Last updated: September 11, 2023
Program
CLARA SCHUMANN Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17 (30 min)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Scherzo: Tempo di Menuetto
III. Andante
IV. Allegretto
ROBERT SCHUMANN Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47 (28 min)
I. Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo
II. Scherzo: Molto vivace
III. Andante cantabile
IV. Finale: Vivace
INTERMISSION
JOHANNES BRAHMS String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18 (33 min)
I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Andante, ma moderato
III. Scherzo: Allegro molto
IV. Rondo: Poco Allegretto e grazioso
Repertoire
Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17
I. Allegro moderato
II. Scherzo: Tempo di Menuetto
III. Andante
IV. Allegretto
“Composing gives me great pleasure. There is nothing that surpasses the joy of creation, if only because through it one wins hours of self-forgetfulness, when one lives in a world of sound.” Clara Schumann (née Wieck, 1819–1896) wrote those words in 1853, an unequivocal testament to how vital and central composition was to her artistic life. Those “hours of self-forgetfulness” were tragically rare among her many obligations as a concert performer, spouse and musical partner to Robert Schumann, and mother to a large family. Although Schumann is best known as a pianist, she was also a remarkable composer with a vivid poetic imagination and impressive technical mastery.
The Trio in G minor, Op. 17 (1846) for piano, violin, and cello is perhaps the most accomplished of Clara Schumann’s multi-movement works. The Trio hearkens back to certain aspects of classical traditions, but Schumann’s handling of form and harmony weaves in a number of Romantic innovations, wedding them to her signature combination of spacious lyricism and sober expressiveness.
Critics of the day praised the Trio for its restrained formal mastery and its abstract power. The piece, frequently performed in concert in the second half of the 19th century, including by Johannes Brahms, showcases Schumann’s vast range of compositional resources, from the autumnal lyricism of its first movement through to the contrapuntal techniques of its finale.
The first movement (“Allegro moderato”) in G minor is a sonata, soberly but powerfully expressive. The violin and piano trade melancholy themes while the cello provides a bass underscore of support. It is followed by the lighter “Scherzo: Tempo di Menuetto” in E-flat major, in which the three instruments converse in phrases sprinkled with chromatic ornaments; the central portion recalls the G minor of the previous movement.
The third movement, an “Andante” in ternary form, is particularly exquisite, with delightfully charming and deftly interwoven melodies. The “Andante” opens with a pensive piano solo, after which the violin takes up the theme. But when the cello comes in, in consummately delicate counterpoint, the theme realizes all of its depth and textural richness. The Trio concludes with the “Allegretto,” which skillfully takes up motifs from the “Allegro moderato,” infusing them with chromaticism, among other things. Clara Schumann’s mastery of fugal composition flourishes in the movement’s central section, whose vigorous fugato impressed her colleagues Felix Mendelssohn and Joseph Joachim.
Program note by Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers (translated from the French)
Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47
I. Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo
II. Scherzo: Molto vivace
III. Andante cantabile
IV. Finale: Vivace
In 1842, Robert Schumann (1810–1856) experienced an extraordinary spurt of creativity that resulted in what many call his “year of chamber music.” In the months from summer to winter, he completed three string quartets (Op. 41), a piano quintet (Op. 44), and a piano quartet (Op. 47). The latter two attained early success and remain among his most popular works in the repertory.
In his chamber music, Robert prioritized clarity and balance in the musical texture, and the Piano Quartet is no exception. Indeed, one of the appealing features of this work is the intimate, conversational interaction between the instruments, further highlighted by his deft use of counterpoint, so every member of the ensemble contributes equally to the musical discourse.
The Piano Quartet also shows Schumann advancing the conventions of chamber music writing through employing the Classical-era structures and formal processes that he absorbed from Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert, while simultaneously incorporating various strategies of disrupting them. Thus, the piece embodies Robert’s idea that the “future [of music] is a higher echo of the past.” He sought to not merely imitate the models and methods of his predecessors, but to supersede them by transforming them afresh.
