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About Soundscapes
Our 2024 season, Soundscapes, will see us forego our usual National Tour, in favour of smaller regional tours spread throughout the year. This will allow us to spend more time in each place and offer a range of concerts and experiences to suit every level of chamber music lover.
In May we visited the South Island, and in August, September and October we're touring the North Island.
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Soundscapes One is being performed at:
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DEPOT Artspace in Devonport on Friday 30 August, 7:30pm
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The Lodge in Paeroa on Wednesday 4 September, 7:30pm
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Cambridge Town Hall in Cambridge on Sunday 8 September, 7pm
Claire Cowan (1983—) NZ
Celestia >< Terralia (2023)
Notes from the composer: ‘We are stardust in the highest exalted way, called by the universe, reaching out to the universe’ - Ann Druyan While writing this work, I have been fascinated by the mirrored connections and parallels between Earth and space, both physically and metaphorically. A musical idea begins in the mind as a fragment, which changes through repetition or ‘orbits’. In space, the fragments of past ideas (space missions, defuncts satellites, space junk) drift around Earth for all time, never to be part of a whole again. Deep below in the ocean currents, the lion’s mane jellyfish is on its own passive journey. Its fiery- coloured underbelly mirrors the gas- filled space imagery captured by our most powerful telescopes. The micro and the macro reflect each other endlessly at the extreme ends of the spectrum. Utilising minimalist musical techniques, the piece takes its energetic structure from the movements between Earth and space- the countdown to a rocket launch, the release of gravity as a return to the womb, and the profound perspective shift that comes with observing Earth from a great distance.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827)
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 (1826)
I. Allegretto
II. Vivace
III. Lente assai e cantante tranquillo
IV. Der schwer gefaßte Entschluß. Grave (Muß es sein?) - Allego (Es muß sein!) - Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro
Opus 135, composed between July and October 1826, was commissioned by Moritz Schlesinger and published in Paris in September 1827. It was dedicated to Johann Wolfmayer, a longstanding admirer of Beethoven - possibly as compensation for the Requiem which Wolfmayer commissioned in 1818 but never received. After a furtive opening, the Allegretto features concise thematic material. The understated first subject is contralto, the second, an animated soprano, is reached via a distinctive passage of octave sevenths. The development explores three motifs: the opening, the transition passage and the triplets from the second subject. The recapitulation is largely unaltered save that the transition figure is decorated chromatically. The sardonic Vivace features persistent syncopations, emphatic interjections and deliberately rough octave doubling of the outer voices. Unusually for a scherzo, the long central section contains the most complex writing, climaxing in a wild violin dance over a pounding accompaniment. Beethoven thought the slow movement – Lente – a "sweet song of tranquility" and takes a theme and variation form. The first variation is dusted with chromaticism, the sombre second variation is fragmented and in a minor key, while the third gives the melody to the cello. The final variation only hints at the original theme in the gentle rise and fall of the violin over a spacious accompaniment. Beethoven subtitled the finale of Opus 135 “Der Schwer gefaßte Entschluß” (“The Difficult Decision”.) According to the well-known story, Ignaz Dembscher, a court official, asked to borrow the music for Opus 130, but as he had not subscribed to its original performance, Beethoven insisted that he pay the cost of a subscription - 50 gulden - for the privilege. Dembscher protested "Muß es sein?" ("Must it be?"). Beethoven's reply was the canon WoO 196, the text of which is “Es muß sein, ja, es muß sein. Heraus mit dem Beutel.” (“It must be, it certainly must be. Put your money on the table.”). The questioning opening “Muß es sein?” is perhaps a parody of the popular slow introduction form, overturned by an emphatic reply, “Es muß sein!”, soon eclipsed by a rather pompous motif. The question and reply are each recalled before a cheeky pizzicato passage leads to a final defiant “Es muß sein!”
