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Hochschule der Künste Bern
Master Thesis Performance
Oboe Recital
Oboe Class from Jaime González
Tuesday, 17. Juni, 16.00
Grosser Saal, Yehudi Menuhin Forum
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2
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Oboe Concerto in G Minor BWV 1056 (ca. 1920)
Allegro
Largo
Presto
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Adagio and Allegro in A-Flat Major, Op. 70 (1849)
Antonio Pasculli (1842-1924)
Fantasia sull’Opera Poliuto di Donizetti
(Arrangement for oboe and piano)
Maestoso
Largo
Allegretto
Adagio - Allegro – Moderato
Intermission
Heinz Holliger (*1939)
Sonata for Oboe Solo (1956/7)
Präludium
Aria
Finale
Astor Piazzola (1921-1992)
Suite for Oboe and String Orchestra, Op.9 (1949)
Pastoral (Lento)
Allegretto
Dolente (Muy Triste)
Adagio (Adagio Funebre)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Quintet in G Minor, Op. 39 (1924)
For Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Contrabass
Tema con variazioni
Allegro precipitato, ma non troppo presto
Andantino
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Interpreters:
Alejandra Piegaia, Oboe
David Dias Da Silva, Clarinet
Jessica Alloway, Violin
Vessela Kazakova, Violin
Grigory Maximenko, Viola
Eric Abeijón, Violoncello
Karolina Tukaj, Contrabass
Julio Caballero Peréz, Harpsichord
Tamara Chitadze, Piano
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GENESIS
Since I began research for my Master's thesis, I found myself instinctively
drawn towards learning more about the origins from which the pieces on this
program were conceived. The history of influence, both personal and
compositional led me to envision each composer in a new light. I have
decided to focus less on providing a traditional harmonic analysis, but rather
to include a larger more encompassing analysis of the origins and
development of each composer's personal musical aesthetic.
Within this recital, I have chosen to include accomplished composers such as
Astor Piazzolla and Heinz Holliger. Both composers made extensive
contributions to modern music, and left a distinctive imprint on the 20th
Century compositional style. Within the context of both these composers lives,
the pieces I will present are both early works. These works portray the
beginning of each composer's output, with colors and textures that emerge as
clear influences from their teachers. In Holliger's case, Hungarian folklore
components appear throughout the Sonata, while in Piazolla's Suite,
Ginastera's impact is unquestionably apparent. I will also present pieces
which found their genesis in other musical expressions such as the ballet
(Prokofiev's Trapèze) and the opera (Donizetti’s Poliuto). Interestingly, the
genesis of Bach's Concerto remains unclear, as its original version continues
to be lost. Although scholarly research continues, its conception will be
forever questioned.
The repertoire I will interpret today not only highlights the oboe, but also
expresses part of myself. In this respect, my program has both personal and
musical interests.
With respect to musical interests, I chose this program in order to present the
oboe in different styles and periods, so that the audience could appreciate the
versatility of the instrument. This recital depicts repertoire written for the
oboe from baroque times to the 20th century, and spans many genres of
compositional form, covering the concerto, solo sonata and chamber music.
By presenting the oboe in each of these compositional forms, the audience
will be given the opportunity to better understand the varying role of the oboe
in each individual composition. In Bach, a soloist with orchestra; in
Schumann, on equal footing with the piano; in Pasculli, a virtuoso; in Holliger,
the solo; in Piazzolla, a soloist with chamber ensemble; in Prokofiev, a
member of a team.
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With respect to my personal interests, I imagine this recital as a sample from a
photo album. Leafed through, I hope to reflect upon the different chapters of
my life, and the different decisions I have made that have led me here, after
four years of study in Bern.
With Piazzolla, our common geography lays a foundation for which I am able
to understand certain idiosyncrasies. We are connected by the love of a
country that fights to arise, with a story that moulds and brands our lives and,
like a perfume, identifies us by its essence. With respect to Bach, it was
through his concerto for oboe and strings that I first discovered the sound of
the oboe. It produced a sublime and uninterrupted fascination, defining my
vocation across notes and pentagrams. It would be impossible not to add the
mentor and incentive of every modern oboist, Heinz Holliger. It was not until
arriving in Switzerland that I learned I was studying in the city that saw this
amazing musician grow, which filled me with pride and joy. This piece was
written between the walls of the nowadays Konservatorium, in Kramgasse.
Finally, I find identification in Prokofiev through his personal struggles and
goals. His continuous research into new methods of composition is truly
inspirational. I can also identify with his situation of having to compose from
abroad, often reflecting upon one's homeland. I often immerse myself in the
expectations of what will become of the future, a future that in my case
struggles between two shores, one on each side of the Atlantic.
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J. S. Bach, Oboe Concerto BWV 1056 (ca 1720)
The immense creativity within the compositional
output of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is
irrefutable. His vast compositions span many
genres, some of which have received more
attention than others. Magnificent choral pieces
such as Cantatas and Passions, deep organ
compositions and splendid solo works for strings
have historically attracted the most attention,
overshadowing lesser known works such as his
concertos. Many of these are in fact transcriptions
and not original pieces. In particular, the BWV
1056 in G minor, which is played on oboe or
violin, is a transcription of a concerto originally
written for harpsichord in F minor.
Given that Bach’s cantatas contain more solos for oboe than for any other
instrument, it seems odd that no major concertante works for oboe have
survived. Furthermore, over the course of his life, Bach developed personal
connections with a series of gifted oboists, the most personal being his brother,
Johann Jacob. However, apart from the Brandenburg concertos I and II, the
only other concerto known to have been conceived with an oboe part is the
‘Concerto for Cembalo solo, Oboe, two Violins, Viola and Continuo’ (BWV
1059). Even here it is unclear whether the oboe’s role was solo or ripieno, as
Bach interrupted his composition after the first nine bars. Still, none of these
works mentioned feature an oboe as the unique soloist.
A short historical detour can help understand the evolution of Bach's
compositions within the concerto genre. From 1708 to 1717, Bach served as
organist and Konzertmeister in Weimar, and from 1717 to 1723 as
Kappelmeister in Köthen. During this period he was very involved with music
for instrumental ensembles and had considerable freedom in composing and
performing. During this time, he encountered L’Estro armonico, a collection
of 12 concertos written in 1711 by Vivaldi. Bach's discovery of this collection
exercised an unparalleled influence on his compositional style and on the
course of the concerto, not only in his own music, but on composers all across
Europe.
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Bach moved to Leipzig in 1723, where he stayed until his death, having
accepted a position as “Director of the Choir and Music”. He had to see to the
composition and organization of music for the city’s four main Lutheran
churches; weekly duties that for several years left almost no time for other
activities. Only in 1729, as he became director of Leipzig’s Collegium
