Orcas~trations: Candlelight Classics

Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Concerto for two violins in A minor, RV,
522 “L’estro armonico” (1711)

Program note by Lisa Bergman

Vivaldi was on a roll. He had done his homework by walking a mile in not just one composer’s shoes, but many! Corelli had cobbled the first pair, then Handel grabbed them, added a set of cleats, and bolted ahead. Bach wasn’t far behind, sprinting with his Brandenburg Concerti, followed by Geminiani and a host of others, including Vivaldi, each one building on the energy of the relay team, never dropping the baton.

These shoes all had something in common, and it was more than a swoosh logo. It was the invention of the concerto grosso: a small group of soloists (the concertino) typically made up of two violins, a bass melody instrument (such as a cello), a harmony instrument (such as harpsichord), and the orchestra (the ripieno). The orchestra was usually made up of strings and possibly a few woodwinds or brass, approximately a dozen players in size. Vivaldi’s own brand of the concerto grosso was first published as his “L’estro armonico” (“harmonic fire”). Keep your ear tuned for the high-energy foot races, catchy tunes, no-rules improv, and small snatches of the themes bouncing between the two violins like badminton birdies. Ready-set-GO!

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)
Quartet for oboe, violin, viola, and keyboard in G minor, TWV 43:g2

Program note by Aloysia Friedmann

It’s a delight to program Baroque works, especially with the recent gift of Roger Sherman’s Keith Hill harpsichord. It was straightforward to present two Vivaldi Concertos and Brandenburg No. 6. Then I thought, why not showcase the younger generation of Festival artists in a beautiful Telemann trio sonata? I grew up hearing my parents, Laila Storch and Martin Friedmann, playing baroque music around our house. Lisa Bergman will remember this as well, as she joined them on the harpsichord that my father had built!

I was racking my memory banks, remembering that there was one sonata that used viola, which is slightly unusual. I did a quick Google/YouTube search and found a performance that was just what I was looking for – oboe, violin, viola, and harpsichord. It didn’t list the catalogue number, but I figured finding that would be easy. Little did I know, it was not so simple. I started searching through my parents’ music library and found numerous Telemann works, some of which had annotations such as “good” written by my dad. (I would never consider programming a sonata with the word “bad” on it!) number, but I figured finding that would be easy. Little did I know, it was not so simple. I started searching through my parents’ music library and found numerous Telemann works, some of which had annotations such as “good” written by my dad. (I would never consider programming a sonata with the word “bad” on it!)

I found one with viola, but it was not the one I was looking for. Lisa was being patient with me as she waited to write this program note; finally, I offered to write this last-minute note to tell this story! As you can imagine, I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out exactly which trio sonata this was. (There are many dozens of them.) And to complicate things, I realized the viola part was originally a virtuoso viola da gamba part – Telemann loved the viola da gamba. I was cross-referencing works in G minor with Telemann’s canon of compositions. No luck. Finally, I reached out to Delmar Williams, who has a large social media presence in the oboe community. He sent me the catalogue number and some links. It got murkier, as the music only seemed to exist in manuscript, but needless to say, I finally located this great work. Adam Stern has helped notate the keyboard part, and I’m so grateful to Anne, Nanki, Jasper, and Jackie for bringing this work to life on Orcas. I thank my parents for instilling a love of early baroque trio sonatas! They are indeed wonderful.

Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for two cellos in G minor, RV 531 (c. 1720)

Program note by Lisa Bergman

The prolific Antonio Vivaldi composed nearly 500 concerti for a variety of solo instruments with orchestra. Thirty of these feature a single cello soloist. But this concerto is the only one to feature TWO cello soloists, which immediately attracts attention in an unexpected way. Impatient for the action to start, the two cellos barge onto the scene without waiting for the group. They take over center stage and draw us into a lockerroom brawl by goading each other, mimicking eachother. But then, with the help of a referee, they actually settle down in the second movement, expressing regret with sweet apologies. The amends do not last, though, as they resume their wrestling in the finale, each cello manhandling the fugal entries as if to say, “It’s MINE.” “No, it’s MINE.”

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat Major, BWV 1051
(1719–20)

Program note by Lisa Bergman

Finding just the right “hostess gift,” like a box of chocolate-covered cherries with a fine bottle of port wine or an elegant bouquet, can make just the right impression – assuring the clever guest a repeat invitation. But Johann Sebastian Bach was focusing on his host, the Margrave (Marquis) of Brandenburg. Bach had gone to Berlin to fetch a new harpsichord for Prince Leopold of Cöthen. In the process, the Margrave of Brandenburg heard Bach play and enthusiastically asked the composer to send him some of his work. Bach went far beyond chocolate-covered cherries. Instead, he composed and had delivered his SIX Brandenburg concerti along with a billowy note: “I have in accordance with Your Highness’ most gracious orders taken the liberty of rendering my most humble duty…with the present Concertos…” Astoundingly, there is no record of the Margrave ever responding. No thank you note or mention of a fee – just crickets. Interestingly, the “Brandenburg Concertos” name was not Bach’s doing nor was it a part of the gift. The name came 160 years later through Bach biographer Philipp Spitta. Come to think of it, might the Margrave’s reaction have been more forthcoming had Bach delivered the six WITH that name attached?

Each of the six Brandenburg concerti has its own personality. One is richly scored, another has a brilliant high trumpet part. One is short, with only two movements, another is lighthearted, and yet another spotlights the harpsichord. Number six is the most solemn and darkly hued due to Bach’s complete elimination of the violins, replacing them with two violas da gamba and continuo, a radical choice. The version in this performance, even darker in tone, is made by replacing the violas da gamba with three cellos in addition to double bass and harpsichord. Dark and rich, like chocolate-covered cherries and port wine.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
String Quintet in C Major, Op. 29 “Storm”(1801)

Program note by Lisa Bergman

Beethoven was a cross between glorious Titan and social misfit. He was outspoken and rude with a wild sense of humor, raucous laugh, and hot temper. In restaurants, he would scribble music on tablecloths and menus and then, absent-mindedly, he would leave the restaurant without paying! He loved strong coffee and ALWAYS ground 60 beans (not 59 or 61) percup. He has been described as a “demented Robinson Crusoe, fetched up in the middle of post-Enlightenment Europe.” People thought his appearance “demonic.” His deafness began at age 27 and he suffered ill health for the last 20 years of his life, most likely the result of lead poisoning. Everything he composed bears evidence of a superhuman struggle to achieve perfection. Mozart said about the then sixteen-year-old Beethoven: “Keep your eyes on him; some day he will give the world something to talk about!”

Beethoven bridged the gap between the Classical and Romantic periods. He seemed to sense his role in this transition, remarking that he was restless and absolutely ready to embark on a “new path.” His String Quintet in C Major was composed smack-dab in this critical juncture, when he was halfway across the bridge. The first two movements harken back to Mozart’s classicism with grace, flow, and space, using (as Mozart did) a second viola as the fifth member of the quintet. In the playful scherzo, his shift toward Romanticism sneaks in – by using a musical surprise, he builds an entire movement out of a three-note motive heard in the first five seconds. The Presto is what earned the nickname “Storm,” with thunder, lightning, stops and starts, and a storm cloud of rosin dust from the turbulent strings filling the air.

“Bach is like an astronomer who,
with the help of ciphers,
finds the most wonderful stars . . .
Beethoven embraced the universe with the
power of his spirit . . . I do not climb so high.
A long time ago I decided that my universe
will be the soul and heart of man.”
– Frédéric Chopin