Trio Cavatina - University of Florida Performing Arts
Trio Cavatina - University of Florida Performing Arts
Trio Cavatina - University of Florida Performing Arts
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<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Florida</strong> <strong>Performing</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
Presents<br />
<strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong><br />
Sunday, April 15, 2012, 2 p.m.<br />
Squitieri Studio Theatre<br />
A part <strong>of</strong><br />
www.primaverafestival.us
Program<br />
<strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong><br />
Harumi Rhodes, violin<br />
Priscilla Lee, cello<br />
Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano<br />
Piano <strong>Trio</strong> in E Minor Op. 90, (“Dumky”) Antonín Dvorák ˇ<br />
Lento Maestoso – Allegro<br />
Poco Adagio – Vivace non troppo<br />
Andante – Vivace non troppo<br />
Allegro<br />
Lento Maestoso – Vivace<br />
Big Sky for Piano <strong>Trio</strong> Joan Tower<br />
INTERMISSION<br />
Piano <strong>Trio</strong> in F Minor, Op. 65 Antonín Dvorák ˇ<br />
Allegro ma non troppo<br />
Allegro grazioso<br />
Poco Adagio<br />
Finale: Allegro con brio<br />
Program Notes<br />
Piano <strong>Trio</strong> in E minor, Op. 90 (“Dumky”)<br />
Antonín Dvorák ˇ (1841-1904)<br />
Though Czech composer Antonín Dvorák ˇ was steeped in the classics and ultimately became an<br />
international sensation, his heart and soul was in the music <strong>of</strong> his native land. He was born in the<br />
small village <strong>of</strong> Nelahozeves in 1841, now in the Czech Republic, just north <strong>of</strong> the city <strong>of</strong> Prague.<br />
In spite <strong>of</strong> his international reputation and many extended visits abroad, he considered Prague<br />
and its environs his home. He died there in 1904.<br />
Dvorák’s ˇ first lessons were supplied by the village schoolmaster, and in short order he was<br />
gigging at the local churches and with the Nelahozeves village band. Still, music didn’t seem to<br />
be his destiny when he quit school at age 12 in order to study the family business: both his father<br />
and grandfather were town butchers. When he left his native village for nearby Zlonice a year<br />
later to pursue an apprenticeship, the call <strong>of</strong> music – and a strong champion in a Zlonice music<br />
teacher, Antonín Liehmann – sealed his fate.<br />
Dvorák’s ˇ progress was slow and steady. First, he had to learn German, since German was the<br />
language <strong>of</strong> the university and music conservatory system. Dvorák ˇ<br />
slowly mastered German,
which helped him gain entrance to the Prague Organ School. There he was trained to be a<br />
traditional church musician. It was during this period that he developed into quite a violist,<br />
too, and started gigging around Prague with various orchestras, eventually becoming principle<br />
violist in an ensemble that would become the Orchestra <strong>of</strong> the Prague Theatre. It was during<br />
his time that he began to compose. Still, his main source <strong>of</strong> income was neither performing nor<br />
composing; at this point, he was teaching to make ends meet.<br />
He eventually found some success with his cantata The Heirs <strong>of</strong> the White Mountain in 1873,<br />
though the next year a publisher rejected a work and he went into a slump. He slowly recovered,<br />
got married and applied for an Austrian State Stipend that was extended to artists <strong>of</strong> Austrian birth.<br />
(He was eligible since his birthplace was at the time a part <strong>of</strong> the Austro-Hungarian Empire.)<br />
Again, he found champions, first in music critic Eduard Hanslick and later in Johannes Brahms,<br />
already household names in international music circles. They were among the distinguished<br />
judges who award the stipends. Dvorák ˇ applied from 1874 to 1878 and received a stipend each<br />
year; ultimately it was Brahms who helped Dvorák ˇ find an international publisher. Dvorák ˇ was<br />
now to become more than just a regional composer.<br />
Indeed, he was soon celebrated throughout Europe, with frequent visits to the major music<br />
capitols <strong>of</strong> Vienna, London, Paris and Berlin. As a result <strong>of</strong> his international acclaim, he was<br />
cajoled to move to the United States to become the director <strong>of</strong> the National Conservatory in<br />
New York City. During this so-called “American period” (1892-95), the Czech composer found<br />
inspiration in the folk music <strong>of</strong> the U.S., especially African-American music. Dvorák’s ˇ<br />
most<br />
popular work, his symphony From the New World, sprang from this period in the U.S.<br />
It was during a 40-concert “farewell” tour <strong>of</strong> his native land that Dvorák ˇ premiered his Piano<br />
<strong>Trio</strong> in E minor, Op. 90 (“Dumky”). It is a unique work in many ways, most notably in its formal<br />
construction. Rather than a typical four-movement work, this <strong>Trio</strong> is in six parts, each a dumka,<br />
a melancholy folk ballad <strong>of</strong> Ukrainian origin that is common among the various countries <strong>of</strong><br />
Eastern Europe. Generally speaking, the dumka alternates between a slow, mournful beginning<br />
and a joyful, almost manic answering section.<br />
The first dumka, marked “Lento maestoso” (slowly, with majesty), indeed begins almost as if<br />
we have interrupted a group <strong>of</strong> mourners at a funeral. After a brief introduction by all three<br />
instruments, the cello and violin take turns in a somber moment. The next section is a wild<br />
contrast, upbeat, almost delirious. This again gives way to the somberness from before. The<br />
