Program
Anton Reicha
Quintet in D minor, op. 100, no. 2
Paul Taffenel
Quintet (1876)
Astor Piazzola
Milonga Sin Palabras
Paquito D’Rivera
Wapango
SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2009
Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
Quintet Attacca
Priding themselves on their innovative programming, Quintet Attacca enjoys presenting concerts that are both accessible and cutting-edge. A wind quintet is unusual by design and QA seeks to make the unusual noteworthy through music that challenges the performers while engaging the audience. Founded in 1999, Quintet Attacca, one of Chicago’s most dynamic chamber music ensembles, is also one of only two wind quintets in the 34-year history of the Fishoff Competition to have received the coveted Grand Prize. The quintet spent two years in residence with the Chicago Chamber Musicians’ Professional Development Program and is now in residence at the Music Institute of Chicago and Lake Forest College.
Quintet Attacca prides itself on innovative and contemporary programming, and our concert will include works by contemporaries of Beethoven as well as compositions by living composers.
Program Notes
Quintet Attacca — September 23, 2009
The wind quintet, most commonly written for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon, traces its origins to Harmoniemusik, themixed wind ensembles favored in the court of Joseph II in late 18th century Vienna. Unlike the string quartet with its homogeneous blend of instrumental color, each of the members of the wind quintet differs considerably in technique and timbre. The 24 wind quintets of Anton Reicha established the genre as part of the standard repertoire.
Quintet Op. 100, No. 2 in D minor
Anton Reicha (1770 – 1836)
Anton Reicha, born in Prague, was christened Antonine Rejcha. At age 11 he ran away from home and made his way to Wallerstein in Swabia where he was taken in by his uncle, Joseph Reicha, a cellist and composer, who adopted him and Germanized his name to Anton Reicha. Anton immersed himself in the study of the flute, violin and piano. In 1785 his uncle was appointed Kapellmeister at Bonn and the fifteen-year old became the inseparable companion and lifetime friend of a violist of the same age, Ludwig van Beethoven. In Bonn they both studied with Christian Gottlieb Neefe who introduced his precocious students to Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier. Reicha lived in Vienna from 1801 to 1808 where he wrote numerous compositions including 20 string quartets. In 1808 he settled in Paris and began a series of 24 wind quintets at the behest of professors at the Paris Conservatoire.
The first edition of the six quintets of Op. 100 appeared in Paris in 1820 with the composer’s metronome markings in all of his quintets. Musicologist Gerhard Pätzig in his analysis of the D minor quintet (Op. 100, No. 2) recognizes five principal thematic ideas in both outer movements of this quintet. Notable in the first movement is a free clarinet solo preceding the development section and a flute cadenza preceding the coda. The melodious slow movement is in ABA form. The third movement is dominated by a bold theme presented by the flute and alternating with the oboe. There is a short coda in place of the usual da capo (from the beginning) section expected in a minuet. The last movement is an impressive finale integrating and developing five distinctive thematic elements as in the first movement of the quintet.
Wind Quintet (1876)
Paul Taffanel ( 1844-1908)
Born in Bordeaux, France, Paul Taffenel received his first lessons on the flute from his father at the age of nine. By the age of sixteen he graduated from the Paris Conservatoire, an accomplished soloist. He became the foremost flutist of his time touring widely in Europe. In 1893 he became Professor of Flute at the Paris Conservatoire and as a result of his pedagogical innovations is regarded as the founder of the French Flute School that dominated composition and performance during the mid-20th century. Between 1890 and 1906 he served as chief conductor of the Paris Opéra and the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. Chamber music did not escape his attention. In 1876 he composed his prize-winning Wind Quintet and in 1879 founded the influential Société de musique pour instruments â vent.
The Quintet commences with a driving Allegro con moto in G minor with frequent dynamic contrasts that create a stormy and dramatic first movement. The Andante is a calm movement in E-flat major in ABA form. The main theme of the movement is presented by the horn over a pulsating accompaniment that returns after a contrasting B section embellished by a florid accompaniment. The final movement, Vivace, is a sprightly dance in 6/8 time with light and fast scherzo-like figurations. Unlike the first movement that ends quietly, the final movement ends with a strong and decisive figure that punctuates this boisterous finale.
Milonga Sin Palabras (Arr. William Scribner)
Astor Piazzola (1921-1992)
Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Astor Piazzolla was a child prodigy on the andoneon, an offshoot of the German concertinas. Piazzola became one of the most renowned tango musicians in the world. Classically trained, his Nuevo Tango style is a fusion of jazz and contemporary classicism (including fugue, chromaticism and dissonance). It is estimated that Piazolla wrote over 3,000 pieces and recorded nearly 500. He is known in Argentina as “El Gran Astor” (“The Great Astor”).
Milonga Sin Palabra, song without words, is an expressive dance requiring great sensitivity from the performers. From its somber opening to a soaring duet between the oboe and clarinet, the colors evoked in this song are sure to leave the listener feeling moved.
Wapango
Paquito D’Rivera (b. 1948)
Born in Cuba, Paquito D’Rivera, a child prodigy, began learning music at the age of 5 with his father Tito Rivera a well-known saxophonist and conductor. Paquito grew up in Cuba playing both the saxophone and clarinet with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. Dissatisfied with constraints placed on his music in Cuba, in 1981 he sought asylum with the American Embassy while on a tour in Spain and left his home land. He has performed with both prestigious classical and jazz ensembles and is one of the most well known cross-over artists in the music field. He is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts awarded by President George W. Bush in 2005 as well as three Grammy Awards.
Wapagno is a short dance based on Latin rhythms. Written for wind quintet it shows off the bravura side of the instruments. The bassoon provides a syncopated Latin ostinato foundation for the piece, while the other instruments provide interesting counter melodies.
Program notes James L. Franklin, M .D.
The Chicago Chamber Music Society
P.O. Box 350
Kenilworth, IL 60043
Phone: 847.251.1400
ext. 0