SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2014
With guest pianist Alon Goldstein and bassist Rachel Calin

This Sunday features one of the very last works by Haydn – an unfinished 68th Quartet, a chamber music version of Mozart’s 21st Piano Concerto – known by many as the “Elvira Madigan” after the movie that featured it on the sound track – and a masterwork by Tchaikovsky – the 2nd of his 3 quartets.

A chamber group can best replicate a Piano Concerto with piano (played by guest Alon Goldstein) and the full range of strings, including bass (played by guest Rachel Calin.)

Haydn Quartet No 68, Op 103 (Unfinished)

YouTube performance by the Amadeus String Quartet

Mozart Piano Concerto No 21, KV 467 

Mozart’s concertos were performed in his lifetime in a variety of settings, and the orchestra available no doubt varied from place to place. The more intimate works, for example, K. 413-415, were ideal for performance in the salon of an aristocratic music-lover: Mozart himself advertised them as possible to play “a quattro”, i. e. with just a string quartet accompanying the piano. In larger settings, such as halls or the theatre (or indeed, outdoors), larger orchestral forces were possible, and indeed a requirement for the more richly scored concertos such as K. 503. In particular, the later concertos have a wind band that is absolutely integral to the music. An extant theatre almanac from 1782, from the Burgtheater in Vienna, suggests that, for the theatre, there were 35 members of the orchestra, e.g., six first and six second violins; four violas, three cellos, three basses, pairs of flutes, clarinets, oboes and bassoons, horns and trumpets, with a timpanist.

Details of this concerto on wikipedia  – and more details in an article about all Mozart Piano Concertos

YouTube performance of the original version for piano and orchestra played by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and Keith Jarrett on piano.

The Fine Arts Quartet will be performing a chamber version for piano, string quartet and bass.

Tchaikovsky String Quartet No 2

Tchaikovsky replied to Modest in a letter (29th October 1874): “I am glad that you, Malozemova and all those who sympathize, liked my quartet; I regard it as my best composition; none of my works flowed out of me so simply and easily. I wrote it practically at one go and was astonished that the public did not like it, for I find that compositions written spontaneously have every chance of success.”

Details of work on Wikipedia

YouTube performance of the Tchaikovsky String Quartet No 2 by the New Russian Quartet

GUESTS

Guest pianist for the Mozart Concerto – Alon Goldstein – Read his bio at his website.

Goldstein will be in Ravinia in early July for teaching and a performance of a Brahms Piano Quartet No  3 in the main pavilion on July 9th.  Details of the Ravinia concert.

Guest Bassist for the Mozart Concerto – Rachel Calin – Read her bio at Perlman Music Program website .