Program Notes for The Silverwood Trio Federal Reserve Bank Concert

Trio: originally, a contrapuntal composition in three parts; in chamber music, it is a composition for three players. In the Classic Era, the piano trio began it's development into the form of three equal players that we know today. It started out mostly as a sonata for piano with accompaniment by violin (or flute) and cello but Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), along with his predecessor, Joseph Haydn, took the trio form to a more mature level; freeing the cello from the supportive basso continuo part of the baroque era by giving it an equal voice and writing the violin/flute as a separate treble part to the right hand of the piano - not merely doubling it. Mozart was a consummate composer of opera where each character on the stage has a part important in the integrated whole. The same is true for his trios - which make them really fun to play. The Trio in G, K. 564, was thought by some to be, originally, an earlier piano sonata which Mozart later transformed into a full trio. This was due to the fact that there was an autographed piano part but not the other parts and also that the music was simpler than the previous trios. It has been established, however, that either the piano part was written first, perhaps for rehearsal of the difficult passages by the pianist, or the trio was written in parts for an immediate performance and the string parts lost; but the trio was, in fact, written in 1788 as a full trio only. As for the simplicity of the piece, it is much like the last piano concerto - sharing the 6/8 hunting rhythm of the last movement. Other things to listen for: the pastoral nature of the first movement opening with a long-held drone such as would be heard on a musette - French bagpipe of the 17th & 18th centuries, and the theme and variations in 3/8 of the second movement - with the fifth variation being in G minor.

The 20th century brought more interest in exploring the different tonalities of each instrument as well as experimenting with forms. Philippe Gaubert (1870-1941) explores the tone colors of the instruments from the French Impressionistic view. In each movement of his Aquarelles (Watercolors), Gaubert depicts an overall "painting" of tonal color-washes with beautiful blends of melodic themes, lush harmonies, and rhythms. On a Clear Morning has a gloriously spirited melody in the flute and cello with the piano arpeggios sounding like bright sunlight. Autumn Evening is a melancholy yet romantic movement with the opening theme played by the cello. Serenade is a brilliant, Spanish flavored dance - listen for themes from the first two movements as they make a brief reappearance.

Twentieth Century America also brought us Jazz, which was quickly exported to the rest of the world, and Europe whole-heartedly embraced it. A prodigy jazz pianist at the age of 14, Claude Bolling became the leader of a small group which won first place in the jazz polls of Europe for five consecutive years. He first recorded at the age of 18 and continued his music "underground" during the WWII, since Jazz was forbidden by the Nazis. This experience paid off toward the end of the war when many jazz musicians came to Paris. He quickly became the most sought-after pianist for concerts and records, and he finally had the opportunity to meet the musician he admired most, Duke Ellington. Through the years, Bolling made friends with many classical musicians who asked that he compose music for them. He has written a series of compositions which juxtapose the classic and jazz idioms, the Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano being one of them.

In the Baroque era, a suite was an instrumental collection of dance movements. In the Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano, however, the term is used in its modern application, signifying an instrumental composition with a number of contrasting movements. There is also great fluctuation of mood within the movements caused by the constant dialogue between the jazz and classical elements which seem to fight, stimulate, mimic and interrupt each other. The Suite has seven movements, but only three will be played today: Javanaise, Irlandaise and Veloce. This composition was written for flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal.

-- Notes by Cindy Woolley

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