Last updated: January 29, 2020
Repertoire
Duetto for Cello and Double Bass
Born in Pesaro, February 29, 1792
Died in Paris, November 13, 1868
The repertoire of solo and chamber works incorporating a double bass is relatively small. When you restrict that repertoire to works for the duo combination of double bass and cello, the list of works becomes positively minuscule. And when you further limit the list to famous composers, the result is a single work: Rossini’s Duetto (or Duo). Other contributions to this scant repertoire include Edgar Meyer’s Two Movements for Cello and Bass, Harald Genzmer’s Bagatelles, John Harbison’s Deep Dances and Bottesini’s Duo Concertante on Themes from Bellini’s I Puritani (with orchestra).
Rossini, whose name is known throughout the civilized world as a synonym for opera, actually composed a fair amount of chamber music, some of it for highly unusual combinations of instruments. His earliest such works, composed in just three days when he was all of twelve, are six Sonate a quattro. Rossini avoided calling them “string quartets,” even though technically they are, since they were written for two violins, cello and double bass instead of the traditional two violins, viola and cello. Then there is an Andante con variazioni for harp and viola; a Serenata for string quartet, flute, oboe and English horn; and so on.
The Duetto was written in 1824 for a wealthy amateur cellist, Sir David Salomons, who wanted a piece for himself and the famous double bassist and composer Domenico Dragonetti (1763–1846) to play. The only known performance until modern times was a private one, at Salomons’ home in London on July 21, 1824.
The Duetto remained virtually unknown until the manuscript was sold by the Salomons family at a Sotheby’s auction in 1968. Since then it has impressed those listeners fortunate enough to hear a rare performance with its melodic invention (the final polacca movement is a real charmer!), richness of texture, absolute equality of the partnership, and the bass’s surprising agility and singing quality.
Program notes by Robert Markow
Piano Quartet
Born in Toronto, February 25, 1978
Now living in Toronto
Stewart Goodyear has been performing at the National Arts Centre since the age of 12. By then he had already been playing the piano for almost a decade, having discovered the instrument at the age of three. It was his father’s collection of LPs, which included much Beethoven, that sparked his keen mind and sent him in the direction of a musical career. By four, he was playing by ear on a toy piano. At 11, he won the Canadian Music Competition, at thirteen he performed his first concerto (Shostakovich No. 1) with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. At 15, Goodyear graduated from the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where he studied with James Anagnoson. Subsequent study took him to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman and Claude Frank, and to The Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with Oxana Yablonskaya and earned his Master’s degree in piano performance.
Goodyear is renowned for his signature marathon event: performing all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas in a single day. This he has done at several venues, including Toronto’s Koerner Hall. His recording of the complete cycle received a JUNO nomination for Best Classical Solo Recording in 2014. Goodyear is also known as an improviser, arranger and composer. He invents his own cadenzas on the spot when performing concertos of the classical period, just as all pianists did in that age, every one different. As an arranger, he has transcribed Tchaikovsky’s complete Nutcracker ballet for solo piano. Goodyear has been composing since the age of eight and has more than a dozen works to his credit, including those with such intriguing titles as Baby Shark Fugue, Count Up, Dogged by Hell Hounds and Callaloo (his orchestral tribute to Trinidad, where half his family grew up); and others with traditional titles like Piano Sonata (first performed at his graduation recital at Curtis), Piano Concerto and Cello Concerto (to be premiered by the NAC Orchestra’s principal cellist, Rachel Mercer, on February 14, 2020).
Goodyear’s discography includes his Nutcracker arrangement as well as his Piano Sonata and Callaloo, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, a Ravel program, American works (including both of Gershwin’s Rhapsodies), concertos by Grieg, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, and, most recently, For Glenn Gould, which recreates Gould’s 1955 U.S. debut program.
Goodyear wrote his Piano Quartet for the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in Rhode Island, where it was premiered by the Clarosa Piano Quartet on July 27, 2016. The composer writes: “The compact, one-movement work is divided into four sections without breaks. The first section is relentless in its drive, the strings at first accompanying the piano’s dissonant, syncopated theme before exploding in its own energy. The second is calmer, a dance in ternary form and hypnotic in its 5/8 rhythm. The next section is slow, lyrical, and sombre, the tension building with chromatic harmony and finally relaxing in the key of D major. The finale is a toccata consisting of a medley of themes from the preceding sections. The quartet closes with all the instruments quoting the theme of the first section.”
