The Viterbo University Department of Music
presents
Out of Our Minds Chamber Music - Take Four
(Piano Quartets by Two Legendary Romantic Composers)
Nola Starling Recital Hall
Sunday, February 11, 2024 @ 3:00 PM
FREE ADMISSION
Michelle Lee Elliott, violin
Busya Lugovier, viola
Derek Clark, cello
Mary Ellen Haupert, piano
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Piano Quartet in A Minor (1876)
The Piano Quartet in A minor was composed in 1876 when Mahler was just 16. It is his first known work. While there certainly is a dark, brooding quality to it, anyone hearing it for the first time would be hard pressed to identify it as a work by Gustav Mahler. Even after repeated hearings, it is difficult to imagine a path that leads from here to his first major work, the cantata Das klagende Lied (1878–1880), let alone his final masterpieces, Das Lied von der Erde and the Ninth Symphony. It is difficult to say what the overall form of this quartet movement is. The harmonic motion is neither subtle nor adventurous, and the texture is thin for what we expect from the Mahler we’re familiar with. But there is a melodic motif that seems to be responsible for that dark, brooding undercurrent we sense – one that knits the entire movement together. Pitch-wise this brief three-note motif is simply a leap up (usually by a minor sixth) followed by a step back (usually a half step).
This quartet is actually the first movement of a larger work that Mahler never finished. Nevertheless this single movement was performed twice in 1876, both times with Mahler at the piano – first at the Vienna Conservatory and then at a concert in Mahler’s boyhood home, Iglau in Bohemia. He tried unsuccessfully to have it published, and eventually the work became buried and forgotten under Mahler’s accumulating sketches and scores. It was rediscovered by Mahler’s widow Alma Mahler in the 1960s. It was then premiered in New York by Peter Serkin and members of the Galimir Quartet. Since then it has received many performances and several recordings. © Stephen Soderberg
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piano Quartet in A Major, Op. 26 (1861)
Allegro non troppo
Poco adagio
Scherzo: poco allegro
Finale: allegro
The G minor Quartet was premiered in Hamburg in November 1861, with Clara Schumann at the piano and an ensemble including the distinguished Hamburg violinist John Boie. Exactly a year later, in November 1862, Brahms himself was the pianist in the premiere of the new Piano Quartet in A major Op 26, the performance taking place in Vienna with members of Joseph Hellmesberger’s Quartet. During his lifetime this was the more often performed of the two, but in the twentieth century the dramatic and fiery G minor Quartet tended to eclipse it; the A major Quartet is now one of Brahms’s more neglected major works. Certainly it is less obviously ‘exciting’ than the G minor—it is an altogether more poised and lyrical conception, laid out on an even broader, more symphonic scale. Three of its four movements are cast in sonata form, and their ‘heavenly length’ and extended melodic ideas testify to his study of the music of Schubert. Yet this superb work’s melodic richness is only one of its strengths; and the gypsy energy of the G minor, though no longer directed to merely picturesque ends, is still to be felt.
The first movement, one of Brahms’s largest and yet most serene sonata designs, opens with a theme presented in two rhythmically distinct halves (triplets in the piano, followed by more flowing quavers in the cello). These two ideas are apt for separate development, yet in combination they achieve a statuesque balance of force, and this double theme easily dominates the movement despite a rich cast of subsidiary melodies and figures; it has the last word, just as it had the first.
The slow movement is one of the most glorious Brahms ever conceived, a large but subtle ternary form articulating what Joachim called its ‘ambiguous passion’. The piano’s tranquil, song-like opening theme, and its gypsy-style cadential turn, are developed at length in ever-more floridly decorated statements. The piano is mysteriously shadowed by the strings, which Brahms keeps muted until the return of the main section: this throws the piano, with its desolate ‘Aeolian harp’ flourishes and ardent second theme, into unusual relief. There are anticipations here of the slow movement of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No 2, twenty years in the future. The muted sonorities return in the coda, hushing the openness of Brahms’s lyricism.
At first, the easily flowing crotchet motion of the next movement seems too mild for a scherzo, too plain for a character-intermezzo like the analogous movement in the G minor Quartet. Yet it proves apt for an inexorable build-up of immense melodic spans. A more animated rhythmic interest appears only with the transition passage that leads to the second subject. The central trio is based on a variant of this transition theme, now turned fiery and Hungarian but treated with ruthless discipline as a strict canon between piano and strings.
