UMS Concert Program, February 14, 1965: The Paul Kuentz Paris Chamber Orchestra --

Season: Eighty-sixth
Concert: Fourth
Complete Series: 3456
Rackham Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

1964 Eighty-sixth Season 196S
UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Charles A. Sink, President
Gail W. Rector, Executive Director
Lester McCoy, Conductor
Fourth Program Second Annual Chamber Arts Series Complete Series 3456
THE PAUL KUENTZ PARIS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PAUL KUENTZ, Conductor
Soloists:
Adolf Scherbaum, Trumpet Michel Reward, Violoncello
Sunday Evening, February 14, 1965, at 8:30 Rackham Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
PROGRAM
Sonata a 4 e 5 instrument with Trumpet, in D major
Allegro Grave Presto Grave; presto
Concerto in C major for Violoncello and Orchestra Moderato Adagio Allegro molto
Symphony in G major, Op. 11, No. 1 ...
Allegro Andante Allegro assai
INTERMISSION
Concerto in D major for Trumpet and Orchestra
Adagio Allegro Grave Allegro
Gabrtelli
Haydn
Saint-Georges
Telemann
Roussel
Sinfonietta for String Orchestra, Op. 52 ....
Allegro molto Andante; allegro
Rumanian Folk Dances..........Bartok
Jocul cu bata Buciumeana
Braul Poarga romaneasca
Pc loc Maruntelul
Club National du Disque, Dccca and Archive Records
A R S
L O N G A
VITA
B R E V I S
PROGRAM NOTES
by Maurice Lambert (freely translated)
Sonata a 4 e 5 instrumenti with Trumpet, in D major . Domenico Gabrielli
(16S9-1690)
The operas and cantatas of Domenico Gabrielli are quite forgotten, perhaps because they did not make an impression in his own time. Several of his vocal and instrumental works knew a better fate during his life, and his Opus 1, a suite of dances for string trio, was even published again posthumously in 1703. Faring less well, the six Sonatas for trumpet and strings, with which he opened a path Iacchini and Torelli were to follow, appear only in the Archivo Musi-cale di San Petronio. Paul Kuentz discovered them there.
The example on this program, entirely in D major, opens with an Allegro that begins with an orchestral tutti, after which the trumpet enters accompanied by the contrabass. Then, anticipating the style of Albinoni, comes a Grave extending for 43 measures during which the trumpet does not take part. It is teeming with delightful modulations and the indications of nuances are plentiful. As in very many other parts of the work, the cello has a part here inde?pendent of the bass. There follows a Presto in pointed rhythm, a duet between the combined low voices and the trumpet. The last section commences with a new Crave and at the eighth measure the trumpet suddenly joins to it a brief Presto closing the work on a brilliant note. The scale covered by the trumpet embraces two octaves: from D to D.
Concerto in C major for Violoncello and Orchestra . Franz Josef Haydn
(1732-1809)
Haydn's Concerto in C major for Violoncello was presented first in our time at the Prague Festival in 1962. Paul Kucntz and the Paris Chamber Orchestra introduced it in France during the 1963-64 season. Michel Renard was the soloist.
Although not as difficult as the Op. 101, the Concerto in C major for violoncello is not less arduous for the performer. In addition to the strings the accompanying orchestra includes two oboes and two horns solely as part of the tutti, but they may be omitted on occasion. The opening Moderato is based on the pointed rhythms dear to Haydn. It contains an interesting cadenza which figures in the material but is not of his creation. There follows a melodious Adagio in F major, homophonic and beautifully inspired. The cadenza of this movement, like the preceding one, is not Haydn's, although it is noted in the copy. The work ends with an extremely rapid and brilliant Allegro molto, returning to C major, in sonata form. It requires of its principal performer a great deal of agility.
Symphony in G major, Op. 11, No. 1 . . Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges
(1739-1799)
Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was born in Guadeloupe, the son of a con?troller general on the island and a negro woman. The time of the arrival in Paris of young Joseph remains mysterious, about his tenth year it seems. Saint-Georges learned the rudi?ments of the violin in San Domingo and perfected himself in Paris with Leclair. In 1761 he was a member of the King's Guard. At that time he enjoyed fame as fencer, horseman, dancer, comedian, skater, swimmer, etc., as well as violinist. This tender and sentimental mulatto dandy of the moment was quite the rage, although, in fact, he was homely, contrary to his portrait by Mather Brown. Toward 1770, after having benefitted by the advice of Gossec on composition, Saint-Georges devoted himself more effectively to music. He succeeded his master in 1773 as director of the Concert des Amateurs and produced, beside comedies with ariettas, Sonatas for violin, two collections of quartets, Symphonies concertantes for two violins, nine solo Concertos, Grandes Ariettes with orchestra, and two, actually three, symphonies of which the second, following a custom then current, is nothing but the overture to his comic opera, L'Amant Anonymc (17S0). In 1792 Saint-Georges organized in Lille the National Legion of Americans and the South, was arrested as a suspicious character the following year, suffered a great deal of punishment, and barely escaped the guillotine. He resumed his artistic pursuits with distinction later and finally died a natural death on June 12, 1799.