Program note by Robert Markow
Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19
Born at Oneg (an estate near Novgorod), April 1, 1873
Died in Beverly Hills, March 28, 1943
Rachmaninoff contributed little to the chamber music repertoire, but his Cello Sonata remains one of most important of its kind, and frequently turns up on cello recitals. Like those of Beethoven, which were the first of their kind by an important composer, Rachmaninoff’s is the first major cello sonata by a Russian composer to remain in the standard repertoire.
This sonata was written in the summer of 1901, immediately after the Second Piano Concerto. The concerto was the work that broke the long spell of artistic paralysis and profound melancholia brought on by the utter failure of the composer’s First Symphony. The optimism, self-assurance and exuberance that mark this concerto are found in the Cello Sonata as well. At 35 minutes, it is one of the most expansive and broadly conceived sonatas ever written for the instrument, almost symphonic in its scope and richly textured writing. It was dedicated to the composer’s friend, the cellist Anatoly Brandukov, who gave the premiere in Moscow on December 2, 1901 with Rachmaninoff at the piano.
Rachmaninoff claimed that the work was “not for cello with piano accompaniment, but for two instruments in equal balance.” Nevertheless, the dense piano writing at times threatens to overwhelm the cello. As a single indication of the measure of importance the piano assumes in this work, it is only necessary to point out that the first movement’s development section focuses entirely on the piano, with the cello clearly in a subordinate role, and the cadenza leading into the recapitulation is for piano.
The sonata opens with a dark-hued slow introduction built mainly from a two-note melodic cell. The allegro section is ushered in with a long-breathed, yearning theme for the cello. The piano introduces the second theme, in D major, this one more relaxed and songful than the first. The importance of the slow introduction’s two-note cell is heard throughout the development section, where it is played almost constantly by one or both of the instruments.
The second movement is laid out in the standard Scherzo and Trio format (ABA-C-ABA). The two instruments share the Scherzo’s rhythmically urgent and restless opening theme in C minor, but it is the cello that claims the impassioned second theme as well as that of the central Trio section. This is idiomatic cello writing at its best – lyrical, deeply soulful, soaring melodies written in the instrument’s most sonorous range.
The sonata’s finest movement is undoubtedly its Andante, a seamless arc of lyrical outpouring, midnight poetry and glowing rapture. The quintessential Rachmaninoff is heard in this musical dialogue, which rises twice to an intense climax and then subsides to close in quiet repose.
The high-spirited Finale features one of Rachmaninoff’s most inspired melodies. Its second theme, announced by the cello, fairly exudes lyric warmth, sensuous beauty and nobility of purpose.
Program note by Robert Markow
Artists
Described as a "pure chamber musician" (The Globe and Mail) creating "moments of pure magic" (Toronto Star), Canadian cellist Rachel Mercer has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across five continents.
Grand prize winner of the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam, Rachel is Principal Cello of the NAC Orchestra in Ottawa and Co-Artistic Director of the "5 at the First" Chamber Music Series in Hamilton and Orleans, Ontario. Rachel plays with the Mercer-Park Duo, the St. John-Mercer-Park Trio and the Ironwood Quartet, and was cellist of the JUNO award-winning piano quartet Ensemble Made In Canada (2008-2020), the AYR Trio (2010-2020), and the Aviv Quartet (2002-2010). She has given masterclasses across North America, South Africa and Israel and talks on performance and careers in music.
An advocate for new Canadian music, Rachel has commissioned and premiered over 30 works, including cello concerti by Stewart Goodyear and Kevin Lau, as well as solo and chamber works by Vivian Fung, Andrew Downing, Alice Ho, David Braid, Kelly Marie-Murphy, John Burge, and Jocelyn Morlock. Recent chamber and solo albums include Kevin Lau: Under A Veil of Stars (Leaf Music), Our Strength, Our Song (Centrediscs), John Burge: One Sail (Naxos), Alice Ho: Mascarada (Centrediscs), and from 2012, the complete Bach Suites (Pipistrelle) with the 1696 Bonjour Stradivarius Cello from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank. Rachel currently plays a 17th-century cello from Northern Italy.
