Chamber Music New Zealand Presents

GALVANISEDwith Diedre Irons (piano)

NZTRIO, BEETHOVEN reCYCLE with MICHAEL HOUSTOUN, EINSTEIN’S UNIVERSE, GOLDNER STRING QUARTET with PIERS LANE and more!

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1Galvanised with Diedre Irons

Welcome

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the opening concert of our 2013 Kaleidoscopes concert season.

Tonight’s performance features some familiar faces in a brand new ensemble, presenting a fresh voice and colourful repertoire. Galvanised with Diedre Irons will perform an attractive range of solo, duo and trio works. These include a new commission written especially for them by Ross Harris, inspired by his love of Klezmer music.

This concert off ers variety, fun and charm. Thanks for joining us tonight and we look forward to welcoming you back throughout the year.

Enjoy!

Euan MurdochChief ExecutiveChamber Music New Zealand

Programme

Dubois Les Tréteaux 4

Takács Two Fantastics 4

Poulenc Sonata for Flute and Piano 5

Ross Harris Shtiklekh 5

INTERVAL

Shostakovich Four Waltzes 6

Rachmaninov Three Preludes from Opus 23 6

Eychenne Cantilène et Danse 7

Wanganui 1 MarchPalmerston North 2 MarchNapier 3 MarchHamilton 4 MarchNew Plymouth 6 MarchNelson 8 MarchInvercargill 9 March

Please respect the music, the musicians, and your fellow audience members, by switching off all cellphones, pagers and watches. Taking photographs, or sound or video recordings during the concert is strictly prohibited unless with the prior approval of Chamber Music New Zealand.

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2 Chamber Music New Zealand

Diedre Irons is one of New Zealand’s most distinguished performers. Born in Canada, she made her debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12 and graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music where she was then invited to teach for the next seven years. Since moving to New Zealand in 1977 she has performed regularly with the major New Zealand orchestras, toured many times under the auspices of Chamber Music New Zealand, and recorded extensively for Radio New Zealand. Diedre was awarded an MBE in 1989 and an ONZM in 2011 for services to music. From 1992-2003 she taught at the University of Canterbury, then moved to Wellington. She has recently left her position as head of classical performance at the New Zealand School of Music to concentrate on performing.

GalvanisedDiedre Irons pianoDeborah Rawson saxophoneRebecca Steel fl ute

3Galvanised with Diedre Irons

Rebecca Steel began her fl ute studies at the age of 11 and her professional career with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at the age of 16. In 1975 she joined the Opera and Ballet Orchestra in Sydney, then travelled to London to further her studies, principally with William Bennett. On returning to New Zealand Rebecca took up the position of principal fl ute in the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and taught at the University of Canterbury. Two years in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Wellington Regional Orchestra followed, then she returned to London for a year to play with the Philharmonia Orchestra. In 1998 she returned to Sydney where she freelanced with the major orchestras and taught at the University of New South Wales. She returned to live in Wellington in 2011, and has played with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Wellington Orchestra.

Debbie Rawson studied clarinet at Canterbury University and London’s Guildhall School of Music. She returned to New Zealand and established herself as a soloist, chamber and orchestral player, and university tutor. Debbie is a founding member of several chamber ensembles, including the Zelanian Ensemble, Tango Virtuosi and Saxcess, and has been principal clarinet of the Wellington Sinfonia, and played both saxophone and clarinet in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She currently holds the position of Head of Woodwind at the New Zealand School of Music, Wellington.

4 Chamber Music New Zealand

Pierre Max Duboisborn graulhet, 1 march 1930died rocquencourt, 29 august 1995

Les TréteauxPrologue et fanfareRomanticaValse vulgaire

French composer Pierre Max Dubois studied at the Paris Conservatoire, and won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1955. He held teaching appointments both in Paris and Quebec, and was a Professor at the Paris Conservatoire. His stylistic infl uences include the composers Milhaud, Françaix and Prokofi ev, as well as jazz and folk music, and his works are characteristically virtuosic and humorous. Written in 1966, Les Tréteaux [The Trestles] is a supreme demonstration of the alto saxophone’s fl exibility of sound. Dubois has written many works for the instrument, including one for a saxophone orchestra, and was one of the 20th century’s most prolifi c writers for woodwind instruments in general.

