Thalberg - Piano Concerto In F Minor Opus 5

The European opinion of America's appreciation of the arts was very low for most of the 19th century, and music was no exception. The Director of the Paris Opera House summed up Europe's snobby opinion of America when he said that the country was an industrial country, great for telegraphs and railroads, but not for Art.  The more ambitious European musicians, whether to increase fame or fortune (or both) began touring America early in the century and they met with generally high acclaim. The virtuoso pianist Sigismond Thalberg was one of those artistic adventurers and he toured the country before the Civil War. He landed in New York in 1856 and left the country after his last recital in 1858. Thalberg played 5 or 6 days a week, on some occasions playing two or three concerts a day. He took a few months off after his first tour then began a second. By the time he was through he had played over 320 concerts in 80 American cities and 20 concerts in Canada. In addition he gave many free concerts to thousands of children, as well as playing chamber music with other musicians.

Unlike some other touring musicians Thalberg didn't resort to excessive publicity campaigns or crowd pleasing tricks. He played other composer's works as well as his own, some of which were already known in America. By all accounts he was calm in his demeanor on and off the stage, polite and unassuming in his manner. When Thalberg suddenly canceled the rest of his tour and returned to Europe, The New York Musical Review and Gazette newspaper of July 24, 1858 reported:

Thalberg ... quite unexpectedly closed what has been a most brilliant career - completely successful, musically, giving to the talented and genial artist abundance of both fame and money. There is probably not another virtuoso, whether with instrument or voice (Liszt alone excepted), who could have excited [even a portion] of the enthusiasm, or gathered a fragment of the dollars, which Thalberg has excited and gathered.

Franz Liszt

Indeed, the only rival Thalberg had while he was in his prime was Liszt, and in his younger touring days Liszt was a formidable rival. Liszt eventually was thought of as the paragon of virtuoso pianists, but in the 1830's Thalberg and Liszt were considered equally proficient by many. But there were also many that took sides, some with a vehemence of the most rabid sports fan.  For Thalberg's part, it appears he didn't participate in the shenanigans, but the same cannot be said for Liszt. In any case, the rivalry died down and after eleven years of not seeing Thalberg, Liszt attended a recital and applauded Thalberg's playing.

One of the incentives for Thalberg to embark on his tour of America was the fact that Liszt refused to go overseas. Liszt toured Europe and Russia but never went to America. Thalberg may have been a well-mannered gentleman and all, but it is unimaginable that he could have become such a virtuoso performer without a large ego that needed to be fed, even if he kept it under wraps. Having a huge financial and artistic success in America without Liszt being in the way was food that his ego probably devoured with relish.

Despite an artists success in their lifetime, time is the final arbitrator of where they fall in the history and progress of their art. Thalberg's place is more than a footnote, but not much more than that. His music at one time was admired by Mendelssohn and Berlioz, but most who have ever heard of Thalberg know him as a pianist that played second fiddle to Liszt. That isn't exactly fair, as Thalberg did advance the art of piano playing to the point where Liszt adopted some of those innovations in his own compositions for piano. Thalberg's temperament didn't allow him to climb to the heights of showmanship (or crowd pandering) that Liszt did.

Thalberg's compositions, in their own way, relied on his own particular 'tricks of the trade', and he eventually went out of style in his later years. But the ambitious Liszt may have done his part to hasten that too. Liszt's compositions are now valued much more than Thalberg's, but for many years Liszt was a composer for specialists and devotees of the 'New Music' he represented. It took many years for his music to get the recognition that it deserved, and while Thalberg's music may not be on the same level as Liszt's, some of it is very good and worth at least an occasional hearing.

Thalberg's Piano Concerto in F Minor is, to my ears, worthy of a listen. It is an early work, written around 1830 when he was 18 years old, at a time when virtuoso pianists would play their own concertos in concert.  Chopin composed both of his concertos about this same time and used them for his debut concerts. By the way, Chopin heard Thalberg play in Vienna and while he admitted he played splendidly, he didn't care for his style or his compositions. The Piano Concerto In F minor is in three movements:
I. Allegro moderato -  Thalberg follows the form of the piano concerto of the time as he opens with an orchestra exposition of the two contrasting themes that comprise the first movement. After the orchestra's initial statement the soloist enters and embellishes the themes. These kinds of compositions were written to display the abilities technically and musically of the soloist/composer and Thalberg gave himself plenty of opportunity to show what he was capable of, especially in the cadenza.

