Booklet

RECITAL

A Depection of the 20th Century

Sir Lennox Berkeley

(1903-1989)

Sir Lennox Berkeley was a British composer whose compositions are characterized above all by delicate textures and lively harmonies. Berkeley studied at Marlon College in Oxford.

The young musician had barely graduated when he crossed paths with the famous French composer Maurice Ravel. The latter was deeply impressed by Berkeley's compositions and recommended that his young colleague enrol at the Paris Conservatoire and study with Nadia Boulanger.

No sooner said than done, Berkeley goes to Paris. During his time there, he also had the opportunity to get to know Igor Stravinsky and Francis Poulenc. Like Boulanger, these two famous colleagues also had a decisive influence on his musical style. In 1936, Berkeley met Benjamin Britten, with whom he subsequently collaborated successfully on the orchestral composition 'Mont Juic' in 1937. This not only developed into an important professional connection, but also a close personal relationship. It would last his entire life. Berkeley later became Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music and Honorary Professor of Music at Keele University. He experimented with atonality, but always remained true to his characteristic style.

Berkeley's music is known for its beautiful melodies and skillful orchestration. Some of his most notable works are the 'Divertimento', an elaborate orchestral piece, the 'Piano Sonata (1945)' and operas such as 'Nelson and Ruth'. In his later works, such as the 'Sonatina' and the '4th Symphony', he experimented with atonality. He also composed pieces for specific performers, such as the 'Sonatina op. 52' for the guitarist Julian Bream.

The 'Sonatina for Guitar, op. 52' was composed in 1957, a time when Berkeley was intensively involved with the guitar repertoire, not least due to his friendship with the famous guitarist Julian Bream, to whom he dedicated the piece.

The sonata consists of three movements in which Berkeley combines elements of traditional tonality with a modern harmonic language. The first movement, 'Allegretto', concentrates at the beginning on the melodic capabilities of the guitar and contains lyrical passages imitating vocal melodies. In the development Berkeley introduces fast scales and rasguados reminiscent of the style of traditional Spanish guitar music. The second movement, 'Lento', takes on a slower tempo and is devoted to harmonic experiments. It introduces melodic fragments in the bass part that contrast with expressive chords. Berkeley strategically delays the expected resolution of these motifs, building up the tension throughout the piece. The rondo movement in Berkeley's 'Sonatina for Guitar, Op. 52' is both lyrical and energetic. It contains various guitar techniques and effects such as tremolos, arpeggios, rasgeados and passages.

Hans Werner Henze was a German composer and is considered one of the most frequently performed contemporary composers today.

Henze was born in Gütersloh, Germany in 1926. His early life took place in the shadow of the social and political upheavals of the Second World War and was deeply influenced by them. The trauma of his childhood under the Nazi regime is closely linked to Henze's compositions and influences him throughout his life.

He initially studied in Braunschweig and Heidelberg, where he was a pupil of Wolfgang Fortner. He then went to Paris to study Schönberg's twelve-tone technique with René Leibowitz. Henze later worked as Kapellmeister at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden and General Music Director at the Deutsches Theater in Constance.

Henze's catalog of works includes works of all musical genres. With the 'Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte Montepulciano' and the 'Münchener Biennale' (International Festival for New Music Theater), he founded two festivals which he supported in three ways as a composer, teacher and patron. His close ties to the theater ensure that his works always have a connection to political circumstances or positions.

Henze disliked the elitist posturing of the authorities and the ruling classes. However, he does not condemn the educated middle-class tradition in which he himself grew up. Rather, he playfully and often ironically questions the fundamentally valid historical patterns. In doing so, he refers to musical models as well as aspects of art and literature. Henze deals sensitively with socio-critical themes in his work. In total, the composer created over 40 stage works and ten symphonies. Many of his 15 operas quickly found their way into the international repertoire.

Until his death, Henze devoted himself passionately to music, most recently as Capell-Compositeur of the Dresden Staatskapelle.