The last movement is not a rondo but another fully worked sonata design; its first subject, nevertheless, has plenty of the capricious Hungarian colouring we associated with the alla Zingarese finale of the G minor Quartet. Here, however, the exotic flavour and idiosyncratic rhythms are subordinated to an ample, unhurried overall form whose length proceeds, Schubert-like, from the sheer size of the melodic paragraphs involved. The Olympian mood of relaxed strength satisfyingly rounds off a work whose perfect mastery is all the more remarkable for being so consistently understated.
from notes by Calum MacDonald © 2006
presents
Out of Our Minds Chamber Music - Take Four
(Piano Quartets by Two Legendary Romantic Composers)
Nola Starling Recital Hall
Sunday, February 11, 2024 @ 3:00 PM
FREE ADMISSION
Michelle Lee Elliott, violin
Busya Lugovier, viola
Derek Clark, cello
Mary Ellen Haupert, piano
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Piano Quartet in A Minor (1876)
The Piano Quartet in A minor was composed in 1876 when Mahler was just 16. It is his first known work. While there certainly is a dark, brooding quality to it, anyone hearing it for the first time would be hard pressed to identify it as a work by Gustav Mahler. Even after repeated hearings, it is difficult to imagine a path that leads from here to his first major work, the cantata Das klagende Lied (1878–1880), let alone his final masterpieces, Das Lied von der Erde and the Ninth Symphony. It is difficult to say what the overall form of this quartet movement is. The harmonic motion is neither subtle nor adventurous, and the texture is thin for what we expect from the Mahler we’re familiar with. But there is a melodic motif that seems to be responsible for that dark, brooding undercurrent we sense – one that knits the entire movement together. Pitch-wise this brief three-note motif is simply a leap up (usually by a minor sixth) followed by a step back (usually a half step).
This quartet is actually the first movement of a larger work that Mahler never finished. Nevertheless this single movement was performed twice in 1876, both times with Mahler at the piano – first at the Vienna Conservatory and then at a concert in Mahler’s boyhood home, Iglau in Bohemia. He tried unsuccessfully to have it published, and eventually the work became buried and forgotten under Mahler’s accumulating sketches and scores. It was rediscovered by Mahler’s widow Alma Mahler in the 1960s. It was then premiered in New York by Peter Serkin and members of the Galimir Quartet. Since then it has received many performances and several recordings. © Stephen Soderberg
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piano Quartet in A Major, Op. 26 (1861)
Allegro non troppo
Poco adagio
Scherzo: poco allegro
Finale: allegro
The G minor Quartet was premiered in Hamburg in November 1861, with Clara Schumann at the piano and an ensemble including the distinguished Hamburg violinist John Boie. Exactly a year later, in November 1862, Brahms himself was the pianist in the premiere of the new Piano Quartet in A major Op 26, the performance taking place in Vienna with members of Joseph Hellmesberger’s Quartet. During his lifetime this was the more often performed of the two, but in the twentieth century the dramatic and fiery G minor Quartet tended to eclipse it; the A major Quartet is now one of Brahms’s more neglected major works. Certainly it is less obviously ‘exciting’ than the G minor—it is an altogether more poised and lyrical conception, laid out on an even broader, more symphonic scale. Three of its four movements are cast in sonata form, and their ‘heavenly length’ and extended melodic ideas testify to his study of the music of Schubert. Yet this superb work’s melodic richness is only one of its strengths; and the gypsy energy of the G minor, though no longer directed to merely picturesque ends, is still to be felt.
The first movement, one of Brahms’s largest and yet most serene sonata designs, opens with a theme presented in two rhythmically distinct halves (triplets in the piano, followed by more flowing quavers in the cello). These two ideas are apt for separate development, yet in combination they achieve a statuesque balance of force, and this double theme easily dominates the movement despite a rich cast of subsidiary melodies and figures; it has the last word, just as it had the first.
The slow movement is one of the most glorious Brahms ever conceived, a large but subtle ternary form articulating what Joachim called its ‘ambiguous passion’. The piano’s tranquil, song-like opening theme, and its gypsy-style cadential turn, are developed at length in ever-more floridly decorated statements. The piano is mysteriously shadowed by the strings, which Brahms keeps muted until the return of the main section: this throws the piano, with its desolate ‘Aeolian harp’ flourishes and ardent second theme, into unusual relief. There are anticipations here of the slow movement of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No 2, twenty years in the future. The muted sonorities return in the coda, hushing the openness of Brahms’s lyricism.
At first, the easily flowing crotchet motion of the next movement seems too mild for a scherzo, too plain for a character-intermezzo like the analogous movement in the G minor Quartet. Yet it proves apt for an inexorable build-up of immense melodic spans. A more animated rhythmic interest appears only with the transition passage that leads to the second subject. The central trio is based on a variant of this transition theme, now turned fiery and Hungarian but treated with ruthless discipline as a strict canon between piano and strings.
The last movement is not a rondo but another fully worked sonata design; its first subject, nevertheless, has plenty of the capricious Hungarian colouring we associated with the alla Zingarese finale of the G minor Quartet. Here, however, the exotic flavour and idiosyncratic rhythms are subordinated to an ample, unhurried overall form whose length proceeds, Schubert-like, from the sheer size of the melodic paragraphs involved. The Olympian mood of relaxed strength satisfyingly rounds off a work whose perfect mastery is all the more remarkable for being so consistently understated.
from notes by Calum MacDonald © 2006
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Michelle Lee Elliott, violinist, has enjoyed a diverse musical career as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, and soloist. As a founding member of the Vinca Quartet, which was appointed as the first resident quartet to study and collaborate with the Takács Quartet at the University of Colorado. The Vinca Quartet were prizewinners of the Fischoff National String Quartet competition, and laureates of the Chesapeake and Plowman Chamber Music Competitions, as well as the Premio Paolo Borciani Competition in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The Vinca Quartet was also selected to participate in the Emerson Quartet’s Carnegie Hall Training Workshop where they were hailed as “stunning” and “musicians worth keeping an eye on” by the New York Times.
