CONCERT 1
Costruttivismo in Polonia



3 November 2005, 9 pm
Il Filatoio, Caraglio (Cn)

Xenia Ensemble
Cynthia Treggor, Eilis Cranitch, violins
Michèle Minne, viola
with Massimo Macrì, cello
and Maka Gabisiani, piano

PROGRAMME

Erwin Schulhoff
fromCinque pezzi per quartetto
(alla Valse Viennese, alla Serenata, alla Ceca)                       
Witold Lutoslawski
Bucoliki
for viola and cello
Karol Szymanowski
Mazurka op.62 e op. 80
for piano solo
Krzysztof Penderecki
Quartetto n.2
for string quartet
Hanns Eisler
Scherzo
for string trio
Witold Lutoslawski
Grave
for cello and piano
Grazyna Bacewicz
Quintetto n.1
for piano and strings
(Moderato molto espressivo, Presto, Con passione)

back to complete programme

Presentation:
Our journey starts with a hommage to the Polish avant-garde, as a complement to the exhibition to be hosted by the Association Marcovaldo at Caraglio (Cuneo).

The 1930s are represented by Polandís most noted composer of the first half of the 20th century, Karol Szymanowksi (1882‚1937, incidentally a nearly exact contemporary of Stravinsky). His Mazurkas for piano solo borrow from Chopinís translations (or what Stravinsky termed ìportraitsî) of this national dance with its subtle and whimsical rhythms and nostalgic character. Szymanowskiís suggestive harmonic language is of course more chromatically complex, and in the musicís nebulous character one can also detect the influence of French impressionism. In a sense Szymanowskiís musical language is a synthesis of the Polish national style within the context of the European spirit, something that has also been achieved by the other Polish composers represented tonight.

The Polish violinist and composer Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969), one of the most remarkable composers of the succeeding generation, studied in Warsaw and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Famous for her authoratitive interpretations of Szymanowskiís music, Bacewicz combines in her music national Polish dance elements within neo-classical structures, of which her piano quintet of 1952 is one of the best examples. It follows a classical pattern of three movements, where the first movement sonata allegro is followed by a second movement scherzo using the rhythm of the folk dance, the oberek. The finale is restless and dramatic, but completes the cycle in its return to the meditative mood of the opening in the coda.

The two other Polish composers represented in this programme have had an enormous impact as innovators, and have had exerted enormous influence not just in Poland but on the Western European avant-garde. The elder of them Witold Lutoslawski (1913- 1994) came to maturity during the years of World War II at the time of the Nazi occupation of Poland, when the national spirit of Polish music was completely crushed. Lutoslawksi therefore came to prominence in the 1950s, with works that reflected his pre-war interest in a Bartokian use of folklore, something which was acceptable to the new communist regime. At the same time he started evolving a new and radical style, which borrowed from the techniques of the avant-garde, whole retaining his individual profile. By the 1960s he was composing complex music, using serial and aleoatoric techniques, and by the end of the decade had become a leader on a European scale. Bukoliki dating 1952 represents the first style based on popular music, while Grave,for cello and piano (dating from 1968) is typical of his condensed but highly structured style of composition. This piece is also a hommage to Debussy, discernable in the opening phrase of the cello part, a citation from the opera Pelleas and Melisande.

Krzysztof Penderecki (b.1933) is undoubtedly the best known of Polandís composers alive today. The enormous vivacity and dramatic power of his music shows his eclectic interests and capacity of stylistic evolution over the years. His second string quartet, dating from 1968 is an experimental work reflecting his assimilation of Darmstadt avant-garde techniques. Its single movement arch has a central fast vivace section framed by a slow introduction and a lento epilogue. Penderecki uses with expertise and skill the latest serial and microtonal techniques, but the innovation of this work lies in his research of sound as a source of material, in its aspect of ìnoiseî, using the whole range of techniques available to the string quartet such as al ponticello, tremolo and flautandos as well as loud scraping sounds and almost inaudible harmonics.

Looking to the period of the avant-garde of the 20s/1930s, we have included works by two composers from neighbouring countries. Erwin Schulhoff (Bohemia 1894- 1942), like Szymanowski and Janacek was deeply aware of the importance of his national roots. After the first world war, he moved to Germany where he was exposed to the radical influence of the avant-garde of his day, and became a passionate jazz fan. His Five pieces for string quartet are a dance suite, with an ethnic base; even a Viennese Waltz or a Tango comes over with a Czech flavour.

The German Hanns Eisler (1898 –1962) was one of the leading radicals of Berlin musical and political life in the 1920s and early 30s. Like Hindemith and Weill he belonged to the movement of Neue Sachlichkeit (Nuova Oggetività), whose aesthetic aims were parallel to those of Gropius’Bauhaus. Like Hindemith he believed in music as a utility in his “musica d’uso”. Which in Eisler’s case became highly politicised when he fell under the influence of Brecht, Weill and Wolpe. His music ranged from the highly accessible to the higly complex. His Scherzo for string trio (1932) is a classically structured pieces with the attributes of a light –hearted humorous dance, clearly showing Hindemith’s influence.