Musicum, an organization of university students and professional musicians
founded in 1701 by Georg Philipp Telemann, did he broaden his composing
and performing to extend beyond the liturgy. He was able, to some extent, to
resume the activity he had carried out at Köthen. The Collegium presented
frequent public concerts, thus providing a showcase for Bach’s secular
cantatas, orchestral suites, and concertos. During the 1730s, he composed a
series of fourteen concertos for one, two or three harpsichords (BWV 10521065) and in 1738, he produced with the Collegium the first historically
recorded performance of the BWV 1056 concerto. He or one of his sons
would have preformed the harpsichord for the premiere.
As a general rule, Bach’s orchestral works have only survived in their Leipzig
versions. Apart from the Brandenburg Concertos - preserved only through
fortunate circumstances - the spectrum of concertos written for the court at
Köthen are almost completely lost. Nevertheless, there is much evidence
indicating that the series of harpsichord concertos are derived from the
missing original versions for solo instrument. While it cannot be proven that
any of these started their life as oboe concertos, five of them bear strong clues
in this direction, the BWV 1053, 1055, 1056, 1059 and 1060.
The genesis of the BWV 1056 G minor concerto is still being revised and has
become a subject of passionate debate among scholars. The existence of a
previous version for a treble instrument of the harpsichord F minor version is
certain. Already in 1867, in his work for the Bach Gesellschaft, Wilhelm Rust
recognized that the composition possessed 'violinist' attributes, however the
identity of the solo melody instrument is not yet clear.
Many dissertations can be found on this subject matter that favor either the
violin or the oboe hypothesis. Theorists supporting that the original Köthen
concerto was written for oboe, such as Malcolm Boyd1 and Bruce Haynes2,
1
Malcolm Boyd, Bach (London: Dent and Sons, 1983)
2Bruce
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Haynes, “Johann Sebastian Bachs Oboenkonzerte” 1992 (BWV 1056 142-145)
take the central movement as a particularly valuable argument, since it is
based on the opening sinfonia of cantata BWV 156, Ich steh mit einem Fuß im
Grabe, there in a version for oboe and strings. It was later proven that Bach
originally borrowed the theme from the andante movement of Telemann’s
Concerto in G Major for flute or oboe TWV 51G2, which has been recently
reconstructed from a heavily damaged score. This movement is also used as
the central one in the oboe concerto in D minor, BWV 1059, but transposed a
fourth lower.
Harpischord Concert in Fm
Oboe Concerto in Gm
On the other hand, scholars in favor of the violin hypothesis, like Pieter
Dirksen3, derive their conclusions from a more compositional perspective. For
instance, the range of the violin allows the melody to be heard one octave
higher and differentiate itself from the tutti part, while the oboe would sound
below the ripieno violins, as the baroque oboe's range could not extend to
reach the high Eb. In the antiphonal passages between solo instrument and
ripieno the monophonic solo played by the oboe would create a high contrast
of echo, whereas the violin, capable of producing a polyphonic texture, could
better imitate the chords of the harpsichord version. Clearly, it is necessary to
3
J.S. Bach’s Concerted Ensemble Music The Concerto, Volume 7: Violin Concerto in
G Minor-Pieter Dirksen
9
bear in mind that we will never know with absolute certainty how the original
version of Bach’s harpsichord concerto looked.
With respect to structural analysis, the concerto’s outer movements are in
ritornello form, in which a recurring theme alternates between tutti and solo
sections. The opening movement (unmarked, but interpreted as allegro
moderato) is intense and energetic, characterized by rhythmic syncopation
and a recurring triplet figure, which is elaborated upon by the soloist. The
central Largo, appears in the relative major key, and is an aria accompanied
by pizzicato strings. The version I will play takes the original ornamentation
that Bach wrote for the harpsichord, in the F minor concerto. Finally, the
vigorous closing Presto opens with a 24-bar ritornello (featuring an echo
effect, as in the first movement), whose ideas are then developed by the oboe.
The ritornello takes place again only in fragmentary form, providing rhythmic
dialogue and contrast with the solo part, until its full restatement at the closing
of the work.
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R. Schumann, Adagio and Allegro for Oboe and Piano, Op. 70 (1849)
The early 19th Century was a transitional period
for Western European music history; A departure
from the Classical style and beginning of the
Romantic era, where new ideas and styles of
music writing and performances emerged with a
spirit of personal freedom and emotions that
expanded all across Europe. One of the most
emblematic personalities of this period was
German composer Robert Schumann (18101856). Although an unstable and problematic
genius, he wrote some of the greatest music of
the Romantic era. His ingenuity is perhaps most
widely recognized within his compositions for
piano, songs and chamber music. Severely affected by what was most likely
bipolar disorder, he achieved almost superhuman productivity during his
manic periods. He undertook serious study of the piano with Friedrich Wieck,
whose favourite daughter Clara, was later to become Schumann’s wife. In the
decade of the 1830’s, his ambitions as a pianist were obstructed by a
weakness in the fingers of one hand. Gradually, Schumann let go of his
dreams of becoming a virtuosic pianist, and became active as a critic. During
his lifetime, Schumann was equally well-known for this aspect of his musical
career as he was for his compositions.
His manic behaviour become apparent within his compositions, as Schumann
concentrated on a single genre at a time. During the happy year of his
marriage, 1840, he focused his emotions on vocal music, composing nearly
140 songs, including most of his finest. The following year he turned to
orchestral writing, such as symphonies and piano concertos. In 1842
Schumann turned to chamber music, his most prominent works having been
written for strings and piano. Simultaneously, during this time he began
suffering from phobias and terrifying lapses into depression, leaving the
composer totally incapacitated. He attempted a teaching post at the Leipzig
Conservatory, where, at the time Mendelssohn was director. Unfortunately,
this opportunity proved defeat, as Schumann was an ineffectual teacher and
had equally limited success as a conductor. His deep depressions continued,
further hampering his creativity. Not until 1847-8 was he again productive,
after a foray into opera, where upon the floodgates of creativity burst open
with practically unprecedented force.
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In 1849 alone, he would complete nearly forty works, many of them cycles,
collections, or multi-movement compositions of considerable dimensions.
This lapse marks his most fruitful period, and, although there were the usual
bad days here and there, this amazing phase was also a period of emotional
and psychological calm. In particular, that year, Schumann turned his
attention to a genre that, amazingly, he had neglected until then: works for
piano and solo instrument. As was typical for him, he immediately wrote
several pieces in this genre, such as Fantasies, Romances, etc. - often
providing an alternative part for strings. First came the Fantasiestücke op. 73
for piano and clarinet, then, in immediate succession, the Adagio und Allegro
op. 70 for piano and horn. April 1849 saw the creation of the Fünf Stücke im
Volkston op. 102 for piano and violoncello, and, finally, the Drei Romanzen
op. 94 for piano and oboe were written at the end of the year.
The Adagio und Allegro, conceived during winter of that year, was a result of
the interest that Schumann felt for the French horn, an instrument that made