Without pretending to merit a place among the contemporary masterpieces, the short Symphony in G major, Op. 11, No. 1, of Saint-Georges, which appeared the year of his death at La Chcvardicre, deserves attention. Realized for strings with two oboes and two horns (their part, of no importance, will be omitted at this performance) it was written with an elegant pen dipped in the same inkstand that Mozart used in his early youth. All is clear and melodious. The opening Allegro is distinguished by short turns shared as the various instru?ments alternate with fleet movement. The Andante, sung by the first violins, asserts itself very graciously. And if in the closing Allegro assai flashes of spirit seem to be only momentary, yet unquestionably they sparkle and glisten. The manuscript of this Symphony is part of the collection in the Library of the Paris Conservatory.
Concerto in D major for Trumpet and Orchestra . Georg Philipp Telemann
(1681-1767)
Telemann, a native of Magdeburg, knew Handel in his youth and continued to correspond with him until Handel's death. He was also the friend of J. S. Bach and godfather of Bach's son Emanuel. Telemann, having occupied a place very much in the foreground during his own time, is attracting more and more interest in the present. Most certainly the charm of his works has earned for him the current respect, but also it is recognized that he was one of the most active among those who developed the classical sonata by doing away with the thorough-bass. ,He himself specified the models he had chosen in the course of his career: "At first it was the Polish style, then the French and especially the Italian in which I wrote the most." He always looked ahead to the future and even in his old age he inclined toward progress, as witness his observation near the end of his life: "One must go to the furthest ends if one wishes to earn the name of true master." The abundance of Telemann's work is beyond imagination and the pub?lication of his opera omnia is still far from being completed. To illustrate, there are a thousand suites for orchestra to which his name is affixed, only 126 of which have been rediscovered to date.
Telemann's Concerto in D major for solo trumpet and orchestra opens with an Adagio during which the melody by the trumpet is sustained by a homophony of strings. This move?ment is in the sonata style of the Italian school. In the subsequent Allegro, which has a single theme and recalls Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, the strings and soloist alternate, supported by the continuo. The trumpet does not appear during the Grave in B minor, which is a fugue. The Finale, also a fugue, distinctly resembles the Second Brandenburg Concerto. As in the latter, the trumpet vies with the basses. After a divertissement by the strings the trumpet returns with the theme. Throughout the work the solo part is formidably difficult. In the Adagio passage it modulates its melody in the sharp of its tessitura, and in the closing Allegro it braves perilous notes ascending to E sharp.
Sinfonietta for String Orchestra, Op. 52.....Albekt Roussel
(1869-1937)
Albert Roussel composed his Sinfonietta for String Orchestra, Op. 52, at Vasterival be?tween July 12 and August 6, 1934. He dedicated it to Mme Jane Evrard, Conductor of the Women's Orchestra of Paris. It is considered among the most characteristic results of the contemporary French school, and with its liveliness introduces into the composer's work an unusual distinction.
From beginning to end an intense rhythm enlivens the Allegro molto, which is in classical form with two principal themes. The Andante is distinguished by the nobleness of thought which it expresses. This is a sort of expanded recitative. It leads into the rondo-like Finale in which the music expresses exuberant spirit. The tonality of the whole goes from D minor to D major.
