Rose of the San Juans

Joaquín Turina (1882–1949)
Scène Andalouse for viola, piano, and string quartet, Op. 7 (1911)

Program note by Lisa Bergman

Music was Turina’s favorite subject in school and his favorite toy was a small accordion.* Born in Seville, he studied composition in Madrid and Paris and becamea pupil of d’Indy and Moszkowski. His musical tastes were heavily influenced by Debussy and Franck. Heeventually became an esteemed member of the Spanish “nationalist” school, joined by fellow Spaniards Albeniz and de Falla. While the trio enjoyed an evening in a café in Paris, Turina experienced a metamorphosis: “I realized that music should be an art, and not a diversion for the frivolity of women and the dissipation of men. We are three Spaniards gathered together in this corner of Paris, and it is our duty to fight bravely for the national music of our country.”

The Scène Andalouse was one of the first works he composed during this nationalistic campaign. Each of the two movements contains Andalusian elements galore. The first movement, “At Twilight,” features the evocative lure of the viola as a flamenco singer. In the movement’s second section, “Serenade,” there is the distinct flavor of Arabic culture, a presence in Spain for 800 years, and melodies with Roma influences, replete with golden earrings and colorful skirts spinning around the campfire in this evening scene.

The second movement, “At the Window,” takes placeat sunrise, as though a lover, now alone, is reliving the amorous prior evening. We hear music reminiscentof guitars (the national instrument of Spain), with the solo viola accompanied by pizzicato in the lower strings, much like the flamenco of the first movement. The work is unexpectedly short, filled with dramatic pauses. Let your imagination flow, and remember… what happenson Orcas stays on Orcas.

*A quick aside – one wonders if he and his boyhood friends knew the joke “What’s an accordion good for?” “Learning how to fold a map!” How fitting that Turina’s music represents the map of Spain, through and through.

Ennio Morricone (1928–2020)
Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Program note by Lisa Bergman

Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, thecoming-of-age film Cinema Paradiso has been proclaimed one of the greatest films of all time. It won many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix. The story centers on a young boy and his aging filmmaker mentor and their ever-growing profound connection. The film score was composed by an equally touching duo – father and son Ennio and Andrea Morricone.  Their collaboration won the 1991 BAFTA award for Best Film Music. The Love Theme has been adoringly embraced by artists crossing all genres, including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pat Metheny, and Josh Groban. Yo-Yo Mashared a precious thought in a social media post: “I’ll never forget the way Ennio Morricone described music as “energy, space, and time.” In this moment of energy, space, and time, have your handkerchief handy.

Henri Vieuxtemps (1820–1881)
Souvenir d’Amérique, Op. 17 (1845)

Program note by Lisa Bergman

Henri Vieuxtemps, a phenomenal violinist, tookthe world by storm as a child prodigy at the age of four. By age 14, even Schumann gushed, “He holds us in a kind of magic circle.” During a lifetime of touring all of Europe, he also made three United States tours. While in New Orleans on his first U.S. concert tour, he composed Souvenir d’Amérique as a surprise encore. It became an instant audience favorite with its clever blending of the very familiar tune “Yankee Doodle” with virtuosic fireworks: pizzicatos in both right and left hands, stratospheric high notes, upbow spiccato, harmonics, double stops, and even some countryfiddling! (Later, with his finger on the American pulse, he wrote two other pieces based on “The ArkansasTraveler” and “The Star-Spangled Banner!”) Though “Yankee Doodle” is linked with everything Americana, it was originally a 15th-century medieval harvest song.During the Revolutionary War, British officers brought the song to the American colonies with newly-adopted lyrics to mock the “Yankees,” but it backfired. American colonists shot right back with their own obnoxious lyrics mocking the British, symbolizing American resilience and independence.

John Christopher Wineglass (b. 1973)
Orcas Island: The Rose of the San Juan Islands for piano trio (2024)
Northwest première

Program note by John Christopher Wineglass

Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, served as the setting for the première of a previous chamber work that I composed for piano quintet at the 2023 Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival. This opportunity came as part of a broader tour across various cities of summer music festivals. During this visit, though, I was deeply inspired by the stunning beauty of the San Juan Islands – particularly Orcas Island – as I approached by airplane on my first visit. It was in this moment that the concept for this composition tookshape, initially as a piano trio with three movements, later adapted into a solo work for cello in a single movement.

The first movement, Sea of Islands, begins with adark, repetitive 7/4 rhythm that persists throughout, evolving through several variations and key changes. This movement serves as a musical metaphor for the countless islands, both inhabited and uninhabited, that I witnessed from the air, just beyond the British Columbia coastline. The striking landscape and rich history of the area spoke to me powerfully, even before I set foot on its many trails. The initial sketches for this movement were created during that flight.

The second movement, Quiet Sunsets (and Sunrises), opens with the radiant and serene depiction of an Orcas Island sunrise, capturing the tranquility of the mornings and evenings I experienced by the lake and around various parts of the island. Tempo II (Sacred Sunset) of this movement reflects the sacredness of these sunsets, drawing inspiration from the reverence that Native Americans express toward natural phenomena – a sentiment I deeply resonated with during my time there. Tempo III (Sunset Hike to Mt. Constitution’s Summit), as the title suggests, recounts a rewarding climb up Mt. Constitution in Moran State Park. From the summit, nearly half a mile above sea level, one is greeted with stunning panoramic views of the San Juan Islands, standing at the highest point on Orcas Island and the second-highest peak on an ocean island in the lower 48 states.

The third and final movement, Doe Bay’s Cove, isnamed after the small, unincorporated community on the southeastern shore of Orcas Island. This movement carries a mysterious and atmospheric tone, reintroducing the familiar 7/4 pattern from the first movement, though it soon shifts into different time signatures and keys, often with abrupt modulations. Tempo II (Myop’s Return) is a brief thematic nod to my earlier piano quintet, …And The Summer Was Over, which led to my invitation to this extraordinary part of the world. The concluding meno mosso section features slurred, pulsating sixteenth notes in the first violin and piano, evoking the constant, rhythmic movement of the ocean waves that encompass this region.

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 (1828)

Program note by Lisa Bergman

Schubert’s productivity in 1828, the year of his death, is staggering. Benjamin Britten described it as “the richest and most productive 18 months in our music history.” From this period came his String Quintet in C Major, his final instrumental work. His formula for this string quintet was to add a second CELLO to the ensemble,unlike Mozart, who added a second viola. A brilliant stroke, it provided extra oomph to the bass line while unleashing the other cello to soar into the high register.

The opening two measures are breathtaking: a CMajor chord that swells in both sound and number of participants – a sonic domino effect. The Adagio is heaven-sent, with the second cello providing the heartbeat of one of the most moving movements in all of chamber music. (Pianist Artur Rubinstein and the famed writer Thomas Mann both said they would choose this movement to hear on their deathbeds.) The heraldic and jubilant Scherzo movement surprises us with its jaunty and joyful romp. The whirling dervish of a finale leads helter-skelter to the most amazing conclusion – repeated, emphatic low Cs – except for one shocking interloper – a D-flat – shooting a confident glance at the grandstand just as we slide into home plate.