The Concert - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Works by Brahms and Beethoven performed by Daniel Lebhardt on March 12, 2017. Brahms, Johannes: Six Pieces, Op. 118 Beethoven, Ludwig van: Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3, "The Hunt" Hungarian pianist Daniel Lebhardt is one of a long line of Young Concert Artists competition winners to make their Boston debut at the Gardner, and on this podcast, we’ll hear two recordings from the 24-year-old’s recent recital: Brahms’ Six Pieces, opus 118 and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, sometimes called “The Hunt.” A student at the Royal Academy in London, the young pianist has swept a number of competitions in recent years, claiming first prizes all across Europe, including in Italy, Slovakia, Romania, and the UK. His 2016 New York debut earned a rave from the Times critic Anthony Tommasini, who wrote that Lebhardt “dispatched the [Beethoven sonata] with scintillating crispness and conveyed its brash humor.”

Works by Schumann performed by Miriam Fried, violin and Jonathan Biss, piano on January 15, 2017. Schumann, Robert: Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121 Schumann, Robert: Gesange der Fruhe, Op. 133 For many years, musicologists and music-lovers have tried to understand what it was that led to Robert Schumann’s troubling symptoms and ultimate death at age 46 in a psychiatric hospital. And for years, writers dismissed many of his later works as the incoherent products of a mind in decline. But, more recently, many have come to appreciate Schumann’s later works—two of which we’ll hear on this podcast: his second violin sonata, in D minor, and “Gesänge der Frühe,” or “Songs of Dawn,” a five-movement work for piano—and one of the last pieces Schumann published before admitting himself to the psychiatric hospital where he ultimately died. On this recording, we’ll heard pianist Jonathan Biss in both works. In the sonata, he is joined by violinist Miriam Fried.

Works by Webern and Brahms performed by A Far Cry and Stefan Jackiw, violin and Anna Polonsky, piano on December 11, 2016 and October 5, 2014. Webern, Anton: Langsamer Satz Brahms, Johannes: Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 Hope you’re ready for a trip down memory lane: On this podcast, we hear two works tinged with the melancholy sweetness of youthful passion, remembered. Sweetness and passion aren’t necessarily the words most closely associated with the first composer on the program: Anton Webern, best known for his economical, exacting 12-tone works, written as a student of Schoenberg. Today, we’ll hear the pre-atonal Webern, in his Langsamer Satz (or slow movement) for strings. Webern wrote this piece as a young man falling in love. We’ll hear it played by A Far Cry, the Gardner’s resident ensemble. Next up: Johannes Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, opus 78. Unlike Webern, who wrote his Langsamer Satz in the throes of youth, Brahms composed this violin sonata in middle age, when he was in his 40’s. But it has an unmistakable, naïve sweetness. And, indeed, the piece is sometimes dubbed the “Rain Sonata” because it quotes from a song by Brahms called “Regenlied,” or “Rain Song.” We’ll hear the sonata performed by violinist Stefan Jackiw, and pianist Anna Polonsky.

Work by Korngold performed by Alexi Kenney, violin and Dina Vainshtein, piano on March 6, 2016. Korngold, Erich: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major, Op. 6 The piece we’ll hear on the podcast today was written when Erich Korngold was in his teens: his Violin Sonata in G Major, Op. 6. Why is this fascinating work, by such a promising composer, so little known today? In the 1930s, Korngold’s life took a dramatic turn, as the Nazi regime began to rise to power in his native Austria. Korngold was Jewish, and he accepted an invitation to come the United States—a move that would dramatically alter the course of his career. Once here, he quickly achieved success writing scores for Hollywood. Then, as the 20th century moved on musically, his early concert works fell out of favor, seen as too melodic and Romantic. But it is high time they got another hearing. Today, we’ll hear a recording from the Gardner Museum recital by young violinist Alexi Kenney and pianist Dina Vainshtein, recorded in March 2016—almost 100 years after the piece was written. Take a listen and see what you think: how does it stand the test of time?

Works by Bach and Bartók performed by the Borromeo String Quartet and Yoo Jin Jang, violin and Renana Gutman, piano on August 14, 2016 and March 8, 2015. Bach, Johann Sebastian: Preludes and Fugues from Well-Tempered Klavier Book 1 trans. Nicholas Kitchen: C Major, C Minor, E-flat Minor Bartók, Béla: Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz. 75 Today’s podcast features two works that present tests of sorts—for the listener, the performer, the composer. Sharpen your ears and let’s get to it. The Well-Tempered Clavier was likely written to test a few different things: the keyboard player’s technical skills; the advantages of equal temperament tuning, which enabled playing in every key; and also the listener’s ability to pick out the many, interweaving musical lines. Today, we’ll hear three movements from the WTC in a version for string quartet, created by violinist Nicholas Kitchen. Bartok’s Violin Sonata No. 1, written in 1921, also pushed boundaries. Today, Bartok is perhaps best known for his explorations of Hungarian traditional music and his folk-tinged, dance-infused symphonies. But he also had a period, between the world wars, of audacious musical experimentation, and this work dates from those years. We’ll hear the piece second on the podcast, played by violinist Yoo Jin Jang and pianist Renana Gutman.

Works by Mozart performed by Charlie Albright on February 14, 2016. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: 12 Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman” Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: 9 Variations on a Minuet by Duport, K. 575 Many of us think of “improvisation” as a modern concept, usually linked to jazz. But throughout the centuries, so-called “classical” keyboard players were often expected to improvise, whether they were vamping at the organ to fill time during a church service or creating a spontaneous piano version of an opera score for friends and patrons gathered around a salon. Indeed, there are many accounts that suggest that Mozart—now thought of for his notated scores—relied heavily on improvisation in creating and even performing his own works. All to say, Mozart was a master of the art of improvised variation. Today, we’ll hear two notated works that hint at the sort of thing we might have heard, had we been so lucky to be in the room when Mozart was improvising at the keyboard. First, we’ll hear his 12 Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman.” Next, we’ll hear 9 Variations on a Minuet by Duport, based on a cello sonata theme.

Works by Vivaldi and Beethoven performed by the Gardner Chamber Orchestra and Musicians from Marlboro on September 11, 2004 and October 19, 2014. Vivaldi, Antonio: Concerto in C Major for Soprano Recorder and Orchestra Beethoven, Ludwig van: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 29 The two pieces on this podcast have many points of difference: different eras (Baroque and Classical), different instrumentation (a recorder concerto and a string quintet), and different performers. The list goes on. But as different as they are, both works share a wonderful commonality at their core: a gorgeous slow movement. The first slow movement we’ll hear comes right in the middle of Vivaldi’s Concerto in C Major for sopranino recorder and orchestra, played by Aldo Abreu and the Gardner Chamber Orchestra. When the piece begins, the recorder enters on a dazzling, virtuosic note, but it is the middle movement where he truly gets to stretch out and show not just his technical prowess, but his musicality. After the Vivaldi, we’ll hear Beethoven’s String Quintet in C Major, Opus 29, played by Musicians from Marlboro. Like Vivaldi, Beethoven’s slow movement comes second, after a cheery opening allegro. This slow movement has a lovely, Mozartean quality, tending to the “sweeter” side of “bittersweet.”

