What, Whence, and Whereto
Evening Music | May 6, 2010
“Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
This evening brings you Franz Anton Hoffmeister’s transcription for flute and string quartet of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C, K 309. Hoffmeister, a composer, publisher, and friend of Mozart, has produced an effective and Mozartian version of the sonata, performed for us this evening by flutist Carol Wincenc and the Muir String Quartet. Although Rachmaninoff refused to reveal the specific inspirations for the eight miniature tone poems comprising his Etudes-tableaux, op. 33, surely pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy’s evocative performance will inspire you to invent your own pictorial or poetic meanings as you listen. Just a few months before his untimely death (in his early forties), Max Reger orchestrated his own ten-year-old suite for violin and piano. The charming result, Suite in Olden Style, will be heard this evening as rendered by the Norrkoeping Symphony under Leif Segerstam’s authoritative baton. Mustn’t forget to mention that there’s a bit of Bach, Rachmaninoff, Vivaldi, Reich, and even Praetorius to be heard if you stay tuned!
This evening brings you Franz Anton Hoffmeister’s transcription for flute and string quartet of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C, K 309. Hoffmeister, a composer, publisher, and friend of Mozart, has produced an effective and Mozartian version of the sonata, performed for us this evening by flutist Carol Wincenc and the Muir String Quartet. Although Rachmaninoff refused to reveal the specific inspirations for the eight miniature tone poems comprising his Etudes-tableaux, op. 33, surely pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy’s evocative performance will inspire you to invent your own pictorial or poetic meanings as you listen. Just a few months before his untimely death (in his early forties), Max Reger orchestrated his own ten-year-old suite for violin and piano. The charming result, Suite in Olden Style, will be heard this evening as rendered by the Norrkoeping Symphony under Leif Segerstam’s authoritative baton. Mustn’t forget to mention that there’s a bit of Bach, Rachmaninoff, Vivaldi, Reich, and even Praetorius to be heard if you stay tuned!
