Saturday, October 24, 2009
Steven Honigberg
Kenneth Slowik
Cellists
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Menuet I – Menuet II – Menuet I
VI. Gigue
Mr. Slowik
Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Menuet I – Menuet II – Menuet I
VI. Gigue
Mr. Honigberg
INTERMISSION
Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Gavotte I - Gavotte II - Gavotte I
VI. Gigue
Mr. Slowik
Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major, BWV 1010
I. Prelude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Bourree I – Bourree II – Bourree I
VI. Gigue
Mr. Honigberg
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Six Suites, for Unaccompanied Cello, BWV 1007-1012 [c.1720]
Bach’s unaccompanied works, whether for flute, violin, or cello, challenge the performer and listener alike to hear implied harmonies and make the leap into recognizing multiple voices in “concerto” passages, when in reality only one, single line is being played. Far from limiting the expression of musical ideas, these solo pieces are filled with the possibility of complex design; there are even passages of fugal writing in the cello suites, a seeming contradiction for a lone stringed instrument. Yet at the same time the solo melodic line is capable of a penetrating emotionality that is out of reach of the heavier, faster-moving textures. The demands of this music are immense, and the rewards equally great.
In the case of the works for solo instruments, Bach used the term “suite” interchangeably with “partita.” Following German tradition, the works are made up of a group of dance movements which are related by key signature. Some of the older dance forms, such as the courante, allemande, sarabande, and gigue are mixed with dances in the “new” style: minuet, bouree, and gavotte. Each piece is introduced by a prelude of distinct character.
In order to maximize the tonal variety and increase the possibility for chordal writing, Bach calls for the instrument’s tuning in the fifth cello suite to be adjusted so that the A string is lowered to a G. The sixth suite is written for a slightly different instrument with five strings (probably something called the “viola pomposa”), thereby stretching the range of available notes. Both of these suites can be played on the modern cello, without re-tuning, however with more difficulty for the player.
The opening preludes allow for some freedom from the dance forms used in the bulk of the suites. In the first and fourth suites, in G Major and E-flat Major, respectively, the preludes make use of arpeggios, or “broken” chords, which supply both melody and accompaniment lines. Bach turns the prelude to the Suite No. 5, in C Minor, into a full French style overture, with wonderful use of the sustained notes, or pedal points.
It is likely that Bach composed, or at least compiled, the cello suites in Cöthen, the town in Saxony where he also wrote many other instrumental works. He might have written some of the works earlier, however. It is not known if Bach wrote some, or all, of the cello suites for one particular person. There is speculation that the composer may have intended the solo pieces for Christian Ferdinand Abel, a friend in the service of the court. In any case, it is reasonable to think that Abel offered advice on some aspects of the compositions.
Stationed in Cöthen between 1717 and 1723, Bach was Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold, a serious amateur musician who had been well-schooled in the arts. The prince was, by all accounts, a good person, and his contented subjects enjoyed many freedoms, including the freedom of religion. Prince Emanuel Lerecht, Leopold’s father, had decided to follow the Calvinists, and the Reformed church remained the official religion of the court. Yet Prince Emanuel’s wife wanted to practice religion according to the Orthodox Lutherans, and it was at that church that Bach became a parishioner. Bach did not hold any official post at that church.
That Bach produced chamber music in Cöthen is not surprising, given Prince Leopold’s abilities as a musician. He was a singer and violinist, and played the viol-di-gamba and clavier, as well. Given the circumstances of the modest court and the lack of demand for church music, Bach’s energies were naturally directed towards the creation of works for solo instruments and small ensembles. It was Bach’s contacts with people from outside the court that prompted him to write the Brandenburg Concertos during this same time period. For many years, scholars believed that this was the only period in which Bach composed chamber music, and this, undoubtedly, is not the case.
At this time, the composer was happy with his wife, Maria Barbara, and enjoyed being surrounded by his family in the quiet atmosphere at Cöthen. Maria Barbara gave birth to the couple’s seventh child there (only four survived to this point), with Prince Leopold serving as a godfather to the infant; the child died within the year, but the fact that the prince, his brother and sister, and some others, were included as godparents speaks to the wonderful relationship Bach had with his friend and employer.
The prince did not travel as extensively as many of his royal contemporaries, but he did take trips to the spas in Carlsbad from time to time. Bach and some court musicians accompanied the ruler on these journeys. One such trip, from May to July, 1720, came to an awful end when Bach returned home to discover that his beloved Maria Barbara had died a short time before. Son Philipp Emanuel recounted the tragic event in detail, vividly remembering his father’s deep sadness.
Not long after this loss, Bach applied for other posts. This may have been because he wanted to begin his life again somewhere else, away from memories of his wife. It may also have been because the royal purse was shrinking, and money for musical pursuits was less abundant. One can’t help but think that Bach, the great organist and penultimate church musician and composer, must have missed the opportunity to create music for regular worship services.
It was some time before Bach actually secured another job and left Cöthen. In the meanwhile, in 1721, Bach married again. Anna Magdalena Wülken, the 21-year-old daughter of the court trumpeter, became Bach’s second wife. She was a gifted soprano, and often served to assist the composer with his wok. While her help was not limited to this task, Anna Magdalena was a fine musical copyist; in fact, her manuscript of the cello suites is the oldest known copy of the works. Indeed, Bach was blessed with another happy marriage.
The position Bach ultimately took, at St. Thomas’s in Leipzig, was offered to two other candidates first. The revered Telemann was a sought-after candidate who eventually used the offer as leverage to raise his salary in Hamburg. The other candidate did the same. The job was then open for Bach. The last works Bach composed in the household of Prince Leopold were not actually for the prince; Bach rather hurriedly wrote the St. John Passion and a couple of cantatas for his new place of employment. This must have been a great release for the composer, probably anxious to return to the kind of music he loved best. We are fortunate, though, to have the instrumental legacy of Prince Leopold and Bach’s fruitful employment at Cöthen.
