Works for string quartet, and voice and piano, performed by the Borromeo String Quartet, soprano Jeanine De Bique, and pianist Warren Jones.

• Mozart: String Quartet in B-flat Major, K. 458
• Mozart: Misera, dove son, K. 369

A prolific opera composer, Mozart was an expert dramatist, and his knack for keeping an audience’s attention and tugging at their emotions extended to his works for the concert hall. At the end of our program today, we’ll hear one of the composer’s concert arias, a sort of opera in miniature. In this aria, the character Fluvia is racked by grief over her father’s treachery, driven so far as to wish for death, begging heaven to send down a thunderbolt to end her suffering. But first we begin with a less narrative but no less captivating instrumental piece. The quartet’s nickname, “The Hunt,” seems irresistibly apt, given the galloping rhythm and hornlike motives in the opening movement. A rollicking finale follows two less rustic inner movements, a lilting minuet and a beautiful adagio.

Works for string quartet, and voice and piano, performed by the Borromeo String Quartet, soprano Jeanine De Bique, and pianist Warren Jones.

• Mozart: String Quartet in B-flat Major, K. 458
• Mozart: Misera, dove son, K. 369

A prolific opera composer, Mozart was an expert dramatist, and his knack for keeping an audience’s attention and tugging at their emotions extended to his works for the concert hall. At the end of our program today, we’ll hear one of the composer’s concert arias, a sort of opera in miniature. In this aria, the character Fluvia is racked by grief over her father’s treachery, driven so far as to wish for death, begging heaven to send down a thunderbolt to end her suffering. But first we begin with a less narrative but no less captivating instrumental piece. The quartet’s nickname, “The Hunt,” seems irresistibly apt, given the galloping rhythm and hornlike motives in the opening movement. A rollicking finale follows two less rustic inner movements, a lilting minuet and a beautiful adagio.

Works for solo piano, and violin and piano duo, performed by pianist Paavali Jumppanen and violinist Corey Cerovsek.

• Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3
• Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 8 in G Major, Op. 30, No. 3

The image that comes to mind when thinking of Beethoven is probably a stern-faced, wild-haired man, deep in existential angst. But one of Beethoven’s great inspirations, particularly in his early days, was Haydn, that famously jocular father of the string quartet. Today’s we’ll hear that lighter, “Haydn-esque” side of Beethoven through two of his chamber works.

Works for chamber orchestra performed by the Gardner Chamber Orchestra directed by Douglas Boyd.

• Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
• Elgar: Introduction and Allegro, Op. 47

The two works on this podcast have a striking number of similarities. Written at the very beginning of the 20th century, both of these works for strings exhibit a luscious, Romantic sensibility, applied to centuries-old material. Vaughan Williams takes a hymn tune by a British Renaissance composer as his starting point, while Elgar evokes the Baroque more generally, using rhythmic hemiola and incorporating a vigorous fugue. Both works also hearken back to the early form concerto grosso—using a larger orchestra paired with a smaller “solo” group. Both pieces evoke the folk music of the British Isles. Despite all the commonalities, the works undoubtedly have their own distinct character, which makes for an interesting study of the similarities and differences between these two contemporaries.

Works for flute, oboe, viola, harpsichord and chamber orchestra performed by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center members Paula Robison, Steven Taylor, Andreas Brantelid, and John Gibbons, and A Far Cry.

• Bach: Sonata in D Major for viola da gamba and harpsichord, BWV 1028
• Bach: Trio Sonata in G Major for flute, oboe, and continuo, BWV 1039
• Purcell: The Old Bachelor, Z. 607

What better way, in the days before television, iPhones, movies, and all other forms of electronic distraction, to pass the evening than listening to live music? Bach’s sonatas for viola da gamba were written at a time when the instrument was waning—most of the great players were in their final years, or had already passed on. The sonata we’ll hear requires particularly incredible technical prowess, and one can’t help but rejoice in the fact that musicians today still perform these wonderful sonatas. Next is another sonata from that same set, an arrangement for woodwinds and continuo that allows the delightfully imitative individual lines to shine. We end with a lovely set of incidental music written by Purcell for the Restoration comedy The Old Bachelor. Though perhaps less familiar than the composer’s operas, Purcell’s theatre music is not at all short on charm or tunefulness; indeed some of his best-loved songs come from this part of his oeuvre.

Works for solo piano and flute and piano duo performed by pianists Seymour Lipkin and Paavali Jumppanen, and flutist Paula Robison.