Works by Bach and Brahms performed by the Borromeo String Quartet and Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute on August 7, 2016 and April 10, 2016. Bach: Preludes and Fugues from Well-Tempered Klavier Book 1 arr. Nicholas Kitchen: F Major, F Minor, B-flat Minor Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111 Both of the works on our podcast this week have a sort of finality, a sense of summing things up, or making a statement that is somehow comprehensive, and that’s saying a lot given the composers in question: Johannes Brahms and Johann Sebastian Bach. We begin with a novel setting of a familiar work: a selection of preludes and fugues from Bach’s Well-Tempered Klavier, arranged for string quartet by Nicholas Kitchen of the Borromeo Quartet, who we’ll hear playing on the recording. The Well-Tempered Klavier consists of 24 small pieces, one prelude and one fugue in each key, ascending chromatically from C to B. Then, we’ll hear a piece that Brahms apparently intended to be his last: the String Quintet in G Major, Opus 111. Brahms lovers may already be raising an eyebrow at that last statement, because this was not, in fact, the last piece Brahms wrote—he went on to publish another 11 works, much to the delight of the clarinetists, pianists, and singers who regularly perform these final few works today.

Works for string quartet by Bartók and Webern performed by the Omer Quartet on November 27, 2016. Bartók: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7 Webern: Six bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9 In this podcast, we’ll follow two 20th century composers on their quest for new directions and inspirations, in a musical landscape increasingly reaching beyond traditional ideas about form and tonality. We begin with Béla Bartók’s First String Quartet, his Opus 7, a three-movement work. It begins quite somber, but the mood gradually brightens, and by the last movement, it has begun to exhibit some of the Hungarian folk color that became such a unique and defining part of Bartók’s voice as a composer. After the Bartók, we’ll hear a brief work, written around the same time, but by a composer with a very different musical vocabulary. Like the Bartók work, Webern’s Six Bagatelles for String Quartet were a relatively early composition, Webern’s Opus 9, and the composer was still finding his voice, and his way of working within the atonal system that he and his teacher Schoenberg were developing. We’ll hear both pieces performed by the skilled musicians of the Omer Quartet, an ensemble formed at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and currently in residence at Boston’s New England Conservatory.

Works for clarinet and piano by Berg and Weber performed by Raphaël Sévère, clarinet and Paul Montag, piano on October 23, 2016. Berg: Four Pieces, Op. 5 Weber: Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48 On this podcast, number 253, we’ve got a couple great pieces that come in smaller packages than you might expect: a set of four miniatures by Berg and a duet masquerading as a concerto, by Carl Maria von Weber. Both pieces are scored for clarinet and piano, performed by clarinetist Raphaël Sévère and pianist Paul Montag. Berg’s “Four Pieces”, Opus 5 is a petite suite of four movements, each lasting less than two minutes. Though brief, each piece makes an impactful and evocative musical statement. The music is atonal but pleasingly melodic, like much of the composer’s work. The Berg serves to whet our appetite for a slightly more substantial work: Carl Maria von Weber’s “Grand Duo Concertant,” Opus 48. Weber wrote this virtuosic duet over a couple of years leading up to his 30th birthday. It requires a true partnership between the woodwind and the keyboard, with both taking on critical roles musically.

Works for piano by Handel and Brahms performed by Charlie Albright, piano on October 2, 2016. Handel: Chaconne in G Major, HWV. 435 Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a theme by Handel, Op. 24 This podcast starts with the Baroque composer George Frideric Handel, in more ways than one. The first work on the podcast is, indeed, by Handel: his Chaconne in G Major, a set of about 20 very brief variations, each built on a recurring eight-bar bass line. Following that, we have another set of variations on a theme by Handel, this time written by another composer: Brahms’ Variations and Fugue on a theme by Handel, Opus 24. This piano piece has a distinctly Romantic sensibility, but Brahms clearly delighted in uncovering and augmenting the many musical possibilities present in Handel’s fairly simple theme. When Brahms published the piece in in 1860s, it stood apart from the musical explorations of contemporaries like Wagner and Liszt; it seemed much more related to composers who came before—a homage, perhaps, to Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations or Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. We’ll hear both works—Handel’s Chaconne, and Brahms’ Variations on Handel—performed by pianist Charlie Albright.

Works for solo piano by Falla and Albeniz performed by Alessio Bax, piano on May 17, 2015. Work for string quartet and guitar by Boccherini performed by Jason Vieaux, guitar with Escher String Quartet: Adam Barnett-Hart, violin, Aaron Boyd, violin, Pierre Lapointe, viola, and Dane Johansen cello on May 17, 2015. Falla: Danza del molinera from El sombrero de tres picos for Piano Albeniz: Tango from Espana: Seis Hojas de Album for Piano, Op. 165 (arr. Godowsky) Boccherini: Quintet No. 4 in D Major for Guitar, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, G. 448 It’s time to get out of your chair: this podcast is all about la danza, the dance.The inspiration came from the final piece on the podcast: Boccherini’s Quintet for guitar and string quartet, G. 448, subtitled “Fandango.” The first two movements of the piece are relatively unassuming: a delicate Pastoral, followed by an Allegro that foregrounds the guitar a bit more. But in the final movements, the pace accelerates, the music gets livelier.To get us in the mood to tango, we’ve got a few openers, both featuring pianist Alessio Bax. First, the Dance of the Miller, by Manuel de Falla. After an attention-grabbing introduction, we get a spirited dance, which is no surprise, since the piece is actually a reworking of a ballet that Falla originally wrote for the great Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes. Next is Tango, from the six-movement collection Espana by Isaac Albeniz. Tango is the second piece in the original grouping, and Albeniz’s most famous melody. It’s been reworked for many instruments over the years. It is a charming, slightly seductive tune, immediate in its appeal.We conclude with the Boccherini quintet.

Works for solo piano by Beethoven, performed by Charlie Albright, piano on March 27, 2016.Beethoven: Sonata in E Major, Op. 109Beethoven: 15 Variations and Fugue in E-flat Major on an original theme "Eroica Variations" Op 35You know when you just can’t get a tune out of your head? Well, starting around 1800, Beethoven seems to have had the tune from the finale of his ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus, stuck in his head for quite some time. After first appearing in the ballet, the melody—which would come be known as his “eroica” or “heroic” theme—popped up repeatedly in his works in the early 1800s.As a sort of introduction to the variations, we’ll hear another Beethoven piano work: a late sonata, the Sonata in E Major, opus 109. Unlike many of Beethoven’s other late works, this one is quite compact. The piece has a slightly frenetic quality at times, hopping between different themes, different time signatures, different moods. The final movement is, again, a set of variations.Both performances we’ll hear are taken from a concert given by the young pianist Charlie Albright at the Gardner in March 2016.