The compositions for solo guitar by Hans Werner Henze are often perceived as a more intimate and lyrical side of his immense musical legacy. Although 'Drei Tentos', for example, are often performed as independent pieces, they are actually part of a larger work: the 'Kammermusik 1958'. This is dedicated to Benjamin Britten and contains the 'Tentos' for chamber ensemble, tenor and guitar. Julian Bream played the world premiere.

Each 'Tento' is an intermezzo with its own character for a song from 'Chamber Music 1958'. The first 'Tento', 'Du schönes Bächlein', has a lyrical, harp-like character. It is based on a four-note theme with a high tessitura and a dynamic that rarely goes beyond pianissimo. Intervals are used in this movement to create a structure in the composition.

Despite fixed time signatures, the feeling of a continuous pulse disappears and a structure emerges that is oriented towards small phrases. The second tento, 'Es findet das Aug', is a predominantly rhythmic movement with a strongly improvisatory character. It is the most intense movement of the piece, following its very own dynamic. Neither a melody nor a character type is the focus here. Rather, Henze only makes fleeting use of various ideas only to take up a new motif the very next moment. The third 'Tento', "Sohn Laios", has by far the most lyrical character. It is based on Henze's 'Neapolitan Melody'. This movement plays with two opposing ideas that are directly adjacent to each other. It develops through discontinuous sound segments that arise side by side and have no direct relationship. Even in the score, Henze emphasizes this character through various visual accents in the notation.

Hans Werner Henze

(1926-2012)

Heinrich Albert

(1870-1950)

Heinrich Albert was a German composer, teacher and soloist. He was born in Würzburg in 1870 and initially studied the violin and horn. He later played in various orchestras in Germany, Switzerland and Russia.

He played in the Kaim Orchestra (later the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra) under renowned conductors such as Gustav Mahler and Ferdinand Löwe. From the 1890s onwards, he learned to play the guitar self-taught and then took lessons with Luigi Mozzani. He also worked as a guitar and mandolin teacher in Munich. He is the author of the guitar school "Modern Course of Artistic Guitar Playing", which consists of four volumes. His first performances began in 1900. Around 1910, he founded a guitar quartet, which he modeled on a string quartet. Twice a year he plays a series of concerts entitled 'The guitar in domestic and chamber music 100 years ago'. The pieces he plays in these concerts, which he composes himself, are published at the same time by the Julius Heinrich Zimmermann publishing house. Heinrich Albert is the first German guitarist to give concerts in many German cities shortly after the end of the First World War. In 1928, he became the first guitarist of the Munich Guitar Chamber Trio. The musician and composer continued to give concerts until after 1943.

The 'Sonata No. 1' is the first of two sonatas written by Heinrich Albert. Although it was published in 1924, it gives the impression of being from the previous century. For this reason, it is often referred to as a 'neo-romantic sonata' and reminds some people of Schubert's works. The sonata consists of three movements. The first movement in E minor is 'energetically moving' and takes the form of a sonata form. The dramatic movement consists of many small motifs, which are alternately modulated and imitated by the bass and upper voices. In the exposition, the theme frequently alternates between major and minor. The short 'dolce' development section is in C major and captures the stormy energy of the introduction. The subsequent recapitulation adds rhythmic elements to the main theme. The second movement is in G major and follows the song form A-B-A. The theme of the first verse reflects the heading "Slowly and with much warmth". This is achieved through a striding, almost floating melody in three-four time. The second part consists of descending thirds accompanied by a bass ostinato on the root note D. After four bars, the ostinato jumps to the upper voice, the last A section is repeated and leads to the final chord in G major with a cadence in the upper voice. The third movement is a fast rondo in E minor. Parallels to Schubert's 'Erlkönig op.1, D. 328' are easy to recognize and hear. The theme begins powerfully in six-eighths time and then increases in octaves.

Alexandre Tansman

(1897-1986)

Alexandre Tansman was a composer and pianist. He was born in Lodz, Poland in 1897 and spent his childhood and youth there until he later left his homeland and lived mainly in France. His music is predominantly described as neoclassical and is strongly influenced by his Polish and Jewish roots. His adopted country of France also clearly influenced his work.

