Pacifica String Quartet - Wooster Chamber Music Series

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A Message to Our Friends Welcome to our 25 th year! We are so pleased to have reached this milestone. The Wooster Chamber Music Series has been an amazing venture. We are excited by the year-long celebratory programs we have planned for you. We began the celebration with the extraordinary performance by the Emerson String Quartet in September at our first Benefit Concert. We are grateful to all of you for having made all of this possible and are happy to have you here celebrating with us. We are very appreciative of our faithful audience members, patrons, benefactors and underwriters whose generosity makes this series possible. Our thanks to our collective donors whose continuing support allows us to bring you some of the world’s greatest musicians and greatest music, and to maintain the Series at the least possible cost to you in terms of ticket prices. Now, more than ever, we need you to keep on providing that financial backing so that we can keep providing quality music programming for our community. It is our mission to continue presenting world-class musicians in this series. Don’t forget that you are invited after each concert to meet and mingle with the musicians at a reception in the lobby. We know that you will be pleased with this year’s roster and that you will enjoy the music. Yvonne Williams Director Advisory Committee Sarah J. Buck Jarrod Hartzler Tricia James Jay Klemme Cameron Maneese Cyril Ofori Bill & Carolyn Sheron Yvonne Williams Thank You UNDERWRITER Wayne Boettner & Hildegard K. Wiss-Boettner Sarah Jane Buck and Nick Amster Fishelson David and Carol Briggs Julia Fishelson Stanley & Flo Gault Jay Klemme and Anne Wilson The Donald and Alice Noble Foundation Cyril and Amelia Ofori Ken and Jill Shafer Yvonne C. Williams Bill & Marilyn Blanchard Dorothy Carlisle H. Alberta Colclaser Marian Taylor Cropp Com-Patt-ibles Floral Elegance Mary Grace Engisch Brian & Karen Gardener Catherine and Tom Graves Elinor Hancock Peter and Tricia James BENEFACTOR Ed and Mary Eberhart Louise E. Hamel Cally King Terry Wagner Ling Lois G. McCall Clara Louise Patton Bill and Carolyn Sheron Frances G. Shoolroy PATRON SUBSCRIBER Ken & Nancy Anderson Polly & Denny Davis Richard & Susan Figge Alice and Larry Gabriel Liz & Steve Glick Lucille L. Hastings Stan & Diane Hales, *In memory of Annetta Gomez Jefferson Frank & Barbara Hayes Frank and Jean Knorr Beth & Arn Lewis Lyn Loveless Sara L. Patton Kenneth and Louise Plusquellec Margaret and David Powell Jon & Pamela Rose Ed Schrader and Dan Rider Steve and Cheryl Shapiro Mary Alice Streeter Marilyn Tanner Ken & Carol Vagnini Kathy and Harry Zink Marna & William Mateer Julie Mennes Steve & Sandy Nichols Craig & Denise Parker Elena Sokol and Yuri Popov Mike & Maxine Smith Don and Linda Sommer Peggy and Charles Ulrich Mina and Don Van Cleef Meredith Williams Carol Rueger and David Wiesenberg
Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 Ludwig van Beethoven While working on his Op. 132 quartet during the winter of 1824-1825, Beethoven fell gravely ill with liver disease, bowel inflammation, and other painful and debilitating abdominal maladies. The condition left him seriously weakened, but he was still able to finish the work by July 1825. Although it has the highest opus number of the three quartets that he composed at the behest of Russian nobleman and amateur cellist, Prince Galitzin, it was actually second in order of composition. Study of his sketchbooks shows that he originally planned the quartet in the traditional four movements, but on recovering from his sickness decided to replace the two middle sections with three movements, including the central Heiliger Dankgesang. The quartet starts with a short, slow introductory motif that bears a similarity to the ones heard at the opening of the quartet Op. 131 and the Grosse Fuge, Op. 133. Emerging from the introductory measures is a brilliant violin flourish that leads to the main theme, played high in its register by the cello. Following some expansion, a new idea, starting with the three repeated notes, is heard and quickly passes through the quartet, leading to still another distinctive idea – a flowing melody in the second violin over a nervous, agitated triplet accompaniment. Wistful and nostalgic in tone, the second movement has two motifs that run throughout the entire opening section. The first is a pair of rising three-note figures; the other, and more important, is a long note that drops down with a little flurry of faster notes. Over the third movement Beethoven inscribed the words, Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart (“Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Divinity by a Convalescent, in the Lydian mode”). The sublime hymn expresses his gratitude for the return of good health; use of the Lydian mode, an ancient ecclesiastical scale (corresponding to the modern F scale, but without a B flat) gives the music a spritual tone. The vital and vigorous contrasting second section, Neue Kraft fühlend (“Feeling of new strength”), evokes a sense of strength through alternating loud and soft measures that surge with a powerful, propulsive force. Pacifica Quartet Simin Ganatra, violin Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin Masumi Per Rostad, viola Brandon Vamos, cello PROGRAM Quartet in D Major, Op. 64, No. 5, “The Lark” Allegro moderato Adagio cantabile Menuetto: Allegretto Finale: Vivace Quartet No. 2 in F, Op. 92 Allegro sostenuto Adagio Allegro INTERMISSION Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Assai sostenuto; Allegro Allegro ma non tanto Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, In der lydischen Tonart: Molto adagio; Neue Kraft fühlend: Andante Alla marcia, assai vivace Allegro appassionato The raucous Alla marcia provides the sudden change in mood, from heavenly to earthly, which Beethoven seems to need, following moments of deeply emotional expression. The finale follows the recitative without pause. Structurally, it combines rondo and sonata form. --Adapted from Guide to Chamber Music by Melvin Berger
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Pacifica String Quartet - Wooster Chamber Music Series

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