Rumanian Folk Dances..........Bela Bartok
(1S81-1945)
Bartok's research of folklore, which he undertook with Zoltan Kodaly in the places where the old tunes still lived in the memories of inhabitants, was conducted between 1905 and 1918, except that of Turkey which dates only from 1936. The Dances which are to be performed do not originate from the Rumania we know as a country. The title Rumanian Dances of Hun?gary which is given them in Bartok's country would better describe the origin. Their compon?ent parts were collected with great care in one of the territories of Transylvania, the Central Basin. They are, in truth, dances in which are combined the characteristics belonging to two neighboring countries. To what degree Bartok himself said: "That which makes rather intri?cate the question of the mutual influence of popular Hungarian and Rumanian music is the divided character, the lack of unity of the popular Rumanian music. The Hungarian is in a vertical direction, the Rumanian, on the contrary, is horizontal, richer, more varied." If in certain of the Dances, however, there arc found distinctly Rumanian traits, such as the Christ?mas songs called Colinda, in others there appear traces of recruiting songs and other Hungarian melodies, often set in pentatonic scale. It was in 1909-10 that Bartok first based compositions on themes of this origin. In 1915 he put them to considerable use and wrote then two Popular Rumanian Songs for four-part women's choir, still not published, his Sonatinc for piano which he arranged for orchestra in 1931 under the title of three Transylvanian Dances, also for piano the Colindas consisting of a collection of twenty Rumanian Christmas carols, then the six Rumanian Folk Dances, still for piano: Jocul cu bald (Dance of the Stick), Brdul (Dance of the Sash), Pe loc (The Stamper), Buciumeana (Dance of the Bucium People), Poarga romd-neasca (Rumanian Polka), Maruntelul (previously mentioned dance). In 1917 Bartok scored these six Dances for symphonic ensemble. Here they are being interpreted in their version for string orchestra made by Arthur Willner.
Considered in general, the Rumanian Dances call for certain observations. All arc confined within restrained limits. The motifs which appear in them keep their original form. The com?poser repeats them either as a whole or in part instead of developing them. The introductions and codas are short compared with the length of the dances themselves. At certain times, one or another moves according to an independent plan.
UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY
INTERNATIONAL PRESENTATIONS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
BUDAPEST STRING QUARTET
Wed., Feb. 17 at 8:30 Thurs., Feb. 18 at 8:30
D major, Op. 18, No. 3 Beethoven Cycle F major, Op. 18, No. 1
F major, Op. 59, No. 1 E-flat major, Op .127
Fri., Feb. 19 at 8:30
G major, Op. 18, No. 2 F minor. Op. 95 C minor, Op. 1 8, No. 4 F major, Op. 135
Sat., Feb. 20 at 8:30
A major, Op. 18, No. 5 E-flat major, Op .74 B-flat major, Op. 130 wfugue
E minor, Op. 59, No. 2 A minor, Op. 132
Sun., Feb. 21 at 2:30
B-flat major, Op. 18, No. 6 C major, Op. 59, No. 3 C-sharp minor, Op. 131
Single concerts: $3.50--$2.50--$2.00
Saturday, February 27 (2:30) Sunday, February 28
?Netherlands Chamber Choir . Felix de Nobel, Conductor
Detroit Symphony Orchestra . Sixten Ehrling, Conductor
Program: Prelude and Quadruple Fugue .... Alan Hovhaness
Symphony No. 1 in E minor......Sibelius
Symphony No. 1 in F minor ..... Shostakovich (Replacing Polish Mime Theatre in the Extra Series, originally scheduled for February 23)
Rosalyn Tureck, Pianist.......Monday, March 1
Program: All Bach--
Prelude and Fugue on the Name of BACH
Capriccio on a Departing Brother
French Overture
Three Two-Part Inventions
Two Sinfonias
Italian Concerto
?Chicago Little Symphony.......
Thor Johnson, Conductor Program:
Sinfonia in B-flat major ......
Divertissements, Op. 5 .......
Meditation and Processional for Viola and Orchestra
Concerto da Camera, for Flute, English Horn, and Strings
The Lark Ascending--A Romance for
Violin and Orchestra......
Kadha-Hi-Haku........
Sinfonia Breve da Camera No. 1 . . . . .
Robert Merrill, Baritone......
?Solisti di Zagreb.........
National Ballet of Canada......
Marian Anderson, Contralto......
Sunday, March 7
Bach
Klebe
Bloch
honegger
Vaughan Williams
fukushtma
Ingelbrecht
Friday, March 12
Tuesday, March 30
Saturday, April 3
Wednesday, April 14
Tickets: $4.50--$4.00--$3.50--$3.00--$2.25--$1.50 Standing room only
1965 MAY FESTIVAL. Season tickets: $25.00--$20.00--$16.00--$12.00--$9.00
(Beginning March 1, any remaining tickets will be placed on sale for single concerts at
$5.00--$4.50--$4.00--$3.50--$3.00--$2.50 and $1.SO
For tickets and information, address UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY, Burton Tower