Work for voices by David Lang, performed by Lorelei Ensemble on January 10, 2016.Lang, David: Love FailThis month’s podcast tend towards the introspective: an hourlong work by contemporary composer David Lang for women’s voices, a timeless meditation on the allures and disappointments of love, titled Love Fail.Lang started with one of history’s most famous tales of star-crossed love: the Tristan and Isolde myth. But he added words and ideas from modern stories and authors, stripping away specific references to his historical source, creating a text that explores the promises and pitfalls of love in a timeless, anonymous setting. The protagonists are referred to as “he” and “she”—because they are nameless, they come to feel universal.The work was written for and premiered by vocal quartet Anonymous 4, an ensemble that specializes in medieval music, and there is a starkness and simplicity to the music that evokes ancient times. We’ll hear it performed in a newer, slightly lusher version for chamber chorus, sung by the all-female Lorelei Ensemble.

Work for harp by Zabel performed by Emmanuel Ceysson, harp on January 6, 2008 and work for string orchestra by Sibelius, arranged by Frank Shaw, performed by A Far Cry on February 7, 2016.Zabel: Fantasy on Gounod's FaustSibelius: String Quartet No. 2 "Voces Intimae" arr. Frank ShawChamber music is one of the most intimate forms of classical music: quieter moments, smaller ensembles, and generally shorter works. On this podcast, we’ll listen to two works that play up that sense of intimacy: Zabel’s Fantasy on Gounod’s opera Faust, arranged for harp; and one of Sibelius’s few string quartets, subtitled “Voces Intimae”, or Intimate Voices.Albert Heinrich Zabel was a German harpist and composer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He performed for a time at the Berlin Opera—where he likely played the full Gounod score that inspired this work—and then moved to St. Petersburg to become solo harpist with the Imperial Ballet. We’ll hear the Faust fantasy performed by harpist Emmanuel Ceysson.Next comes Jean Sibelius’s second string quartet, which the composer himself gave the subtitle “Intimate Voices,” writing it in the score above a striking, hushed three-chord progression in the central slow movement. The piece is his only mature string quartet, and one of the few chamber works he composed later in life. Many regard it as his chamber music masterpiece.

Work for string orchestra and voice by Olga Bell, performed by A Far Cry and Olga Bell on November 1, 2016.Bell, Olga: Krai arranged for A Far Cry Today, we’re going on a journey across the vast expanse of Russia: lush forests and blustery tundra, uninhabited landscapes and small villages. Our guide is composer Olga Bell, whose evening-length work Krai had its string orchestra version premiere at the Gardner in March 2016, with A Far Cry.Bell was born in Moscow. She moved with her mother to Anchorage, Alaska at the age of seven, but Russia has always loomed large in her memory and her imagination. In this work—premiered a few years ago at the Walker Art Center, and then released as an album—she combines folk-influenced melodies with a modern sense of rhythmic drive and classical orchestration, drawing on her diverse background. Following her childhood in Russia, she studied classical piano in Alaska and Boston, and later toured as a vocalist and keyboard player with indie bands like the Dirty Projectors and Chairlift. All those influences are present in this work, which is a unique mash-up of indie, folk, and classical.We’ll hear more about the piece from the composer herself, whose comments are interspersed throughout the recording. She is also featured on vocals.

Work for string orchestra by Phyllis Chen performed by A Far Cry on April 17, 2014 and works for clarinet and piano by Peter Sculthorpe and Richard Stoltzman performed by Richard Stoltzman, clarinet and David Deveau, piano on January 11, 2015.Chen, Phyllis: Three LullabiesSculthorpe, Peter: Songs of Sea and SkyTraditional: Amazing Grace, arrangement by Richard StoltzmanOn this podcast, we’ll hear three works that we’re grouping under the title Sweetly Sung. All three pieces were written within the past several decades, some based on real, traditional folk songs, others on imagined lullabies.The first of the three pieces is by composer and pianist Phyllis Chen, who is particularly known for her performances on an instrument rarely seen in the classical concert hall: the toy piano. We’ll hear Chen perform with A Far Cry, a set of three Lullabies she wrote for string orchestra and herself, as soloist.Following the lullabies are two pieces featuring clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and pianist David Deveau. First is Songs of Sea and Sky, a 1987 piece of about 15 minutes by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe. The work builds on a traditional tune from the tiny island nation of Saibai.Last, we’ll hear an arrangement of another traditional tune, this one much more familiar to American listeners: Amazing Grace, arranged by the clarinetist himself, Richard Stoltzman.

Works for chorus by various composers performed by Boston Children’s Chorus on November 17, 2015.Selections from 10th Anniversary concertFor more than a decade, the Boston Children’s Chorus has brought together children of diverse backgrounds to discover the power of singing and transcend social barriers. In 2015, the chorus celebrated its tenth year under the baton of artistic director Anthony Trecek-King with a concert at the Gardner’s Calderwood Hall—one of his favorite spaces in Boston.On this podcast, we’ll hear much of what they sang that afternoon, from spirituals to Renaissance love songs. Some of the selections you may recognize—Shenandoah; My Lord, What a Morning; Elijah Rock—while others will be new. All were handpicked by the director to showcase the group’s incredible range—quite a feat for an ensemble composed entirely of children ages 12 to 18.If you’d like to learn more, look them up online. For now, sit back and enjoy this delightful program.

Work for harp by Salzedo performed by Catrin Finch, harp on April 14, 2001 and work for violin and piano by Ravel performed by Benjamin Beilman, violin and Alessio Bax, piano on May 17, 2015.Salzedo: BalladeRavel: Sonata for Violin and Piano (1923)Harpist and educator Carlos Salzedo was born in France and trained at the Paris Conservatoire in piano at the age of nine, before taking up the harp and returning to the Conservatoire to earn a degree in that instrument as well. In 1909, knowing no English whatsoever, Salzedo emigrated to New York, where he’d been invited by Toscanini to join the Metropolitan Opera orchestra. A few years later, he wrote this piece—a virtuosic showcase for the harp, firmly rooted in the harmonic vocabulary widely employed in France at the time. Salzedo would go on to found the harp department at the Curtis Institute and teach at Juilliard, splitting his time between Europe and the States, and his influences lives on, through his pupils and his compositions. We’ll hear the piece played by harpist Catrin Finch.Next up, another Frenchman enamored of America: Ravel. His Sonata for Violin and Piano, written between 1923 and 1927, displays an interest in the uniquely American art form, jazz, which was all the rage in Paris at the time. Ravel wrote the piece before traveling to the States himself, in 1928, but the middle movement in particular (called “Blues”) was clearly inspired by the American music he’d heard performed in Europe.We’ll hear the sonata played by violinist Benjamin Beilman and pianist Alessio Bax, from Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. First, the Salzedo, performed by Catrin Finch.

Works for solo piano by Schubert performed by Charlie Albright, piano on March 24, 2013.Schubert: Impromptus, D. 899, Op. 90Schubert: Sonata in B-Flat Major, D. 960In the late 1820s, all of Franz Schubert’s hard work and struggle seemed finally to be paying off. His performances were increasingly well received, and he was at the height of his compositional powers. Yet, even as his career took off, his health began to deteriorate, and his music increasingly focused on darker emotions. In 1827, Schubert wrote the four Impromptus for piano, his opus 90—the first work we’ll hear on this podcast. The title belies the seriousness and heft of these pieces, which are hardly light or off-the-cuff.The following fall, Schubert’s health took a turn for the worse—but his compositional output was seemingly unaffected. Sometime that year, he began sketching out a series of piano sonatas, including the one we’ll hear: his very last instrumental work, the Sonata in B-Flat Major, published posthumously as D. 960. These sonatas weren’t really understood or appreciated during the 19th century, when they were published; musicians and critics found them structurally aimless, too long, difficult to make sense of. Today, the sonatas are widely recognized as among the composer’s most powerful works, imbued with a sense of the composer’s reckoning with life’s biggest questions, including his own mortality.We’ll hear both the Impromptus and the Sonata in B-flat played by pianist Charlie Albright, in a recording from the first of three concerts that he played at the Gardner highlighting Schubert’s music for piano.