The fi rst movement is good-humoured and quirky, with constantly changing combinations of instruments – sometimes the piano accompanies the solo fl ute or saxophone, sometimes the two winds are pitted against the piano. In the second movement, an undulating piano part accompanies a lyrical tune heard fi rst in the fl ute. After a clumsy-sounding introduction, the Valse vulgaire launches into a humorous – or maybe sarcastic – dance. The piano sustains a constant waltz rhythm underneath grotesque gestures from the other two instruments.

Jenő Takács born cinfalva (now siegendorf), 25 september 1902died eisenstadt, 14 november 2005

Two Fantastics Opus 88Tempo rubatoTempo giusto

Austrian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist Jenő Takács studied traditional composition techniques in Vienna but also developed a particular interest in the folk music of his Hungarian heritage after meeting Bela Bartok. A wider study of world folk music saw him teach at universities in Cairo and Manila as well as Cincinnati, where he was based for 18 years.

The Two Fantastics were composed in 1969, during his time in America, and the two movements complement each other. The fi rst, which is marked to be played in a ‘free’ tempo, has a mysterious quality interspersed with dramatic gestures. The second, in strict rhythm, has obvious jazz references and a compelling forward-moving energy.

5Galvanised with Diedre Irons

Francis Poulencborn paris, 7 january 1899died paris, 30 january 1963

Sonata for Flute and PianoAllegretto malinconicoCantilena: assez lentPresto giocoso

Poulenc was another French composer who wrote marvelously for wind instruments throughout his career, beginning with a sonata for two clarinets in 1918 and ending with sonatas for oboe and clarinet written in his last year. He was a member of the Parisian group known as ‘Les Six’, which rejected the impressionist style that dominated French music at the time. Their preference was for a greater simplicity, and Poulenc’s skill at writing memorable melodies is evident, particularly in his many songs.

The popular Flute Sonata was written in 1957 for the Coolidge Foundation of America, and premièred that year by the fl autist Jean-Pierre Rampal with the composer at the piano. A fl owing opening phrase permeates the Allegretto malinconico [lively but melancholy], and the movement ends quietly in preparation for the singing Cantilena that follows. The fi nal Presto giocoso [fast and playful] changes the mood to one of stomping high spirits, with occasional solemn reminders of earlier themes.

Ross Harrisborn amberley, north canterbury, 1 august 1945

ShtiklekhNew Zealander Ross Harris taught music at Victoria University for over 30 years, and is now a freelance composer. His repertoire spans piano pieces, songs, chamber music, operas, orchestral works, jazz, rock and klezmer music. The première of his opera Waituhi led to Harris being awarded the QSM for Public Service in 1985, and in 2000, 2005, 2006 and 2009 he received the SOUNZ Contemporary Award.

The composer writes:Shtiklekh [Yiddish for ‘morsel’] was commissioned by Chamber Music New Zealand for the group Galvanised for their 2013 tour. The commission asked the composer to draw on his experiences as an accordionist and composer for the Klezmer group Kugeltov. In doing so he used scales and melodic infl ections found in klezmer and aimed to absorb some of the melancholy and wildness of the folk based genre. The piece begins in a refl ective mood and gradually accelerates to dance-like music. Following a brief solo for piano the work builds again to a rousing climax based on one of the composer’s klezmer tunes ‘Narish (Silly)’.

6 Chamber Music New Zealand

Sergey Rachmaninovborn oneg, 1 april 1873died beverly hills, california, 28 march 1943

Prelude No 3 in D minorTempo di menuetto

Prelude No 4 in D majorAndante cantabile

Prelude No 5 in G minorAlla marcia

Rachmaninov was not only a highly accomplished composer and conductor, but also a pianist with a formidable technique. After he escaped from Russia in 1917, he built a career as a performer and wrote very few new works, so most of his signifi cant compositions date from the early part of his life, when the great Russian romantic tradition was in full swing. In 1897 Rachmaninov suff ered a crisis that meant he wrote no substantial works for three years. After seeking help from a noted hypnotist, he returned to composition and then produced a steady stream of works, including the ten Preludes Opus 23. In 1911 he wrote a companion set of thirteen Preludes Opus 33 and these two sets, along with the earlier (and well-known) Prelude in C sharp minor, follow the lead of Chopin in creating a set of 24 Preludes, one in each of the major and minor keys.

