VCHpresents Stradivari Quartet

STRADIVARI QUARTET 16 Apr Stradivari Quartet & SSO 17 Apr Stradivari Quartet – Morning in the Miao Mountain VICTORIA CONCERT HALL

Stradivari Quartet

Formed in 2007 and based in Switzerland, The Stradivari Quartet is undoubtedly one of the most interesting ensembles of this generation.

The Quartet gives around forty concerts a year in Switzerland and throughout the world and has appeared at London’s Wigmore Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tokyo’s Kioi Hall, Shanghai’s Oriental Hall, Beijing’s National Center for Performing Arts and the Seoul Arts Center.

Along the way, they have performed at major festivals including Lucerne Festival, Bad Kissingen Summer Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Rubinstein Piano Festival in Łódź, and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Stradivari Quartet have also built up an enviable international reputation through its trademark concert series ‘StradivariFEST’.

The quartet has been performing for the RCA Red Seal label since 2017, and has released two CDs featuring Schumann’s complete string quartets and Schubert’s monumental String Quartet No. 15 in G major to international critical acclaim.

www.stradivariquartett.com @StradivariQuartet

16 APRIL 2022: STRADIVARI QUARTET & SSO PROGRAMME Stradivari Quartet* Musicians of the SSO CHEN ZHANGYI Twin Cinema for String Nonet (WORLD PREMIERE) Xiaoming Wang*, violin Zhang Si Jing, violin Maya Kadosh*, violin Zhao Tian, violin

8 mins

Lech Antonio Uszynski*, viola Guan Qi, viola Maja Weber*, cello Guo Hao, cello Guennadi Mouzyka, double bass

DVOŘÁK String Quartet in F major, Op. 96 “American Quartet”

25 mins

Xiaoming Wang*, violin Maya Kadosh*, violin Lech Antonio Uszynski*, viola Maja Weber*, cello

MENDELSSOHN String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 Xiaoming Wang*, violin Zhang Si Jing, violin Maya Kadosh*, violin Zhao Tian, violin

30 mins

Lech Antonio Uszynski*, viola Guan Qi, viola Maja Weber*, cello Guo Hao, cello

CONCERT DURATION: approximately 1 hour 20 mins (with no intermission)

PROGRAMME NOTES CHEN ZHANGYI (b. 1984) Twin Cinema for String Nonet Commissioned by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Twin Cinema is written for the Stradivari Quartet and musicians of the SSO for its chamber series. The concept of the work is based on the Singaporean poetic form of Twin Cinema, where two separate columns of poetry may be read separately, or across, as a single poem.

I have taken inspiration from Dr. Sara Florian’s poem ‘The Lost Seasons’.

A poem that weaves together the Twin Cinema form with the pantun, while depicting two concurrent coming-of-age stories: a Venetian countryside boy contrasted with a Singaporean kampung boy. Florian conjures the passage of time, effects of the changing climate, and the counterpoint between the rustic and the urban, navigating between the East and the West.

Musically, I have taken a slightly cinematic and eclectic approach, exploring and maintaining two strands of narratives between the two quartets. The pair of quartets are placed in a ‘stereo’ antiphony, and their musical strands coexist in sometimes complementary, and at times surreal juxtapositions of moods and characters in this imaginary duet of ‘cinematic’ scores. Throughout, the contrabass acts as the central pillar that support the narratives on both sides.

Note by Chen Zhangyi

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841 – 1904) String Quartet in F major, Op. 96 “American Quartet” I. Allegro ma non troppo II. Lento III. Molto vivace IV. Finale: vivace ma non troppo The bright, cheery nature of Dvořák’s 12th string quartet has gained it pole position among all of Dvořák’s chamber music, and indeed it is one of the most popular string quartets ever composed. Rooted firmly in pentatonic harmonies and influenced by Dvořák’s exposure to American music, the work was conceived in a burst of inspiration shortly after the famous “From the New World” symphony was written, and polished off in less than two weeks.