For example, the Quartet opens with a slow introduction (“Sostenuto assai”) in an atmosphere of expectation, with the strings intoning a four-note questioning motif. It then proceeds into the vibrant movement proper (“Allegro ma non troppo”) with two contrasting themes—the four-note motif, now sped up, with a complementary flowing answer, and a vigorous second theme consisting of an ascending scale and descending arpeggio. As these themes are developed then reprised, the slow introduction wouldn’t typically return, but in this movement, the "Sostenuto" (or its associated mood) reappears twice to suspend the usual proceedings—before the development section moves ahead and just before the start of the coda.
Similar moments of suspension disrupt the conventional (or expected) progress of other movements in the Quartet. Instead of the usual single contrasting trio, this Scherzo has two, the second of which begins with sustained chords alternating between the piano’s hands and the strings that create a floating effect, before continuing with a variant on the scherzo’s nervous running motif. At the centre of the slow movement is an intimate hymn of devotion, which is bookended by a deeply romantic song initially presented by cello and violin, later a variation of it with viola and violin. When the cello sings the main melody one last time, it’s with a new poignancy, having adopted the reflective mood of the hymn. It then sinks to a low B-flat (its C string tuned down), over which a three-note figure, passed between the instruments, hovers. This ethereal moment of suspense in the coda is an ingenious twist on formal procedure, for it simultaneously looks back, “to the past” of the opening “Sostenuto,” while also to “the future” of the finale, for that three-note figure will become its main motif.
Schumann uses the finale to summarize his innovative strategies, which imbue the movement’s form with a heightened dramatic power. The three-note motto is first treated in counterpoint, as a fugato, with the instruments vigorously playing the subject in turn, then transitions into a flowing second theme announced by the viola. After further development of the motto’s elements, the music builds to a recapitulation of the main theme. Here, the fugato is also expected to return, but the music instead digresses into a dreamy chromatically-tinged interlude—yet another moment suspending conventional process. Later, the recapitulation resumes with the second theme, then, as if a “take two”, leads into a (shortened) return of the developmental section, now transposed at a higher pitch level. This time, after reaching a climax on the motto theme, the fugato, on the original motif but transfigured, finally returns to draw the entire piano quartet to a satisfying close.
Program note by Hannah Chan-Hartley, PhD
String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18
I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Andante, ma moderato
III. Scherzo: Allegro molto
IV. Rondo: Poco Allegretto e grazioso
Over the span of 40 years—from his Piano Trio, Op. 8 (1854) to his Clarinet Sonatas (1894)—Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) composed 24 chamber music works that came to define the genre for the latter half of the 19th century. Many feel these works are among the greatest since those by Ludwig van Beethoven, and that they encapsulate the true essence of Brahms’s creative personality.
He completed the B-flat String Sextet, Op. 18, in 1860—the first of a series of works that musicologist Donald Tovey described as belonging to the composer’s “first maturity”. In the mid-to-late 1850s, Brahms had engaged in intensive study of his Germanic musical heritage, and much of what he absorbed he assimilated, thus creating a highly original style that would remain evident in his compositions for the rest of his career.
Prominent in this sextet, which is scored for two violins, two violas, and two cellos, is the influence of his predecessors, notably, Beethoven and Franz Schubert. The long, evolving melodies of the first and fourth movements recall the latter, as do certain innovations in Classical form, such as the “three-key model” used in the first movement, in which the arrival of the second theme in the traditional dominant key (in this case, F major) is delayed by a modulation to the “otherworldly” key of A major.
Brahms’s interest and love for early music found its way into the “Andante” movement—a set of variations based on the Baroque folia. In keeping with its conventions, the original D minor theme frames five variations, with the very expressive fourth and pastoral fifth in D major. By contrast, folk-music elements infuse the sprightly, dance-like Scherzo and the more animated, rustic Trio (listen for the drones), which feature some rather bold tonal shifts reminiscent of Beethoven’s late string quartets. Above all, one can hear in this sextet the early development of what would become a Brahmsian hallmark—“developing variation”, through which themes, sections, and even entire compositions can be generated through the continuous manipulation of a few musical motifs.