Works for cello and piano by Schumann, Debussy, and Peter John performed by Cicely Parnas, cello and Noreen Cassidy-Polera, piano on April 5, 2015.Schumann: Fantasiestucke, Op. 73Debussy: Sonata for Cello and PianoJohn, Peter: From the Zodiac (2014)Today, we’ll celebrate the beauty of the solo cello, with three works played by the fantastic young artist Cicely Parnas, joined on piano by Noreen Cassidy-Polera. Her performance at the Gardner began with Schumann’s Fantasiestucke, opus 73, a set of three brief works. Lyrical and romantic, the set concludes with a sudden blaze of energy—the final movement marked “rapidly and with fire.” Originally intended for clarinet, the composer indicated that the pieces would also be suitable for cello or violin—and indeed they are.Then comes Debussy’s luxurious and subtly jazzy Sonata for Cello and Piano. English musicologist Ernest Newman penned the perfect description of this chamber music classic: “a fog opening now and then, and giving us a momentary glimpse of ravishingly beautiful countryside.”We close with a new piece, American composer Peter John’s solo cello work From the Zodiac, in three movements. John writes electronic music as well as acoustic works, and that influence seems to peek through in his writing for the cello, which includes a few passages with otherworldly harmonics.

Works for string orchestra by Borodin and Frank performed by A Far Cry on April 21, 2013 and September 27, 2015. Borodin, Alexander: String Quartet No. 2, Mvt. 3 Notturno: Andante Frank, Gabriela Lena: Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001)These days, many of us think of the gulf between classical and popular music as fairly wide and immovable, but it wasn’t always so—and it’s not necessarily so today, either. On this podcast, we’ll hear A Far Cry play works by two musical omnivores: composers whose work routinely crosses between popular, folk, and classical genres.First, we have a sort of accidental pop songwriter: the Russian composer Alexander Borodin, whose eminently hummable melodies were “borrowed” and turned into popular songs for the musical Kismet. We’ll hear Borodin’s second String Quartet; the third movement, called “Notturno,” was also set to words in Kismet, as the song “And This Is My Beloved.”Sometimes influence flows the opposite way, as in composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s work, which borrows ideas from traditional folk music, and blends them with Western classical traditions. The title of this piece—Leyendas—means “legends,” and the movements depict a variety of aspects of traditional Andean life and folk music, from the sound of panpipes to the speed of the legendary chasqui messengers, who sprinted from town to town carrying important messages.

Works by Vivaldi and Bach for orchestra and flute solo performed by Gardner Chamber Orchestra, Paula Robison, and Orlando Cela, flute, and John Gibbons, harpsichord on January 17, 1999.Vivaldi: Concerto (Sinfonia) in G Major "alla Rustica" RV 151Vivaldi: Concerto in C Major RV 533Vivaldi: Concerto in G Minor "La Notte" No. 5, F XIIVivaldi: Concerto in G Major, Rv 437J.S. Bach: Concerto in F Major, BWV 1057 For this podcast, we dug into the archives to resurrect an older recording, of some older music, that we thought you’d like. These concertos breeze by. The first we’ll hear—Vivaldi’s Sinfonia in G Major “alla Rustica”—packs three movements into just four and a half minutes. Then, we get the double flute concerto, with Robison and Cela, in C Major.Then, things shift a bit, for the flute concerto in G minor, played by Robison solo. Dubbed the “nighttime” concerto in Italian, the piece has a couple of evocatively named movements within it as well: after a fast introduction we get a spooky movement called “phantoms,” followed by another quick stretch, and then a slower, harmonically unsettled bit titled “The Dream”—neither really a fantasy nor a nightmare, but somewhere in between. The piece concludes with another quick movement, with the bassoon taking a starring role.We wrap up the podcast with another of Vivaldi’s solo flute concertos—in G Major—followed by J.S. Bach’s Concerto in F Major for both flute soloists, harpsichord, and strings.

Works for solo piano by Griffes performed by Richard Masters on September 20, 2015 and by Debussy performed by Paavali Jumppanen on November 29, 2015.Griffes: Roman Sketches, Op. 7: Night fallDebussy: 12 Preludes, Book 2On this podcast, we return to a pairing from several weeks ago: Debussy’s Preludes (Book 2, this time) and the Roman Sketches of Charles Griffes.The second set of Debussy Preludes is similar in conception to the first: a series of fairly brief works, each intended to capture some poetic scene or mood. The second book begins with “Mists” and “Dead Leaves” and goes on to evoke the grand “Gateway of the Alhambra,” a troupe of dancing fairies, and the misty English “Heaths,” concluding with a brilliant display of “Fireworks.” As before, we’ll hear the Preludes performed by Paavali Jumppanen.Before the Preludes, we’ll begin the podcast with an American Impressionist, the composer Charles Griffes, and the piece “Nightfall” from his book of Roman Sketches. “Nightfall” still shows the influence of impressionism, but it also pushes the envelope harmonically. Griffes makes liberal use of the minor second – one of the most dissonant intervals in music–in this piece, mellowing its harshness by placing it deep in the bass register. The dissonance becomes dark, shadowy–evoking the encroaching blackness of night. Playing the Griffes, we’ll again hear pianist Richard Masters.

Works by Schubert for voice and piano performed by Mark Padmore, with Jonathan Biss on October 12, 2014 and for solo piano performed by Charlie Albright on September 29, 2013.Schubert: Ständchen from SchwanengesangSchubert: Sonata in A Major, D. 959In 1828, as Schubert’s health was rapidly deteriorating, the composer entered a period of phenomenal compositional productivity. In the final months of his life, he would write many works that were published posthumously and recognized to be among his finest achievements. Two sets stand out as particularly notable: his final three piano sonatas, and Schwanengesang, a cycle of songs whose title translates as “Swan Song.”We’ll hear one of the piano sonatas on this podcast–number 959, the sonata in A Major, performed by Charlie Albright. Schubert set out to write this sonata, and the other two in the set, shortly after the death of Beethoven, who had long cast a formidable shadow over the genre. The finale pays tribute to Beethoven, with a nod to the final movement of his 16th piano sonata.Before the sonata, we’ll hear a song from the Schwanengesang cycle: “Staendchen,” or serenade. The singer implores his beloved to join him in the grove at nighttime, amidst the rustling leaves. There is an undertone of foreboding, though, as he alludes to the pain of love and the prying eyes of others.