Dvořák’s melodies here are of a generous nature, and, despite some scholars attempting to link his themes to African spirituals or Native folk music, the pentatonicism is not purely American: Dvořák’s Slavonic roots also had folk music that was pentatonic in nature. What is most likely was that Dvořák resonated with and absorbed various bits of American culture and produced his own synthesis from his immense ability to spin beautiful melodies.

Indeed, after the proto-jazz syncopations of the opening, the second theme is perhaps the most Czech moment in the whole piece, and it is often argued that Dvořák’s inspirations came not directly from America, but rather from the distance he was from old Bohemia (hence the “From” in the title of the New World Symphony). The opening of the second movement sounds like Smetana (especially the “From My Life” string quartet), though a genuine bit of American life comes in the third movement, when Dvořák used a bird call he had written down as the basis for a high violin melody soaring over the rest of the ensemble.

The Finale is dancelike, and could as easily be called an American folk dance as a foot-stamping European one. It rides this cultural conflict comfortably, even using a chorale-like episode at one point, before triplets take over the final appearance of the opening theme and the music rushes to a happy close.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809 – 1847) String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 I. Allegro moderato ma con fuoco II. Andante III. Schzero: Allegro leggierissimo IV. Presto The string octet was not a common genre, and there are precious few examples before Mendelssohn that count as inspiring, so Mendelssohn’s instruction that the players should play “in the style of a symphony” must be illuminative of that 16-yearold’s thoughts on how to push the envelope for this ensemble. It would take three-quarters of a century until the next great Octet arose with Enescu.

The immense difficulty gap between the first violin and the rest of the ensemble also reveals leftover influence from his earlier attempt at a violin concerto (the D minor), though that contrast does make the few moments when the ensemble explodes into counterpoint all the more effective. “Mendelssohn’s youthful exuberance” must be one of the most-overused phrases in music commentary, but that fact does not render it any less true: the upward surge of this glorious E flat major melody is unstoppable, and the chattering of the violins is so infectious that the theme is transferred to the cellos before a truly grand musical plan comes into place.

With the first movement taking up almost half of the piece, the following Andante has to be relatively brief.

Yet in the short span of a handful of minutes Mendelssohn embarks on a full exploration of the possibilities of having this “double quartet”, with various continually-changing combinations of instruments pitted against one another. Shades of magical legend colour the Scherzo, which was actually inspired by Goethe’s Faust; the first parts of Midsummer Night’s Dream was to follow a year later, but flighty fairies are already casting spells as early as here. Presto is the very threatening tempo marking of the final movement, and the opening eight-part fugue is Mendelssohn flexing his counterpoint muscles; the rest is Mendelssohn’s headlong celebration of his newfound confidence and his announcement to the world that he was already a mature composer.

Notes by Thomas Ang

17 APRIL 2022: STRADIVARI QUARTET – MORNING IN THE MIAO MOUNTAIN PROGRAMME Stradivari Quartet Xiaoming Wang, violin Maya Kadosh, violin Lech Antonio Uszynski, viola Maja Weber, cello CHEN GANG arr. JIANG YIWEN Morning in the Miao Mountain 苗岭的早晨 TAN DUN Eight Colors String Quartet 八种颜色四重奏

4 mins

15 mins

SHA HAN KUN arr. JIANG YIWEN Shepherd Song 牧歌

5 mins

LIU TIESHAN & MAO YUAN Dance of the Yao Tribe 瑶族舞曲

4 mins

HUANG HAIHUAI Gallop 赛马

3 mins

DEBUSSY String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

27 mins

CONCERT DURATION: approximately 1 hour 15 mins (with no intermission)

PROGRAMME NOTES CHEN GANG (b. 1935) arr. JIANG YIWEN (b. 1963) Morning in the Miao Mountain 《苗岭的早晨》 Adapted by Chen Gang in 1975 into a work for the violin, this sprightly piece depicts spring in a Miao village.

Originally composed for traditional Chinese instruments like the koudi (口笛) and erhu (二胡), the adapted version for violin not only retained the technical characteristics of the various Chinese instruments but also allowed the violin to fully display its own capabilities. This piece of music brims with passion of the Miao dance and paints a scene of a beautiful morning in the Miao mountain, where people lead peaceful and happy lives. This work plays an important role in the history and development of Chinese classical music.