its first appearance in Orchestras in the 1830s. The recent invention of the
valved horn gave the natural horn a much greater range, flexibility, and
expressive power, giving the necessary motivation to the composer to exploit
the possibilities he recognized in the new instrument. According to his own
annotations, he conceived, elaborated and wrote the Adagio and Allegro for
horn and piano in five days, February 13-17 1849, and then over the next
three days sketched out the Concert Piece for Four Horns and Orchestra.
Clara was very happy with the Adagio und Allegro, as she wrote in her diary
after the first performance4: ‘The piece is splendid, fresh and passionate – just
the way I like it!’ The composer also seemed satisfied with his new work.
When he offered it to the Leipzig publisher Kistner on 11 March, he wrote 1:
“I recently made an Adagio with a rather substantial, brilliant Allegro for
pianoforte and horn, and felt very pleased upon hearing it”, The publisher
Kistner accepted Schumann’s offer and honorarium request of 10 Louis d’or.
Hence, a few days later, on 19 March, the composer sent the manuscript to
Leipzig, writing: “I am thus sending you the manuscript of the Adagio and
Allegro for pianoforte and horn, with enclosed parts for the violoncello and
violin. May you send it out into the world very soon.” The alternative parts
for violoncello and violin were therefore not instigated by the publisher in
order to say, increase the sales potential, but were planned by Schumann
himself. Incidentally, the first public performance of the piece on 26 January
4
Schumann - An Artists in Love Eric Bromberger
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1850 in Dresden was given in the alternative version with violin. The oboe
version is basically identical to the version written for violin, except for a few
sections that are shifted by one octave to better suit the register of the oboe.
The Adagio und Allegro has become one of Schumann’s most popular
chamber works, and below I will give my personal approach to the piece. It is
impossible for me to hear this piece without feeling Goosebumps and
heartbreak. There are not many pieces that conjure images and sentiments
hidden in my memory that arise from the first E flat on the oboe. The
conversation between the two instruments is so transparent that I can literally
hear them talking to each other. The first movement, an Adagio marked “Slow,
with inward expression” wrapped in a melancholic and private speech, shows
a permanent interaction between the two melodic lines, delivering a
continuous flow from beginning to end. Both voices are just as important:
they can mix in homophonic chords, duplicate the phrase, or accompany the
singing tune of the other. Most of the time, however, it is through contrapuntal
techniques that we feel the unstoppable melody that travels from one voice to
the other. The intense expression of this movement does not primarily reside
in the harmonic activity. In contrast with most of his earlier works (full of
unusual modulations to distant tonalities), here Schumann uses a more
conservative way of writing. In my opinion, Schumann's use of traditional
tonal centres helps to highlight the purity of the counterpoint between the
‘solo’ voices, reminiscent of Baroque music (we find this very often in his
works such as Lieder and String quartet, as he studied the art of contrapuntal
writing in the works of Bach). Another feature that dramatizes the Adagio is
the few unexpected chromatic notes found in the melody, which change the
colour, the “affetto”, and interpretation. The ‘very legato’ indication is also an
essential element to achieve the precise emotional effect on the audience. The
second movement, Allegro con brio, interrupts the calm at the end of the
Adagio as abrupt as thunder. The contrast between this rondo-form movement,
marked as ‘’Fast and Fiery’’, and the previous one increases the feeling of
passion and speed, bursting to life in a waterfall of triplets in a bright,
vigorous main section. Also, the correct use of the dynamics, full of forzato,
forte piano and subito changes, is imperative as a surprise element, used to
emphasize the despair and dramatic atmosphere. This movement exploits a
large tessiture of the oboe in rapid fire figures, alternating with more poetic
quiet interludes that share melodic and rhythmic motives with the Adagio, and
provides some relief before the exciting rush to the Finale.
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Antonio Pasculli, Fantasia sull’ opera Poliuto di Donizetti
During the second half of the 19th century the
most important oboe figure was the Italian
interpreter and composer Antonio Pasculli (18421924). He is known as the “Paganini of the
oboe’’, such was his talent. As Paganini, Pasculli
began to perform his own compositions, perhaps
because he found a lack of opportunities to
display his astounding technique. From his pieces
it was possible to discover the grand technical
capabilities of the oboe, often underrated
regarding its versatility as a virtuoso instrument.
He contributed with some until then hardly used
playing techniques, such as staccato, octave runs,
arpeggios, chromatic scales, all in impressive
velocity, and the "circular breathing" approach to
long notes. Many of his works are fantasias, also
known as Grandi Concerti, based on themes from nineteenth-century Italian
operas. With opera being at the center of Italian life and culture, it is probable
that Pasculli’s audiences would easily recognize the themes in his works and
even be able to recall the lyrics. These pieces involve the oboe as solo
instrument with accompaniment of piano, harp or orchestra. Among the nine
Fantasias recovered up to now, we can highlight those on Donizetti’s La
favorita, Poliuto and L’elisir d’amore, or Verdi’s I vespri siciliani and
Rigoletto, all still considered to be highly difficult for oboists of today.
Pasculli's production was essentially forgotten early in the twentieth century
and remained in oblivion until some of them were rediscovered by Heinz
Holliger and passed on to his students. Various pieces are now in new
editions, mostly by Omar Zoboli, and others can be accessed at the Milan and
Palermo Conservatories libraries
The Fantasia on Themes from Poliuto that I will play is based on Donizetti's
operatic version of a play by Corneille reflecting the life of an early Christian
martyr, Saint Polyeuctus. Banned by the censure in Italy short before its
première, Donizetti did not give up on the opera and moved to France, where
he transformed it into Les Martyrs to suit the Paris stage requests: division
into shorter acts, introduction of a ballet, and closer attachment to Corneille's
original religious plot. The original Poliuto was finally performed in Italy in
1848, after the composer’s death. The plot is set in third century Armenia,
under the Roman Empire military occupation, when Christianity was
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forbidden and penalized by death. It portrays the story of Poliuto, an
Armenian aristocrat, and Paulina, who marries him in the conviction that her
first love, Severo, the roman occupation general, had passed away in war. The
plot precipitates when Nearco, a friend of Poliuto's who secretly introduced
him in the Christian faith, is captured and threatened with torture to reveal the
names of other important converts. Poliuto comes forward to protect his
friend, and is imprisoned. Paolina asks him to renounce his religion to save
his life, but Poliuto responds that he is certain that eternal salvation awaits
him after death, and that he prefers to die rather than to abandon his faith.
Recognizing the strength of his beliefs, she also embraces the new faith, and
they march to death together.
In Pasculli’s Fantasia, the opera has again gone through a transformation of a
different sort. Themes from the opera have been taken and very freely used to
create variations, some of heart-breaking emotion, some of incredible
technique. An analysis of Poliuto’s Fantasia leads to a division in two
