In my previous column, I mentioned that we would be doing several works by Mozart this season that feature a string trio or quartet plus a contrasting (solo) instrument. Mozart’s Piano Quartet in G Minor is featured on our first program (which is still running), and our second program turns to his Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581. As I mentioned last week, there was a huge surge of works for these kinds of combinations in the late 18th century spurred on by an eager public that included newly minted amateur musicians hungry for such works. However, Mozart ran a bit counter to this influence. His inspiration came mostly from virtuosos on different instruments that he became friendly with. In the case of the clarinet, it was the extraordinary talent on the instrument, Anton Stadler. It is not really an overstatement to say that Stadler put the clarinet on the musical map.
Unlike the flute, oboe, or bassoon, all of which had existed for quite a long time in some form or another, the clarinet was, for all practical purposes, a fairly newly invented instrument. It needed someone to bring it to the attention of great composers and to demonstrate its potential. Enter Anton Stadler. a remarkable artist on the instrument whom Mozart soon befriended when he moved to Vienna in 1781.
Stadler, who would join Mozart in the same Masonic Lodge in Vienna, initially introduced Mozart to the Basset Horn. This was an instrument a bit lower in range than the clarinet and similar to what we now call the alto clarinet. Starting in 1783, and continuing for about two years, Mozart wrote thirteen works involving the basset horn. At some point, Stadler began experimenting with something called the basset clarinet – basically a clarinet with a couple of lower notes added on to it. This set off a whole new group of works by Mozart for Stadler and this newly modified instrument. The most famous of these is his Clarinet Concerto, K. 622, which was written in the year of his un-timely death, 1791. Our Quintet comes from two years earlier and is K. 581. Also of particular note are two arias in Mozart’s last opera, La Clemenza di Tito, K. 621, from 1791, just two months before his death. These arias, which Mozart wrote with Stadler particularly in mind include Non più di Fiori, which is for soprano and basset horn, and Parto, ma tu ben mio, for mezzo soprano and Stadler’s new basset clarinet. Both have significant obligato solo parts that were to feature Stadler as much as the singers. Stadler travelled with Mozart to Prague for the premiere.
This all indicates the degree to which Mozart was willing to absorb new inventions and the skill and artistry of his friends to a remarkable degree. Apart from the beautiful music he created, the impact on his fellow composers was also significant. Mozart had already used the clarinet in his Symphony No. 31 (“The Paris)” from 1778, while Haydn, who was 24 years older than Mozart, only first used the clarinet in his Symphony No. 99, written in 1793, two years after Mozart’s death. Beethoven, of course, would come to use it routinely. The Clarinet Quintet is a sublime work that undoubtedly influenced Brahms to write his own Clarinet Quintet, and our clarinetist, J. J. Koh plays it to perfection.
On the second half of this program is a work we have not performed before. It has been on my radar for a long time, and this seemed like a good program in which to introduce it. Alexander Glazunov is not quite a household name – unless…. If you are a ballet aficionado, you will probably know his great stage work, Raymonda. If you are a violinist or lover of violin concertos you will be familiar with his Violin Concerto. And, if you are a saxophone player (!), you will know that he wrote probably the most important concerto for that instrument in existence. He also wrote a Quartet for Saxophones. However, he also excelled in many of the conventional areas of repertoire. He completed eight symphonies and seven string quartets, plus a wide variety of piano works, concerti, and incidental works. He also played a pivotal role during a pivotal time. He was head of the St. Petersburg Conservatory from 1906 until 1928 (he began teaching there in 1899). As such, he played a significant part in Russian musical life during a time of great political turbulence and unrest and during a time of vastly changing tastes in musical styles. He was acquainted with and associated with all of the major Russian musical figures over a very long period from Rimsky Korsakov and Tchaikovsky to Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky. He is known for his sweeping melodies and the beautiful and imaginative orchestral colors of his works. He also was reported to have been an exceptionally talented painter.
His mother was a gifted pianist and his first teacher. She soon recognized that he was very precocious musically and arranged for him to study with Rimsky Korsakov. He wrote his first symphony at 16. Rimsky-Korsakov is reported to have said that he progressed not by the day, but by the hour. Their relationship quickly developed from that of Glazunov the student to Glazunov the younger colleague.
In addition to composing, he also became a prominent conductor leading the premieres of works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. He remained active as a conductor until the end of his life even after emigrating to the West in 1929 to settle in Paris. He claimed it was for health reasons but many thought he had finally had enough of the Russian political climate.
It is only natural that Glazunov would be attracted to the string quintet genre. It complemented his seven quartets, and the addition of the second cello added tonal depth that appealed to his desire for richness of color and pathos. However, there is another perhaps curious factor regarding this particular work. His Quintet originates from around the time Tchaikovsky, with whom he was closely associated, was creating his own String Sextet, the well-known Souvenir de Florence. Was Glazunov aware of Tchaikovsky work on his Sextet, or perhaps it was the other way around? We can’t know for sure, but it is interesting to speculate. These were both unique works for their composers. Neither ever again wrote something similar. By the way, if you would like to make your own comparison, we are also performing the Souvenir from Aug. 30th to Sept. 5th this season. You can make your own evaluation.
Pairing this work with the Mozart Clarinet Quintet seems like a natural affinity. For sure, they are both Quintets, but Mozart was kind of the father of the string quintet. He wrote six masterpieces for this combination (although he uses two violas rather than two cellos). Haydn wrote none and Beethoven only one. Of course, then Schubert weighed in with his – one of the most sublime works ever written, and then Mendelssohn, Dvorak, and Brahms did as well.
Come see why these two works are such standouts and why they deserve to be heard together, when J.J. Koh, David Perry, and the rest of our string players converge for some truly memorable music-making. Concerts can be heard:
Thursday, June 18, 7:00 pm., Bjorklunden, Baileys Harbor
Friday, June 19 7:00 pm., Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek
Saturday, June 20, 7:00 pm., MUSE, Sturgeon Bay
Sunday, June 21, 4:00 pm., Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
By the way, here is a little-known secret. A long time ago, in a previous life, I as a saxophone player) played both the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto and the Saxophone Quartet (but don’t tell anyone). I’ve also played his ballet, Raymonda (as a bassoonist). He was very talented and worth listening to. I know our string players are excited to be doing his String Quintet. Hope to see you there!