Works for chamber orchestra performed by A Far Cry on February 22, 2015 by Grieg and Marin arr. Higgins.Grieg: Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34Marin: A Swedish Set arr. Erik HigginsOn this podcast, we look north, to works from a recent program by the Gardner’s chamber-orchestra-in-residence, A Far Cry. Called “Aurora Borealis,” the concert featured numerous works by Nordic composers.We begin with Edvard Grieg’s Two Elegiac Melodies, a tuneful work for string orchestra based on the composer’s own songs. In Two Elegiac Melodies, Grieg recast his opus 33 songs “The Wounded Heart” and “Last Spring” in instrumental arrangements. Though no words are sung, the pieces are still suffused with the energy of the verses that inspired them. As the poet recalls the annual transformation from winter to spring, we realize that the title – “Last Spring” – has another, more bittersweet meaning.After the Grieg, we have a more contemporary take on Nordic folk music: a set of Swedish dances by the fiddlers Mia and Mikael Marin. The tunes were arranged for orchestra by one of A Far Cry’s own members, the bassist Erik Higgins, whose friend introduced him to the music. The set of four tunes includes two original works by Marins, as well as two arrangements of traditional Swedish songs.We start with the Grieg.

Works for solo piano by Liszt performed by Gleb Ivanov on April 11, 2010 and work by Faure performed by Michael Brown, Chad Hoopes, Matthew Lipman, and Colin Carr on November 22, 2015Liszt: Schubert Songs (trans Liszt): Gute NachtLiszt: Schubert Songs (trans Liszt): Ave MariaFauré: Quartet No. 2 in G Minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 45As a listener to this podcast, you’ve probably realized by now the importance of lineage in classical music. The links between past and future, teacher and student have a tremendous impact. On this podcast, we’ll explore two composers who occupy interesting places in classical music lineage: Franz Liszt and Gabriel Fauré.Fauré’s music was quite adventurous, even scandalous, during his lifetime. Fauré ascended to head of the Paris conservatory where he modernized the curriculum, exerting an enormous influence on the emerging composers and musicians who studied there. We’ll hear Fauré’s Second Quartet for piano, violin, viola, and cello, his opus 45 – a piece written earlier in his career, before he began working at the conservatory. It is a passionate work, with ardent melodies and creative harmonies.Before the Fauré quartet—which makes up the bulk of the podcast—we have two brief but interesting transcriptions by Franz Liszt of songs by Schubert. Liszt was a prolific transcriber, often creating piano-only settings of operas and orchestral works. In the case of the Schubert songs, however, Liszt scaled up—adding pianistic embellishments to Schubert’s rather simple lieder. The resulting compositions are, at times, more like fantasties than transcriptions—expanding on Schubert’s songs, rather than just recreating them for solo piano.

Works by Mozart for violin and viola performed by Chad Hoopes and Matthew Lipman on November 22, 2015 and for chamber orchestra performed by A Far Cry on September 7, 2014.Mozart: Duo in G Major for Violin and Viola, K. 423Mozart: Divertimento in F, K. 138The word “diversion” has two, related meanings. Sometimes – as in Mozart’s Duo in G Major for violin and viola – it is about a surprise change in course. Mozart was in Salzburg for an extended visit with his new wife when he discovered that his friend Michael Haydn (Josef’s brother) had fallen ill in the midst of an important commission. The Archbishop had commissioned Haydn to write a set of six duos, but he’d gotten sick after completing the fourth and hadn’t been able to finish. Mozart gamely stepped into the void and offered to write the remaining pair.Then, we have a diversion of the second sort: a distraction, a trifle, a delight designed to entertain, in between other things. This is the Divertimento in F, also by Mozart. Divertimento, of course, means “diversion” or “amusement” in Italian, and the genre consists mostly of lighthearted pieces that might be heard at a party or social function. There’s some question about whether, in this case, the title was assigned by the composer—in the score, the word “divertimento” appears in someone else’s hand—but the music certainly fits. We’ll hear it performed by A Far Cry, the Gardner’s resident chamber orchestra.First, the Duo in G Major.

Works for solo piano by Griffes performed by Richard Masters on September 20, 2015 and Paavali Jumppanen on November 29, 2015.Griffes: Roman Sketches, Op. 7: The White peacockDebussy: 12 Preludes, Book 1The gently unfurling plumage of a white peacock. A barren winter landscape dinted with footprints. This podcast is all about using music to evoke and communicate impressions.The bulk of the program is made up of Debussy’s 12 Preludes, from Book 1. A series of brief works meant to evoke a particular atmosphere or landscape, the Preludes are among Debussy’s most important achievements, each a small masterpiece unto itself. The 12 movements in book 1 evoke everything from dancers to sails to the languorous sounds and scents of the evening. We’ll hear the preludes performed by pianist Paavali Jumppanen.Before the Debussy, we’ll hear an impressionistic work from the other side of the pond: Charles Griffes’ “The White Peacock,” the first movement of his Roman Sketches, opus 7. “The White Peacock” is perhaps his best-known work; originally written for piano, it was also published in an arrangement for orchestra. Tragically, the composer died just a year later. It’s hard not to wonder how Griffes and his work might have developed and impacted American composition, had he survived. We’ll hear “The White Peacock” performed by pianist Richard Masters.

Work by Handel performed by A Far Cry with Amanda Forsythe, soprano on November 16, 2014 and work by Beethoven performed by Borromeo String Quartet on October 24, 2010.Handel: Armida abbandonata, HWV 105Beethoven: Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95

Works by Bach for chamber orchestra performed by Rebel on November 10, 2013 and solo piano performed by Ji, piano on April 12, 2015. Bach: Concerto in A MajorBach: Toccata, Adagio, and Fuge BWV 564 arr. Ferrucio BusoniIt’s incredible to think just how much influence and resonance the music of Johann Sebastian Bach still has today, three hundred years after it was written. This podcast shows just two of the many examples of ways in which musicians continue to discover new possibilities in this centuries-old music, recreating Bach for different times and instruments.The concerto on this podcast was originally composed for oboe d’amore, and only later adapted and published for harpsichord as the Concerto in A Major, BWV 1055. Centuries later, however, only the harpsichord version remained. So in the 1970s, scholar and editor Wilfried Fischer decided to tackle the task of recreating the original oboe concerto, based on an early manuscript that provided hints about which lines were originally meant for oboe.Perhaps the most radical advance in musical technology since the Baroque era has been in the keyboard family, and Bach’s music is now regularly played on piano—an instrument that did not exist during his lifetime. Following the oboe concerto, we’ll hear Bach’s Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major for organ, adapted for the modern piano by Ferruccio Busoni. We’ll hear the piece performed by the young Chinese-born pianist Ji.

Works for piano by Schumann performed by Paavali Jumppanen on May 4, 2014 and November 30, 2014.Robert Schumann: Variations on the name "Abegg" in F Major, Op. 1Schumann: Sonata in F-sharp Minor Op. 11This podcast comes courtesy of several musical personas. Not just Schumann, the composer of both the works, but also his alter egos – Florestan and Eusebius – the characters he used to personify different aspects of his artistic disposition. It was under these names, not his own, that Schumann published his first piano sonata—the “Grosse Sonate” in F-sharp minor, opus 11.Before the sonata, we’ll hear a shorter showstopper, also by Schumann: Variations on “Abegg,” Schumann’s opus 1, the first piece he ever published. The dedication is to another of Schumann’s fictional friends—the countess Pauline of Abegg, a character likely inspired by Schumann’s childhood friend Meta von Abegg. The piece takes its namesake quite literally, building on a theme using the notes A-B-flat-E-G-G—spelling out the name “Abegg” in the notes. Those five notes are a starting point for a series of variations that are alternately dazzling and lyrical.Both pieces were performed at the Gardner by pianist Paavali Jumppanen. We begin with the Abegg Variations.

