948 and received its first performance there in 1951. The theme emerges from a questioning introduction and is present in more or less recognisable guise throughout the succeeding variations. The work ends quietly, recapturing the mood of the opening. The Trio demonstrates some of the most characteristic features of Roger's style - a wide emotional range from poignant nostalgia to rough humour, a strong sense of energy and an essentially contrapuntal approach to composition. Piano Quartet in C Minor op. 60 allegro non troppo scherzo: allegro andante finale: allegro comodo Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) The C minor Piano Quartet has one of the most problematic histories of any work by Brahms. Originally conceived in C sharp minor, it was far enough advanced by November 1856 for Brahms to have rehearsed it with his friend and colleague, Joseph Joachim. However, dissatisfaction soon caused him to set the work on one side, and it was not until 1869 that he took it up again. This time he got as far as assigning it an opus number (54), but again cold feet caused him to hesitate, and it was only in 1875, twenty years after its conception, that the Quartet reached its final form. The first public performance took place in Vienna's Musikvereinsaal with Brahms himself at the piano. For long it was thought that the first and third movements date back to the earliest phase of composition and that the second and fourth movements are later substitutions, but there is much evidence to challenge this view, and given Brahms's tireless reworkings it is difficult to pinpoint with any confidence immature features in any of the movements. However, we can be sure from references in Brahms's correspondence that parts of the opening movement date back to the 1850s, and it is this movement which Brahms linked to Goethe's Werther. His references to "the man with a blue coat and yellow waistcoat with a pistol pointed at his head" serve to draw a parallel between Goethe's suicidal hero and Brahms's own plight in the mid 1850s, when he was hopelessly in love with the married Clara Schumann.

The first movement establishes a serious mood at the outset with its stark octaves and short- winded phrases. Unusually, Brahms replaces a conventional second subject with a miniature set of variations on a eight-bar theme. This section is further developed in the recapitulation where it returns in the unorthodox key of G major. Given the expansive nature of the first movement it is hardly surprising that the scherzo is placed second. This is a terse and energetic movement without a formal trio section. The andante starts with one of Brahms's most inspired creations - a long cantilena for solo 'cello underpinned by rich harmonies in the piano. The movement's sense of repose is complemented by the choice of a distant key, E major (incidentally, the same key used for the slow movement of the C minor Symphony). The finale, which like the first movement is couched in sonata form, ultimately comes to rest on a chord of C major, but the conclusion can hardly be described as triumphant, for the nervous quaver figuration which accompanies the main theme remains potent until the final bars of the work.b bet Programme notes by ni bonien bas orei al sito Dr. Martin Ennis ska besuot goivan elolos beda daras Yodaodo ae gigni selidwolso signigaiq bome 23WORDS GIVAG agbindemagolio) als ballo orgidelodbe sodos bebeswaanwoll mortsW yol bas sam do diw olls boibos bos bau bastad stad a od to olls begint oben labronios no ba edilo somonid sam sed ea DERI subm alaloon oloe overy ban sisinotaz od to (dipend solo nobno.1 ob sew IMME RITRAN

TONIGHT'S ARTISTS Since its formation in 1992, The London Grieg Ensemble has rapidly gained a reputation through both its concert and recording activities. It is a flexibly sized group whose players are all noted solo and chamber music performers. The Ensemble performs in a variety of combinations. The majority of the concerts have been programmes for String Quartet or for Strings with Piano. The String Quartet has recently recorded works by Grieg and Sibelius on CD. This is the first in a series of projected chamber music recordings to bring together top European players in a project which will be linked to an exciting and innovative series of concerts. oplaadt ud VASKO VASSILEV was a 3-time international laureate, winning the Paganini International Competition in 1989 and top prizes in the Carl Flesch and Jacques Thibaud competitions earlier. Born in Sofia in 1970 and trained in Moscow and London, Vassilev is already an established soloist, having toured extensively in Europe, Scandinavia and the Far East. Vassilev is the youngest person to have guest-led the LSO, the LPO and the Philharmonia, and he is now leader of the Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden. He plays an Amati violin of 1705. DAVID BURROWES started playing the 'cello whilst singing as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. He was awarded a choral scholarship to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge where he read Music and studied 'cello with Christopher Bunting and Moray Welsh. From 1978 to 1983 he was a member of the Ulster Orchestra, Principal 'Cello of the Ulster Sinfonietta, and gave solo recitals on both BBC and on commercial radio. David is Head of Strings at the Kent Centre for Young Instrumentalists and is lecturer in 'cello at the Colchester Institute of Music and since 1992 has been Artistic Director of the London Grieg Ensemble. MARTIN ENNIS was educated at Regent House School in Newtownards, from where he won an organ scholarship to Christ's College, Cambridge. After graduating with a double first in Music in 1979, he moved to Cologne on a German Government scholarship, completing his studies with First Class Performers' Diplomas in organ and harpsichord. In 1993 Martin gained a ctora in Music and combines his university life with a busy career as a performer. STEPHEN SHAKESHAFT sang as a chorister in Salisbury Cathedral before studying viola at the Royal Academy of Music. After two years as sub-principal viola of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, he was appointed Principal Viola of the Scottish National Orchestra at the age of 25. Since 1985 Stephen has been based in London where he is Principal Viola of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and is in much demand as a chamber music player and recitalist.

He plays a viola made by Barak Norman, an instrument which is considered to be one of the finest English violas in existence. JENNIFER STINTON studied at the Royal Academy of Music and was subsequently awarded a Countess of Munster Scholarship and Arts Council Award to continue her studies in America with Geoffrey Gilbert. A finalist in the 1987 Royal Overseas League Competition, she went on to win the 1988 South East Arts Platform. The following year Jennifer made her first recordings on the Collins Classics label, for whom she has since made a further ten recordings embracing much of the solo and chamber repertoire. She is committed to the promotion of new music and has performed a number of works especially written for her. NEXT CONCERT Saturday, 11th May 1996 MARKHAM and BROADWAY - Two Pianos Elmwood Hall - 7.30pm