II. Adagio - The orchestra plays a short introduction before the piano assumes the spotlight with tender music that slowly unwinds like a nocturne. The orchestra adds a few comments here and there as the piano plays solo for much of this short movement.

III. Rondo : Allegro -  Thalberg follows up the slow movement with a contrasting rondo theme that follows a short introduction by the  piano.. The episodes between repetitions of the theme keep things interesting. The music shifts gears into minor mode after a short cadenza as this delightful work of the young Thalberg comes to an end.

Rimsky-Korsakov - Overture On Three Russian Themes

The nationalistic movement in Russian music began with Mikhail Glinka in the early 19th century and after his death in 1857 Mily Balakirev became the leader of the movement. Balakirev was a member of, and a main influence on, the other four composers of  a group known as The Five; Borodin, Mussorgsky, Cui, and Rimsky-Korsakov. But his influence was also felt by Tchaikovsky, and other Russian composers.

Rimsky-Korsakov was in training to be an officer in the Russian Navy, and when not at sea Balakirev taught him the rudiments of composition and encouraged him to compose.  While Rimsky-Korsakov was on two-year duty at sea he wrote to Balakirev expressing his loss of interest in music, but when he was stationed ashore, Balakirev inspired and pushed him to compose in earnest and gave him ideas for many projects. One of these was the Overture On Three Russian Themes, inspired by Balakirev's Overture On Three Russian Folk Themes.  Balakirev conducted the first version of the work in 1866, but Rimsky-Korsakov revised the work in 1880 and this is the version that is usually performed today. 

Mily Balakirev

The work begins with a slow introduction that introduces the first of the themes known in Russia by the name of 'Slava'. This theme was previously used by Beethoven in the scherzo of his 8th String Quartet Opus 59, No. 2 (the second of the set of three quartets known as the Rasmouvsky quartets). Mussorgsky also used the theme in the Coronation Scene of his opera Boris Godunov.  This theme is expanded and developed until the appearance of the next theme known in Russia as 'At The Gates', a theme previously used by Tchaikovsky in his 1812 Overture.  This second theme is at a faster pace and is played a few times with minor variations. The third theme begins directly after the second and is known as 'Ivan Is Wearing A Big Coat'. For the rest of the piece the themes weave in and out in slightly different guises, but always recognizable. At the very end of the piece the opening 'Slava' theme makes a last appearance in a hushed beginning that expands to a treatment from the full orchestra punctuated by the brass. The pace quickens as snippets of the 'Slava' theme are heard, and the overture ends. 

Franck - Piano Quintet In F Minor

Nicolas-Joseph Franck tried his best to use the talent of his son César as a way towards amassing great wealth for the family. After César  played concerts and studied at the Conservatory at Liège,  Nicolas decided to take his son to Paris to gain wider exposure and to continue his studies at the Paris Conservatoire. His son was denied enrollment because he was a foreigner  (the family was Belgian). Evidently Nicolas was a typical 'stage mother' type that would do anything to promote his sons, so he applied for French citizenship.  Nicolas made good use of the time it took to get the citizenship by having his sons study privately and play in numerous concerts. The boy entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1837 when he was 15.

The young man was under a lot of strain, as besides his studies he was teaching, composing, and thanks to his relentless and overbearing father, playing a heavy schedule of concerts. He abruptly resigned from the Conservatoire in 1842, perhaps at the insistence of his father to free him up for even more concerts. Finally Nicolas' fierce promotion of his son began to wear thin on the music critics in Paris. César was acknowledged as a fine pianist, but soon his concerts were no longer well attended.  After Nicolas had burned so many bridges with his behavior there was no longer any reason to stay in Paris, so the father and son went back to Belgium.

Belgium proved to be worse than Paris as there was not much money to be made concertizing and there was no patronage forthcoming from the Belgian King. So after two years Nicolas and son went back to Paris where César resumed teaching and giving concerts. He was also composing and had written a trio that Franz Liszt showed his approval of. But his oratorio Ruth proved not to be popular with the public and was severely panned by critics. He tried his hand at opera and other works, but finally resigned himself to a life as a teacher.

