October 22, 2010
Friday-8:00pm | University of North Carolina School of Music Recital Hall
Classical Voice of North Carolina review>>>
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Trio in B-flat major, K. 502
Allegro
Larghetto
Allegretto
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin
Inara Zandmane, piano
Julie Albers, cello
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57
Prelude: Lento
Fugue: Adagio
Scherzo: Allegretto
Intermezzo: Lento
Finale: Allegretto
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin
Stephanie Ezerman, violin
Scott Rawls, viola
Julie Albers, cello
Inara Zandmane, piano
Sponsor
Program
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Trio in B-flat major, K. 502
Although Mozart wrote a series of six piano trios during his visit to London when he was eight, his five mature works for in this genre were written in a two year span, from 1776 to 1778, while in Vienna. Very little is known about these works – they were not dedicated to anyone so they were not likely commissioned works. They follow a standard three movement form: fast, slow, fast, and the last movement in particular is especially noteworthy because of its recurring theme. The trio performed tonight, K.502 in F-flat and the following trio, K.542 in E are usually considered Mozart’s finest trios.
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57
One of the former Soviet Union’s most respected chamber ensembles, the Beethoven Quartet, had just finished a performance of Shostakovich's first string quartet. They were so impressed with the work, that they asked the composer to write a new work for them which would also include a pianist. This was in 1940 and the first performance, with the Shostakovich at the piano, took place at the Moscow Conservatory on November 23 of that year. It was immediately successful; one of the reviews called it, "a portrait of our age...the rich-toned, perfect voice of the present."
It was granted even more notoriety the following year when it won the Soviet Union’s Stalin Prize. In addition to the prestige that accompanied the award, Shostakovich received a cash prize of 100,000 rubles, which the composer immediately donated to needy citizens of Moscow.
The five-movement design of the quintet is unusual for a chamber work: most have three or four movements. Another unique feature of the work is the fact that is begins with two slow movements.
After Hours with Dima!
Immediately following the Chamber concerts, join us at the Green Valley Grill Bar with Dmitry Sitkovetsky and the Chamber Concert Musicians.
Complimentary appetizers provided by the Green Valley Grill.
Sponsored by the O. Henry Hotel | 622 Green Valley Road
