TGIF, Sep 5, 5:30pm
At this Friday’s concert Gioioso presents an “all Schubert” program featuring the second movement from his String Quartet #14 in D minor and the full String Quartet #7 in D major, D 94 illustrating the difference between his early and late quartets. Sanctuary doors open at 5:15 pm and the concert begins at 5:30. The concert is free with donations accepted.
Program
Franz Schubert (b: 1797, d: 1828)
Despite his short life, Franz Schubert composed more than 1,500 works including 7 symphonys, a large body of piano and chamber works and more than 600 leider. He is considered to be a key figure in briding the Classic and Romantic eras.
Throughout his life, Schubert wrote 15 string quartets. His later quartets are often dark, with String Quartet No. 14 in D minor known as ‘Death and a Maiden’ embodying the dark theme of a young maiden’s meeting with death.
Andante con moto from Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 – ‘Death and a Maiden’. Approximately 12 minutes in length
Written in 1824, Schubert borrowed the theme for this movement from one of his previous works, the song “Der Tod und das Mädchen,” composed seven years earlier. The movement, consisting of the theme followed by five variations, explores the topics of life, death, and the interplay between them. The variations, each offering a unique perspective on the somber melody, unfold traditionally, becoming progressively more animated and complex delighting in a rhythmic dissonance comprised mostly of triplet patterns against duplets.
String Quartet #7 in D major, D94
When Schubert was 11, he was introduced to Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven whose works inspired him to begin composing. As a result, his early quartets are firmly rooted in the Viennese style; a far cry from the somber ‘Death and a Maiden’. Schubert’s first 11 quartets were written for his family ensemble where his brothers played violins, his father, the cello, and he played viola.
Quartet no. 7 is thought to have been composed between 1811 and 1812 when Schubert was 14 or 15 years old. This work is much lighter than ‘Death and the Maiden’ and shows Schubert’s fondness for tremolo (the shivering effect of single notes rapidly repeated) and an almost obsessive fascination with wide-ranging and surprising key relationships, characteristics that will be further developed in his subsequent compositions.
The quartet consists of 4 movements and is approximately 18 minutes in total length. (If needed, lengths of individual movements can be provided.)
- Allegro
- Andante Con Moto
- Minuetto (Allegretto) Trio
- Presto
Gioioso!
The volunteer musicians of Gioioso! are dedicated to exploring and performing chamber music from the Renaissance to Modern eras bringing this joyous music to diverse audiences in Santa Fe and Las Vegas. This performance features violinists Ari Lê and Flaviano Prosperini, violist EJ Nelson, and cellist Dina Siegel.
Ari Lê has been playing with the Santa Fe Community Orchestra since moving to Santa Fe in 2015. He began playing the violin and viola while growing up in New York and continued to play in orchestras and chamber ensembles in Providence, Paris, Boston, and San Diego. He has studied violin with Lucy Corwin, Hisako Resnick, Charles Sherba, Rictor Noren, and Calvin Wiersma. Ari works as a plasma physicist at Los Alamos National Lab.
Flaviano Prosperini was born in Rome, Italy and began studying violin at the age of six. He came to Santa Fe in 2011 and currently performs with the eSSO Santa Fe, the Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Community Orchestra, and other string groups. He works as a software engineer for the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
EJ Nelson, a native of Las Vegas, NM, began playing violin at the age of 10 as part of that city’s Summer Recreation program for elementary students. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Boise State University and has performed with the Boise Philharmonic (Boise, ID), Tempe Symphony Orchestra (Tempe, AZ), the Santa Fe Community Orchestra (Santa Fe, NM) and was a founding member of the Littleton Symphony Orchestra (Littleton, CO). She has studied violin/viola with Daniel Stern, William Hsu, Martha Caplin, and Kim Fredenburgh.
Dina Siegel has played cello since the fourth grade. She has been in multiple community orchestras in both Colorado and New Mexico, has played with several chamber music groups, and is currently Principal Cellist of the Santa Fe Community Orchestra. She has studied with Jurgen de Lemos, David Noble, Kimberlee Hanto, and Dana Winograd. She is a semi-retired Industrial Hygienist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and currently lives in Santa Fe with her husband Herb.