Works for strings by Brahms performed by A Far Cry on December 9, 2012 and Musicians from Marlboro on May 10, 2015.Johannes Brahms: Hungarian RhapsodyBrahms: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51, No. 1Imagine if, before you published your first string quartet, you wrote and discarded twenty others? As the All Music Guide notes, in his entire compositional life, Brahms produced just three string quartets to Haydn’s 68, Mozart’s 23, and Beethoven’s 16. This is all the more striking if one considers Brahms’ relatively long lifespan of 63 years compared to, say, Mozart, who died at age 35.We’ll hear Brahms’s first published quartet on our podcast today, the String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, in a performance by Musicians from Marlboro. It’s not hard to hear what made this piece so challenging to write. Brahms creates a quartet that is very tightly structured, with themes that recur throughout the length of the work, not just within the individual movements, and a carefully constructed harmonic architecture.Before we dive into the quartet, though, we begin with a piece that shows Brahms’s lighter side: an orchestral version of his Hungarian Rhapsody, arranged for the chamber orchestra A Far Cry by their cellist Alastair Eng.

Work for string quartet by Boccherini performed by Musicians from Ravinia's Steans Institute on May 3, 2015 and work for solo piano by Bach performed by Jean-Frédéric Neuburger on April 2, 2008.Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet in E MajorJ.S. Bach: Italian Concerto in F MajorWhat is the single most famous piece of chamber music from the Baroque era?It’s hard to argue that the prize goes to the first work on this podcast, Boccherini’s String Quintet in E Major, Op. 11, No. 5, particularly the third-movement minuet. With its flirtatious turns and lilting, syncopated arpeggios, you will recognize the tune the moment it begins. The quintet comes to a close with a rondo that gives each player a moment in the sun. We’ll hear it all performed by musicians from the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute.Then, we have an arguably more famous composer, with an arguably less famous piece: Bach’s Italian Concerto in F Major, played on piano by Jean-Frédéric Neuburger. This piece is curious animal: a concerto for solo piano, without any orchestra or other ensemble. In a way, it is a concerto for a pianist and himself—at times, the music conjures the heft of a full ensemble, with richly voiced chords, while at others it clearly takes a more soloistic tack, with elaborate counterpoint.

Works for string orchestra and voice by Meder and Vivaldi performed by A Far Cry and Amanda Forsythe, soprano on November 16, 2014.Meder: Sonata di Battaglia from Die bestandige ArgeniaVivaldi: Sonata a tre "La Folia" Op. 1 No. 12Vivaldi: Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV 630On this podcast, we feature three pieces from A Far Cry’s recent program of Baroque works, titled “Obsession.” Each of the works is bursting with relentless passion, though it is directed at very different subjects, for very different reasons.In the first piece, Johann Meder’s Sonata di Battaglia, that alternates between aggressive, military-like marches and tender, reflective passages, perhaps depicting the characters’ mixed emotions at setting off for the battlefield.Next comes Vivaldi’s variations on the famous Spanish theme “La Folia,” a tune that was a common test of a composer’s mettle. The piece gets wilder as it progresses, demanding ever more virtuosic playing from the featured violinists.We close out the podcast with a piece featuring A Far Cry’s special guest for this concert, soprano Amanda Forsythe, in another Vivaldi work—his motet Nulla in mundo pax sincera. An ode to the bliss of heaven, the piece scorns the pains and empty pleasures of earth. Forsythe tackles the dazzling vocal passagework with delicious enthusiasm, and A Far Cry is with her every step of the way.

Work for piano trio by Schubert performed by Claremont Trio on April 26, 2015. Schubert: Trio in E flat Major, Op. 100Some works call for their own podcast. We have just such a piece on this program: Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 2, opus 100. We’ll hear it performed by the Claremont Trio: violinist Emily Bruskin, cellist Julia Bruskin, and pianist Donna Kwong.The second movement features a minor tune that—thanks to Schubert—has become fairly well known. The use of this folk tune was supposedly inspired by the composer’s encounter with a Swedish folk singer shortly before he wrote the piece. If you listen carefully, you’ll notice that the theme returns. In the final movement, it makes a second appearance, this time a bit altered to fit its new surroundings, but still recognizable. It gives the expansive piece a sense of coherence and familiarity, a feel of musical déjà vu: I’ve been here before, one can’t help but think, although things look very different the second time around.Unlike many of his other late works, Schubert actually had the opportunity to hear this trio played before he passed away. It was performed at an engagement party for a school friend of Schubert’s.

Works for solo piano by Bach and Ravel performed by Ji, piano on April 12, 2015.Bach: Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825Ravel: La ValseFirst, we have the less razzle-dazzle of the pair: Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major. The piece opens with a fairly serene, lilting theme. The second movement gets a bit more rollicking, with dotted rhythms and skips in the bass. And the final movement has some more virtuosic passagework.After that comes the real fireworks: Ravel’s famous La Valse. The composer’s own introduction is really the best way to describe what happens over the course of the piece: “Through whirling clouds, waltzing couples may be faintly distinguished,” he writes. “The clouds gradually scatter: one sees an immense hall peopled with a whirling crowd. The scene is gradually illuminated. The light of the chandeliers bursts forth.” As the piece goes on, it seems to get more and more out of control, ending in a frenzy that recalls a danse macabre—a dance to the death.Ravel originally wrote the work for orchestra, and he intended it to be choreographed as a ballet. But when he presented the score to the Russian impresario Diaghilev, he refused. The piece was a masterpiece, Diaghilev said, but it shouldn’t be danced: it was itself a portrait of the ballet—no dancers required.

Works for chamber orchestra by Rebel and La Guerre performed by Les Délices on November 23, 2014.Jean-Fery Rebel: La FidelleElisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre: Le Sommeil d"UlisseJean-Fery Rebel: Selections from Ulysse: C'est vous, mon cher Ulysse; Chaconne; Que c'est un plaisir extremeWe begin with an instrumental piece: La Fidelle by the composer Jean-Fery Rebel. The title—meaning “faithful one”—has clear connections to the other Rebel work on the program: a vocal selection from Rebel’s opera Ulysse. We’ll hear a pair of arias sung by Penelope at the end of the opera, when she is reunited with her husband Ulysses after his journey has finally brought him safely home. Penelope sings of the extreme pleasure of seeing her long-lost love again. We’ll hear the lovely soprano Clara Rottsalk in the role of Penelope.Between the two Rebel works, we have a piece that is not only about but written by a woman: Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre’s Le Sommeil d’Ulisse, a telling of another part of the same mythic story. The singer—Clara Rottsalk again—tells of a fierce storm stirred up by Neptune that tosses Ulysses’ boat violently. But, in the end, Minerva intervenes, saving him from the frothing waves and lulling him and his crew to sleep.

