programme notes

 
 

phoenix collective & zen zeng

Inner Worlds:

Giovanni Sollima (1962–present) 

Sonnets et Rondeaux (2007)

Born into a family of musicians, Giovanni Sollima studied cello with Giovanni Parriera and Antonia Janigro and composition with his father Eliodoro Sollima and Milko Kelemen. His career has encompassed both high-level cello performance with luminaries such as Claudio Abbado and Martha Agerich, and composition for both the concert hall and the cinema.

Sollima’s compositional style borrows from popular culture, folk music and classical traditions. Sonnets et Rondeaux is a suite of six movements in a slow/fast format, with melodic references to medieval music, Celtic folk styles and a nod to Middle Eastern modes. Sollima’s interest in extended string techniques manifests in the use of pizzicato, glissando effects, harmonics and sul ponticello passages. Each tranquil sonnet is followed by a blazingly fast rondeau, with the final movement whirling to a breathless close.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) String Quartet no 8 in C minor op 110

  1. Largo

  2. Allegro molto

  3. Allegretto

  4. Largo

  5. Largo

Shostakovich’s String Quartet no 8 was written in three days in 1960 while Shostakovich was visiting East Germany. This took place shortly after Shostakovich had somewhat reluctantly joined the Communist Party after pressure from Kruschev, which has been interpreted as a catalyst for this austere and sombre work.

The quartet was dedicated by Shostakovich to ‘the victims of fascism and war’, and begins with a lament-like slow movement. The composer’s signature motif of DSCH (the notes D, E-flat, C, B), derived from the first few letters of his first and last names, is the basis for this movement and is used throughout the quartet.

The second movement is a violent explosion after the almost sacred calm of the first movement, and culminates in the anguished ‘Jewish’ melody also used by Shostakovich in his second piano trio. This is followed by a sardonic waltz in the third movement, again formed by the DSCH motif.

The fourth movement starts with an ominous three note figure, which has been interpreted by many to represent loud knocking from the KGB on the door. It also includes a quotation of the revolutionary song, ‘Exhausted by the hardships of prison’, which had been sung at Lenin’s funeral. The final largo is a reprise of the opening lament, completing the work with an air of quiet resignation.

Much has been written about Shostakovich’s dedication of the Quartet no 8, including that the work was intended to be his own epitaph and that he planned to commit suicide. Whatever the truth is, it was clearly as work of great emotional significance to Shostakovich. The music critic Erik Smith wrote, ‘The Borodin Quartet played this work to the composer at his Moscow home, hoping for his criticisms. But Shostakovich, overwhelmed by this beautiful realisation of his most personal feelings, buried his head in his hands and wept. When they had finished playing, the four musicians quietly packed up their instruments and stole out of the room.’

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

Piano Quintet in E flat op 44 (1842)

  1. Allegro brilliante

  2. In modo d’una marcia. Un poco largamente

  3. Scherzo: molto vivace

  4. Allegro ma non troppo

Composed in only a few weeks in September/October of 1842, the Piano Quintet has earned a well-deserved place in the chamber music canon. Often referred to as Schumann’s ‘Year of Chamber Music’, 1842 saw Schumann compose not only the quintet, but also a piano quartet, three string quartets and a piano trio. Although he had not previously written any chamber music, Schumann embraced the timbral possibilities afforded to him by the combination of piano and strings.

The Quintet was dedicated to Schumann’s wife, the pianist Clara Schumann, who was slated to perform it at an informal premier in December 1842. However, due to illness, she was replaced at the last minute by Felix Mendelssohn, who sight-read the piano part. Mendelssohn subsequently made suggestions to Schumann for possible improvements to the work, and his high regard for Mendelssohn resulted in Schumann making several amendments.

The first movement opens with a joyful theme, but the exuberance of the opening is then countered by more introspective material. This duality (often referred to by Schumann in reference to himself as the characters ‘Florestan’ and ‘Eusebius’) was a feature of Schumann’s composition and indeed his life. It has been suggested that the Piano Quintet was influenced by Schumann’s study of Schubert’s Piano Trio no 2, and there are certainly many similarities. The key of E flat major is used for both works, and both contain a ‘funeral march’ as the second movement. The scherzo in compound time features Schumann’s characteristic rhythmic ambiguity, giving a sense of the jocular humour implied by the title. The final movement concludes with fugal material and a final quotation of the theme from the opening of the work, bringing it full circle.

Schumann, whose mental state had long been fragile, suffered another severe episode in 1843. Ultimately his condition led to a failed suicide attempt and his removal to a sanatorium in Bonn, where he died at age 46. Although Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms destroyed some of Schumann’s compositions in an attempt to preserve his reputation, fortunately the music from his ‘Year of Chamber Music’ survived.

Musicians, Phoenix Collective Quartet:

Violin 1 & Artistic Director - Dan Russell

Violin 2 - Pip Thompson

Viola - Ella Brinch

Cello - Andrew Wilson

Piano - Zen Zeng