Prelude No 3 oscillates between being macabre and witty, between being deadly serious and being a ‘send-up’.

Prelude No 4 remains serene and unhurried throughout, even at its climax. The tender

Dmitri Shostakovichborn st petersburg, 25 september 1906died moscow, 9 august 1975

Four Waltzes Spring Waltz: AllegrettoWaltz Scherzo: Allegretto scherzandoWaltz: Tempo di valseBarrel Organ Waltz: Allegretto

Shostakovich was a child prodigy, and entered Petrograd Conservatory at the age of 13. He wrote his First Symphony as a graduation piece when he was 19, then embarked on a career as both pianist and composer. During the following decade he wrote three more symphonies, his fi rst piano concerto, three ballets, several fi lm scores, and two operas. He was initially highly regarded within the Soviet Union, but in 1936 suff ered an unprecedented offi cial attack for his ‘modernist’ music. He spent the rest of his life avoiding overt political content and modifying his musical language.

This set of waltzes was arranged by Levon Atovmyan, and the titles give an indication of their character. Spring Waltz is taken from Shostakovich’s score for Michurin, a 1948 fi lm about a noted Russian plant selection scientist and geneticist. Waltz Scherzo (or ‘Joke Waltz’) comes from the ballet The Bolt, about a lazy factory worker who plans to put a bolt in the machinery to stop it. The third Waltz is from another fi lm score, The Return of Maxim (1938), about a factory worker who organises a strike and gets beaten up. The fi nal movement is sometimes known incorrectly as Waltz Charmaine, after a mistaken translation of the Russian word ‘sharmanka’, meaning barrel organ. It is taken from The Gadfl y, a 1955 fi lm of a popular book about a young heroic revolutionary.

7Galvanised with Diedre Irons

Marc Eychenne born algiers, 1933

Cantilène et Danse Marc Eychenne studied violin at the Algiers Conservatory, then moved to France to further his studies in both violin and composition. He became a chamber music soloist for French Radio in 1963, but gradually spent more time composing than performing. He has written mainly for chamber ensembles, but also produced works for soloist with orchestra, choral works, and music for children.

It is rare to fi nd the saxophone in a piece of chamber music, and many audiences and composers associate it with jazz rather than classical music. However, it is an extremely fl uent and sensitive instrument, and can have an expressive tone that sounds similar to the human voice. These qualities have been particularly developed in France, where virtuoso players have inspired composers to take the instrument seriously. Eychenne has written many works that combine it with a variety of other instruments.

He wrote Cantilène et Danse in 1961 for saxophone, violin and piano, and the piece shows a characteristic French lucidity and sparkle in its instrumental textures. The opening Cantilène is an exotic song, reminiscent of Villa-Lobos, with a warm and poetic atmosphere. This leads into a driving, energetic dance, full of irregular rhythms and strongly jazz infl uenced, allowing all the instruments to demonstrate their virtuosity.

opening melody, at fi rst accompanied by left hand triplets, is later joined by a descant moving in triplets.

Prelude No 5 is the best known of the Opus 23 set. Its fi rst and last sections develop almost completely from the martial, highly rhythmic material of the fi rst bar. In the contrasting central section the lyrical right hand melody is accompanied by a fl owing bass that reminds us how much the composer felt the infl uence of Chopin.

8 Chamber Music New Zealand

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BranchesAuckland: Chair, Victoria Silwood; Concert Manager, Ros Giff neyHamilton: Chair, Murray Hunt; Concert Manager, Gaye Duffi llNew Plymouth: Chair, Joan Gaines; Concert Manager, Susan CaseHawkes Bay: Chair, June Cliff ord; Concert Manager, Liff y RobertsManawatu: Chair, Graham Parsons; Concert Manager, Karen CarterWellington:Concert Manager, Jessica Lightfoot; Nelson: Chair, Henrietta Hannah; Concert Manager, Clare MontiChristchurch: Chair, Colin McLachlan; Concert Manager, Jody KeehanDunedin: Chair, Terence Dennis; Concert Manager, Richard DingwallSouthland: Chair, Shona Thomson; Concert Manager, Jennifer Sinclair

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