5th Concert. Adorno quartet, Dalberto, Demarquette, Guttman, Kelemen, Kokas, Pianini

The Trio élégiaque in G minor for piano, violin, and cello was composed by a nineteen-year-old Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) in a short span of time, between 18 and 21 January 1892 in Moscow. Conceived as an expansive single movement, the work adopts a formal design broadly aligned with the sonata principle, yet unfolds in a continuous, narrative perspective. The opening develops through a sequence of twelve distinct thematic segments, which reappear in reverse order in the concluding section, creating an effect of architectural symmetry. The principal melodic cell, imbued with elegiac pathos, is first introduced by the piano in Lento lugubre, before passing to the violin and cello, then undergoing transformations through frequent agogic changes (Più vivo – Con anima – Appassionato – Tempo rubato – Risoluto), and culminating in a funeral march. The piano part, of marked virtuosity, already reveals – in the composer’s youth – an exceptional command of the instrument’s full dynamic and timbral range.

Among the less frequently performed chamber works of Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) are the Miniatures Op. 75a, composed in Prague in 1887 for the unusual combination of two violins and viola. The idea arose in a strictly private context: the composer, who lived in the same building as the young violinist Josef Kruis, wished to create music suited to the latter’s technical abilities, involving his teacher Jan Pelikán in the project. The work’s publication history is unusual: contrary to what the opus number might suggest, it is not an arrangement for string trio of the pianistic Four Romantic Pieces, Op. 75, for violin and piano; rather, the piano version derives from the Miniatures. Only the latter was sent to the publisher Simrock, while the original string score remained in manuscript until its rediscovery in 1938 and its posthumous publication in 1945. The cycle consists of four self-contained pieces, each built around a single thematic idea; in this evening’s programme, only two of the four will be performed. The Cavatina (Moderato) presents a broad, serene melody, supported by an ostinato figure in the second violin and a discreet viola accompaniment, while the Romance (Allegro) unfolds a lyrical, singing line enveloped in beguiling triplet figurations.

Slightly earlier in date is the Piano Quintet in F minor by César Franck (1822-1890), composed between 1878 and 1879. Evidence of his flourishing creative activity can be found in the cyclical treatment of thematic material, which is recalled and developed throughout the work. During the same period, Franck also composed the Symphony in D minor, the String Quartet in D major, the Variations symphoniques, M. 46, and the Violin Sonata in D major. The Quintet received its first performance on 17 January 1880 at the Société Nationale de Musique in Paris, with Camille Saint-Saëns at the piano and the Marsick Quartet. A minor scandal followed the concert when Saint-Saëns, upon finishing the performance, left the stage leaving the score open on the piano, a gesture interpreted by those present as one of disdain towards the work. Moving beyond the realm of anecdote, it is nevertheless noteworthy that the first printed edition of 1879-80 – issued in Paris by Hamelle – bore the simple dedication “À Camille Saint-Saëns”, rather than the manuscript’s “À mon cher ami Camille Saint-Saëns”.

Federico Foglizzo