Work for chorus by Sibelius performed by Boston Children’s Chorus on March 28, 2015 and work for string quartet by Tchaikovsky performed by Borromeo String Quartet on November 13, 2005.Sibelius: This is My SongTchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 1Our podcast begins with a brief, touching selection from the Boston Children’s Chorus: a setting of Sibelius’s theme from Finlandia, translated in English as “This is My Song.” The peaceful hymn tune was originally a part of Sibelius’s patriotic symphonic poem, but it was so beloved that it was excerpted, combined with lyrics by a Finnish poet, and became the de facto national hymn of Sibelius’s home country.After that sweet beginning, we leap into a string quartet that also has ties to its composer’s homeland: Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1. It is in the second and third movements that we especially hear the influence of the composer’s Russian homeland. The theme in the middle movement is a folk song. Stories vary: some say that Tchaikovsky learned it from a carpenter, others that he heard his sister’s gardener humming it on a visit to Ukraine. Several years later, Tchaikovsky looked back on a performance of the piece with pride, writing, “Never in my life have I felt so flattered…as when Leo Tolstoy, sitting next to me, heard my Andante with tears coursing down his cheeks.”We’ll hear the piece played with great feeling by the Borromeo Quartet.

Work for sextet by Beethoven performed by Musicians from Marlboro on May 10, 2015 and work for string trio by Beethoven performed by Musicians from Marlboro on November 13, 2005.Beethoven: Sextet in E-flat Major, Op. 81bBeethoven: String Trio in D Major, Op. 9, No. 2We’ll hear two Beethoven chamber works on this podcast…though one sounds suspiciously symphonic in scope. As the saying goes: three’s company, but six—apparently—is a crowd.We begin with the sonically oversized Sextet in E-flat Major, for two horns and string quartet. Though clearly chamber music, in terms of sheer numbers, the piece has the feel of a concerto, with the strings playing a supporting, “orchestra-style” role, and the horns offer a pastoral-sounding duet with no shortage of technical challenges.Then, we cut the forces in half for the more intimate but no less substantial String Trio in D Major, opus 9, number 2. Written a couple years after the sextet, this piece has a more collaborative character, with all three players taking equal part, and musical ideas at least as ambitious in scope as the sextet, if not more so. The first movement, for example, boasts not one theme, but three—all cleverly related and interwoven in the development section.Both performances on this podcast are by Musicians from Marlboro, a perennial favorite with Gardner Museum audiences. We begin with the sextet.

Work for solo piano by Schubert performed by Ji, piano on April 12, 2015 and work for violin and piano by Schubert performed by Aleksey Semenenko, violin and Inna Firsova, piano on November 2, 2014.Schubert: Impromptu Op. 142, No. 3Schubert: Sonata in A Major Op. 162 “Grand duo”How many great works have been saved from the ash heap of history by posthumous publication? From time to time, one encounters a piece of classical music with a mysterious-looking opus number—often chronologically nonsensical, sometimes containing an abbreviation. Often, this denotes a work published (and assigned a catalogue number) after the composer’s death. Such is the case with both of the Schubert pieces on this podcast—the third Impromptu in B-flat Major and the “Grand duo” Sonata for violin and piano in A Major. The first is played by Ji, a well-known Korean pianist who won the Young Concert Artists auditions and recently made his Gardner Museum debut. If the theme sounds a bit familiar, don’t be surprised. Drawn from the composer’s incidental music to the play Rosamunde, it was apparently a favorite tune. The impromptu takes the form of a theme and variation. The “grand duo” sonata—also published after the composer’s death—is fittingly named: the piece exhibits true equality and partnership between the piano and violin, played on this recording by violinist Aleksey Semenenko and pianist Inna Firsova. (Semenenko, like Ji, is a recent YCA winner.) It is an elegant but compact little work, less than 20 minutes in length.

Work for voice and piano by Schumann, performed by Mark Padmore, tenor and Jonathan Biss, piano on October 12, 2014 and work for clarinet and piano by Schumann performed by Richard Stoltzman, clarinet and David Deveau, piano on January 11, 2015. Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 24Schumann: Fantasiestucke, Op. 73Fantasy is a potent thread running through the work of many Romantic composers, but none more so than Schumann. As a musical form, the ‘fantasy’ is the stuff of strong passions and dramatic emotional shifts, as we hear in the closing work on this podcast, Schumann’s Fantastiestuecke, opus 72 for clarinet and piano. The moods shift dramatically, starting with a movement marked “sweet and with feeling,” and concluding with one marked “fast and fiery.” The work ends in a whirlwind, with calls from the composer to play “schneller und schneller”—faster and faster.Before that, we start with a fantasy of a different sort: Schumann’s Liederkreis, opus 24, a set of songs based on poetry by Heine. The poems tell the tale of a love gone wrong. In nine songs, the singer recounts stories of lost love and painful separation. The nine songs that make up this set, like the poems themselves, vary in length, but they share a directness and simplicity. We’ll hear them performed by tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Jonathan Biss.

Works for chamber orchestra by Foote performed by A Far Cry with Paula Robison, flute on April 21, 2013 and February 6, 2011. Foote, Arthur: A Night Piece Frank, Gabriela Lena: Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout America has long been known as a place where many cultures converge. On our podcast, we’ll celebrate two Americans, from two different generations, whose music illustrates this multicultural inclination.Born in the 1850s in Salem, Massachusetts, Arthur Foote was arguably the first major classical composer to be educated entirely in America. However, his work was undeniably influenced by European trends and aesthetics, as we’ll hear on this podcast. Foote traveled often to Europe, attending notable concerts, including Wagner’s first Bayreuth Festival. The score to A Night Piece, written for flute and strings, evokes elements of both German and French music of the late 19th century.We skip ahead several decades for the next work on the podcast: Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout. Born more than a century after Foote, in 1972, Frank is a young composer of Jewish-Peruvian descent, and this piece draws particularly on her Latin American heritage. The work, she writes, “mixes elements from the western classical and Andean folk music traditions,” combining them such that they coexist as equals, without one dominating the other.

Work for chamber orchestra by Chauvon performed by Les Délices on November 23, 2014. Works for voice and chamber orchestra by Rebel and Bourgeois performed by Les Délices on November 23, 2014. Chauvon, Francois: Cinquieme Suite Rebel, Jean-Fery: Selections from Ulysse: Suffriray-je toujours; Saraband; Beaux lieux, vous ne scauriez me plaire Bourgeois, Thomas-Louis: Les Sirenes Homer’s Odyssey is one of the most famous stories in human history. On this podcast, with French Baroque ensemble Les Délices as our guide, we’ll explore the timeless tale through music.Our podcast starts with a work not literally modeled on the Odyssey—Francois Chauvon’s fifth suite. But, as Nagy argues in her smart program notes, this music has a magical quality that listeners might easily hear as evoking the years that Odysseus spent under the spell of the goddess Calypso.After the instrumental suite, we’ll hear a series of vocal works, for which Les Délices is joined by soprano Clara Rottsalk. We start with excerpts by Jean-Fery Rebel’s little-known opera Ulysse. We close the program with another vocal piece inspired by Odysseus: Thomas-Louis Bourgeois’ Les Sirenes. It is—as it sounds—a portrayal of the seductive singing of the Sirens, who try to lure Odysseus and his crew into harm’s way. Fortunately for our hero, their beguiling music is ultimately unsuccessful, and he continues on his journey unscathed.