Note by Xiaoming Wang, translated by Hong Shu Hui

TAN DUN (b. 1957) Eight Colors for String Quartet 《八种颜色四重奏》 Eight Colors for String Quartet was the first piece I wrote after coming to New York in 1986. It shares the dark, ritualized singing, very dramatic form, and attention to tone color and dynamic with pieces written China, such as On Taoism (for orchestra, voice, bass clarinet and contrabassoon), but still is very different from them.

This string quartet (together with In Distance and Silk Road) marks the period of my first contact with the concentrated, lyrical language of western atonality. From it, I learned how to handle repetition, but otherwise responded in my own way, out of my own culture, not following the Second Vienna School. I drew on Chinese colors, on the techniques of Peking Opera – familiar to me since childhood. The work consists of eight very short sections, almost like a set of brush paintings, through which materials are shared and developed.

The subjects are described by the eight interrelated titles, and form a drama, a kind of ritual performance structure. Not only timbre, but the actual string techniques are developed from Peking Opera; the vocalization of Opera actresses and Buddhist chanting can be heard.

Although a shadow of atonal pitch organization remains in some sections of this piece, I began to find a way to mingle old materials from my culture with the new, to contribute something to the western idea of atonality, and to refresh it. I found a danger in later atonal writing to be that it is too easy to leave yourself out of the music. I wanted to find ways to remain open to my culture, and to open myself.

Note by Tan Dun

SHA HAN KUN (b. 1926) arr. JIANG YIWEN (b. 1963) Shepherd Song《牧歌》 Composed by Sha HanKun in 1953 when he was still a student in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Shepherd Song for the violin uses materials from long-tuned folk songs originating from Hulunbuir of Inner Mongolia. The melody is graceful and gives listeners an impression of the grassland, expressing the happiness and hopes of the shepherds.

LIU TIESHAN (b. 1923) and MAO YUAN (b. 1926) Dance of the Yao Tribe《瑶族舞曲》 This work was composed by Liu Tieshan and Mao Yuan in the 1950s.

Inspired by the folk dance music “Long Drum Song and Dance” (长鼓 歌舞), it depicts the festive scene of the Yao community. The beautiful melody expresses the lives of the Yao people, who are skilled at singing and dancing.

HUANG HAIHUAI (1935 - 1967) Gallop《赛马》 Gallop was composed by Huang Haihuai in 1960. The music is deeply loved for its energy and its spirited melody. It also perfectly captured the air of the imposing riders and the majestic horses. As the music unfolds, techniques such as spiccato and tremolo could be heard, portraying the grandeur of the galloping horses.

As such, a vivid and lively horse racing scene is presented to us.

Notes by Xiaoming Wang, translated by Hong Shu Hui

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862 - 1918) String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 I. Animé et très décidé II. Assez vif et bien rythmé III. Andantino, doucement expressif IV. Très modéré – En animant peu à peu – Très mouvementé et avec passion “Debussy’s great service to music was to reawaken among all musicians an awareness of harmony and its possibilities.” So said Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. Claude Debussy’s thrilling use of harmony and musical sensuality are both on display in this string quartet, the only one he ever wrote. The result is an unmistakeably Debussyian work, which just happens to be written for four string players.

It was written in 1893 when Claude Debussy was 31 and Debussy was probably inspired to write it after hear Cesar Franck’s String Quartet in 1890.

The quartet opens in G minor with a striking opening theme that recurs throughout the piece. Then comes a second theme which undergoes a series of miniature variations showcasing Debussy’s adventurous approach to harmony.

Following this, the second movement presents us with a different texture altogether: pizzicato upper strings against insistent repeated patterns in the lower strings. Musicologists have heard an echo of Javanese gamelan music here, a musical style which heavily influenced Debussy’s music after he heard it for the first time at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1889.

A beautiful slow movement is followed by the sunny finale which takes us finally into the sunshine of G major.

Note by Elizabeth Davis

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 city-state. 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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