His father still tried to exert his will on the son, and when César became interested in a woman he had met in his Conservatoire days, the father did not approve. Relations between the two became so strained that César walked out of the house and did not return. After years of living with his controlling and abusive father, the son had enough. He eventually married the woman, and sought a post as an organist. He was a pianist by training and didn't show much aptitude for the organ while in school, but a position as organist was steady income.

He became one of the best organists in France, and his third appointment in 1858 was his last as he stayed at the church of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris the rest of his life. By 1872 his reputation as organist and improviser was so great that he accepted the position of professor of organ at the Paris Conservatoire.  He began to compose once again and the Piano Quintet of 1879 was one of his first masterpieces of his later years and the piece helped to reignite his writing for the piano which he had not done since his early years. The mature style of Franck was described by the musicologist Leland Hall :

"...all his work bears the stamp of his personality. Like Brahms, he has pronounced idiosyncrasies, among which his fondness for shifting harmonies is the most constantly obvious. The ceaseless alteration of chords, the almost unbroken gliding by half-steps, the lithe sinuousness of all the inner voices seem to wrap his music in a veil, to render it intangible and mystical. Diatonic passages are rare, all is chromatic. Parallel to this is his use of short phrases, which alone are capable of being treated in this shifting manner. His melodies are almost invariably dissected, they seldom are built up in broad design. They are resolved into their finest motifs and as such are woven and twisted into the close iridescent harmonic fabric with bewildering skill. All is in subtle movement."

The Piano Quintet is for piano, 2 violins, viola and cello. It is in three movements:
I. Molto quasi lento - Allegro - The movement begins with an extended introduction for string quartet alone that is soon answered by the solo piano. The strings again combine for a statement, the solo piano enters again. Strings and piano combine as the music increases in intensity until the first subject is heard. The theme goes through chromatic shifts until it gives way to the secondary theme, which is the theme that appears in all three movements.  Themes appear in different guises throughout the development section, the recapitulation is followed by a section where the main themes are juxtaposed with the secondary theme in the spotlight. The passion intensifies as the music continues its shifting chromaticism until the music grows quiet and the movement ends.

II. Lento - The second subject of the first movement appears in the middle of this movement, and it is flanked by themes that seem vaguely familiar. To my ears Franck creates in this movement a sentimental reminiscence of what has already passed.

III. Allegro non troppo - The music begins in an agitated state and grows in intensity until a theme derived from previous material arrives. All is movement and agitation which leads to the powerful coda and the abrupt end.

The quintet was premiered in 1880 with Camille Saint-Saëns at the keyboard (at the request of the composer). Saint-Saëns evidently grew more and more displeased with the piece the further he went (he was sight-reading the piece, a tribute to Saint-Saëns' musicianship). When the piece was finished Saint-Saëns stormed off the stage and refused to accept the manuscript and the dedication from Franck. Rumors flew about Franck being romantically involved with a female student at the time which contributed to the passion of the work. No one really knows why Saint-Saëns reacted the way he did. Perhaps it was the music itself, or the references to Franck's affair that made the work so emotional, or perhaps Saint-Saëns himself was harboring feelings for the same student. In any case, the work was well received by Franck's devoted students, and after a few years the work earned a place as one of the handful of masterpieces of the piano quintet genre.

Mozart - Piano Quartet In G Minor K. 478

When Mozart wrote this music in 1785,  quartets consisting of a violin, viola, cello and piano were somewhat of a novelty. Mozart was the first major composer to write for this combination of instruments. The music publishers of the time were always looking for new music to print for the amateur market, and a publisher in Vienna commissioned Mozart to write 3 (possibly more) piano quartets. The publisher printed the first piano quartet in G minor, but due to poor sales the publisher canceled his commission for the rest. The reason for the poor sales was that the music was too difficult for amateurs to play, and was no less difficult for listeners to be able to understand and appreciate.

The list of Mozart's compositions in a minor key is short. Two piano sonatas, one string quartet, two piano concertos, two symphonies, a string quintet and the piano quartet are works in a minor key. And of these nine works, four are in the key of G minor, Mozart's dramatic key.