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INTERVAL
Claude Debussy (1862—1918)
String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (1893)
I. Animé et très décidé
II. Assez vif et bien rythmé
III. Andantino, doucement expressif
IV. Très modéré – En animant peu à peu – Très mouvementé et avec passion
Written in 1893, Debussy’s Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 is an important milestone on the road to his famous Prélude á l’après-midi d’un Faun (1894) which not only conclusively defined Debussy’s mature style but also, as Paul Griffiths states, provided the originating seed of the twentieth century’s musical avant garde. In the Quartet, however, Debussy’s “Debussyism” is not yet fully integrated. Touches of the influence of others – Massenet, Grieg, Wagner and even Javanese gamelan – are apparent in its corners. Cast in the traditional four movements, Debussy's Quartet has as its most distinctive feature its overarching preoccupation with timbre and sonority. The work as a whole offers a compendium of string-playing techniques. Another ingenious feature is that the quartet is less dominated by melodic or harmonic considerations than by a rhythmic flexibility which carries the potential for seemingly endless variety. Yet it remains unmistakably a work dominated by the sensuality and longueurs of French late nineteenth century Romanticism, a strong feature of this slow third movement (Andantino doucement expressif). This movement is muted and expressive; it features considerable soloistic playing, particularly from the viola and first violin.
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Soundscapes Two is being performed at:
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The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead in Hillsborough on Sunday 1 September at 5pm
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The Jam Factory in Tauranga on Thursday 5 September at 7pm
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The Sound Lounge in Te Pahu on Friday 6 September at 7:30pm
Joseph Haydn (1732—1809)
String Quartet in E flat major “Apponyi”, Op. 71, No. 3 (1793)
I. Vivace
II. Andante con moto
III. Minuet and Trio
IV. Finale. Vivace
Haydn is affectionately known as the “Father of the String Quartet”. He wrote an astounding sixty-seven quartets - shining a strong light on the power and potential of the combination of this type of ensemble. He had received recognition and success for his music, during his first trip to London in 1791. In an inspired state, Haydn returned to Vienna and created a brand new set of string quartets in preparation for his second visit to London. Initially, string quartets were seen more as an intimate chamber music experience for smaller audiences in chambers or private venues. In a groundbreaking move, Haydn changed this - writing the opus 71 set specifically for public performance. Dedicated to the Hungarian Count, Apponyi, Op. 71 No. 3 stands as a testament to the composer's enduring legacy, showcasing his unparalleled mastery of form, melody, and expression. In the first movement, he employs the use of a coup de théâtre, with a loud and abrupt chord to command the attention of the audience and announce the start of the performance. What ensues are a series of witty exchanges that have a three note “stutter” which recurs throughout the movement in many guises. The movement features tuttis of symphonic proportion, extreme dynamic contrast, and playful changes to phrase lengths. This keeps us on the edge of our seats with wonder for where the music will take us. The Andante con moto is - in its essence - a set of theme and variations. The first violin shines here, much like a soprano gracing the stage with an orchestra accompanying and commenting. The theme itself already has a multitude of characters, from innocence and grace to concern and anxiety. How Haydn develops this is tantalising with moments of darkness to almost bird-like iterations in the higher registers of the quartet. The dancing lines of the Minuet and Trio are full of cheek! Although the movement is graceful - it is tinged with wit and suspense, with unexpected harmonic shifts that are constantly changing. The trio is momentarily ominous with the use of unisons and octaves. Haydn throws this away as though to say “just kidding”, and sends the first violin humorously up into the stratosphere. The Finale. Vivace takes us into a rambunctious quick-waltz. Sometimes there appears to be a nod to Bach, with moments that resemble the contours of the last movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. This Finale is full of brilliance, and contrapuntal interplay between all four voices of the quartet, sending us off to a vibrant close that ends the entire work as it began - with flourishing chords.
