1.00pm on Tuesday 19th of November October
Live and Free at Scots’ Church
Host: Joel Crotty
The New Zealand Chamber Soloists
Echoes Across Time: Piano Quartets of Passion and Contrast
Mozart - Quartet No.2 in Eb major K.493
Brahms - Quartet No.1 in C minor Op.60
Mozart – Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, K. 493
Mozart’s Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, K. 493, is the second of two piano quartets composed at the request of the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister. Written in 1786, during a particularly fruitful period of Mozart's career, this work stands out as a brilliant example of his chamber music writing, blending the piano with strings in a novel and conversational way. Mozart’s E-flat major Piano Quartet may not have received immediate success at its premiere, but over time it has become a cornerstone of the piano quartet repertoire. Its combination of elegance, emotional depth, and structural clarity is a testament to Mozart's extraordinary genius.
The quartet opens with a spacious Allegro, where the lively and joyful spirit of the music is immediately apparent. Here, Mozart establishes an interplay between the piano and strings, with each instrument contributing to the dialogue, though the piano often assumes a leadership role. The music exhibits a playful balance between lyricism and classical elegance, with frequent shifts between major and minor, a characteristic feature of Mozart's mature style.
The second movement, Larghetto, is a tender and lyrical contrast to the first. In this serene and intimate movement, Mozart creates a peaceful atmosphere, allowing the instruments to sing individually and as a unified ensemble. The piano offers delicate and expressive lines, accompanied by the strings in a way that highlights Mozart's mastery of texture and nuance.
The quartet concludes with a Rondo (Allegretto), a lively and charming movement that showcases Mozart’s gift for creating captivating melodies. The rondo theme alternates with contrasting episodes, each full of energy and invention. The movement brings the work to an ebullient close, with light-hearted brilliance and effervescence.
Johannes Brahms – Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 60 (1875)
Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 60, is a work of immense emotional depth, often described as a reflection of Brahms' inner turmoil. Though Brahms began sketches of this quartet in 1855, shortly after the death of Robert Schumann, it was only completed two decades later in 1875. This piece encapsulates a range of intense emotions—grief, passion, and yearning—that may be tied to Brahms’ complex relationship with Schumann’s wife, Clara. Brahms’ Piano Quartet in C minor is often seen as a window into his emotional world, filled with unspoken anguish and passion. It stands as a powerful, dramatic work within the chamber music repertoire, balancing intellectual rigor with profound emotional depth.
The quartet begins with a dramatic Allegro non troppo, which plunges the listener into a world of urgency and tension. The opening theme, introduced by the piano and strings, is restless and stormy, and the movement builds with dark intensity. The music explores a wide emotional range, from despair to fleeting moments of hope, all while maintaining a sense of unresolved conflict.
The second movement, Scherzo: Allegro, is striking in its relentless energy and rhythmic drive. Brahms' use of syncopation and abrupt dynamic shifts gives the movement a turbulent, almost explosive character. In contrast to the emotional outpouring of the first movement, the scherzo is more biting and aggressive, yet it maintains the underlying mood of anxiety.
The Andante offers a brief respite from the storm. In this introspective and heartfelt movement, Brahms gives the cello a poignant melody, which is taken up by the violin and piano in turn. The mood is one of quiet reflection, tinged with melancholy, as the instruments engage in an intimate dialogue. This movement hints at a more tender, personal aspect of Brahms' emotional landscape.
The quartet concludes with a Finale: Allegro comodo, where the sense of turmoil resurfaces. The movement begins with a subdued theme, but soon escalates into a complex interplay of themes that reflect Brahms’ mastery of development and variation. The movement’s fluctuating moods—sometimes tragic, sometimes defiant—ultimately lead to a powerful and emphatic conclusion.
About the New Zealand Chamber Soloists
Since 2006, the New Zealand Chamber Soloists have undertaken a diverse spectrum of work across the fields of performance and recording, undertaking national tours under the auspices of Chamber Music New Zealand, several tours in Europe and the USA, as well as performing in China, Singapore, South America and Australia.
In 2012 the ensemble gave the world premiere of two works written for them by John Psathas, Corybas and Aegean, and the European premieres of a number of compositions written for them by NZ composers Gareth Farr, Martin Lodge, Mike Williams and David Griffiths, in the Casa dei Mezzo summer music festival in Crete. In the same tour they performed in Italy’s Festival Pontino, Rome’sTeatro de Marcello and at four concerts in Greece’s Festival of the Aegean.
The New Zealand Chamber Soloists have released two CDs of New Zealand works, Ahi (2008), and Corybas (2014), and a CD of trios by Rachmaninoff, Babajanian and Shostakovich entitled Elegy (2010), to international critical acclaim. Corybas features the complete piano and strings chamber works of internationally renown NZ-Greek composer John Psathas, including his piano quintet, recorded with Amalia Hall (violin) and Robert Ashworth (viola). Three of the five works on the CD were written for members of the New Zealand Chamber Soloists.
Joining the NZCS for this concert is Bulgarian-born and New Zealand-based violinist, Dimitri Atanasov who has had a prominent and varied career since arriving in New Zealand in 1995. He served as a concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia as well as teaching at the university of Waikato. Adding to his teaching and performing resume. Dimitri is a renowned violin maker, selling his instruments throughout the world.