Edinburgh International Festival 2012 music program

[bluestateprommer]

The EIF has announced its 2012 program, and the music listings are here:

http://www.eif.co.uk/browse/music/2012-08-09/2012-09-02/all/all/date/1

The EIF goes for broke on its first night with Delius' A Mass of Life, with the RSNO and Sir Andrew Davis. One wonders if this performance will also travel to The Proms, or if The Proms will do their own separate performance in this Delius year.

While I haven't yet had the time to go through each concert, the only obvious performance of Debussy is the Nocturnes with the EUYO and Noseda. Bit of a statement, perhaps?

[John Skelton]

While I haven't yet had the time to go through each concert, the only obvious performance of Debussy is the Nocturnes with the EUYO and Noseda. Bit of a statement, perhaps?

If it is why is it, though? Debussy is a wonderful composer and it's not as if the rest of the programming is packed with surprise and daring. And as usual now at these festivals 'contemporary music' means the aural equivalent of the corporate: bland though 'colourful', interchangeable, and sufficiently recognisable as 'classical music' not to make anyone think or change anyone's perceptions: "The Violin Concerto by South Korean-born composer Unsuk Chin won the 2004 Grawemeyer Award, contemporary music’s most coveted prize [blah blah], for its glittering sounds and expressive beauty."

The Orchestre des Champs-Élysées / Herreweghe concert should be worth listening to as should Philippe Pierlot and the Ricercar Consort.

For their second concert, Philippe Pierlot and the Ricercar Consort explore uplifting and moving music by Byrd and Tye for viol consort, an expressive early ensemble that can be considered a predecessor of the string quartet. Who writes this twaddle? The same people who write Radio 3's twaddle? In what sense that means anything, other than that anything can be considered anything, is that true?

Sorry - I find these ... happenings depressing nowadays. Just an assemblage of predictable stuff, brand-labelled and puffed: Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes is one of the most gifted musicians of his generation ... One of the most exciting new names in pianism (what is "pianism"?) ... The enormously gifted young Swiss pianist ....

[Nick Armstrong]

Sorry - I find these ... happenings depressing nowadays. Just an assemblage of predictable stuff, brand-labelled and puffed: Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes is one of the most gifted musicians of his generation ... One of the most exciting new names in pianism (what is "pianism"?) ... The enormously gifted young Swiss pianist ....

I'm glad it's not just me!!

[mercia]

should a viol consort not historically be considered the predecessor of a string quartet ?

I can't see anything unusual in that publicity material

[John Skelton]

I can't see anything unusual in that publicity material

Neither can I.

should a viol consort not historically be considered the predecessor of a string quartet ?

I don't see why it should. Composers for viol consort weren't writing proto-string quartets, there aren't formal anticipations of the classical string quartet in viol consort music, and the composers of the first string quartets wouldn't have had any idea that C16 / C17 viol consort music existed.

[mercia]

I can't see anything unusual in that publicity material

by which I meant it has been similar to that for decades as far as I can see

[mercia]

the composers of the first string quartets wouldn't have had any idea that C16 / C17 viol consort music existed.

thanks, I didn't know that
out of interest did the first string quartets evolve from nothing in particular ?

[John Skelton]

thanks, I didn't know that
out of interest did the first string quartets evolve from nothing in particular ?

Well, no . I'd guess they evolved from the trio sonata (which doesn't mean there are three instruments, but with a bass instrument doubling the harpsichord or organ continuo) and the divertimento (Haydn's pre- op. 9 and 17 quartets are divertimento-like). Mainly the trio sonata, I'd say.

[Pabmusic]

Well, no . I'd guess they evolved from the trio sonata (which doesn't mean there are three instruments, but with a bass instrument doubling the harpsichord or organ continuo) and the divertimento (Haydn's pre- op. 9 and 17 quartets are divertimento-like). Mainly the trio sonata, I'd say.

I agree, though I'm not so sure it was a very 'natural' progression from either. Here's a translation of part of an article from the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung of May 1809, following Haydn's death. It's by Georg August Griesinger, who had had access to Haydn for the previous 10 years, and it deals with Haydn's introduction to the quartet:

"the following purely chance circumstance had led him to try his luck at the composition of quartets. A Baron Fürnbeg had a place in Weinzierl, several stages from Vienna [about fifty miles], and he invited from time to time his pastor, his manager, Haydn, and Albrechtsberger (a brother of the celebrated contrapuntist, who played the violoncello) in order to have a little music. Fürnberg requested Haydn to compose something that could be performed by these four amateurs. Haydn, then eighteen years old, took up this proposal, and so originated his first quartet [quotation of opening of Op. 1 no. 1], which, immediately it appeared, received such general approval that Haydn took courage to work further in this form".

This isn't conclusive, but it suggests that the fortuitous availability of four amateurs in a seemingly balanced ensemble was more influential than anything else.

[John Skelton]

That's most interesting, Pabmusic - thanks. Are there not early string quartets by other composers arrived at independently of Haydn? (I think that there are, or I think that I think that there are ....). There are also quartets by Telemann and C.P.E.Bach with a flute 'for' the first violin (+ a harpsichord).

[Pabmusic]

... Are there not early string quartets by other composers arrived at independently of Haydn? (I think that there are, or I think that I think that there are ....). There are also quartets by Telemann and C.P.E.Bach with a flute 'for' the first violin (+ a harpsichord).

There were, of course. I can think of the six "Sonata à Quattro per due Violini, Violetta, e Violoncello senza Cembalo" by Alessandro Scarlatti (but I had to look up the title!). It's interesting that he specifies "senza Cembalo", which suggests the ensemble was very unusual (in about 1710). The Haydn anecdote is important, though, because of the sheer influence his quartets had.

A concert I'd like to have been present at was the one recorded (in his diary) by Mozart's pupil Michael Kelly. A quartet played that consisted of Haydn and Dittersdorf (violins), Mozart (viola) and Vanhal (cello)! Oh for a recording!

[pastoralguy]

Anyway, getting back to the EIF, I think it's a good if perhaps not vintage year. I'm looking forward to Gergiev and the LSO play the Brahms symphonies over 4 (!!) successive evenings. I don't think I've ever hear Gergiev's Brahms so should be interesting. It'll be good to investigate the Szymanowski symphonies before the concerts.

Oddly enough, I had young Nicola Beneddetti's recording of the first violin concerto on whilst I was reading the listings. So glad she's getting an invite to the EIF. (I just hope Gergiev does a better job for her than he did for Sarah Chang in the DSCH 1st concerto we heard at the Barbican 3 weeks ago! I'm sure there must have been a couple of occasions where soloist and conductor were in the same part of the bar but I failed to notice them!)