Program note by Hannah Chan-Hartley, PhD
Artists
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James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after musicians on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism, and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest at the world’s most celebrated concert halls.
Recent orchestral highlights include the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the San Francisco Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic. Throughout the 2023–2024 season, Ehnes continues as the Artist in Residence with the NAC Orchestra and as an Artistic Partner with Artis–Naples.
Alongside his concerto work, Ehnes maintains a busy recital schedule. He performs regularly at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Verbier Festival, and Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence. A devoted chamber musician, he is the leader of the Ehnes Quartet and the Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.
Ehnes has an extensive discography and has won many awards for his recordings, including two Grammys, three Gramophone Awards, and 11 Juno Awards. In June 2020, Ehnes launched a new online recital series entitled “Recitals from Home” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent closure of concert halls. These recordings have been met with great critical acclaim by audiences worldwide, and Le Devoir described Ehnes as being “at the absolute forefront of the streaming evolution.”
Ehnes studied with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon graduating in 1997. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he is a Visiting Professor.
Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.
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.
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.
Canadian violinist of German and Lebanese ancestry, Jessica Linnebach, has established herself as an accomplished artist with a thriving multi-faceted career encompassing solo, chamber, and orchestral performances.
Known for her “burnt caramel sound, utterly fearless virtuosity . . . and romantic lyricism” (ARTSFILE), Jessica has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. A passionate chamber musician, Jessica is a member of the Ironwood String Quartet along with her NAC Orchestra colleagues Emily Kruspe, Carissa Klopoushak, and Rachel Mercer. They are frequent performers at chamber music series and festivals, including the NAC’s WolfGANG and Music for a Sunday Afternoon series and Ottawa Chamberfest, Pontiac Enchanté, Ritornello, and Classical Unbound festivals. As part of a commitment to reaching broader audiences, Jessica is one of the artistic directors of the Classical Unbound Festival, a chamber music festival in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Accepted to the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age ten, Jessica remains one of the youngest-ever Bachelor of Music graduates in the school’s history. While there, Jessica’s primary teachers were Aaron Rosand, Jaime Laredo, and Ida Kavafian. At age 18, she received her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where she studied with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec.
Jessica resides in Ottawa, where she has been Associate Concertmaster with the NAC Orchestra since 2010. A natural leader, Jessica has performed numerous times as guest concertmaster with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jessica plays a circa 1840 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (Guarnerius del Gésu 1737) violin. Her bows are crafted by Ron Forrester and Michael Vann.
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.
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.
Assistant Principal Cello of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 2014, Julia MacLaine performs worldwide as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician in music ranging from classical to contemporary and from ‘world’ to her own arrangements and compositions.
Julia enjoys exploring the juxtaposition of music with other art forms, of different styles of music, and of contemporary and classical music. Her début album, Préludes, released by Analekta in January 2022, features six new Canadian works written for her, alongside the six Préludes from the Bach Cello Suites that inspired the new pieces.
During the ten years she spent living in New York City, Julia collaborated frequently with composers, giving voice to new chamber and solo cello works. She has given premieres of music by Ingram Marshall, James Blachly, and Mauricio Pauly and has been a champion of Pedro Malpica’s Pachamama’s Catharsis for solo cello. With three other members of Ensemble ACJW, Julia created and performed an immersive tribute to whales and ocean life at the Museum of Natural History, featuring new American music, original poetry, and live painting. From 2005 to 2014, she was a member of The Knights, with whom she performed the Schumann Cello Concerto in Central Park.
Julia has performed at the Mecklenberg‐Vorpommern, Lanaudière, Bic, Mostly Mozart, Tanglewood, and Ravinia Festivals in Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, and throughout Europe, the U.S., and Canada. She has performed with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Les Violons du Roy and counted Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, James Ehnes, Cynthia Phelps, Inon Barnatan, Jamie and Jon Kimura Parker, and the Orion String Quartet among her chamber music partners.
Originally from Prince Edward Island, Julia studied with Antonio Lysy at McGill University and Timothy Eddy at the Mannes College of Music and The Juilliard School. She lives in Wakefield, Quebec, with her partner (also a musician) and their son.