Yosuke Kawasaki currently serves as Concertmaster of the NAC Orchestra and Guest Concertmaster of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. His versatile musicianship allows him to pursue a career in orchestra, solo, and chamber music. His orchestral career began with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra and soon led to the Mito Chamber Orchestra, the Saito Kinen Orchestra, and the Japan Century Orchestra, all of which he led as concertmaster. His solo and chamber music career spans five continents, collaborating with artists such as Seiji Ozawa, Pinchas Zukerman, and Yo-Yo Ma and appearing in the world’s most prestigious halls such as Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Royal Concertgebouw.
Yosuke’s current regular ensembles are Trio Ink and the Mito String Quartet. His passion for chamber music led to his appointment as Music Director of the Affinis Music Festival in Japan. He is also an artistic advisor to the chamber music festival Off the Beaten Path in Bulgaria.
As an educator, Yosuke has given masterclasses and performed alongside students in schools across Canada. Well-versed in the string quartet literature, he was entrusted by Seiji Ozawa as the youngest faculty member of the Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy at age 26. He was also an adjunct professor of violin at the University of Ottawa School of Music from 2013 to 2022 alongside the beloved pedagogue Yehonatan Berick.
Yosuke began his violin studies at age six with his father, Masao Kawasaki, and Setsu Goto. He was subsequently accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, where he furthered his education. He graduated from The Juilliard School in 1998 under the tutorship of Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, Felix Galimir, and Joel Smirnoff.
Vancouver-born violist Jethro Marks was appointed Principal Viola of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in the spring of 2011. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, China, Mexico, Europe, and Canada and is a frequent collaborator with many artists and ensembles. Jethro is the first violist of the Zukerman Chamber Players, a string ensemble led by Pinchas Zukerman that has completed highly acclaimed tours of festivals in Canada, the USA, Europe, China, South America, and New Zealand. The ensemble released its fourth CD in 2008.
One of five brothers growing up in a musical family, Jethro first studied violin with his father, who played in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. While attending Indiana University at Bloomington, he became intrigued by the rich, dark sound of the viola. He began to switch his focus and started studying with violist Atar Arad. Awards included first prize in the Kuttner Quartet Competition, first prize in the Concerto Competition, and the prestigious Performers Certificate. In 1998, Jethro was accepted into the Zukerman Program at the Manhattan School of Music as the only violist, and he won first prize in the MSM Concerto Competition. Jethro first participated in the National Arts Centre’s Young Artist Program in 1999, returning the following summer. He returned to the NAC Summer Music Institute in 2000 and 2001 as a mentor and made his CBC Radio debut in 2003, performing Paganini’s 24th Caprice on viola.
An avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with some of the most illustrious artists and chamber groups of our day, including Leon Fleisher, Lynn Harrell, Gary Hoffman, Jaime Laredo, Michael Tree, Itzhak Perlman, Yefim Bronfman, Emanual Ax, and the Orion Quartet, and has participated in festivals around the world, including the Verbier Festival, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Festival de musique de Saint Barthelemy, the Banff Festival of the Arts, the Lanaudière Festival, the Agassiz Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Tanglewood Festival, Musica Mundi in Belgium, Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, and Mostly Mozart, as well as the 92nd St. Y, Jupiter, and Lyric Chamber Music Societies in New York City. Jethro is frequently featured in chamber music concerts in the National Arts Centre’s Music for a Sunday Afternoon series and at Ottawa Chamberfest.
He made his solo debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 2004, playing Harold in Italy, and he premiered the Steven Gellman Viola Concerto with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra in 2007. In 2014, he performed Malcolm Forsyth’s concerto with cellist Amanda Forsyth. He frequently collaborates with Ottawa pianist Mauro Bertoli and plays numerous recitals throughout Canada.
