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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart String Quartet in G Minor, K.516

Ani Kavafian, violin Benny Kim, violin Randolph Kelly, viola Cynthia Phelps, viola Colin Carr, cello

Since the time he first heard Michael Haydn's viola quintet at age 17, Mozart had been fascinated by the expressive possibilities achieved by the addition of a second viola to the standard string quartet. Mozart completed K. 516, his sixth and final viola quintet, in May 1787, one month after he had finished his C Major viola quintet. Because of their harmonic and textural richness, both works represent a peak in Mozart's chamber music.

Mozart's K. 516 occupies an honored place among his great compositions in G Minor, a key he favored for important works in a tragic vein. The G Minor mode at the opening of the Allegro is strongly established, for Mozart here introduces the second subject in the same mode rather than the customary contrasting key. The character of both themes, the first based on fragments of descending melodic lines, the second on leaps, is intensely affecting. The Minuetto, again in the G Minor mode, suggests restless unease because of its accented offbeat chords. Yet the atmosphere does not brighten when it shifts to E flat major in the Adagio ma non troppo movement. Tchaikovsky wrote of this movement to his patroness, Madame von Meck: "No one has ever with such beauty expressed in music the feeling of resigned, helpless grief." The following Adagio, a lament that echoes the somber mood of the preceding movement, is actually an introduction to the Allegro finale, which is a joyful rondo movement in G Major. The very exuberance of this final movement has caused controversy among listeners. Some hear the Allegro as a trivial irrelevance to the weighty preceding movements; others suggest that it has a dramatic function--perhaps a happy conclusion to a tragic scene in an 18th-century play. Because a discarded G Minor opening to this movement exists, it is certain that Mozart at least briefly considered other possibilities for the quintet's conclusion. (Performed Friday March 11, 1994)

Schurmann himself discusses his quartet:: Written during the first half of 1986, this Quartet was commissioned by the Los Angeles Quartet with funds provided by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts. It is dedicated to the memory of the late Hans Keller.

The first movement is characterized by the intermittent use of canonic devices, which tends to give the music a somewhat searching quality. It opens quietly with one of the principal subjects, a short melodic phrase, played by the strings in tight canon. The piano joins the ensemble after one bar with a broader version of the same intervals in octaves. A brief antiphonal idea quickly builds to a second, more assertive, melodic idea announced fortissimo by the strings, after which a series of integrated sections begins to develop and restate the material in various juxtapositions, until the movement comes to rest in a slow, more extended, final canon.

The central Capriccio is in feeling perhaps close to being an instrumental Dies irae. It keeps relentlessly to a fast basic tempo, Allegro molto, throughout. Most of the music stems from a simple, but intense, little theme that first appears almost immediately, played by the violin, and consists of two symmetrical phrases of four bars each, connected and followed by three bars of ascending runs for the piano. The transformation of this material proceeds along essentially dramatic lines, contrasting strong declamatory episodes with some quieter, less vehement, passages.

Corale indicates a more unified expression in the music, marked Largo, which is predominantly of a lyrical nature. It returns to the material of the opening Ricercare, but, although the work ends much in the way it began, the final feeling is one of quiet resignation and peace." (Performed Monday, March 7, 1994

Claude Debussy Sonata for Violoncello and Piano

Peter Rejto, cello Monique Duphil, piano

Known as the father of musical impressionism, Debussy (1862-1918) was strongly influenced by the symbolist poet Mallarme and the impressionist painter Monet. He brought to his music a similar expression by emphasizing color, nuance, and atmosphere rather than a logical, linear development. His 1915 sonata depicts two characters from the comedia del arte stock: the vulnerable buffoon Pierrot and the spoiled Columbina, whom Pierrot wishes to win over. Debussy described his sonata at the works premiere: "Pierrot awakens with a start, shaking off his torpor. He runs to serenade his beloved, who, despite such pleading, remains unresponsive. He consoles himself for his failure by singing a song of freedom." The cello's traditional legato is heard primarily in the opening movement of the Sonata. In the theatrical serenade, which led Debussy originally to title the work "Pierrot Angry with the Moon," the cello becomes on occasion a bass guitar, episodically articulating fragments of melody to suggest the drunken Pierrot. The animated Finale, based on an old French song, contains echoes of the earlier movements. (Performed on Sunday March 5, 1995)