second section returns again and ends on a cheery note.<br />
The second dumka (“Poco adagio,” meaning rather slowly) is generally more somber overall,<br />
though a contrasting dance section (“Vivace ma non troppo,” meaning lively, but not too much)<br />
does make an early appearance and prevails in the end.<br />
The third, marked “Andante,” begins on a more hopeful note, almost like a church processional.<br />
Notice especially the uncharacteristic single line melody in the piano. Again, a contrasting<br />
second section (Vivace ma non troppo) takes us away for a moment, but in this dumka, the<br />
opening music prevails in the end.<br />
The fourth dumka (“Andante Moderato,” meaning moderate walking tempo), as its tempo<br />
suggests, begins with a deliberateness <strong>of</strong> a walk in the cold morning air. Here a contrasting<br />
upbeat section briefly emerges several times, each a little more energetically, though the<br />
movement ends quietly. The fifth movement (“Allegro,” meaning brisk), too, is at turns moody<br />
and contemplative, at other moments bouncy and joyous.<br />
The finale follows the dumka pattern, though Dvorák ˇ accentuates the melancholy side <strong>of</strong> things<br />
until very near the end, when a dance section emerges to close the work.
Big Sky for Piano <strong>Trio</strong><br />
Joan Tower (b. 1938)<br />
American Joan Tower is among the most celebrated musicians <strong>of</strong> our day. She was the first<br />
woman, and one <strong>of</strong> only two, to win the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Louisville’s prestigious Grawemeyer<br />
Award for Music Composition. She is also a multiple Grammy-award winner for her 2008<br />
Naxos recording Made in America, a founding member and pianist for the celebrated Da Capo<br />
Chamber Players and recipient <strong>of</strong> numerous composition commissions by orchestras, ensembles<br />
and soloists worldwide. Her catalogue <strong>of</strong> works is extensive: works for orchestra, band, chamber<br />
ensembles and solo instrumentalists, among others. Her music has been recorded and released<br />
by a wide assortment <strong>of</strong> classical labels such as Naxos, Koch, Summit, D’note Classics, Albany<br />
Records, Centaur and Virgin Classics. She received her doctorate in music from Columbia in<br />
1968 and has been on the faculty at Bard College since 1972.<br />
Big Sky was commissioned by the La Jolla, (Calif.) Chamber Music Society for their Summer-Fest<br />
La Jolla 2000 music festival. Dr. Tower wrote for the La Jolla premiere <strong>of</strong> the work:<br />
“As a young girl—and like many young girls—I had an obsession with horses. When I was<br />
growing up in South America, my father bought me a racehorse. This was in Bolivia, where<br />
horses, even racehorses, were very cheap. I loved this horse and took very good care <strong>of</strong> it in our<br />
makeshift garage/stable … Big Sky is a piece based on a memory <strong>of</strong> riding my horse Aymara<br />
around in the deep valley <strong>of</strong> La Paz, Bolivia. The valley was surrounded by the huge and high<br />
mountains <strong>of</strong> the Andes range, and as I rode I looked into a vast and enormous sky. It was very<br />
peaceful and extraordinarily beautiful. We never went over one <strong>of</strong> these mountains, but if we<br />
had, it might have felt like what I wrote in this piece.”<br />
Piano <strong>Trio</strong> in F Minor, Op. 65<br />
Antonín Dvorák ˇ<br />
(1841-1904)<br />
Unlike the “Dumky <strong>Trio</strong>,” written at a time when Dvorák’s ˇ international reputation was assured,<br />
the Piano <strong>Trio</strong> in F Minor, Op. 65, was written while the composer was still trying to define<br />
himself outside his homeland. The F-minor trio was also underway when his mother died,<br />
December <strong>of</strong> 1882. His publisher, Simrock, was pressuring him to be more international in his<br />
approach (read: “Germanic”): write an opera in German and present it in Vienna … spell his<br />
name as Anton, rather than the more ethnic Antonín, drop the “Bohu díky” (Czech for “thanks<br />
to God”) that appeared on the final pages <strong>of</strong> his autograph scores.<br />
Unlike the “Dumky” <strong>Trio</strong>, the Piano <strong>Trio</strong> in F Minor, Op. 65 doesn’t immediately bring to mind<br />
the folk music <strong>of</strong> Bohemia. Rather, one might be more inclined to think <strong>of</strong> the chamber works<br />
<strong>of</strong> Brahms (Brahms’ F minor Piano Quintet comes to mind, a work that Dvorák ˇ undoubtedly<br />
knew). The opening movement <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Trio</strong> is always in control, yet ardent and passionate.<br />
Aficionados – and Brahms was certainly among them – were inspired by Dvorák’s ˇ harmonic<br />
surprises, not to mention his ability to write and develop a stirring melody.<br />
His command <strong>of</strong> rhythm seemed a birthright. Indeed, the second movement might be heard as a<br />
tribute to Czech rhythm. Notice the combined pulse <strong>of</strong> two and three, presented simultaneously<br />
in the opening, and again towards the end. This could be a dance section <strong>of</strong> a dumka. The middle<br />
<strong>of</strong> this movement, marked by florid piano arpeggios and spritely melodic snippets for the violin<br />
and cello, is another opportunity for Dvorák ˇ to impress his international audience with his<br />
compositional acumen.<br />
The third, slow movement is rich with tuneful moments, with violin and cello doing the bulk<br />
<strong>of</strong> the heavy lifting while the piano generally takes on a less prominent role (though piano is<br />
featured at the end as a transition to the coda).