For over thirty years, Joel Quarrington has served as the Principal Double Bassist of many ensembles including the Canadian Opera Company, The Toronto Symphony and Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and most recently, the famous London Symphony Orchestra.
Born in Toronto, Joel Quarrington began his formal studies of the double bass when he was thirteen. Upon graduation from the University of Toronto, he was awarded the “Eaton Scholarship” as the school’s most outstanding graduate. Joel is a winner of the Geneva International Competition and the CBC Talent Competition, and has made solo appearances across Canada, the United States, Europe and China.
Joel teaches in the summers at the Orford Arts Centre in Quebec’s beautiful Eastern Townships where his masterclasses have attracted players from around the world. He also teaches at the University of Ottawa and at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he is a “Visiting Artist”.
He has performed with many of the world’s leading string quartets including the Orford, Vermeer, Cleveland, Colorado, St. Lawrence, Allegri, Artis, Leipzig and Tokyo Quartets as well as the Pinchas Zukerman Chamber Players. Their Sony recording of Schubert’s Trout Quintet with Yefim Bronfman became an instant classic. He is particularly honoured to have been a part of a 1982 recording session with the legendary Glenn Gould for the soundtrack of Timothy Findley’s The Wars. Written for solo cello and bass and based on Brahms’ Intermezzi, this turned out to be the last music composed by Gould before his untimely death.
In April of 2005 he had the honour of playing the world premier John Harbison’s Concerto for Bass with the Toronto Symphony and conductor Hugh Wolf.
Joel has made several solo recordings that have made him famous at least in the bass world. His early Bottesini recordings on the NAXOS label are considered by many to be definitive. In April 2010, his recording, “Garden Scene”, won the 2010 Juno Award for Best Classical Recording. It was released by the Analekta label and features music of Korngold, Gliere, M.Weinberg, J.C. Bach and Bottesini. June 2013 marked the release of his most recent recording “Brothers in Brahms”, which features music of Robert Fuchs, Robert Schumann and the 1st Violin Sonata in G op.78 by Johannes Brahms. He was very happy to collaborate with the remarkable young Canadian pianist, David Jalbert for this project and in February 2015 this recording won the prestigious “Prix Opus” as the Outstanding Romantic Classical Recording of the year in Quebec.
In 2011, he received a Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Solo Performance from the International Society of Bassists and in 2015 they awarded Joel the same award for Outstanding Orchestral Performance.
He performs on an Italian bass made in 1630 by the Italian master, Santo Paolo Maggini and is an enthusiastic advocate of the historical practice of tuning the bass in fifths (CGDA, an octave lower than the cello) rather than the customary fourths. He believes fifths tuning leads to clearer and more accurate performance in all ranges of the bass, as well as greater tonal richness.
Joel is married to cellist Carole Sirois, and they live happily beside the Gatineau Park near Chelsea, Quebec.
Proclaimed “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times and “one of the best pianists of his generation” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished concert pianist, improviser, and composer. He has performed with, and has been commissioned by, many of the major orchestras and chamber music organizations around the world.
Last year, Orchid Classics released Goodyear’s recording of his suite for piano and orchestra, Callaloo, and his piano sonata. His recent commissions include a piano quintet for the Penderecki String Quartet, and a piano work for the Honens Piano Competition.
Stewart Goodyear’s discography includes the complete sonatas and piano concertos of Beethoven, as well as concertos by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff; an album of Ravel piano works; and an album entitled For Glenn Gould, which combines repertoire from Gould’s U.S. and Montreal debuts. Goodyear’s recording of his own transcription of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (complete ballet), was chosen by The New York Times as one of the best classical music recordings of 2015. His discography is released on the Marquis Classics, Orchid Classics, Bright Shiny Things, Steinway and Sons, and Naxos labels.
Last summer included performances with the Chineke! Orchestra at Southbank Centre (U.K.) and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Grant Park Music Festival, and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. He also performed with Chineke! at the NAC in March 2023. Highlights of the 2023–2024 season are his recital debut at Wigmore Hall, his debut with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, his return with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and his Carnegie Hall debut with Toronto’s Royal Conservatory Orchestra under Peter Oundjian.