PINCHAS ZUKERMAN PERFORMS BACH
About the Concert
VIOLIN CONCERTO NO . 1 IN A MINOR
Johann Sebastian Bach
Born in Eisenach , Germany , March 31 , 1685 ; died in Leipzig , Germany , July 28 , 1750
In an era when musicians were mere servants of either the church or a princely court , Bach was an early example of a successful musical entrepreneur whose ambition and talent allowed him to jump rapidly from one post to another in the pursuit of higher earnings and greater artistic challenges . In 1717 , he made a bold career move — so bold , in fact , that it landed him in jail . For nine years he had been music director at the Weimar ducal court , and during that time , had become one of the most admired organists and composers of organ music in central Europe . But the small princely court at Cöthen deeply attracted him . Prince Leopold was a cultivated ruler who sang well and played several instruments ; as Bach described him , he “ not only loved but knew music .” He had an accomplished court orchestra of 17 players , and he was willing to pay considerably more than Weimar was for Bach ’ s services . Since Bach had a rapidly growing family ( he would eventually sire 20 children ), the generous salary was a strong inducement . The downside was that Cöthen practiced the Calvinist faith , which reduced music for religious services largely to unaccompanied hymns ; Bach would thus have little opportunity to continue his artistry at the organ . But he would have new challenges creating a rich secular repertoire for Cöthen ’ s instrumentalists .
All things considered , Bach decided to accept the post at Cöthen . But he had not considered one important detail : the Duke of Weimar refused to release him from his post . When Bach persisted in making plans for his transfer to Cöthen , the Duke threw his stiff-necked employee in prison . But the jail term lasted only a month before the Duke finally relented and gave the composer a “ dishonorable discharge .”
Bach flourished at Cöthen . Inspired by the Italian masters Vivaldi , Corelli
The BSO
and Torelli , he created many concertos for solo instruments and combinations of instruments . Because these were considered to be one-performance pieces however , only a few remain . Their beauty and craft tantalize us — what other Bach musical treasures have vanished forever ? The Violin Concerto in A Minor was written for the Cöthen orchestra sometime between 1718 and 1723 . It follows the Vivaldian model of three movements : fast-slow-fast . In the first movement , he contrives a seamless flow of music by choosing not to linger at cadences or by avoiding them altogether . The slow movement is remarkable for its seriousness and introspection as well as its beauty . A weighty ostinato pattern in the bass provides wonderful contrast with the violinist ’ s limpid triplet rhythms . The finale , in dancing gigue rhythm , opens with a dense web of fugal counterpoint . Toward the end , the soloist takes an obsessive repeated-note motive and stretches it to the breaking point , creating exciting tension against the orchestra .
Instrumentation : String orchestra and harpsichord continuo .
VERKLÄRTE NACHT ( TRANSFIGURED NIGHT )
Arnold Schoenberg
Born in Vienna , Austria , September 13 , 1874 ; died in Los Angeles , CA , July 13 , 1951
When Arnold Schoenberg created his remarkable sextet Verklärte Nacht ( Transfigured Night ) in 1899 , program music — or music inspired by extramusical stories or images — was dominating European music . In a culture obsessed with Wagner ’ s music dramas and Richard Strauss ’ flamboyant tone poems , chamber music had remained the last bastion in which composers could still concern themselves with purely musical issues without poetic or philosophical embellishment . Inspired by the poetry of his contemporary Richard Demel , the 25-year-old Schoenberg finally carried the spirit of program music into the world of chamber music , after first setting eight Demel poems as songs . When the poet wrote to Schoenberg to express his delight after hearing a performance of Transfigured Night , the composer responded : “ Your poems have had a decisive influence on my development as a composer . They were what first made me try to find a new tone in the lyrical mood . Or rather , I found it without even looking , simply by reflecting in music what your poems stirred up in me .”
The poem that stirred up Transfigured Night was “ Zwei Menschen ” or “ Two People ” from Demel ’ s collection Weib und Welt ( Woman and World ) published in 1896 . It detailed a shockingly unconventional love story for that period . Two lovers walk at night “ through the bare cold woods .” The woman soon confesses she is bearing a child , but it is not her companion ’ s . In despair and longing for motherhood , she had given herself to a stranger . “ Now life has taken its revenge / Now I met you , you ”— the man she truly loves . But the man surprises her with his compassionate response : “ The child that you have conceived / be to your soul no burden , / oh look , how clear the universe glitters ! … It will transfigure the strange child .” At peace , they embrace , then continue to walk on through the now-transfigured “ high , bright night .” Transfigured Night was composed in just three weeks in September 1899 while Schoenberg was vacationing in the Austrian countryside with his composition teacher Alexander von Zemlinsky . Undoubtedly , further inspiration came from the presence of Zemlinsky ’ s sister ,
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