Although Tansman began his music studies at the conservatory in Lodz, he first completed a doctorate in law at the University of Warsaw. At the same time, he also studied composition in Piotr Rytel's class in Warsaw.

After completing his studies, Tansman moved to Paris. Here, his musical ideas finally found favor with fellow musicians and he gained new courage. His patrons included renowned musicians such as Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel.

In 1941, Tansman was forced to leave Europe due to his Jewish ancestry and emigrated to Los Angeles. There he met many other European musicians and intellectuals who shared his fate and were also living in exile. Among them were Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schönberg, Darius Milhaud, Thomas Mann and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Undeterred by the turmoil of the war, Tasman continued his musical work and composed film music for several Hollywood productions. In 1946, he even received an Oscar nomination in the "Best Music" category for the film 'Paris Underground'.

After the end of the war, Tansman returned to Paris. However, he found it difficult to re-enter the music scene, as his absence from the European music scene had left its mark on his career. He was unable to connect with the new musical trends in France, which were now increasingly turning to the avant-garde.

As a consequence, Tansman made a U-turn back to his Polish-Jewish roots and composed some of his most important works during this time. Although he renewed his ties to Poland in the process, he would not leave his adopted country of France for the sake of his career and family until his death in 1986.

After Frédéric Chopin, Tansman is probably the most important interpreter of traditional Polish musical forms, such as the polonaise and the mazurka, which serve as a source of inspiration for him and which he also writes himself, not least as a tribute to Chopin. Tansman composed numerous orchestral works, piano pieces, film music and chamber music. However, his most important legacy today is his compositions for guitar.

One of his best-known compositions is the piece 'Variations sur un thème de Scriabine', which he dedicated to Andres Segovia. In this exceptional composition, Tansman reflects on the diverse possibilities of the plucked instrument and creates his very own synthesis of theme and variations. The basis of the theme is Skrijabin's piano piece 'Prélude in E flat minor, Opus 16, No. 4'. Andres Segovia initially only changes the transcription of the piece in B minor for guitar. In Tansman's 1972 version, however, he revises several key compositional passages and exerts considerable influence on the harmony of the composition. The composition contains six variations, three of which are led by a slower tempo and three by a higher one.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedeso

(1895-1968)

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was a Jewish-Italian composer and pianist. He was born in Florence in 1895. He completed his musical training at the Instituto Musicale Cherubini in Florence. In 1918, he graduated in composition under Ildebrando Pizetti at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna. In the 1930s, Castelnuovo-Tedesco developed into one of Italy's leading contemporary composers.

At the same time, he proved to be an excellent pianist and astute critic. His collaboration with three luminaries of the classical music scene at the time, Andrés Segovia (guitar), Jascha Heifetz (violin) and Gregor Piatigorsky (cello), brought the young composer international recognition and made him famous in an instant. This also had a lasting influence on his future work.

When the Second World War inevitably reached Castelnuovo-Tedesco's home country of Italy, the musician fled with his family into exile in America in 1939. In Los Angeles, he was signed by MGM Studios as a film composer. For 15 years, Castelnuovo-Tedesco worked for various Hollywood studios and composed the music for over 200 films during this time.

Castelnuovo composed a total of 70 orchestral works and several operas. During the last years of his life, Castelnuovo-Tedesco taught at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, where he accompanied renowned composers such as Goldsmith, Mancini, Previn, Riddle and John Wiliams in their careers.

Castelnuovo-Tedesco has had a significant influence on classical guitar music. Some of his most important works are: 'Sonata ( Omaggio A Boccherini)', the 'Capriccio diabolico', as well as the 'Caprichos de Goya'.

Los Caprichos' is a socially critical cycle by the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya. It consists of 80 pictures created between 1793 and 1799 in a mixture of aquatint and etching. They show current social problems that the painter satirically addresses. Poverty, prostitution, superstition, the abuse of ecclesiastical power by the Inquisition and the brutality of the nobility and clergy in maintaining their power are some of the themes.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedeso selects 24 of Goya's motifs and uses them as the basis for the solo parts of his composition. The composer completed the famous '24 Caprichos de Goya' in 1961.

