On Tuesday, November 11th, the UConn Chamber Music Ensembles will be performing at the von der Mehden Recital Hall at 8pm. The concert opens with the first two movements of the Brass Quintet in E Flat Major by Victor Ewald. He is considered the first true master of brass quintet writing in the 20th century. Ewald was influenced by his musical training as a cellist and wrote in the classic Russian romantic tradition. Hungary’s György Ligeti’s music was strongly influenced by folk music and he was well known as an innovative, influential avant-garde composer. The last movement of the Six Bagattelles was omitted at the first performance of the work because the Soviets deemed it too dangerous and censored the piece. Ligeti’s works have been featured in popular films such as The Shining and Shutter Island. You will hear the first short Bagattelle, "Allegro con spirito”. Nielsen's Quintet, Op. 43 is alternatively titled Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon. Nielsen, a skilled conductor and violinist, is widely recognized as Denmark's greatest composer. The "Menuet", composed in the neoclassical style is of a canonic and contrapuntal nature. The Sonata "Undine" for Flute and Piano by German composer, conductor, and pianist Reinecke is based on a novel of the same name. The water spirit Undine longs for an immortal soul which can only be obtained through love of a mortal man. The final piece before the intermission is the first movement of Piano Trio in C. Minor, Op. 1, no. 3 by famous German composer and pianist Beethoven. The Trio was dedicated to Prince Lichnowsky and is a bold, energetic work. The first movement is full of rhythmic intensity and brio.
The concert resumes with Scherzo by American composer John Cheetham. Cheetham grew up in New Mexico, an upbringing that is reflected in his music by singable melodies and straightforward rhythms. Scherzo is a single movement for brass quartet composed in classical rondo form and is now part of the standard repertoire of the brass quintet. Mozart’s Divertimento No. 3 in B flat major is marked by clarity, balance and transparency. Mozart was a great innovator of woodwind music and his friendship with clarinetist Anton Stadler inspired him to write numerous works for woodwind combinations. Sampson’s Duncan Trio was commissioned by Dorothy Duncan as a fiftieth birthday present for her trumpet-playing brother James Duncan. Dvorak’s String Quartet No. 2 Op. 77 in G Major was composed for a chamber music competition in Prague. The Quintet won first prize and originally had five movements but Dvorak removed the “Intermezzo” because the piece seemed too long. The addition of the double bass adds sonority and a sense of space, particularly in the first movement which concludes the concert.
The Chamber Music concert will be held on November 11th at 8pm at the von der Mehden Recital Hall located at 875 Coventry Rd. on the UConn Storrs campus across from Mirror Lake. Plenty of free parking is conveniently available across the street in Lot 1.
For more information, contact: Kirk Matson at Kirk.Matson@uconn.edu