ITZHAK PERLMAN, violin Program - University of Florida Performing ...

ITZHAK PERLMAN, violin ROHAN DE SILVA, piano

Program Sonata No. 3 in E-Flat Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 12 No. 3 Allegro con spirito Adagio con molta espressione Rondo: Allegro molto

Ludwig van Beethoven

Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major Allegretto ben moderato Allegro Recitativo-Fantasia Allegretto poco mosso

César Franck

INTERMISSION

Sonata in G Minor for Violin and Continuo Devil’s Trill (arr. Fritz Kreisler) Larghetto affettuoso Allegro energico Grave-Allegro assai

Giuseppe Tartini

Additional works to be announced from the stage.

Mr. Perlman records for Sony Classical/Sony Music Entertainment; Warner Classics and Erato Classics/Warner Music; Deutsche Grammophon and Decca/Universal Music Group; and Telarc. www.itzhakperlman.com Mr. Perlman appears by arrangement with IMG Artists Carnegie Hall Tower 152 W 57 St., 5th Floor New York, NY 10019

Program Notes Sonata No. 3 in E-Flat Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 12 No. 3 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Even if you are not a regular concertgoer, you have probably heard about the various difficulties in German composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s life. His early life was no bed of roses. His father, Johann, was a drinker, and haunted the pubs of Bonn, and so the teenage Ludwig grew up early and took on the responsibility for the entire family. Ultimately, of course, his greatest struggle in Beethoven’s life might have been his deafness, an affliction that was not well understood in his day. After numerous oddball treatments, ranging from long walks and cold baths to almond oil infusions, it became clear to him and his doctors that his hearing was worsening and never likely to get better. As we also know, Beethoven persevered and triumphed despite the various difficulties he encountered. What we sometimes forget in all this Sturm und Drang is that not every single moment of his life was troubled. After Beethoven left his hometown and moved to Vienna, his soon found himself liberated from the weighty family problems in Bonn and free to pursue his career on his own terms. Within a few years in Vienna, he had established himself as a pianist and teacher, and was catching fire as a composer. You might say he was on top of the world! Most concertgoers also don’t associate Beethoven with the violin. Nearly all of the surviving portraits and caricatures have him sitting at the piano, grimacing while holding a pen to a manuscript, or gesticulating wildly in front of an orchestra. You’ll be hard pressed to find any portraits of him with a violin or viola in his hand, even though he was accomplished on both instruments. What’s more, he wrote numerous important works for the violin, among them a violin concerto, two “romances” for violin and orchestra, and 10 violin sonatas. As Beethoven biographer Maynard Solomon has pointed out, Beethoven composed “some of the most contented, graceful, and perfectly proportioned music” ever written for the instrument. The Sonata No. 3 in E-Flat Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 12 No. 3, is dedicated to Antonio Salieri, one of Beethoven’s teachers in Vienna. The Allegro con spirit (fast, with spirit) burst forth like a spring day and the jolly mood never really lets up. Note also the balance between piano and violin throughout this movement. The second movement, marked Adagio con molto espressione (slowly, with much expression), begins with piano and violin closely intertwined. An appealing violin melody appears, as memorable as anything the composer ever wrote, echoed by the piano. The final movement, a jocular rondo, is all fun and games, a spirited exchange that never flags in passion or enthusiasm.

Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major César Franck (1822-90)

César Franck left his native Belgium for Paris as a young man and never returned. He spent much of his life as an organist, including at Notre Dame de Lorette (where he was married to Félicité Desmousseaux, a student of his) and at the Basilica St. Clotilde. His reputation as an organist grew far and wide throughout his lifetime, as did his abilities as an improviser. In addition to his organ gig, Franck made much of his income from teaching, not composing. He turned more and more to composing as time went on, partially due to the difficult times in mid-19th century France, and perhaps partially due to a sense of Gallic pride. Indeed, in 1871, he and Frenchman Camille Saint-Saën formed the Société Nationale de Musique with the goal of promoting French music. One strange fact: Franck may have been the only composer in history to die as a result of a traffic accident. He was hit by a horse-drawn bus and eventually died from complications.

Franck was a good friend of Eugène Ysaÿe, a violin virtuoso who is still consider among the greatest violinists to ever play the instrument. Franck’s Sonata in A major was written specifically for the Ysaÿe to honor him on his wedding day, and indeed, there he premiered it, September 26, 1886. It is among Franck’s most enduring works, thanks in large part to Ysaÿe who championed it throughout the rest of his long career. A typical violin sonata might open with a fast first movement, but here Franck opens gently, antithetical to tradition. The second movement, often a slow movement in a traditional sonata, is here a turbulent and masterful showpiece for both piano and violin. Note the return to the calm feeling of the first movement, followed by a total race to a final cadence. The third movement features the violin prominently. After a brief introduction, the violin introduces itself in several mini cadenzas, as if a violinist were suddenly improvising on a theme they were remembering. The Finale starts with piano stating a theme that is echoed immediately by violin, a genre known as “canon” (remember the technique in Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and you have it). It is not a stretch to evoke wine when thinking about this movement: the balance is superb, with lingering bold flavors and a down-to-earth quality that is singular.

Sonata in G Minor for Violin and Continuo Devil’s Trill (arr. Fritz Kreisler) Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770)

Italian composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini seemed destined to become a priest. Well, his parents thought so, anyway, but Tartini had other ideas. He became an expert swordsman and enrolled in law school for a time. Then the soon-to-be priest eloped with the niece of cardinal Giorgo Comaro and, as a result, the Bishop of Padua ordered his arrest. Tartini took refuge in a monastery in Assisi and his wife Elizabeth was sent off to a nunnery. Though the Bishop eventually lost interest and “pardoned” him. Tartini was reunited with his wife in 1715. His time in Assisi changed him forever. It was in the monastery that Tartini began to seriously study violin. He became a celebrated player and soon found work in the city of Ancona’s opera orchestra, and later in the orchestra at St. Anthony’s Basilica in Padua, one of the leading ensembles in Europe. There he also founded a violin school. Tartini began composing later in life, and was most certainly inspired by another Italian composer who was a priest, Antonio Vivaldi. Most of Tartini’s works were violin sonatas composed between 1730 and 1750, though we are only guessing at this point since Tartini didn’t regularly date his works. The Sonata in G Minor, for Violin and Continuo, popularly known as the “Devil’s Trill Sonata,” is Tartini’s best-known work. According to the writings of Jérôme Lalande — specifically, in his 1769 Voyage of a Frenchman in Italy (Voyage d’un français en Italie) — Tartini told him that the sonata was inspired by a dream in which the Devil took up a violin and played “with such great art and intelligence, as I had never even conceived in my boldest flights of fantasy.” Tartini, according to the story, woke up and wrote down every note for posterity. A great story, and though we don’t know for sure if this sonata was really conceived of in a dream, we do know one thing is for sure: it is devilishly difficult and a tour de force for any violinist. Renowned Viennese-born violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) arranged the version we hear on this program. — Program notes by Dave Kopplin