Leoš Janáček (1854—1928)
Quartet No 1 ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ (1923)
I. Adagio – Con moto
II. Con moto
III. Con moto – Vivo – Andante
IV. Con moto – (Adagio) – Più mosso
“What I had in mind was the suffering of a woman, beaten and tortured to death.” - Janácek in a letter dated 14 October 1924 Jealousy, conjugal misery and death were familiar themes to Janácek. This particular quartet was inspired by Tolstoy’s short story The Kreutzer Sonata, in which a husband tells a fellow passenger, as they travel together on a train journey, about the tragic events of his marriage, the rhythm of the train and the oppressive atmosphere creating a forbidding background. The husband relates how he introduced a violinist to his pianist wife. One evening these two perform Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ sonata to a small gathering. The recital goes well but the husband is suddenly overcome with jealousy. Soon after, on returning unexpectedly from a business trip, he finds his wife in the company of the other man and stabs her to death. Commissioned by the Czech Quartet, Janácek’s ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ quartet was composed in the course of one week from 30 October to 7 November 1923. It is neither his first quartet nor the only work he based upon Tolstoy’s story. An earlier quartet was composed in May and June 1880 but is now lost. Also lost, apart from a page of fragments, is a piano trio based on the same story, composed for the 1909 Tolstoy celebrations. The Czech Quartet first performed Janácek’s Quartet No 1 on 17 October 1924. It is a work of extremes, emotionally, technically and dynamically, and places enormous demands upon the players. As the music commentator Paul Griffiths noted, ‘the instruments seem frustrated by the limits of their ability to communicate, like partners in a wasted marriage’. The second violinist of the quartet, Josef Suk, claimed that Janácek meant the work to be a kind of moral protest against men’s despotic attitude to women. The despair of the opening theme sets the scene for the quartet as a whole. There is little respite and even the vigorous Russian-style melody of the first movement, which the performers are instructed to play ‘sharply’, has a spiteful quality. The second movement opens with a defiant, self-confident melody, but the accompanying scurries and the abruptness of the music dispel any thoughts of happiness. A tremolo played at the harshest part of the strings, near the bridge of the instruments (sul ponticello), follows. These two ideas continue to reappear throughout the rest of the movement. The third movement begins with the violin and cello in canon. This initial calm is soon disturbed by further use of the sul ponticello effect. These two themes wage conflict until the appearance of another unsettled theme. The opening ideas reappear at the end of the movement. An anguished recalling of the opening motif from the first movement marks the beginning of the final movement, though the instrumentation is deeper and darker. What follows is largely taken from this theme but with added textural contrasts. The work concludes with a forceful ostinato, to be played ‘ferociously’. Written by Ruth Lightbourne.
INTERVAL
Leonie Holmes (1962—) NZ
Fragments II (2016)
The original Fragment, also composed for String Quartet, was a kind of fantasia on a small, repeating pattern. This work, Fragment II, continues the idea of a response to a very small idea. The ‘fragment’ in this case is a rocking three-note passage, introduced by the cello. Opening softly and slowly, using the ascending intervals of a minor 6th then augmented 5th, the searching quality of the three notes prompts an introspective and whimsical exploration. The tension grows as the music speeds up into a twirling semiquaver interlude and the occasional use of ricochet bowing adds moments of subtle humour. The use of wide intervals and augmented harmonies create an atmosphere of beauty and poignancy.
