VCHpresents Chamber: Sounds for a Summer Evening

SOUNDS FOR A SUMMER EVENING

12 DEC 2020, 7:30pm VICTORIA CONCERT HALL

PROGRAMME Jeremy Lee, presenter JIN TA Grassfield in the Summer Night for Three Flutes and Bassoon 夏夜的草坪 (World Premiere)

8 mins

Jin Ta, flute Miao Shan Shan, flute Evgueni Brokmiller, flute Christoph Wichert, bassoon DEBUSSY Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp I. Pastorale: Lento, dolce rubato II. Interlude: Tempo di Minuetto III. Finale: Allegro moderato ma risoluto

18 mins

Jin Ta, flute Guan Qi, viola Gulnara Mashurova, harp BEETHOVEN String Quintet in C major, Op. 29 I. Allegro moderato II. Adagio molto espressivo III. Scherzo. Allegro IV. Presto Chan Yoong-Han, violin Zhao Tian, violin Guan Qi, viola Gu Bing Jie, viola Ng Pei-Sian, cello

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34 mins

PROGRAMME NOTES JIN TA (b. 1972) Grassfield in the Summer Night for Three Flutes and Bassoon 夏夜的草坪 (World Premiere) Summer in Singapore this year has not been comforting. Not only have there been travel restrictions, many public events have also been prohibited due to the COVID-19 situation. The public has been urged to stay home and this may have caused some of us to feel a little down.

During this period, in order to maintain a healthy body and mind, my wife and I would take a stroll in the park every night. There was one night, after the rain, the grass was wet with puddles of water and there were fallen leaves everywhere. Although it was just the two of us in the small park, we were not exactly alone. The tree frogs were singing loudly around us, and replying to them were probably the cicadas. I do not know much about insects but the duet of the cicadas with the tree frogs left an impression. An impression of the grassfield in the summer night.

Song Dynasty poet, Xin Qiji (辛弃疾) described the scenes of a summer night in merely a few lines of words.

What about music? How do we use music to express this? The next day, I started to compose Grassfield in the Summer Night and at the same time, my wife made a painting on the same theme.

As you listen, you may be able to feel that I am not merely depicting a field in a small park but also a bigger picture: freedom, boundless colours under the summer night.

Notes by Jin Ta, translated by Hong Shu Hui

A painting inspired by Jin Ta’s piece by his wife, Yu Jing.

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862 - 1915) Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp I. Pastorale. Lento, dolce rubato II. Interlude. Tempo di minuetto III. Final. Allegro moderato ma risoluto Both works in tonight’s programme occupy unique places in the two composers’ remarkable legacy.

Debussy pioneered the sensual combination of flute, viola and harp, while Beethoven’s Quintet is the only one he wrote in this genre.

In 1914, Debussy set out to write a set of “Six Sonatas for Various Instruments”, at the request of his music publisher. Sadly, he completed just three before his death in 1918.

Of these, the Cello Sonata and Violin Sonata are no surprises, but his Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp is believed to be the first of its kind established in the repertory of classical music, and would later inspire later generations to write for this mesmerising combination.

The first movement is a misty, elegaic Pastorale, recalling the colours and mood of the Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune of 20 years before. Five ethereal motifs, like fragments of a dream, flit through the pastorale, returning at the end in whimsically different order.

The second movement is an Interlude: Tempo di minuetto, a passing reference to the light-footed dance steps of French Baroque tradition, but more in spirit rather than in form. The Finale picks up the pace, an energetic jaunt suffused with Eastern harmonies.

There is a nostalgic moment teasing the beginning of the Sonata - is this a dream? - and then a playful flourish concludes the work.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770 – 1827) String Quintet in C major, Op. 29 I. II. III. IV.

Allegro moderato Adagio molto espressivo Scherzo. Allegro Presto

When Beethoven wrote his String Quintet in 1801, he was not just transitioning into a new century, but also from his “First Period” as a master of Classical form, into his Middle Period, a time of innovation and maturity. It was the time of his Second Symphony, the Third Piano Concerto, the Moonlight Sonata and also the reality of his growing loss of hearing.

The first movement is a spirited Allegro moderato sonata form in the finest Mozartian tradition, cast in pure Beethoven. The presence of a second viola adds richness to the Quintet’s textures. The Adagio molto espressivo is a lyrical serenade of great warmth and peace, wonderfully showcasing the distinct lines of each instrument.

The Scherzo is genial, cheerful and has no lack of humour, but begins to gain a touch of Beethovenian urgency. The finale has been described as the flight of a bird (First Violin) caught in a storm, the latter which gives the Quintet its nickname, Der Sturm (“Storm”).

Notes by Chia Han-Leon

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Founded in 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is Singapore’s flagship orchestra, touching lives through classical music and providing the heartbeat of the cultural scene in the cosmopolitan citystate. Our Chief Conductor is Hans Graf.

While the SSO performs frequently at the Esplanade Concert Hall, for a more intimate experience, we return to the place of our beginnings, the Victoria Concert Hall (VCH) – the home of the SSO. The VCH is host to our popular Children’s, Family and biannual free Lunchtime Concerts as well as our VCHpresents chamber series.

HANS GRAF Chief Conductor

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