Johann Sebastian Bach (Born in Eisenach, Germany, in 1685; died in Leipzig, Germany, in 1750) Bach’s Time in Cöthen, Germany German composer Johann Sebastian Bach was employed between 1717 and 1723 as the kapellmeister (music director) for the court of Prince Leopold of Cöthen (now central Germany). It was a significant time for Bach since […]
György Sándor Ligeti (Born in Diciosânmartin (renamed Târnăveni in 1941) in Transylvania, Romania (then part of Hungary) in 1923; died in Vienna, Austria in 2006) Sechs Bagatellen (“Six Bagatelles”) Allegro con spirito György Ligeti was one of the 20th century’s great composers, and one of its most innovative. Though his music was typically in the […]
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Born near Basse Terre, Guadeloupe, in 1745; died in Paris, France, in 1799) Overture to L’amant Anonyme (also published. as Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 11, No. 2) Allegro presto Andante Presto Joseph Bologne was born on the French-ruled Caribbean island of Guadalupe to a French plantation owner, […]
Jean Françaix (Born in Le Mans, France in 1912; died in Paris in 1997) Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano (1994) 1. Adagio — Allegro molto 2. Andante 3. Finale Jean Françaix was a modern French composer very much in the neoclassical tradition of Poulenc. He eschewed the trends of atonality and the rejection of […]
Annual Meeting: June 6, 2023 2022 – 2023 Friends of Music Concert Series 9/29/2022 Longing for Song, Two Rivers String Quartet 11/19 & 20/2022 – Highlands and Low, Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra 3/25/2023 – But of Chorus Redux, Winchester Musica Viva 4/15 & 16/2023 – Hapsburg by Happenstance, Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra Jed Gaylin, Conductor […]
PROGRAM NOTES Béla Bartók (Born in Nagyszentmiklós, Hungary in 1881; died in New York City in 1945) Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 68, BB 76 (The six movements are described by their Hungarian subtitles followed by the English translation) 1. Joc cu bâtǎ (Stick Dance). Allegro moderato 2. Brâul (Sash Dance). Allegro 3. Pê-loc (In One […]
PROGRAM NOTES Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756; died in Vienna in 1791) Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414 Allegro in A major Andante in D major Allegretto in A major The fact that Mozart needed to convince the city of Vienna that he should be better regarded as […]
PROGRAM NOTES We open our program with a nod to the liturgical season of Lent. Venetian Baroque composer Antonio Lotti’s setting of the Crucifixus text utilizes thick eight-part choral writing, chromaticism, and suspensions depicting the death of Christ. Johann Sebastian Bach was aware of Lotti’s work, and the Venetian writing for multi-part choirs influenced […]
A preliminary observation. The works featured in this concert share the same inspiration: Beethoven’s ever-popular Septet, Op. 20. Beethoven premiered this septet in 1800, shortly after he arrived in Vienna. Not yet known as a composer of large-scale works, Beethoven began “working up” to writing a symphony by expanding his instrumental palette. His first effort […]
Amy Beach (Born in Henniker, New Hampshire in 1867; died in New York City in 1944) String Quartet, Op. 89 In one movement: Grave – Più animato – Allegro molto (Grave) Amy Beach grew up in the Boston area in a well-to-do family. Like New York City, Boston was a cultural center for the United […]
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