Unanswered Questions
March 3 & 4 2012
Ernest Bloch • Concerto Grosso No. 1 for Piano and Strings
Clara Schumann • Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 7
Charles Ives • The Unanswered Question
Igor Stravinsky • Pulcinella Suite
Pre-concert Lecture by Michael Grace, Saturday, 6:15 PM, Sunday, 1:45 PM
From the opening of the classical concerto for strings to the inspirational piano concerto, from the unknown modern composer to the neo-Classical piece, the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs continues to grow in its musical excellence and be challenged by a wide variety of musical compositions. On March 3rd and 4th, plan to visit a world of graceful melodies, twisting harmonies, modern juxtapositions, and elegant clarity as the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs presents a concert encompassing four influential composers: Ernest Bloch, Clara Schumann, Charles Ives, and Igor Stravinsky. Unanswered Questions Program Notes
Written as a way of challenging modern audiences with traditional forms, Concerto Grosso No. 1 by Ernest Bloch follows a traditional technique while experiencing a depth of expression unusual for traditional compositions. This expression is evident in not only the funeral dirge of the descriptive second movement, but also in the emotional dances of the third movement. While keeping an “old-fashioned” appeal, the piece ends on a joyous but modern tone.
Often ignored as “mere women’s work,” Piano Concerto in A Minor, op 7 by Clara Schumann impacted not only her husband’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 54, but also Brahms’ First Piano Concerto. Clara began composing this work at 14, and although it initially should have been a single movement, the piece spanned over two years and developed into three full movements. Influenced mainly by Chopin, the concerto was described by Robert Schumann as “somewhere between a concerto, a symphony, and a major sonata.” This concerto, whose final movement was composed by Robert for Clara, is a remarkable milestone of the Romantic era and its grace.
A virtually unacknowledged musician until the end of his life, Charles Ives emerged as an independent modern composer years before these modern techniques materialized in Europe. The Unanswered Question, however, has three distinct fundamentals: a slow string background, a series of phrases in the woodwinds, and a solemn trumpet solo. Ives stated at one point that in The Unanswered Question, the strings “are to represent ‘The Silences of the Druids—who Know, See, and Hear Nothing.’”
Pulcinella, the first neo-Classical work by Stravinsky, was written for the ballet in a form reminiscent of the Classical Era of composition, and it was an immediate success. The suite, which Stravinsky revised in 1949, is more popular now than the complete ballet. Based on the lesser-known works of Pergolesi, Pulcinella was composed in an entirely new way for Stravinsky; he used a smaller orchestra, a Classical form, and simple musical language.