sections. The first one is completely inspired on themes from the second
scene of the second act, and it closely follows its musical structure. We can
recognize three parts: Maestoso in A Major, Largo in D minor and Piu mosso
in D Major. The second section can be divided in Allegretto in A major,
Adagio in D Major, Allegro in D major and Moderato in G Major. But, rather
that sticking to the storyline, it is a potpourri (an assortment) of different
themes where we can distinguish, among others, Poliuto’s famous first act
aria D’un’alma troppo fervida, sang while he prepares for baptism. Because
of my own personal taste, and the peculiarity that the first section follows the
musical development of Donizzetti’s opera, I offer a deeper analysis of this
first part.
The second scene opens with a chorus named Celeste Un'Aura Pel Tempio
Move!, the theme of the priests that takes place in the temple of Jupiter just
before Nearco is coerced to denounce the name of other conspicuous fellow
Christians. This section Pasculli decided to assign to the piano, in a passage
defined by homophonic accords that show all the voices of the choir, in a very
majestic and large opening. The oboe, on the second page, starts with the
same theme but ornamented with passing notes and rhythmical development,
nevertheless in a very melodic speech. It plays the upper line as only singing
voice with accompaniment of the piano. Later it grows apart from the theme
and becomes more virtuoso transforming into a cadence that highlights the
speed, range of tessiture and interpretative phrasing capabilities of the
instrument.
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The second part, Largo in D minor, takes the theme of the section La
Sacrilega Parola, performed by Severo and Paulina, just after a recitative
where Poliuto confessed his baptism and conversion to Christianity to save
Nearco’s life. Severo sings in a very dark and dramatic melody how the
‘Sacred word’ has been broken and that therefore Poliuto must suffer the
eternal punishment, followed by Paulina who, interpreting the same music,
prays to the gods to save her husband’s life. In the Fantasia version, the oboe
takes the main theme in the same obscure and tragic atmosphere, which
stands out through its pianissimo dynamics. The ornamentations written by
Pasculli don’t change much the melodic line but try to imitate the portamento
that singers naturally do.
A virtuoso cadenza from the oboe connects the Largo to the Piu Mosso
segment, which in the opera is a shorter and more lyrical cadence by the
soprano. The Piu Mosso starts with an aria of Poliuto, where the very accurate
change of tonality to D major describes the inner peace of the main character,
who expresses how he is not scared of death and accepts his destiny. This aria
develops in density, and it leads into a choir of 9 voices, all with different
lyrics.
Poliuto from Donizetti: Variations in the melody shown in the Soprano (Paulina) and the Bass
(Severo)
In the Fantasia we can also appreciate this ‘complexity’: even if in the
beginning the solo melody is just played by the piano, as does Poliuto, the
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oboe section is one of the technically hardest and more demanding of the
whole piece. These are two pages where the interpreter has no pause or
silence, in which the main melody has a continuous answer: fuses, in a
descendant, chromatic gestures. Visually it can be described as black waves,
where the melody pops up in a higher tessiture. A good interpretation of this
section produces in the audience the impressions of two oboes playing
simultaneously. While listening to the opera I could grasp a possible source of
‘inspiration’ that Pasculli had for the creation of such a variation: the
characters of Severo and Paulina have interludes of fast excerpts that mix
beautifully with Poliuto’s main theme.
Pasculli: Fantasia , the melody in the higher register imitates the voice of Poliuto, the tenor
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Heinz Holliger, Sonata for Oboe solo (1956/7)
His parallel careers as an oboe virtuoso and
as composer have seen him stretch the
accepted limits of both roles. Through his
playing and composing, he has introduced
many new ideas, techniques and sounds to
modern music. His commitment, passion
and diverse range of abilities and interests
have ensured his status as one of the leading
Swiss musicians of his generation. On the
other hand, Holliger (*1939) has done more
than any other performer to increase the
technical possibilities of the oboe. He has experimented with harmonics,
glissandi and double trills, and even investigated the possibilities of
performing with a microphone inside the instrument.
The vision of Holliger as a composer has evolved in the audiences over the
years. From being regarded as the undisputed forefront oboe player of the
second half of the century, he has grown during the last fifteen years to being
perceived as a central figure in composition and orchestral direction. He
began his compositions studies with Sándor Veress in Bern at age 15, who
influenced greatly in his early compositions, He is quoted to say that
everything he knows about music, the big forms, polyphony, what is a melody
in music, he learned it from Veress. He treats composition as a way of
discovering new worlds in music, exploring the frontiers of sound and
language. He is also interested in outsider figures, those at the limits of
society, and he sees himself as one of them. 'Normal people do not compose,'
he once said. 'You need a certain amount of openness and non-conformism to
be creative... For me, being different is part of life.' Unsurprisingly then, he
feels particularly close to Robert Schumann, describing him as, 'the true
center of my thoughts'5.
The Sonata for oboe solo was written by an adolescent 17 years old Holliger
who in his first steps as a composer created this work as personal training (or
experience). The piece was published only after a revision in 1999, but it does
not actually show the writing evolution that he had over the forty years in
between. The first interpretation was in 1958, by Heinz Holliger himself, in
5
Die Zeit on 4 June, 2010. Claus Spahn
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the Munich Festival. Nowadays Sonata is commonly used as an imposed
piece in Competitions. This composition has four movements: Präludium:
Moderato, poco rubato, Capriccio: Allegro Marcato, Aria, Andantino and
Finale: Presto, molto ritmico. All movements are characterized by having an
own motif which is worked and varied following rather traditional
composition techniques: transpositions, melodic inversions (mirror effect),
augmentations and diminutions, etc. We can find in all of them an exposition
of the theme, a development (that usually arrives to climax in the extreme
register of the tessiture of the instrument) and then a recapitulation with the
main melody transposed.
The language used in this piece shows a clear influence from his predecessor
Béla Bartók (former professor of Sándor Veress) and Hungarian Folklore. In
Bartok’s works such as in Holliger’s Sonata, we can distinguish the
polytonality, showing their fondness for the simultaneous use of major and
minor sonorities (avoiding a clear tonal basis). This ambiguity is also
reinforced by the use of pentatonic scales and superposition of old modes
(which were loosened trough chromatic ornamentation). The influence of folk
songs is also manifested in the use of the intervals of seconds, fourths, and
sevenths. Both composers exhibit interest on the formal unity and coherence,
which is attained through the cumulative development and continuous
variation of themes and motives.
Given the complexity and richness of this piece, I choose to describe deeply
the features of the first movement. Incredibly clear and detailed in his
writing, the Präludium, gives the perfect character for the beginning of the
Sonata. This movement portrays the extremes in the instrument, showing