Featured Musicians

Peter Rejto, Artistic Director and Cellist, has been acclaimed throughout the U.S. and abroad as one of this country's leading artists since winning the 1972 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. A popular soloist, he has performed hundreds of recitals and concerto performances with groups such as the Dallas and St. Louis Symphonies. Additionally, he appears regularly with The Los Angeles Piano Quartet, of which he is a founding member. Mr. Rejto has toured with "Music from Marlboro" and has performed at the festivals of Santa Fe, Aspen, La Jolla,, Round Top, and "Bravo," Colorado.

Colin Carr, Cellist, is one of the world's most acclaimed cellists. Winner of many prestigious awards, including First Prize in the Naumberg Competition and the Piatigorsky Memorial Award, he has become known for his eloquent, dramatically intense performances. Mr. Carr has appeared as soloist with major orchestras in both North America and Europe. He appears often at major music festivals, including Marlboro, Gstaad, and Spoleto. He has performed as Guest Artist with chamber music societies of Boston and Lincoln Center in New York

Monique Duphil, Piano, debuted in Paris at 15. She has since won prizes in four international competitions, including the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Before her appointment to the faculty at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Ms. Duphil was based in Hong Kong, where she was lauded by the press as "possibly Asia's finest pianist." A distinguished chamber musician, she has appeared with numerous artists of renown, including Jean-Pierre Rampal and the Vienna String Quartet. Recent performances include engagements in Eastern Europe, Japan, South America, tours with the New Zealand Symphony and orchestras of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Ani Kavafian, Violinist, has thrilled audiences and critics alike with her outstanding artistry for over a decade. Her performances as recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and chamber musician have earned her both critical acclaim and a prominent place on the international concert scene. Ms. Kavafian's list of prestigious awards includes the Avery Fisher Prize and the Young Concert Artists International Competition. She has appeared at the White House on three separate occasions and has been featured on many network and PBS television music specials. She records on the Nonesuch, RCA, Columbia, and Music Heritage labels

Randolph Kelly, Violist, includes among his many solo appearances the premieres of concerti by Walter Piston, Sir Michael Tippett and William Schuman with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In May, 1993, he performed the Bartok Viola Concerto with the Oregon Symphony. He made his European debut in the fall of 1990, performing the Walton Viola Concerto with the National Orchestra of France under the direction of Loren Maazel. Principal Viola of the Pittsburgh Symphony since 1977, Kelly is also on the faculty of the Dusquesne University School of Music. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, where he was Principal Viola of the Curtis Institute Symphony directed by Eugene Ormandy, and also performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra.

Benny Kim, Violinist, is the winner of several prestigious awards, including the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1983. In addition to performing with many leading American orchestras, including the Chicago and St. Louis Symphonies, he maintains a busy solo, recital, and chamber music career across the U.S. Mr. Kim has participated in music festivals in Interlochen, Aspen, Marlboro, Vancouver, Cape Cod, the Grand Canyon, Dubrovnik, and France.

The Los Angeles Piano Quartet had an auspicious 1977 debut at the Music Center in Los Angeles, beginning a career that very quickly brought recognition as North America's premiere piano quartet. Known for bold, exhilarating performances, the Los Angeles Piano Quartet has been honored with the highest critical acclaim. After an impressive international debut at the Cheltenham Festival in England, the quartet was engaged for an extensive tour of Europe, including a performance at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The group has been an active force in the creation of new works for piano quartet. With the aid of the National Endowment for the Arts and Chamber Music America, it has commissioned works from prominent contemporary composers

Cynthia Phelps, Violist, has earned a distinquished place among today's most accomplished artists of her generation. Recently named the principal violist of the New York Philharmonic, she maintains a career that embraces both solo recital work and numerous chamber music appearances. Winner of the Lionel Tertis Viola Competition, the Washington D.C. International String Competition and the 1988 Pro Musicis Foundation Award, she has presented recitals in London, Paris, Rome, Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington, D.C. She has been a featured soloist on radio programs such as St. Paul Sunday Morning and was recently televised on the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour.

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