Kate Rivers
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Heralded as a “sterling cellist” by the Washington Post, Steven Honigberg has emerged as one of the outstanding cellists of his generation. Mr. Honigberg gave his New York debut recital in Weill Hall and has since performed to critical acclaim throughout the United States in recital, in chamber music and as a soloist with orchestra. A member of the National Symphony Orchestra, he has been featured numerous times as soloist with that ensemble; Most recently November 2008 in a performance at the Kennedy Center of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Cello Concerto. He won rave reviews for the 1988 world premiere of David Ott’s Concerto for Two Cellos performed with the National Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich (who hired Mr. Honigberg in 1984), with repeat performances on the NSO’s 1989 and 1994 United States tours. Mr. Honigberg is noted for his explorations of important new works, such as Lukas Foss’ Anne Frank (1999), Benjamin Lees Night Spectres (1999), Robert Stern’s Hazkarah (1998), Robert Starer’s Song of Solitude (1995) and David Diamond’s Concert Piece (1993), written for and premiered by Mr. Honigberg.
Mr. Honigberg graduated from the Juilliard School of Music with a Master’s degree in Music, where he studied with Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins. Other important cello teachers included Pierre Fournier and Karl Fruh.
Voted “Best New Chamber Music Series” by the Washington Post, Steven Honigberg was the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s chamber music series director from its inception in 1994 until 2002. Mr. Honigberg is a member of the Washington DC based Potomac String Quartet, which has released landmark projects -- the complete string quartets (eleven – 4 CDs) of David Diamond and Quincy Porter (nine – 2 CDs). Mr. Honigberg also has recorded Homage to Rostropovich, a CD of solo cello works written for the great late cellist, Frédéric Chopin’s complete works for cello and piano; Ernst Toch’s cello compositions; Ludwig van Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano; an album of 20th century American cello works; the chamber music of Korngold; and recordings of music performed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum -- four volumes of Darkness & Light.
Recent performances include a May 2008 performance at Merkin Hall in New York City, March 2008 WFMT Chicago radio broadcast featuring the music of Kodály, Rachmaninoff and Schumann, August 2006 solo appearance with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony performing Bela Bartók’s Concerto and a May 2006 recital at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C..
Mr. Honigberg enters his nineteenth summer as principal cellist of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho where he is director of the Edgar M. Bronfman Chamber Music Series and has been featured as soloist with the orchestra in concerti by Barber, Bartók, Bloch, Boccherini, Dvořák, Elgar, Goldschmidt, Haydn, Popper, Saint-Saëns, Schumann, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and Walton.
Mr. Honigberg performs on the ‘Stuart’ Stradivarius cello made in 1732.
Artistic Director of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, Kenneth Slowik first established his international reputation primarily as a cellist and viola da gamba player through his work with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, Castle Trio, Smithson String Quartet, Axelrod Quartet, and with Anner Bylsma’s L’Archibudelli. Conductor of the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra since 1988, he became conductor of the Santa Fe Bach Festival in 1998, and led the Santa Fe Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra from 1999-2004. He is now devoting increasing amounts of time to conducting orchestral, oratorio, and operatic repertoire with modern- and period-instrument ensembles on both sides of the Atlantic.
Slowik has been a featured instrumental soloist and/or conductor with numerous fine orchestras, among them the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the Vancouver Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra. A frequent guest artist with prominent chamber groups, he also appears in recital both as harpsichord soloist and fortepiano collaborator for duo sonatas and Lieder.
Slowik’s impressive discography comprises over sixty recordings featuring him as conductor, cellist, gambist, baryton and keyboard player for music ranging from the Baroque (Marais, Corelli, Bach) through the Classical (Haydn, Boccherini, Beethoven, Schubert) and Romantic (Mendelssohn, Gade, Spohr) to the early twentieth century (Schönberg, Mahler, Richard Strauss). Of these, many have won prestigious international awards, including France’s Diapason d’Or, the “British Music Retailers’ Award for Excellence,” Italy’s Premio Internazionale del Disco Antonio Vivaldi, two GRAMMY® nominations, and numerous “Record of the Month” and “Record of the Year” prizes.
Slowik’s performance and musicology studies in Chicago, Salzburg, and Vienna were guided by Howard Mayer Brown, Karl Fruh, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Antonio Janigro, Edward Lowinsky, Robert Marshall, Frank Miller, August Wenzinger, Hannelore Mueller, and Frederik Prausnitz. His involvement with 20th-century art music included eight seasons with Ralph Shapey’s Contemporary Chamber Players, in residence at the University of Chicago. As a member of Joshua Rifkin’s Bach Ensemble, he participated in many early one-on-a-part Bach performances, including the controversial 1893 recording of the B Minor Mass. For nearly a decade, Slowik was also active as a studio musician, working with figures from the world of popular music ranging from Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Sarah Vaughan to Quincy Jones, Curtis Mayfield and Roberta Flack.
As an educator, Dr. Slowik has presented lectures at numerous colleges and universities and has contributed to a number of symposia and colloquia at museums throughout the United States and Europe. He serves on the faculty of the University of Maryland and L’Académie internationale du Domaine Forget in Québec, and was named Artistic Director of the Baroque Performance Institute at the Oberlin College Conservatory in 1993.
Baroque cello by P. François Grosset, Paris, 1749 (for Suite 1)
5-string violoncello piccolo by Nicolas Chappuy, Mirecourt, ca. 1730 (for Suite 6)