Busya Lugovier, violist, was born and educated in the former USSR. She was a member of the Dubna Trio, which was the first delegation to come to La Crosse after the Cold War between the US and Russia. The Dubna Trio played an instrumental role in the sister-city/La Crosse-Dubna project by helping build bridges of understanding between cultures. At the present time, Ms. Lugovier coaches chamber music for the School District of La Crosse, teaches private students, and plays with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.
Derek Clark, cellist, received his Master of Music degree in cello performance from The Pennsylvania State University. Before moving to La Crosse Mr. Clark resided in Pittsburgh, PA, where he was an active professional cellist with several area symphony orchestras and ensembles as well as a private teacher. Upon moving to La Crosse in 2002, Mr. Clark became a member of the Rochester Orchestra and the La Crosse Symphony, where he was principal cellist for ten years. Mr. Clark is currently a member of Bluffside Consort, Crescendo String Quartet, and Ensemble Druzhba. In addition to performing, Mr. Clark has been an active cello teacher as well. He has taught cello at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Winona State University, and St. Mary’s University in Winona. He also maintains a private studio.
Mary Ellen Haupert, pianist, is currently a professor of music in Viterbo University Music Department. She was awarded the Alec Chui Memorial Award in 2012 (for fostering student research) and Teacher of the Year in 2014. Mary Ellen is passionate about chamber music and is credited as founder/artistic director of the One-of-a-Kind Chamber Music Series (2008-2018), the Out-of-Our-Minds Chamber Music Series (2018-present), and the Bonfire Chamber Music Series (2018 – 2022) – a summer series sponsored by the Reif Center in Grand Rapids, MN. Mary Ellen has presented her theory pedagogy at national and international conferences, recorded two albums of chamber by Louise Farrenc on the CENTAUR label, and is a published composer. Her most recent composition, "Breeze," was premiered by Iva Ugrcic and Satoko Hayami on November 4, 2023. Haupert's piano trio, "Variant," was premiered in La Crosse, WI by the Galan Piano Trio and included in their recent CD "Kinesis, Vol. 2" (NEUMA RECORDS).
Michelle Lee Elliott, violinist, has enjoyed a diverse musical career as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, and soloist. As a founding member of the Vinca Quartet, which was appointed as the first resident quartet to study and collaborate with the Takács Quartet at the University of Colorado. The Vinca Quartet were prizewinners of the Fischoff National String Quartet competition, and laureates of the Chesapeake and Plowman Chamber Music Competitions, as well as the Premio Paolo Borciani Competition in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The Vinca Quartet was also selected to participate in the Emerson Quartet’s Carnegie Hall Training Workshop where they were hailed as “stunning” and “musicians worth keeping an eye on” by the New York Times.
Busya Lugovier, violist, was born and educated in the former USSR. She was a member of the Dubna Trio, which was the first delegation to come to La Crosse after the Cold War between the US and Russia. The Dubna Trio played an instrumental role in the sister-city/La Crosse-Dubna project by helping build bridges of understanding between cultures. At the present time, Ms. Lugovier coaches chamber music for the School District of La Crosse, teaches private students, and plays with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.
Derek Clark, cellist, received his Master of Music degree in cello performance from The Pennsylvania State University. Before moving to La Crosse Mr. Clark resided in Pittsburgh, PA, where he was an active professional cellist with several area symphony orchestras and ensembles as well as a private teacher. Upon moving to La Crosse in 2002, Mr. Clark became a member of the Rochester Orchestra and the La Crosse Symphony, where he was principal cellist for ten years. Mr. Clark is currently a member of Bluffside Consort, Crescendo String Quartet, and Ensemble Druzhba. In addition to performing, Mr. Clark has been an active cello teacher as well. He has taught cello at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Winona State University, and St. Mary’s University in Winona. He also maintains a private studio.
Mary Ellen Haupert, pianist, is currently a professor of music in Viterbo University Music Department. She was awarded the Alec Chui Memorial Award in 2012 (for fostering student research) and Teacher of the Year in 2014. Mary Ellen is passionate about chamber music and is credited as founder/artistic director of the One-of-a-Kind Chamber Music Series (2008-2018), the Out-of-Our-Minds Chamber Music Series (2018-present), and the Bonfire Chamber Music Series (2018 – 2022) – a summer series sponsored by the Reif Center in Grand Rapids, MN. Mary Ellen has presented her theory pedagogy at national and international conferences, recorded two albums of chamber by Louise Farrenc on the CENTAUR label, and is a published composer. Her most recent composition, "Breeze," was premiered by Iva Ugrcic and Satoko Hayami on November 4, 2023. Haupert's piano trio, "Variant," was premiered in La Crosse, WI by the Galan Piano Trio and included in their recent CD "Kinesis, Vol. 2" (NEUMA RECORDS).