almost the whole range of the oboe (from a low B until a high A flat), and
drastic changes of dynamics, developing from a pianissimo nuance until FF.
In a very classical approach, the theme is repeated during the movements with
different transformations: such as transposed one quint lower, or inversed in a
mirror effect. The theme starts in a low register, progressively increasing until
reaching the ‘climax’ of the development in a Fortissimo declamato A flat.
On the contrary, in the recapitulation the theme starts on a high register,
gaining tension as it decreases down to a low B.
‘Präludium’ has a very specific use of the metric and variations on weight of
the measure. In a base of 8th note there is almost in every measure a change of
number of beats, which gives uncertainty in the pulse and a sensation of
continuous flow. The accelerando and ritenuto are shown not only by the
20
variations in pulse speed, but also by the augmentation or diminution of the
number of notes per beat, helping convey the effect of rush and calm. There is
a clear resemblance between the first measures of Sonata and the ones of
Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. The metric is based in 8th
note, changing each measure the quantity of beats. On the melodical speech,
the interval movement has almost a visual reminiscence and the components
seemed to circle around a given note and move within a narrow range.
Sonata, Holliger
Music for String, Percussions and Celesta, Bartók
The start of the Präludium underlines an ambiance of hesitation and
ambiguity, produced by an unresolved motif in the first three measures. The
melody loops around the two chromatic oscillations at the head of the motif,
evolving slowly in each measure, reaching a wider register. Finally this
wavering is concluded in the fourth measure, which breaks the previous
pattern. We encounter a very similar passage at the end of the movement,
where the atmosphere of expectation and uncertainty is dramatized by the
insertion of empty measures, resolving into the attaca on the second
movement. The exact reappearance of the beginning in the end underlines a
“frame’’ around the movement, creating an effect of closure which is
common practice in Bartok’s music: the listener notices that we have reached
the final passage, producing so to say a cyclic effect.
The Capriccio stands out for its wild and uncontrolled character, expressed by
a large use of different articulations, its highly technical difficulty and the
presence of very fast passages.
The Aria is a calm movement, very intimate and lyric, usually in softer
dynamics, although it also arrives in the middle to a climax in an extreme
high register.
21
The Finale is technically the hardest movement, mainly because of its fast
section and its metric changes. Although the measure is 8/8, the subdivision
changes successively between 3/3/2, 3/2/3 or 2/3/3. This use of the pulse can
be called ‘Bulgarian Rhythm’. In contrast, there are interludes in 2/4 that can
be interpreted in a more dance nature. This last movement portrays again the
huge influence that Sándor Veress had on Holliger in the beginning of his
composing career revealing elements of Hungarian folk music.
22
Astor Piazzolla, Suite para oboe y cuerda, Op. 9 (1949)
Icon of Buenos Aires music, he is worldwide
renown as a composer, instrumentalist and
director. Even though his name is strongly
attached to some particularly enduring and
internationally successful tangos, he also
composed concerts, chamber, symphonic, and
even film music. The reach of his work goes far
beyond a mere change of style; with his
innovative drive Piazzolla (1921-1992)
achieved one of the deepest renovations in
Argentinean musical history. His provocative
and intellectually brilliant production set new and original horizons that
dazzled many talented musicians of his time and blazed still prevailing trails.
But he had to pay a high price for “being different”, as his ideas generated
harsh polemics among colleagues with rigid schemes on the nature of tango.
Putting time in perspective, Piazzolla holds a category of his own, a composer
that at the same time reached the massive public with pieces of high quality
and whose masterful command of composition techniques allowed him to
take the tango to the level of academic music.
Although born in Argentina, from age 4 to 15 Piazzolla lived with his family
in New York. There he got his first bandoneón, an instrument he would
become a virtuoso, studied with the Hungarian pianist Bela Wilda, disciple of
Rachmaninov, and met Carlos Gardel, the great tango singer, whom he
accompanied with the bandoneón. Gardel invited him to join his troupe but
luckily Piazzolla did not get parental permission, as Gardel and his
accompanists got killed shortly after in an airplane crash in one of the tour
stops, in Medellín, Colombia.6
Back in Argentina, he began to play the bandoneón in tango orchestras,
paving his way up from second rates ensembles up to the greatest orchestras
of the time, where he also became arranger, although his works were
sometimes too advanced for the time and got modified so as to not scare off
dancers. At the suggestion of Arthur Rubinstein, then in Buenos Aires, he
began musical studies with Alberto Ginastera in 1941. "It was like going to
your girlfriend's house" remembers Piazzolla in an interview7, "he revealed to
6
7
Astor Piazzolla: Chronology of a Revolution: Jorge Pessinis and Carlos Kuri.
Astor Piazzolla: A sad, current and conscious tango, interview.
23
me the mystery of the orchestra, he showed me his scores, made me analyze
Stravinsky. I entered the world of 'The Rite of Spring', I learned it note by
note...’. Here starts his “classical” period. For a decade (1943-1953), he
directed his creative impulses towards the academic world, where one can
highlight Piano sonata nº 1 op. 7, Rapsodia Porteña for symphonic orchestra
op. 8, the Suite for oboe and strings op. 9, to be played in this concert,
Sinfonía Tema Buenos Aires op. 15, and Sinfonietta op. 19. In parallel, he
formed his first orchestra and began to compose musical scores for movies.
He found resistance from both worlds. Not only did his arrangements incite
controversies among traditional tangueros, but at the end of an ‘academic’
concert there was a generalized fist-fight due to the strong reaction of some
members of the audience that considered it an indignity to include bandoneón
in the “cult” setting of a symphonic orchestra. In 1949 he decided to
altogether drop the bandoneón to dedicate himself to write and pursue musical
studies.
In 1953, he won a young composers competition that earned him a
scholarship from the French government to study in Paris with Nadia
Boulanger, considered the best educator in the world of music at the time.
This was a turning point in his life. In Piazolla's words:
“After showing to her my kilos of symphonies and sonatas, she started: 'It's
very well written, but here you are like Stravinsky, like Bartok, like Ravel, but
you know what happens? I can't find Piazzolla in this'. You say that you are
not pianist. What instrument do you play, then?” I was very ashamed to tell
her that I was a bandoneón tango player, but after I confessed she asked me
to play some bars of a tango of my own. She suddenly opened her eyes, took
my hand and told me: 'You idiot, that's Piazzolla!' 6
From 1955 on, Piazzolla's production returned to the bandoneón. All his rich
academic musical flow he imaginatively processed and integrated with the
tango material he had nurtured, forging an absolutely original and
unmistakably synthesis called “the new tango” that would mark generations
of composers. He took his universal language, as accomplished interpreter of
his art, in successful international tours accompanied by prominent musicians
of his different ensembles for more than 30 years, leaving everlasting
memories in the public and anthology recordings.
As mentioned, the Suite for Oboe and Strings op. 9 was created in 1949,
during Piazzolas's “classical” period, before he succeeded as a tango
composer. It is divided in four movements,
24