The finale is a romp, this time based on the<br />
Czech furiant, a dance with a somewhat<br />
irregular pattern <strong>of</strong> accents, Here, in<br />
Dvorák’s ˇ<br />
hands, we get the impression <strong>of</strong><br />
two different tempos at once, one slow and<br />
one fast, not to mention shifting accents<br />
that obscure the underlying triple meter.<br />
About <strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong><br />
Pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute, violinist<br />
Harumi Rhodes and cellist Priscilla Lee<br />
formed <strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong> in 2005 at the<br />
renowned Marlboro Music Festival in<br />
Vermont. Deeply rooted in a strong sense<br />
<strong>of</strong> shared musical values, <strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong><br />
has rapidly emerged as one <strong>of</strong> today’s<br />
outstanding chamber ensembles whose<br />
committed music-making prompted<br />
Harris Goldsmith to describe the trio,<br />
in his 2008 Musical America article, as<br />
<strong>of</strong>fering “potent, intense interpretations.”<br />
As the winner <strong>of</strong> the 2009 Naumburg<br />
International Chamber Music<br />
Competition, <strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong> made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2010 with scintillating<br />
performances <strong>of</strong> two monumental Beethoven trios, Leon Kirchner’s second trio and the world<br />
premiere performance <strong>of</strong> Faces <strong>of</strong> Guernica written for them by Richard Danielpour. They<br />
also made their San Francisco debut earlier that season at Herbst Theater (San Francisco<br />
performances) as well as their Philadelphia debut as one <strong>of</strong> the youngest ensembles to perform<br />
on the prestigious Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concert series. During the summer <strong>of</strong><br />
2010, the <strong>Trio</strong> gave concerts and appeared in mixed programs at the Kingston Chamber Music<br />
Festival, Newburyport Chamber Music Festival and at Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley.<br />
Within only two years <strong>of</strong> their formation, <strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong> made its New York City and Boston debuts<br />
on the New School’s Schneider Concert Series and at Jordan Hall, respectively. They also gave<br />
notable debut appearances on Kneisel Hall’s “Emerging Artists” Series in Maine, at Union College<br />
in Schenectady, New York, at Merkin Hall in New York City, at the Brattleboro Music Center in<br />
Vermont and at the Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival in Maryland. They were also selected to<br />
perform at the closing concert <strong>of</strong> the Chamber Music America Conference in New York City.<br />
Garnering critical acclaim and enthusiastic responses from audiences and presenters wherever<br />
they perform, the trio has received immediate re-engagements, most notably at Union College in<br />
Schenectady, N.Y. where they returned in the fall <strong>of</strong> 2008 in a performance <strong>of</strong> Messiaen’s Quartet<br />
for the End <strong>of</strong> Time and twice in the 2009-10 season to celebrate the anniversaries <strong>of</strong> Haydn,<br />
Mendelssohn, Schumann and Chopin. The trio embarked on their first international tour in<br />
2008, which included performances in Lithuania on stages in Vilnius and Kaunas.<br />
In addition to their command <strong>of</strong> the classical and romantic repertoire, <strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong> is committed<br />
to collaborating with living composers and to weaving 20th century repertoire into their programs.<br />
They have worked closely with American composers Leon Kirchner and Richard Danielpour and<br />
premiered a new work written for them by David Ludwig in the fall <strong>of</strong> 2010 in Chicago.<br />
<strong>Trio</strong> <strong>Cavatina</strong> completed the New England Conservatory’s Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Piano <strong>Trio</strong> Training<br />
Program in 2006-07.