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Repertoire & Availability
Program Proposals – 2010/11 season
A) Essential Elements – the composer's toolbox
J.S. Bach: Adagio
Beethoven: Sonata in C-Major, Op. 102, No. 1
Pierre Jalbert: Sonata for cello & piano (composed in 2008 for David Finckel and Wu Han)
Chopin: Sonata for cello and piano
This program opens composers' musical toolboxes to reveal the elements that make all these works great. Musical structure is architecture in sound, and no one created more integral structures than J.S Bach, whose magisterial Adagio opens the program. Structurally, Beethoven was to Bach what Gehry is to Palladio - he took logical, symmetrical forms and transformed them into exaggerated, revolutionary, but highly meaningful creations. The sonata of the American composer Pierre Jalbert is a study in three further elements: harmony, rhythm, and timing. His music incorporates mesmerizing harmonies, some tonal, some experimental, but always making sense. The rhythms of the fast movements are infectiously driving and become the fabric of the work. Organizing these elements into, once again, a coherent structure, is Jalbert's acute sense of timing, where events always seem to last uncannily the right duration. And finally, the ultra-Romantic Sonata of Chopin brings music's most memorable element, melody, to fore. One of the literature's greatest works, the Chopin Sonata's extraordinary songs for cello will surely remain with listeners for a long time after the concert.
B) Great Expectations: Brahms as the Next BeethovenProgram 1
Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Cello in g minor, Op. 5 No. 2
Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano in e minor, Op. 38
Beethoven: 12 Variations in G major on "See the conqu'ring hero comes"
from Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, WoO 45
Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano in F major, Op. 99
Program 2
Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Cello in A major, Op. 69
Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano in F major, Op. 99
Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Cello in C major, Op.102 No. 2
Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano in e minor, Op. 38
These programs (presenter may choose either, or both!) juxtapose the music, one might say, of the father and the son. Brahms, at an early age, was critically deemed to inherit the heavy mantle of Beethoven and become the greatest composer of his age. Devoted single-mindedly to music, Brahms threw himself at the challenge, producing works of indomitable integrity infused with the romantic spirit of his age. But the genius of Beethoven was ever-present, as in this program, which clearly shows the musical terrain that Brahms was to navigate, and become as predicted, the Beethoven of his day.
C) Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas for Piano and CelloSonata in F major, Op. 5 No. 1 1796
Sonata in g minor Op. 5, No. 2 1796
Sonata in A major Op. 69 1808
Sonata in C major Op. 102 No. 1 1815
Sonata in D major Op. 102 No. 2 1815
Each of Beethoven's five sonatas is a beloved cornerstone of the cello repertory. To hear them all in a single concert is a rare occasion, so daunting is the task of their preparation. But the journey is more than a rewarding concert experience: it is a jet-propelled journey through the turbulent life of one of history's greatest geniuses, from the heady, daredevil creations of his youth, to the inimitable, transcendent music of his late period, in a bit over two hours. Only with the sonatas for cello can one take this unparalleled journey in one concert. It is a musical experience and instrumental display second to none.
General note: David Finckel and Wu Han plan to offer AudioNotes for all programs.
AudioNotes is a CD-companion to conventional program notes, featuring biographical information on the program's composer(s) and discussions of each work, illustrated with musical examples. It can be made available by special arrangement with ArtistLed, Inc., for presenters to offer to advance ticket buyers, or to help promote the concert in other ways. AudioNotes, narrated by the artists, offers audiences an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the music at their convenience in advance of the concert experience. Beyond audience development, presenters may also find AudioNotes a useful tool for promotional, educational, and development purposes.
David Finckel, Wu Han, and Philip Setzer will perform the Schubert Trios during the 2010 / 2011 season:
Piano Trio in B-flat Major, op. 99, D898
Piano Trio in E-flat Major, op. 100, D929
Availability is limited. Please contact David Rowe Artists for details.