Pastorale ‘Lento’
Allegretto ‘Allegretto, Tempo di Valse’
Dolente ‘Molto Triste’
Adagio ‘Adagio Funebre’
It portrays sonorities and colors characteristic from the beginning of the 20th
century. We can also discover the influence of his teacher Alberto Ginastera
in the use of opens accords and empty textures. For example the rhythm,
colors and elements used in the beginning of the Allegretto speak to me as
reminiscences of the composition style of Ginastera’s ballet ‘Estancia’.
Another permeation that we discover in this ‘Suite’ is Stravinsky's, one of the
most important and influential figures in the first half of the 20th century.
Ginastera had recommended Piazzola to study Stravinsky music very
meticulously, stimulating Piazzolla’s musical ideas in one of the most
productive composing moments in his life.
The Pastorale movement draws pacific remote images, where the oboe stands
above an ethereal background of the strings. While in the oboe lines we
distinguish the use of the interval of 4th, the two strings that accompany stay
at a distance of 4th from each other, ascending and descending in parallel
movements. There are a few sections where it is the orchestra that takes the
theme, such as the beginning of the Allegretto, using open homophonic
accords that progress in parallel fifth and fourth intervals. The raw texture and
the folklore components make a contrast with the following section, the
Tempo di valse, where these energetic components are transformed into an
accompaniment of the cantabile oboe melody in a more dance character.
The Dolente, molto triste, (Painful, very sad) is the first movement from this
Suite that takes an original name, as Piazzolla would increasingly do in future
works, and not the standard occidental tempos such as Adagio, Allegro, etc.
This part exhibits a build up in the oboe line, which from a simple melody
develops as an improvisation into faster, ornamental figures. The strings
accompany with a parallel movement of layered fifths, that even if they are
not written in a tonal scale, they are continuously creating tension with
dissonant notes, and then resolving it. In the last movement, Adagio Funebre,
one finds a contrast between the parallelism of the strings that spin around
tonal/atonal chords, not giving a clear tonal ground, and the misterioroso style
indication on the score for the oboe voice.
25
26
Sergei Prokofiev, Quintet, Op. 39 (1924)
In 1918, Prokofiev (1891-1953) left Russia
due to revolutionary turmoil, and after a short
period in the United States he moved to
Germany and then Paris, that had recovered
from the chaos of the First World War to
become again the artistic Mecca of Europe.
Given the French proclivity to modernity,
Prokofiev thought that Paris was a good
place to try a new symphony. So he spent his
time working on the score as much as his
busy piano performance schedule and the
birth of his first child. We have access to the composer’s experiences and
private thoughts thanks to the diary he kept, which often includes daily
entries. In June 1924, Prokofiev entered:
“In order to earn some money while writing the Symphony, I accepted a
commission to compose a ballet for a roving dance troupe which wished to
present a program of several short pieces accompanied by an ensemble of five
instruments. I proposed a quintet consisting of oboe, clarinet, violin, viola
and double bass. The simple plot, based on circus life, was titled Trapèze.”8
The ballet company was headed by Boris Romanov, a Russian choreographer
he knew from St. Petersburg, who had created the Russian Romantic Theatre
with the purpose to tour Europe propagating Russian art.
Prokofiev welcomed Romanov's commission which had come as a surprise,
"To all appearances the one among all my projects that will most likely
materialize is the most unexpected: the ballet for Romanov", and settled into a
working routine during the summer of 1924, his diary following his daily
involvement, providing a vivid picture of the composer at work. June 28 th: "I
composed the first theme before I left Paris, as I was walking in the street,
and I notated it down under a street lamp. Now I have developed it."; July,
14th : "I decided to leave out temporarily part 6, as I am lacking ideas for it;
instead I shall polish up the first 5. In any case this will take me at least as
long as it took me to compose them." Jul, 26th: "I started work on the full
score. A sheer delight, since I had already thought everything through. I
8
Prokofiev’s diary , 17 June 1924, unpublished; quoted from Mann, part two
27
experience the same pleasure as a child putting color to his drawing. I
completed four pages." 9 From the outset, however, Prokofiev had conceived
this music as a chamber piece. The terms of the contract gave Romanov the
exclusive performing rights for two years, specifying that the music would
then be available for concert performance. Romanov toured Trapèze and other
ballet pieces through Germany and Italy during 1925, but it was a financial
disaster and soon after The Russian Romantic Theater disbanded. Trapèze
went into oblivion, never to be performed again10.
Prokofiev reworked the music into a six-movement concert suite for the
original instrumentation, but in the absence of the ballet's original music it has
so far been unclear whether the Quintet represents the actual ballet music or a
thorough revision of it. The Quintet, Op. 39, was premiered on March 6,
1927, in Moscow during one of Prokofiev’s many visits to his homeland in
the years preceding his permanent return there in 1933. Prokofiev noted that
the Second Symphony and the Quintet were among his “most chromatic
works,” and cited them as examples of the “modern” strain of his creative
personality: “The atmosphere of Paris had something to do with this.”
The Quintet exhibits an exquisite amalgam of textures and timbres between
the strings and the woodwinds, and the vibrant interplay between the
instrumental lines clearly highlights Prokofiev’s keen interest in exploring
and expanding instrumental possibilities. The combination of a diversity of
effects such as tremolo on the bridge of the instrument (sul ponticello),
temporarily muted violin or viola, and dissonant melodic lines, produce on
this quintet a sonority with circus reminiscence.
To be able to understand better Prokofiev’s compositions, it is important to
describe the term ‘Wrong notes’, used by many scholars to describe the
chromatic surprises in Prokofiev's music. It creates conventional tonal
expectations, making the ‘wrong-note’ chromatic modulations to distant keys
within phrases seem as if they are modernist spices added to an otherwise
tonal structure. Their structures rely on foreground progressions that do not
have harmonic function but rather have only voice-leading significance. The
9
Prokofiev’s diary , 28 June, 14 July and 26 July 1924, unpublished; quoted from
Mann, part two
10
Trapèze,’A forgotten ballet by Sergei Prokofiev and Boris Romanov’ by Noelle
Mann.
28
chromatic development that wrong notes incite is not wrong at all, but rather
they are an essential aspect of Prokofiev's music.11
In the following I describe in more depth the three movements to be
interpreted today.
The first movement of the Quintet can be divided in 4 sections: Tema
(Moderato), Variazione 1 (L’istesso tempo), Variazione 2 (Vivace) and Tema
again. The first and last sections share the same features: the leading melody
alternates between the oboe and the clarinet (we can find in the theme
abundance of “wrong” notes) above a simplistic accompaniment of open 4th
and 5th intervals in the other instruments. The music toddles along for a
while, stumbles upon the oboe theme again, and then abruptly stops. The two
variations that follow use as musical ground the open-interval accompaniment
figures and also, in less proportion, the first oboe theme. The first variation
has a calmer and private atmosphere: the upper strings develop a theme based
in the use of the interval of 4th, and then the oboe and clarinet take the lead,
intercalating each measure melodic and accompaniment elements.
The second variation, which contrasts with the rest of the movement because
of its faster tempo and entertaining character, exhibits the virtuosity of the
violin, who takes the lead the whole section with very hard technical
passages. The rest of the instruments alternate with faster sections that work
as ornamentation. The original music is brought back intact in the last section
to close the movement.
The fifth movement, Allegro precipitato ma non troppo presto, has the nature
of an unconcerned march. Many different melodic elements are developed,
standing out for instance a pizzicato melody from the contrabass in the
beginning of the movement and repeated throughout, or a melodic theme that
spins around the E tone, portraying different characters each time it takes
place because of alternations in articulation, dynamics and timbre (oboe,
clarinet or viola). All these melodic elements can be related to pictures,
11
Tonical Ambiguity in Three Pieces by Sergei Prokofiev – A thesis submitted for
the degree of Master of Arts in the Faculty of Graduate Studies- David Vincent
Edwin Stratkauskas.
29
facilitating the listening for the audience, who will be able to recognize the
recurring ‘images’ in the course of the piece.
The closing Andantino juxtaposes two music strains — a ¾ duet for the
woodwinds (A) and a lively 6/8 passage shared by the full ensemble (B) — in
the simple structural pattern A–B–A–B. The ¾ beginning is a melodic,
ethereal section that plays and experiments with the tessiture and color of the
two wind instruments, mixing them in an ‘inner song’. The clear contrast with
the 6/8 part, denser in the components, could portray elements of folk Russian
music. The audience is kept attentive during the last twenty measures, as the
same pattern is continuously repeated in fortissimo, the woodwinds in high
pitched and rhythmical melodies and the strings in homophonic chords, a
perfect end for the recital.
30
Bibliography

