Schubert, Ginastera, Falla, Weber
Program
Franz Schubert
Adagio and Rondo Concertante in F Major for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano, D. 487
Alberto Ginastera Pampeana
No. 2: Rhapsody for Cello and Piano
(1951)
Manuel de Falla
Fantasia Bætica for Piano
(1919)
Carl Maria von Weber
Quintet in B-Flat Major for Clarinet and String Quartet Op. 34
Performances
Guests
Program Notes
"Adagio and Rondo Concertante in F Major for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano, D. 487" by Franz Schubert
This short opening work on the program is unusual within Schubert's chamber music oeuvre. As the title suggests, this piece is a sort of mini piano concerto. It was written in 1816, when Schubert was 19 years old, about the time that his friends persuaded him to resign from his schoolmaster position so that he might have more time to compose.
"Granada from Suite Espagnole No. 1, Op. 47" by Isaac Albéniz (1886)
The Serenata from this suite is a pianistic description of the Spanish city of Granada, with a strummed, guitar-like accompaniment.
"Intermezzo, from the opera Goyescas" by Enrique Granados (1916)
Often excerpted from Granados' opera, this Intermezzo is a favorite because of its expressive lyricism and Catalan flavor. Orion will feature Judy Stone in this adaptation for cello and piano by Gaspar Cassado.
"Fantasia Baetica for Piano" by Manuel de Falla (1919)
A jubilant showpiece full of flamenco rhythms and energy, this seldom-played work was dedicated to Arthur Rubenstein by Manuel de Falla in 1919.
"Quintet in B-Flat Major for Clarinet and String Quartet, Op. 34" by Carl Maria von Weber
This large work showcases clarinetist Kathryne Pirtle and includes guest violinist Baird Dodge, second principal violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Weber is best known as an opera composer, but he also contributed more to the standard clarinet repertoire than any other composer. Like Mozart, he seems to have been drawn to the clarinet because of its expressive vocal qualities. Because of its acoustic design, the clarinet is unique among the wind instruments in producing distinct timbrel differences between the registers, just like the human voice. No composer has used this to greater dramatic effect than Weber, emphasizing the clarinet's potential for navigating huge leaps, producing brilliant scales and arpeggios and expressing great warmth in legato writing.