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906—1975)
String Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 68 (1944)
I. Overture: Moderato con moto
II. Recitative and Romance: Adagio
III. Valse: Allegro
IV. Theme with Variations: Adagio
Shostakovich’s second string quartet, written in 1944 after he was evacuated from besieged Leningrad, opens self-assuredly with an assertive melody, perfect intervals and a bright A major tonality creating a joyous, extroverted confidence. However, as the quartet unfolds, Shostakovich shows that he was far from blinded to the terrible events going on in Europe. The ‘lie’ of the opening is revealed quickly as the melody starts to clash with the simple harmonies, turning into an impassioned cry against the horrors of the war. The second move opens and ends with an unmetered first violin solo that carries echoes of the klezmer (traditional music of Ashkenazi Jews) style of fervent improvisation. Soaring over sustained lower chords, with intense outbursts and sobbing resolutions, the Recitative slowly gives way to the Romance. Meditative at first, the Romance builds to a strident climax before melting back into the solitary recitative. The third movement is a too-fast waltz, the muted quartet sounding ghostly, the melodies' Mahlerian flavour distorted with chromatics and a hammering middle section. The Theme and Variations of the Finale are based on what Shostakovich called a “Jewish theme” introduced by the solo viola. The many variations cover a wide spectrum of emotions, building slowly into a climax where the violins sneeringly imitate the martial call of piccolo trumpets. Showing Shostakovich’s masterful sense of form, just as the music threatens to tear itself apart, it lifts off to another sphere altogether, reminding us of the way some late Beethoven quartets seem to remove themselves from gravity at the end. This one, however, suddenly remembers it is meant to be triumphant, and returns to earth to end with a note of wilful defiance. As so often with Shostakovich, the listener will have to decide where the actual message lies. - Written by Annabelle Thorpe and Helene Pohl
Soundscapes Three is being performed at:
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Webb's Gallery in Wellington on Thursday 12 September at 7.30pm
Leonie Holmes (1962—) NZ
Fragments II (2016)
The original Fragment, also composed for String Quartet, was a kind of fantasia on a small, repeating pattern. This work, Fragment II, continues the idea of a response to a very small idea. The ‘fragment’ in this case is a rocking three-note passage, introduced by the cello. Opening softly and slowly, using the ascending intervals of a minor 6th then augmented 5th, the searching quality of the three notes prompts an introspective and whimsical exploration. The tension grows as the music speeds up into a twirling semiquaver interlude and the occasional use of ricochet bowing adds moments of subtle humour. The use of wide intervals and augmented harmonies create an atmosphere of beauty and poignancy.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827)
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 (1826)
I. Allegretto
II. Vivace
III. Lente assai e cantante tranquillo
IV. Der schwer gefaßte Entschluß. Grave (Muß es sein?) - Allego (Es muß sein!) - Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro
Opus 135, composed between July and October 1826, was commissioned by Moritz Schlesinger and published in Paris in September 1827. It was dedicated to Johann Wolfmayer, a longstanding admirer of Beethoven - possibly as compensation for the Requiem which Wolfmayer commissioned in 1818 but never received. After a furtive opening, the Allegretto features concise thematic material. The understated first subject is contralto, the second, an animated soprano, is reached via a distinctive passage of octave sevenths. The development explores three motifs: the opening, the transition passage and the triplets from the second subject. The recapitulation is largely unaltered save that the transition figure is decorated chromatically. The sardonic Vivace features persistent syncopations, emphatic interjections and deliberately rough octave doubling of the outer voices. Unusually for a scherzo, the long central section contains the most complex writing, climaxing in a wild violin dance over a pounding accompaniment. Beethoven thought the slow movement – Lente – a "sweet song of tranquility" and takes a theme and variation form. The first variation is dusted with chromaticism, the sombre second variation is fragmented and in a minor key, while the third gives the melody to the cello. The final variation only hints at the original theme in the gentle rise and fall of the violin over a spacious accompaniment. Beethoven subtitled the finale of Opus 135 “Der Schwer gefaßte Entschluß” (“The Difficult Decision”.) According to the well-known story, Ignaz Dembscher, a court official, asked to borrow the music for Opus 130, but as he had not subscribed to its original performance, Beethoven insisted that he pay the cost of a subscription - 50 gulden - for the privilege. Dembscher protested "Muß es sein?" ("Must it be?"). Beethoven's reply was the canon WoO 196, the text of which is “Es muß sein, ja, es muß sein. Heraus mit dem Beutel.” (“It must be, it certainly must be. Put your money on the table.”). The questioning opening “Muß es sein?” is perhaps a parody of the popular slow introduction form, overturned by an emphatic reply, “Es muß sein!”, soon eclipsed by a rather pompous motif. The question and reply are each recalled before a cheeky pizzicato passage leads to a final defiant “Es muß sein!”