The Piano Quartet in G minor is in 3 movements:

I. Allegro - Mozart begins the movement straight away with the first theme stated in unison by all 4 instruments:

The piano answers the initial statement. Once again all 4 instruments in unison play the statement, this time in a different key. The music proceeds with changes to a major key while echos of the theme are played in accompaniment. The piano gives voice to the second theme, the violin answers with its own material. After more transitional material, the exposition is repeated.  The development section begins with material related to previously heard music and weaves it into an intricate contrapuntal discussion between the instruments. The first theme is heard in a major key and the music transitions into differing keys, and after an extended development section the recapitulation begins. The music makes the obligatory key changes to the second theme as the music moves towards the coda. The opening theme is heard once again and is transformed to a dramatic end to the movement.

II. Andante - The middle movement is in marked contrast to the dark drama of the first movement as the instruments take turns in this gentle music in B-flat major, the relative major of the home key of G minor.

III. Rondeau -  In an even deeper contrast to the first movement is this music in the key of G major. The piano opens the movement with the rondo theme, all join in the second statement of the theme. The strings alternate with the piano throughout this movement, with all 4 instruments coming together to add some spice to it occasionally. Mozart adds variety by dipping into a minor key in a few places, but the music doesn't stay there long. The opening theme of the movement comes back one last time, and Mozart wraps up the quartet with a short coda.

C.P.E. Bach - Symphony In E-flat Major Wq. 183/2

Bach was in the employ of Frederick The Great's court in Berlin for thirty years as court harpsichordist. In 1768 he left his post in Berlin and assumed the musical directorship of the five churches in Hamburg. The conservative musical atmosphere in Berlin was not conducive to Bach's interests in composing. Despite the added responsibilities of his new position in Hamburg, he had more opportunities to promote his own compositions as well as participate in the concert life of the city.

Bach wrote two sets  of symphonies while in Hamburg. The first six were symphonies for string orchestra and were commissioned by Baron Gottfried van Swieten, Austria's ambassador to Berlin, who had traveled to Hamburg to visit Bach. Thanks to the patronage of van Swieten, Bach's music came to be performed in Vienna. It was at Sunday concerts given in van Swieten's  home that Mozart heard works by C.P.E Bach as well as J.S. Bach and Handel.

The four symphonies in twelve obbligato parts shows Bach at his most inventive. The earlier style of his father's that saw a single mood dominate a composition is thrown overboard in these symphonies as the younger Bach throws mood changes as well as key changes, rhythmic changes, and sudden pauses at the listener in each one of these symphonies. But despite the surprises in them, Bach manages to keep a flow to the music that creates a sense of balance between form and spontaneity.

The Symphony In E-flat is in three movements:
I - Allegro di molto - The movement begins with the full orchestra followed by phrases filled with trills played by the strings that are separated by pauses. The full orchestra resumes playing with the violins playing phrases of repeated notes. The second subject is played by the flute with simple violin accompaniment. The development section begins straight away with no repeat of the exposition. The opening material returns, themes modulate and segue into the next movement that begins without pause.

II. - Larghetto - A gentle tune is played by the flute, then taken up by the oboes with string accompaniment in this very short movement.

III. - Allegretto - A rhythmic movement in sonata form that contrasts with the short preceding larghetto. The violins chatter away, the winds add their share of seasoning to the mix. The first section of the movement is repeated, and is followed by a development section. The opening section returns once more with modulations occurring in the themes.  

J.C. Bach - Keyboard Sonata Opus 5, No. 5 In E Major

Johann Christian Bach was fifteen when his father Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750.  He went to Berlin to finish his studies with his elder half-brother C.P.E. Bach and while he was there he made his reputation as a keyboard player, especially of his older brother's works. About 1754 he moved to Italy where he immersed himself in the music and culture of the country to such an extent he converted from the Lutheran religion to Catholicism. He also began to change his style in composition from his older brother's to a style derived from his travels in Italy as well as France and England.

He originally intended to stay in England about a year when he first visited  in 1762 to stage some of his operas. His music became very popular, especially with the royal court, and he ended up living there until his death in 1782. He met the young Mozart in London in 1764 and his compositions became an influence on Mozart.

