Kremerata Baltica & Gidon Kremer: Tabula Rasa
Kremerata Baltica
Gidon Kremer, violin
Pauline van der Rest, violin
Programme:
J.S. Bach: Chaconne, arranged for strings by Gidon Kremer
Arvo Pärt: Tabula Rasa
Eine (andere) Winterreise (after Franz Schubert):
-Franz Schubert (1797): Menuet, D 89
-Raminta Šerkšnytė (1975): Winternacht for violin and strings
-Franz Schubert (1797): Trio 1, D 89
-Victor Kissine (1953): Frühlingstraum for violin and strings
-Franz Schubert (1797): Trio 2, D 89
-Leonid Desyatnikov (1955): “Wie der alte Leiermann” for violin and strings
-Franz Schubert (1797): Menuet, D 89
Mieczysław Weinberg: Aria op. 9 for strings
Dmitri Shostakovich: “Lebyadkin Verses” for violin and strings, arranged by Yevgeniy Sharlat, dedicated to Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica. World Premiere.
Mihail Pletnyov: Z-Defilee for violin and strings
Dmitri Shostakovich: “Polka” & “Foxtrot” from Jazz Suite No.1. Arr. for violin, vibraphone and strings by Andrei Pushkarev, dedicated to Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Chaconne
A chaconne is a musical form in which a short, recurring musical idea is varied. Johann Sebastian Bach’s only work in this genre, the magnificent three-part Chaconne, consists of an expansive opening section in the minor mode, a central section in the major, and a return to the main key of D minor. Gidon Kremer’s 2018 arrangement for string orchestra follows quite closely Bach’s original manuscript for solo violin.
Arvo Pärt: Tabula rasa
Tabula rasa has become one of the cult works of contemporary music. It was also a turning point in Arvo Pärt’s career. The work presents the expressive possibilities of the tintinnabuli style for the first time on a large scale. Pärt built the work around a main melody in a manner reminiscent of the medieval cantus firmus technique, with counterpoints moving along the notes of a triad.
Tabula rasa, a concerto for two violins, string orchestra, and prepared piano, was commissioned in 1977 by violinist Gidon Kremer. The musicians at the premiere had expected virtuosic playing, but to their surprise they encountered the simplest musical building blocks—triads and scales. The situation demanded a completely new, selfless, and humble approach.
The two movements of Tabula rasa (“blank slate”) stand in contrast to each other. The first, Ludus (“game”), consists of eight variations and a powerful cadenza. In the slow second movement, Silentium (“silence”), Pärt again employs the prolation canon known from his earlier works: the voices move at different speeds. The shortest note values are given to the bass voice, and the longest to the first solo violin.
Eine (andere) Wintereise
Eine (andere) Wintereise is a suite-like work assembled in 2022 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kremerata Baltica. The initiative came from Gidon Kremer, with Franz Schubert as the inspiration.
The basic idea is to provide an imaginative commentary on Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise, with modern elements added. Representing original Schubert are the Minuet D 89 with its two trios, placed like an introduction and interludes. Interwoven with these are Winterreise visions from three other composers invited by Kremer: Lithuanian Raminta Šerkšnytė, Russian-born Victor Kissine, and Latvian Georgijs Osokins.
Mieczysław Weinberg: Aria for Strings
Mieczysław Weinberg, who survived the grip of two brutal dictatorships and later enjoyed considerable success, left behind a vast output including symphonies, concertos, and operas. The Aria for Strings dates from 1942, when Weinberg was living in extremely modest conditions in wartime exile in Tashkent. This sensitive, beautiful piece was never performed during the composer’s lifetime.
Mikhail Pletnev: Z-Defilee for Violin and Strings
The work Z-Defilee by Russian pianist-composer-conductor Mikhail Pletnev, who has had an exceptionally distinguished international career, appears to be a commentary on the current state of the world. The letter “Z,” which does not belong to the Cyrillic alphabet, has been used as a symbol by Russian forces waging war in Ukraine; défilé means “parade” in French. In this piece, shaded with extreme irony, coarsely distorted fragments of the Russian national anthem are heard alongside the Nazi invasion march theme from Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony.
Dmitri Shostakovich: Lebyadkin Verses
Shostakovich’s second-to-last work, Lebyadkin Verses, is satirical, biting, grotesque, and surprising. It is a song cycle for bass and piano, based on poems from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Demons. In the novel, the poet character, the uneducated Captain Lebyadkin, is—according to Shostakovich—a clown who mocks genuine poetry. Yet the character fascinated the composer, perhaps because he felt a kinship with him.
The song cycle was premiered in Moscow in March 1975. It was the last time Shostakovich attended the premiere of one of his works. The string arrangement of Lebyadkin Verses, dedicated to Kremerata Baltica, was made by Yevgeniy Sharlat, professor of composition at the Butler School of Music, University of Texas.