INTERVAL
Leoš Janáček (1854—1928)
Quartet No 1 ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ (1923)
I. Adagio – Con moto
II. Con moto
III. Con moto – Vivo – Andante
IV. Con moto – (Adagio) – Più mosso
“What I had in mind was the suffering of a woman, beaten and tortured to death.” - Janácek in a letter dated 14 October 1924 Jealousy, conjugal misery and death were familiar themes to Janácek. This particular quartet was inspired by Tolstoy’s short story The Kreutzer Sonata, in which a husband tells a fellow passenger, as they travel together on a train journey, about the tragic events of his marriage, the rhythm of the train and the oppressive atmosphere creating a forbidding background. The husband relates how he introduced a violinist to his pianist wife. One evening these two perform Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ sonata to a small gathering. The recital goes well but the husband is suddenly overcome with jealousy. Soon after, on returning unexpectedly from a business trip, he finds his wife in the company of the other man and stabs her to death. Commissioned by the Czech Quartet, Janácek’s ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ quartet was composed in the course of one week from 30 October to 7 November 1923. It is neither his first quartet nor the only work he based upon Tolstoy’s story. An earlier quartet was composed in May and June 1880 but is now lost. Also lost, apart from a page of fragments, is a piano trio based on the same story, composed for the 1909 Tolstoy celebrations. The Czech Quartet first performed Janácek’s Quartet No 1 on 17 October 1924. It is a work of extremes, emotionally, technically and dynamically, and places enormous demands upon the players. As the music commentator Paul Griffiths noted, ‘the instruments seem frustrated by the limits of their ability to communicate, like partners in a wasted marriage’. The second violinist of the quartet, Josef Suk, claimed that Janácek meant the work to be a kind of moral protest against men’s despotic attitude to women. The despair of the opening theme sets the scene for the quartet as a whole. There is little respite and even the vigorous Russian-style melody of the first movement, which the performers are instructed to play ‘sharply’, has a spiteful quality. The second movement opens with a defiant, self-confident melody, but the accompanying scurries and the abruptness of the music dispel any thoughts of happiness. A tremolo played at the harshest part of the strings, near the bridge of the instruments (sul ponticello), follows. These two ideas continue to reappear throughout the rest of the movement. The third movement begins with the violin and cello in canon. This initial calm is soon disturbed by further use of the sul ponticello effect. These two themes wage conflict until the appearance of another unsettled theme. The opening ideas reappear at the end of the movement. An anguished recalling of the opening motif from the first movement marks the beginning of the final movement, though the instrumentation is deeper and darker. What follows is largely taken from this theme but with added textural contrasts. The work concludes with a forceful ostinato, to be played ‘ferociously’. Written by Ruth Lightbourne.
Erwin Schulhoff (1894—1942)
Five Pieces for String Quartet (1924)
Piece 1: Viennese Waltz
Piece 2: Serenade
Piece 3: Czech folk music
Piece 4: Tango
Piece 5: Tarantella
"I am boundlessly fond of nightclub dancing, so much so that I have periods during which I spend whole nights dancing with one hostess or another...out of pure enjoyment of the rhythm and with my subconscious filled with sensual delight.... [T]hereby I acquire phenomenal inspiration for my work, as my conscious mind is incredibly earthly, even animal as it were." Thus wrote Erwin Schulhoff to Alban Berg in 1921, two years before the composition of the Five Pieces for String Quartet. These words are an apt epigram for this deliciously earthy, rhythmic, humorous and colourful work which draws inspiration from dances as far apart as the waltz, the tango, and the tarantella. Following a performance of the Five Pieces reviewed by American critic Olin Downes, Schulhoff played American ragtime numbers on the piano at a local inn "till the walls tottered”. (New York Times, 1924) Schulhoff, who tragically died in a German prison in 1942 after being deported from Czechoslovakia after the German invasion, had been an innovator all his career. Encouraged by Dvorak as a lad of ten, his teachers included Max Reger and Claude Debussy. He was equally active as a pianist and composer. He was influenced by jazz as well as Dadaism, and in 1932 wrote a cantata with words from the Communist Manifesto. Anticipating John Cage’s 4’33” by more than thirty years, he wrote a silent movement (with many different time signatures and expressive markings!) in a piano suite in 1919. After decades of neglect, his music is finally being given the respect it deserves. These Pieces are a perfect introduction. Written by Helene Pohl
