Inside EROICA

Gordon Williamson
“Couverture” for piano quartet (2020)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major (“Eroica”), op. 55
(arr. for piano quartet by Ferdinand Ries)
Gordon Williamson
“Encore” for piano quartet (2020)

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Beethoven’s immense output amazed not only Liszt and Wagner. Even today, his revolutionary compositional approach and influential musical
approach and influential musical impact is hard to deny.
This extraordinary program offers different paths,
to hear Beethoven’s Eroica. It does justice to the unconventional
composer’s unconventional approach, honoring him and placing his music in a new
a new contemporary context. Beginning with a
work for the Flex Ensemble by Canadian composer Gordon Williamson (“The
composer Gordon Williamson (“Couverture”), which is based on the Eroica Symphony and inspired by Beethoven’s overtures, it is followed by the monumental
monumental Eroica itself, arranged for piano quartet by
Beethoven’s good friend and pupil Ferdinand Ries as the centerpiece of the program.
of the program, and finally, to resume the contemporary arc
and to give a new outlook, once again a new composition by
new composition by Gordon Williamson (“Encore”), a winking
a tongue-in-cheek variation work based on the famous bass theme of the
bass theme of the final movement of the Eroica.

Slavic sentiment

Josef Suk
Piano quartet in A minor, op. 1 (1891)
Alexandre Tansman
Suite Divertissement for piano quartet (1929)*
Antonin Dvorak
Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, op. 87

*Alternative for Tansman:
Mateusz Smoczynski
New songs from Kurpien
(commissioned by Flex Ensemble, 2019)

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Dvorák’s 2nd Piano Quartet reveals the personal and creative
of the 48-year-old composer, who was in the prime of his life at this time.
of his life. Soon after he completed his quartet, the maestro
quartet, the maestro assumed the post of professor of composition at the
Composition at the Prague Conservatory. This decision was to prove
fateful, not so much for himself as for the 17-year-old Josef Sukowski.
but rather for the 17-year-old Josef Suk, who was one of the most talented
students of Dvorák’s chosen class. Suk wrote his
quartet under Dvorák’s direction and gave it the symbolic opus number 1.
symbolic opus number 1. The piece reflects his contemporary
self-stylization as a passionate, flaring youth,
yet its melodic power and delicacy match that of Dvorák’s
work. Rounding out this Slavic program is the “Suite
Divertissement” by the Polish composer Alexandre Tansman.

BeJAZZled

Aaron Copland
Piano Quartet (1950)
Krzysztof Komeda/Mateusz Smoczyński
Komeda Recomposed
(commissioned by Flex Ensemble, 2021)
Nikolai Kapustin
Piano Quintet op. 89 (1998)

With Mateusz Smoczyński – violin

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Sounds like jazz – but it’s all notated! This is the motto of the recently
Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin, who recently passed away, really
perfected. The slow movement of his piano quintet, composed in 1998 in a particularly
during a particularly fruitful and creative phase of his career,
is one of Kapustin’s most beautiful creations, followed by what is probably the most
most astonishing five minutes in chamber music literature – a jazz-rock classic that leaves the audience, but not necessarily the players, begging for an
for an encore.
Next to it is Aaron Copland’s much too rarely played Piano Quartet
from 1950, which is influenced by jazz rhythms in the middle movement.
Copland, the “modernist,” is at his best here. He
dances with a kinetic movement to a kind of “ragged” time and thus
evokes the sharp pointillism of Stravinsky and Shostakovich.
Shostakovich.
A special highlight is a jazz suite on standards by Polish film music composer and jazz pianist Krzysztof Komeda, selected and arranged by Smoczynski.

Out of Doors

Frank Bridge
Phantasy for piano quartet
Béla Bartók
Out of Doors
(in an arrangement for piano quartet by Gordon Williamson for the Flex Ensemble 2022)
Franz Schubert
Piano Quintet (“Trout Quintet”) in A major, D 667

With Felix von Werder – double bass

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Schubert’s Trout Quintet, with its evocative reference to nature, gives this concert a special atmosphere. It is joined by Béla Bartók`s Out of Doors in a new arrangement for piano quartet by Gordon Williamson.

En France

Maurice Ravel
Ma mère l’Oye (arr. for piano quartet by Shintaro Sakabe)
(commissioned by Flex Ensemble, 2018)
Project Chanson:
French chansons re-arranged for piano quartet by Gordon Williamson, Gérard Pesson, Johannes Schöllhorn, Konstantinos Raptis and Sebastiaan Koolhoven.
(all commissioned by Flex Ensemble, 2018)
Gabriel Fauré
Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, op. 45

*Alternative:
Gérard Pesson – Mes Béatitudes
Camille Saint-Saëns – Piano Quartet in B flat major, op. 41
Melanie Bonis – Piano Quartet in B-flat Du

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Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, Édith Piaf… These names pop up
when talking about modern French chanson. But from
contemporary composers and arrangers look at this music?
arrangers look at this music? We have asked composers and arrangers
of different careers and generations to present their version of a
of a French chanson of their choice (e.g., Josquin Deprez, Jaques
Brel or Stromae) without vocals for a piano quartet,
rewrite or interpret it.

For our endeavor to expand the repertoire for piano quartet and to
to creatively exploit the possibilities, we have also engaged the
up-and-coming arranger and conductor Shintaro Sakabe
to rewrite Ravel’s “Ma mère l’Oye” for piano quartet.
for piano quartet. The French program is completed by the less frequently performed 2nd Piano Quartet by Gabriel Fauré.

.

Press quote on the premiere in Hanover:

“Aufhorchen ließ auch die Bearbeitung von Ravels Märchen-Suite: Shintaro Sakae hat sie für das Flex Ensemble angefertigt und aus dem Original, einem Klavierduo von mittlerer Schwierigkeitsstufe, ein vollwertiges Konzertstück geformt, das an die Ausführenden die höchsten Anforderungen stellt. Und das Flex Ensemble hat dieser durchaus ungewöhnlichen Einrichtung hörbar viel Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt: Behutsam wurde jede Tongebung und jede Phrasierung abgewogen und geformt, und das Ergebnis der sicherlich mühevolle Arbeit war schlicht begeisternd.”

Neue Presse, 15.02.2020

Schumann and Brahms

Robert Schumann
Piano quartet in E flat major, op. 47
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, op. 26

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Ever since Robert Schumann had fallen in love with the young pianist, this thought had been
this thought was stuck in his head. And of course it also influenced
his music. After a short excursion into the world of the
Robert Schumann vowed to write only chamber music with piano in the future.
music with piano, so that Clara could always be present.
could always be present. To this vow we also owe the wonderful
Schumann composed it in 1842, the year of his almost intoxicatingly creative chamber music.
The Piano Quartet op. 26 by Johannes Brahms, sketched in the mid-fifties, was published in 1861.
published in 1861, is the longest chamber music work by Brahms, lasting a good 50 minutes.
chamber music work by Brahms. The length results from an
overflow of compositional and melodic ideas. Throughout
relationship to Clara Schumann shines through, most strongly in the melancholic
most strongly in the melancholy, painful tone of the ‘Adagio’. After all
there is a dance-like and lively final movement in Hungarian style.
dance-like, lively conclusion and, through the coda of this movement, an
conclusion. With rhythmic, harmonic and dynamic
and dynamic increases, polished down to the smallest detail, the piece is able to
op. 25 in beauty and balance of form.
in beauty and balance of form.

Child prodigy

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Piano Quartet No. 2 in F minor, op. 2
Gustav Mahler
Piano Quartet in A minor
Richard Strauss
Piano Quartet in C minor, op. 13

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