In 'Capricho No. XII' "No hubo remedio", Tedesco also sets one of Goya's paintings to music. It shows a woman condemned to death by the Inquisition being led through an angry crowd on a white donkey. To make this deeply threatening and gloomy situation audible, Tedesco draws on a well-known Gregorian chant, the 'Dies Irae'. In total, 'Capricho No XII' is a passacaglia consisting of this theme and seven variations.

Dusan Bogdanovic

(1955-)

Dusan Bogdanovic was born in Yugoslavia in 1955. He studied composition and orchestration at the Geneva Conservatory with P. Wissmer and A. Ginastrea, as well as guitar with M. L. Sao Marcos. He was awarded the only first prize in the Geneva competition. His career quickly took off and he made his debut in 1977 with a highly acclaimed concert at Carnegie Hall.

After teaching at the Belgrade Academy of Music and the San Francisco Conservatoire, his next stop was again the Geneva Conservatory.

As a composer, improviser and guitarist, Bogdanovic creates his very own style - a unique synthesis of classical, ethnic and jazz music. Bogdanovic has toured Europe, Asia and the United States both as a solo artist and as a member of various ensembles. He performs with various chamber ensembles, whereby his musical orientation always remains variable. His most important artistic collaborations include The Fall Guitar Trio and well-known jazz musicians such as James Newton, Milcho Leviev, Charlie Hayden, Miroslav Tadic, Anthony Cox and others. In addition to numerous pieces for solo guitar, Bogdanovic also composes chamber music.

The work 'Six Balkan Miniatures', which Bogdanovic put down on paper at the beginning of the nineties, is dedicated to Bill Kanengiser. In fact, Bogdanovic initially created three 'Miniatures', which he did not even publish. It was only when Bill Kanengiser asked him personally for a composition with a folkloric character that he decided to write three more 'Miniatures'.

The six pieces symbolize the six republics that once made up Yugoslavia. Bogdanovic gave his composition the subtitle 'Dedicated to a World of Peace' and dedicated it to Yugoslavia, which was at war at the time. Overall, the composition is characterized by a variety of rhythms typical of the Balkans.

'Vranjanka' is the only one of the miniatures to be inspired by an existing song. The others are, as Bartok says, folklore imaginaries. The first Miniature ('Jutarnje Kolo'), the fourth ('Makedonsko Kolo') and the sixth Miniature ('Sitni Vez') are dances, while the second ('Zalopojka'), the third ('Vranjanka') and the fifth ('Siroko') are improvisations.

After studying in Italy and his native Yugoslavia, Miroslav Tadic completed his training in the USA. His performances and recordings cover a broad spectrum from baroque and classical to blues, jazz and rock. Tadic often and gladly collaborates with important artist colleagues, including such notable personalities as Terry Riley, Placido Domingo at the Los Angeles Opera, Dusan Bogdanovic, Howard Levy, Theodosii Spasov, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Markus Stockhausen, Vlatko Stefanovski and Maria João.

He performs all over the world, especially in Europe, Japan and the United States. In recent years, Tadic has focused on developing an improvisational and compositional approach that combines and juxtaposes musical elements from various sources, including Baroque music, European and North Indian classical music, Eastern European folk music traditions, blues, jazz and rock.

He is particularly known for his innovative use of classical and flamenco techniques on the electric guitar.

Tadic composes music for solo guitar, various chamber ensembles and several award-winning experimental film, theater and dance productions. He has taught at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles since 1985.

The editors of the music magazine Guitar Player named Miroslav Tadic one of the thirty most innovative and outstanding guitarists in the world in the January 1997 issue.

The composition 'Macedonian Girl' is based on one of Macedonia's most popular songs, originally called 'Makedonsko Devojce'. Although it was written by the well-known songwriter Jonce Hristovski, it has been considered a folk song for many decades. It praises the incomparable beauty of Macedonian women and is known throughout the country, regardless of age. Tadic's composition differs considerably from the simpler and lighter original, but retains the beautiful melodic line. The 7/8 time signature of the piece is the most common time signature in Macedonian music