Days of Bliss are in Store: Antonino Pasculli's "Gran Trio Concertante
per Violino, Oboe e Pianoforte su motivi del Guglielmo Tell di Rossini",
by Anna Pennington. Florida State University.

http://www.omarzoboli.ch/antonio-pasculli.html

Browsing Among Pasculli, by Sandro Caldini. The double reed.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/172047915/Among-Pasculli

Trapèze, A forgotten ballet by Sergei Prokofiev and Boris Romanov, by
Noelle Mann. http://www.sprkfv.net/journal/three04/trapeze0.html

Multidisciplinary Performance Issues in Sergei Prokofiev's "Trapeze",
Chelsea Gayle Howell

Autobiography, Articles, Reminiscences. Sergey Prokofiev by S
Shlifstein. Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1960.

Tonical Ambiguity in Three Pieces by Sergei Prokofiev. A thesis
submitted for the degree of Master of Arts in the Faculty of Graduate
Studies, by David Vincent Edwin Stratkauskas.

La musique, c’est ce qui arrive quand les mots se taisent, Entretien avec
Heinz Holliger, by Jérémie Szpirglas.
http://brahms.ircam.fr/documents/document/21527

… unter die Katakomben der Zeit…, by Philippe Albera. Dossier Musik
Pro Helvetia / Zytglogge Verlag

Holliger at 60. Keeping the Faith Author, by Arnold Whittall. The
Musical Times, Vol. 140, No. 1867, pp. 38-48. Published by Musical
Times Publications Ltd. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1193894

Ein Gespräch mit Heinz Holliger, by Philippe Albera. Dossier Musik Pro
Helvetia-Zytglogge-Verlag.
31

J.S. Bach’s Concerted Ensemble Music The Concerto, Volume 7: Violin
Concerto in G Minor, by Pieter Dirksen.

Johann Sebastian Bachs Oboenkonzerte, by Bruce Haynes, 1992.

Johann Sebastian Bach, Konzerte in Rekonstruktion. Bachelor Arbeit in
der Studienrichtung Historische Oboeninstrumente, by Barbara NuskoUrthaler, 2008

Astor Piazzolla: Chronology of a Revolution, by Jorge Pessinis and
Carlos Kuri. http://www.piazzolla.org/biography/biography-english.html