• Schubert: Piano Sonata in G Major, Op. 78, D. 894
• Schubert: Introduction and Variations on “Ihr Blumlein alle”, Op. 160

The name Franz Schubert is virtually synonymous with lieder, the German art song, which he is widely credited with elevating to the highest level, deftly marrying poetry and music. Some of Schubert’s best-known instrumental chamber works are actually adaptations of his songs including the introduction and variations on “Ihr Blümlein alle,” which is one of the final movements of Schubert’s cycle “Die schöne Müllerin.” Schubert wrote 21 piano sonatas, but only three of these were published during his lifetime, and Op. 78 was one of the few to make the cut. The piece was published as a “fantasy”, apparently because the publisher feared that the tranquil first movement was so different from the typical sonata opener that it would confuse customers.

Works for solo piano and string quartet performed by pianist Paavali Jumppanen and the Belcea Quartet.

• Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 13, “Pathétique”
• Bartók: String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7

Surely the feeling of the catharsis is one of the great gifts of art. The arc from darkness towards light provides an opportunity for the listener to savor a satisfying taste of peace, and perhaps a chance for the creator to work through his or her own demons as well. Bartok’s first String Quartet was likely the product of the composer’s own grieving process, after discovering that his love for the violinist Stefi Geyer was unrequited. Bartok is often quoted as describing the first movement as a “funeral dirge,” and though the entire work has a sort of abiding angst, the propulsive final movement certainly expresses a strong will to go on. First, though, we’ll hear one of the best-known solo piano pieces of the repertoire, Beethoven’s “Pathetique” sonata. A sense of melancholy pervades the piece—which accounts for the title—but the glimmering moments of resolution, particularly in the second and third movements, are so deliciously wonderful that they make it a sort of melancholy worth savoring.

Works for solo piano and string quartet performed by pianist Paavali Jumppanen and the Belcea Quartet.

- Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 13, “Pathétique”
- Bartók: String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7

Surely the feeling of the catharsis is one of the great gifts of art. The arc from darkness towards light provides an opportunity for the listener to savor a satisfying taste of peace, and perhaps a chance for the creator to work through his or her own demons as well. Bartok’s first String Quartet was likely the product of the composer’s own grieving process, after discovering that his love for the violinist Stefi Geyer was unrequited. Bartok is often quoted as describing the first movement as a “funeral dirge,” and though the entire work has a sort of abiding angst, the propulsive final movement certainly expresses a strong will to go on. First, though, we’ll hear one of the best-known solo piano pieces of the repertoire, Beethoven’s “Pathetique” sonata. A sense of melancholy pervades the piece—which accounts for the title—but the glimmering moments of resolution, particularly in the second and third movements, are so deliciously wonderful that they make it a sort of melancholy worth savoring.

Recorded live in the Tapestry Room of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is pleased to share this concert under a Creative Commons Music Sharing License. For details see www.gardnermuseum.org.

Works for violin and piano, and for string quintet, performed by violinist Mayuko Kamio, pianist Pei-Yao Wang, and Musicians from Marlboro.

• Brahms: Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108
• Brahms: String Quintet in F Major, Op. 88

Around this time of year in New England, many people are starting to feel ready for a respite from the snowy cold. For today’s podcast we’ll take a musical vacation of sorts, hearing a bit of what Brahms did with his summers. We’ll begin with the composer’s third violin sonata, which Brahms began work on while vacationing in Thun, a beautiful little Swiss lake town with a picture-perfect medieval castle at the foot of the Alps. He put the piece aside for a couple of years, though, and only got to finishing it when he returned to Thun in the summer of 1888. A few years prior, in the spring of 1880, Brahms discovered one of his favorite vacation spots: Bad Ischl, a town high in the Alps that was apparently a popular retreat amongst 19th-century artists, including Strauss and Bruckner. In the summer of 1880, Brahms wrote two chamber works, including the String Quintet in F Major, a luscious, tuneful work.

Works for violin and piano, and for string quintet, performed by violinist Mayuko Kamio, pianist Pei-Yao Wang, and Musicians from Marlboro.

-Brahms: Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108
-Brahms: String Quintet in F Major, Op. 88

Around this time of year in New England, many people are starting to feel ready for a respite from the snowy cold. For today’s podcast we’ll take a musical vacation of sorts, hearing a bit of what Brahms did with his summers. We’ll begin with the composer’s third violin sonata, which Brahms began work on while vacationing in Thun, a beautiful little Swiss lake town with a picture-perfect medieval castle at the foot of the Alps. He put the piece aside for a couple of years, though, and only got to finishing it when he returned to Thun in the summer of 1888. A few years prior, in the spring of 1880, Brahms discovered one of his favorite vacation spots: Bad Ischl, a town high in the Alps that was apparently a popular retreat amongst 19th-century artists, including Strauss and Bruckner. In the summer of 1880, Brahms wrote two chamber works, including the String Quintet in F Major, a luscious, tuneful work.

Recorded live in the Tapestry Room of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is pleased to share this concert under a Creative Commons Music Sharing License. For details see www.gardnermuseum.org.