Works by Mozart for voice, performed by the Boston Children’s Chorus on November 1, 2014, solo piano performed by Paavali Jumppanen, piano on February 13, 2011, and two pianos performed by Christina and Michelle Naughton, pianos on March 10, 2013. Mozart: Pappagano Mozart: Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K. 330 Mozart: Sonata for Two Pianos K. 448 in D Major Mozart always makes for a delightful musical menu. On this podcast, we’ll enjoy three courses, all wonderful works by Mozart.Our appetizer comes courtesy of the Boston Children’s Chorus, who perform the “Papageno” aria from The Magic Flute to start things off. The aria is a sweet love duet between Papageno, the prince’s loyal friend and slightly goofy companion, and his newfound love—his counterpart in female form, appropriately named Papagena.Next comes Mozart’s tenth piano sonata, in C Major. The piece was almost certainly intended for broad public consumption: though it has some challenging passagework, it is playable for an amateur audience with a piano at home, and it may even have been written with Mozart’s own aristocratic piano students in mind. We’ll hear the piece played by Paavali Jumppanen.For our third and final course, we have Mozart’s larger-still Sonata for two pianos in D Major. It is a virtuosic work from the get-go, requiring not just great individual technique but strong coordination between the two players. We’ll hear it performed by Christina and Michelle Naughton, twin sisters who often play together.

Work for clarinet and piano by Brahms performed by Richard Stoltzman, clarinet and David Deveau, piano on January 11, 2015. Brahms: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in F Minor Op. 120 No. 1 In the 1890’s, Brahms declared himself finished as a composer. He was done writing music, he said. But a trip to Meiningen, and a chance to hear the great clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld changed his mind, and he went on to write a number of pieces to showcase the extraordinary talents of this apparently self-taught woodwind player.Brahms heard Mühlfeld on a visit and was impressed, so much so that he wrote several works for clarinet in short order. First came a trio for clarinet, piano, and cello; then, a quintet. A few years later came two sonatas, one of which we’ll hear today: the sonata in F minor, Opus 120, number 1. The first performance of the sonatas featured Brahms himself at the piano, with Mühlfeld on the clarinet.On our podcast, we’ll hear the Mühlfeld part played by the very able clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, with David Deveau standing in for Brahms on piano. The piece lasts almost 40 minutes, and it will make up the entirety of our program.

Work for voice and piano by Schumann performed by Mark Padmore, tenor and Jonathan Biss, piano on October 12, 2014 and work for string quartet by Schumann performed by Musicians from Marlboro on March 17, 2013 Schumann: Sechs Gedichte und Requiem, Op. 90 Schumann: String Quartet in F Major, Op. 41, No. 2 Today’s podcast features two chamber pieces by Robert Schumann, the type of music you might have heard in a Romantic-era salon. We begin with a song cycle—the form that was Schumann’s bread and butter. Schumann wrote more than 400 songs, or lieder, in his lifetime, and he is widely acknowledged as a master of the genre. The set we’ll hear today is Sechs Gedichte und Requiem, Schumann’s opus 90. The cycle consists of six poems by Nikolaus Lenau, an Austrian poet, and a contemporary of Schumann’s. The seventh movement “Requiem” is a text of mourning written by another poet. The string quartet we’ll hear dates from 1842 when he turned his attention to chamber music and his first three string quartets. We’ll hear his opus 41, number 2, the String Quartet in F Major which has more than its fair share of creativity, making it a rewarding listen, even though it was Schumann’s very first effort in the string quartet form. Our string quartet on this recording hails from Musicians from Marlboro. We’ll start with the song cycle, performed by tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Jonathan Biss.

Works for string orchestra and voices by Josquin Des Prez arranged by Caroline Shaw, and by Schubert arranged by Mahler, performed by A Far Cry and Roomful of Teeth on May 11, 2014.Josquin Des Prez: Nymphes des bois, Arr. Caroline ShawSchubert: Quartet in D Minor, D. 810 (Death and the Maiden) Arr. MahlerThe first work we’ll hear is Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez’s “Nymphes des bois,” a piece written in memoriam of the great composer Johannes Ockeghem, who had recently passed away. The version we’ll hear is a sensitive contemporary arrangement by Caroline Shaw for voices and strings.The other piece on the program is a very different take on death: an arrangement by Mahler of Schubert’s string quartet “Death and the Maiden.” The string quartet was itself an adaptation of Schubert’s song of the same title, which depicts a struggle between a young maiden and the grim reaper.The quartet, and Mahler’s adaptation of it for string orchestra, builds on the song, each expanding it in turn for greater and greater forces. The piece concludes with a tarantella, a swirling, relentless dance of somewhat ambiguous origin, fittingly linked with both courtship and death. The Schubert also features the players of A Far Cry performing.

Work for string quartet by Beethoven performed by Belcea Quartet on November 4, 2012.Beethoven: String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132In April of 1825, Beethoven became seriously ill. Bedridden, and in declining health, he feared his end might be near. As his health worsened, he wrote many of his so-called “Late Quartets” – his incredible final contributions to the art of the string quartet.But as the weeks passed, Beethoven made a remarkable recovery. The piece we’ll hear today—his fifteenth string quartet—celebrates his return to health.The piece’s center—emotionally, musically, and structurally—is the third of its five movements. The movement is subtitled, “Heiliger Dankgesang,” or in full: “A holy song of thanks to the divine, from one who has been healed.” The movement begins with chorale-like chords and depicts a slow but steady move from weakness to vitality and health. It is a radiant hymn of gratitude from a person who’s been given a second chance at life.The recording we’ll hear features the Belcea Quartet, from a performance in 2012. In full, the piece runs about 45 minutes.

Works for violin and piano by Ravel, Debussy, and Saint-Saens performed by Paul Huang, violin and Jessica Osborne, piano on December 1, 2013.Ravel: Piece en forme de HabaneraDebussy: La plus que lenteSaint-Saens: Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75The turn from 19th to 20th century was a fertile moment in French music. In the space of a few decades, artistic norms shifted dramatically, from beautifully formed, pleasingly symmetrical classicism to the mistier depictions of Impressionism.The last piece we’ll hear is Saint-Saens’ Sonata No. 1 in D Minor. Though penned by a Frenchman in 1885, the piece sounds remarkably similar to the chamber music of Beethoven, with its substantial scale and recurring musical themes.Before the sonata, we’ll hear two pieces that were written just a few years later, but sound like they come from another musical world. First is Ravel’s “Piece en forme de Habanera,” a work infused with the same Spanish flair that would later characterize the composer’s most famous piece, Bolero.After the Habanera, we have another piece from early 20th century France: Debussy’s “La plus que lent.” Originally written for solo piano, this piece, too, spawned many adaptations, including the violin and piano version we’ll hear. Debussy, like Ravel, was inspired by dance: in his case, the waltz.