Astor Piazzolla: A sad, current and conscious tango, by Gonzalo
Saavedra. http://www.musicolog.com/piazzolla_about.asp#.U1qyw_mSzeo.
32
Alejandra Piegaia
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
she began at age 14 her musical
education in Conservatorio Juan Jose
Castro and then pursued her oboe
studies in Conservatorio Nacional
Lopez Buchardo with Professor
Ruben Albornoz.
In
2008
she
entered
the
Conservatoire Regional de Lyon in
France with Professor Jérôme
Guichard, finishing her Diplôme
d’Études Musicales in 2010.
In 2009 she took an year of Preparatory Courses in the Haute École de
Musique de Genève with Professors Roland Perrenoud and Beatrice
Zawodnik.
In 2010 she was admitted to the class of Jaime Gonzalez in the
Hochschule der Künste Bern, where she completed her Bachelor
Degree in 2012. Alejandra is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in
Performance.
She has participated in Festivals and Orchestras as principal oboe such
the Youth Orchestra of Teatro Colon, Curitiba Festival Orchestra,
Orchestra from Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Camerata Radio
Cultura, among others. In Europe she has been member of the
Schweizer Jugend Sinfonie Orchestra, Ensemble Baroque de Genève,
Orchestre Studio de l’Opera-Theatre, Orpheus Kammerorchester,
Metropolitan Orchester Wien and Orchestre des Lumières de Lyon.
33
Tamara Chitadze, piano. She
was born in Tbilisi (Georgia),
she started to play piano at the
age of eight. In 1998 she
finished her studies in the Z.
Paliashvili State Music School
in Tbilisi and took private
lessons with Nodar Gabunia.
The same year she was admitted
to the V. Saradjishvili State
Music Conservatory in Tbilisi
(piano class of Svetlana Korsantia), where she graduated in 2004
obtaining a Master-Degree Diploma. She started her piano studies at the
Zurich University of the Arts in the Soloist class of Hans-Jürg Strub,
where she graduated with a Soloist Diploma in 2009.
She was prizewinner in the 1st National Contest of Musical Interpretation
in Tbilisi in 2003 (3. Prize), S. Taneev International Chamber Music
Competition in Kaluga, Russia in 2000 (2. Prize, piano-duo Category), as
well as in the S. Tsintzadze National Chamber Music Competition in
Tbilisi, in 2003 (1. Prize, piano-trio category). Both, as a soloist and
chamber musician, she has performed in Switzerland, Germany, France,
Czech Republic and Georgia. She is a member of many chamber music
formations; among others, she is playing together with Ketevan
Sepashvili (piano duo) and in duo with clarinetist Dawid Jarzynski.
Currently she is working at the University of the Arts in Bern,
Switzerland.
David Dias da Silva, clarinet. Born in 1987 in
Montreal Canada, descending from a Portuguese
family. He started the first musical steps in 1999
when he joined the Professional School of Music
in Viana do Castelo (High School degree,
Portugal), with Professor Iva Barbosa. In 2005 he
was admitted to the School of Music and
Performing Arts in Porto (Bachelor degree,
Portugal), with Professor António Saiote. In 2011
he made his Master Performance in Musik
Akademie der Statd Basel (Switzerland) with
Professor Francois Benda and now he is in the 1st
year of Solist Diplom, same institution and
teacher.
34
He holds several awards including: 1st prize at “Young Artist Competition”,
organized by the International Clarinet Association (Vancouver, Canada 2007), 1st prize in the “Fernando Raínho Valente"” competition organized by
the Portuguese Clarinet Association (Aveiro, Portugal - 2007), 2nd prize in
“Jovens Músicos” competition in chamber music category (Lisbon – 2008),
finalist at the International Clarinet Competition “Ciudad Dos Hermanas”
(Seville, Spain - 2008), semi-finalist (five rounds) in the International Clarinet
Competition (Kortrijk, Belgium - 2010) organized by the European Clarinet
Association, 2nd prize at the Concours National d’Exécution Musicale
(Riddes, Switzerland). He won also scholarships from Kiefer Hablitzel Bern
and Rahn Kulturfounds Zürich.
He performed as Soloist with the Orchestra Filarmonia das Beiras (Aveiro Portugal), Youth Orchestra Festival "Musicalta" of Alsace (France), Orchestra
do Norte (Portugal), Portuguese Chamber Orchestra (Lisbon),
Sinfonieorchestra Basel (Switzerland), Kammerorchestra Basel and Chamber
Academy Basel. He is the principal clarinet since 2009 of the Portuguese
Chamber Orchestra (Lisbon, Portugal), since 2013 member of the National
Youth Orchestra of Canada and was member of the Schweizer Jungen
Sinfonie Orchestra in 2012.
Jessica Alloway, violin. She grew up in
Auckland, New Zealand, and began learning
the Suzuki violin method from the age of
three. She has completed all her Royal
Schools grade examinations with distinction
and has been awarded her DipABRSM. In
2001 she was awarded the Trinity College
(London) Exhibition Award and in 2002 she
won the Elizabeth Long Registered Teacher
String Competition. In 2005 she was awarded
the Freemasons Liberal Arts Scholarship in
association with the Auckland Youth Orchestra. Jessica has been a member of
the NZSO National Youth Orchestra since 2007 and held the position
principal second violin for two years and in 2010 held the position of
Concertmaster. Jessica works as a casual violinist in both the New Zealand
Symphony Orchestra and in the Vector Wellington Orchestra. She has also
completed her Bachelor of Music and holds a Post Graduate Diploma in
performance violin with distinction from the New Zealand School of Music
studying with the concertmaster of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Vesa- Matti Leppänen. She is currently completing her Master of Arts in
35
Performance at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern, Switzerland. She is
studying under Monika Urbaniak and has completed a minor in orchestral
studies. During her time in Bern Jessica has worked as a praktikant in
Camerata Bern, Biel Symphony Orchestra and Bern Symphony Orchestra and
Principal second violin in Bern Chamber Orchestra as a private contractor.
Vessela Kazakova, violin. Born 1989 in Pleven,
Bulgaria. She started to play the violin at the age of
8. In 2010, Vessela graduated Bachelor of Arts in
Music at the “Hochschule der Künste” - Bern and in
2013 Master of Arts in Music Performance at the
same school. Her teachers were Prof. Detlef Hahn
and Bartlomiej Niziol. Since 2013 she is studying
Master of Arts in Music with Major Orchestra at the
“Hochschule Luzern-Musik” in the class of Isabelle
van Keulen.
Vessela won Prizes in national and international
competitions in Bulgaria. She performed as a soloist
with the Pleven Symphony Orchestra and others. In
Spring 2013, she was leader of the second violin’s
section from the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra, and in autumn 2013, she
played on Tournee with Gstaad Festival Orchestra under the conduction of
Neeme and Kristjan Järvi. Since September 2013 she is doing internship in
Bern Symphony Orchestra.
Grigory Maximenko, viola. He was born on
July 11, 1988 in St.-Petersburg. At the age of
nine he began playing violin at the class of Raisa
Gorelkina. In 2000 he entered the musical
school №11 at the class of Tatiana Liberova. In
2004 Grigory entered the Special musical school
of St.-Petersburg Conservatory as a violist at the
class of Vladimir Stopichev. In 2007 he entered
The St.-Petersburg State Conservatory, where he
continued studying with Prof. Stopichev. In
2012 he graduated from the Conservatory and
was celebrated as the best student of the year.
Now he is doing Master of Performance in Bern
University of Arts with Prof. Patrick Jüdt.
36
Grigory is prize-winner at several international competitions such as The VI
International Competition of Central Music School for the young musicians in
Moscow (2006, 3rd prize), The XI International Competition for the young
musicians in Toliatti (2007, 3rd prize), The III International Evgeny
Mravinsky Competition in St-Petersburg (2008, 3rd prize) and Rahn
Musikpreis Competition for string instruments in Zurich (2014, 3rd prize).
Since 2008 he is constant member of the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester.
With this orchestra he performed in the best halls of Europe (Concertgebouw,
Musikverein, Royal Albert Hall etc.) with great conductors such as Sir Colin
Davis, Ingo Metzmacher, Antonio Pappano, Herbert Blomstedt and others.
Since 2010, he is constant leader of the viola section in the Konstantinovsky
festival orchestra (St. Petersburg). He is currently doing a Praktikum in the
Bern Symphony Orchestra.
Eric Abeijón, violoncello. He was
born in 1988 in Spain, he starts his
musical studies at a very early age
in the prestigious Sociedad Coral de
Bilbao in the Basque Country. His
musical training is large and mixed.
He performed at the age of 9 as a
soloist reciter in the cantata «
Alegrias » from the Spanish
composer Antón García Abril with
the Symphony orchestra of Tenerife
conducted by the maestro Victor
Pablo Pérez, and with the Symphonic orchestra of Bilbao conducted by
Antoni Ros Marbá. He starts his cello training with professor Gabriel
Negoescu, principal cello of the Bilbao’s symphony orchestra. He continues
his training in Bordeaux (France) with professor Etienne Peclard where he
obtains in 2009 the gold medal at the Conservatoire National de Region. He
has performed in orchestras such as the “Orchestre National de Bordeaux
Aquitaine”, “The youth Dutch orchestra” and the orchestra “Ostinato”, based
at the Comic Theatre of Paris. In 2009, he performed as a soloist the Elgar
cello concerto with the National Orchestra of Perú in Lima. He is now
continuing his studies at the Haute École des Arts of Berne with professor
Louise Hopkins.
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Karolina Tukaj, contrabass. She was
born in 1989 in Poland. She dreamed of
a music career at the age of 5, when the
daughter of her kindergarten teacher
came there after school to play piano.
Unfortunately this teacher did not
believe in the musical talent of a small
girl which gave her some kind of
obstinacy and led to her starting her
music education at the age of 7, attending the music school in Bytom in piano
class. Luckily when she was 13, bored of practicing piano, she changed
instruments. The beginnings where very hard, but attending many courses and
master classes with great musicians and teachers from all over the world who
infected her with love to this instrument, she decided to relate her future with
the double-bass. After she graduated from the music school in Bytom, she
began further studies at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
During four years of studying there, she gained experience playing in youth
and professional orchestras and also working at the Music Theater. To finish
her Master diploma she moved to Switzerland, to study with Ruslan Lutsyk at
the Hochschule der Künste in Bern. She is taking part in many chamber and
orchestral projects, and also is currently working as a praktikant in the Berner
Sinfonieorchester.
Julio Caballero Pérez, harpsichord. Born in
1995 in Granada, Spain. He started to study
piano at 9. At the age of 14 he moved to Madrid
to study with the pianist Carmen Deleito. He
won the Ávila Chamber music Competition and
he was finalist of the International Antón García
Abril Competition. He was part of the young
talents program of the Davidsbuendler
Asociation and received a scholarship and
played with the orchestra of the Katarina Gurska
Fundation. At the age of 16 he started his harpsichord studies with Denise de
La-Herrán Sabik. At the same time he continued studying piano with Eldar
Nebolsin (Musikhochschule Hanns Eisler Berlin) and Claudio Martínez
Mehner (Basel Musikhochschule). Since last year he studies exclusively
harpsichord in HKB with Dirk Börner
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