Bach began to favor the piano over the harpsichord early on, and was possibly the first performer to play on the instrument in public in England. English pianos of the time were known for their craftsmanship and innovations that gave the instrument a fuller tone and more reliable action. Haydn came to prefer English pianos also, as did Beethoven. Bach's Opus 5 consists of 6 sonatas that are designated for pianoforte or harpsichord, most likely because this was a period of transition between the two instruments and publishers naturally wanted to get as many sales as possible.  Modern day performances of the sonatas vary in the type of instrument used, just as the original printing intended. It is up to the performer to make the music 'speak' according to the instrument it is being played on.

The 5th sonata in the Opus 5 set is in three movements:
I. Allegro assai -  The movement begins with a rapid-fire figure that begins in the bass in eights notes and has the right hand enter to chase it after a sixteenth note rest. This continues for 4 measures. The bass then continues in a running wave of sixteenth notes as the treble plays a melody that is also peppered with sixteenth notes. This continues until a B major chord is reached which signals the start of the second subject which is in the dominant key of B major. The second subject is slightly more leisurely in the beginning but it soon takes off running with sixteenth notes and comes to a close on a B major chord. The exposition is repeated. The development starts with the figure from the beginning played in B major. Other material is developed, modulations occur, and the music returns to the home key of E major. During this early phase of sonata form it consisted of two parts to be repeated, the exposition and the development.

II. Adagio - This slow movement is in the key of A major with a steady broken chord accompaniment.

III. Prestissimo - A rondo with a rhythmic recurring subject. The first episode flirts with B major, the next  is in E minor. The subject reappears verbatim. The last episode modulates into related minor keys, the subject returns one last time and comes to a close.

Liadov - Kikomora

Not every classical composer excelled in larger forms. Composers such as Chopin, who did write a few works for piano and orchestra and a handful of piano sonatas, is best remembered for his works in the smaller form of the prelude, etude and other shorter works for the piano. That is not a criticism to be sure. It isn't the length of a composition that determines its value, it is whether the composer can move us with their craftsmanship, inspiration and quality of their work.

Anatoly Liadov was a composer that hardly wrote a single work in the larger forms for piano or orchestra. Practically his entire output consisted of miniatures for the piano or orchestra. The reasons for this have been posited by many. Some blamed his natural indolence, or his exceedingly self-critical nature, or perhaps his lack of self-confidence. It could have been that his mind worked best in the smaller forms. No one really knows. All we have is the compositions, some of them well-crafted jewels.  

Liadov took much of his inspiration from Russian folk tales and folk songs. He wrote three short symphonic poems with one, The Enchanted Lake, created in his own imagination and the other two, Baba Yaga and Kikomora, based on Slavic folk tales. The music for the tone poem was based on music originally written for an opera in 1879 that Liadov never finished. He turned this music into the tone poem in 1909.

As with most folk tales, the Kikomora shows differences by region and cultures.  The Polish version of a Kikomora (taken from the website Polish Supernatural Spirits):

Kikomora

A female house spirit that is sometimes said to be married to the Domowije. She usually lives behind the stove or in the cellar. She will look after the chickens and the housework if the home is well kept. If not, she will tickle, whistle, and whine at the children at night. She comes out at night to spin; if she appears spinning to someone it is said that person will die. To appease an angry Kikimora it is said one should wash all the pots and pans in a fern tea. She is said to look like an average woman with her hair down (Slavic women kept their heads covered).

Liadov said this about the Kikomora in his tone poem: 

She grows up with a magician in the mountains. From dawn to sunset the magician’s cat regales Kikimora with fantastic tales of ancient times and faraway places, as Kikimora rocks in a cradle made of crystal. It takes her seven years to reach maturity, by which time her head is no larger than a thimble and her body no wider than a strand of straw. Kikimora spins flax from dusk and to dawn, with evil intentions for the world.

The tone poem is in two sections, the first section is slow and mysterious and reflects the magical upbringing of Kikomora. The second section is faster and works up to a climax, presumably the Kikomora doing her malicious deeds to the members of the household she's invaded.  At the end, the music grows quiet and the Kikomora slinks away.