CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Ensemble ACJW
The Academy — A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute

Weill Recital Hall
Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 7:00 PM

Ensemble ACJW
Elizabeth Janzen, Flute
Angelina Gadeliya, Piano
Michael Mizrahi, Piano
Andrew Beer, Violin
Owen Dalby, Violin
Anna Elashvili, Violin
Joanna Marie Frankel, Violin
Meena Bhasin, Viola
Brenton Caldwell, Viola
Claire Bryant, Cello
Caitlin Sullivan, Cello

BACH Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering
MOZART String Quintet in D Major, K. 593
MENDELSSOHN Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66

The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education — is made possible by a leadership gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Major funding has also been provided by Mercedes and Sid Bass, The Kovner Foundation, Martha and Bob Lipp, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, Susan and Elihu Rose, and Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse Jr., with additional support from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, The Dana Foundation, Suki Sandler, Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Bulgari, Susan and Ed Forst, and The William Petschek Family.

Program Notes:

By Cody Franchetti

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering
Born March 21, 1685, in Eisenach; died July 28, 1750, in Leipzig.

Composed in 1747, the Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering received its Carnegie Hall premiere in Carnegie Recital Hall (now Weill Recital Hall) on August 27, 1952, with John Wummer, flute; Leon Rudin, violin; and Jean Claude Chiasson, harpsichord.

“Gentlemen, Old Bach is here.” So exclaimed Frederick II (“the Great”), King of Prussia, on the evening of May 7, 1747, when he heard that J. S. Bach had arrived at his palace in Postdam. Bach had come to visit his son Carl Philip Emanuel and meet his wife, whom Carl had married in 1744. At Postdam a concert preceded the royal dinner every evening, and Frederick, after exclaiming those words, abandoned the concert and invited Bach to visit the palace and test the ultra-new Silberman pianofortes, which had just been installed; it seems they met with his approval.

Frederick proposed to Bach a subject for improvisation; Bach developed the subject on the spot, and when he visited the palace the next night, he improvised a six-part fugue on the same theme. When Bach returned to Leipzig, he sent a manuscript to Berlin called Musicalisches Opfer (Musical Offering) as a present from him to Frederick (in fact, he was not paid for it). The manuscript contained the re-worked fugue, a number of canons, and a sonata for flute, violin, and clavier. The latter was a thoughtful gesture by Bach, as Frederick played--and loved--the flute.

The Musical Offering contains some of the most severe polyphony hitherto written; the strains of counterpoint are so pure that they become immaterial and the music itself ceases to be sound and instead approaches intellectual manifestation. It is curious that in such a stringent environment, a perfect garland--such as this trio sonata is--sprouts in full luxuriance. In fact, the piece has an emotional character that makes it an immediate precursor to the Empfindsamkeit style, of which Bach’s son Philip Emmanuel was a leading figure. This musical aesthetic, which arose in Northern Germany in the mid-18th century, aimed for an intimate and sensitive expressiveness that is in direct contrast to the galant style with which it is sometimes confused. The former is emotional and subjective; the latter is composed, discursive, and emphatically well-bred.

The Sonata’s slow first and third movements display this sensitivity clearly, with their ardent and at times elegiac melodic inflections and their “sighing” figurations, which would become typical of the Emfindsam style. The second movement and the finale are more contrapuntal; in them, as in the rest of the Musical Offering, the King’s theme is preeminent, serving as the subject for the final Allegro in a transformed 6/8 time signature.


WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART String Quintet in D Major, K. 593
Born January 27, 1756, in Salzburg; died December 5, 1791, in Vienna.

Composed in 1790, Mozart’s Quintet in D Major was first performed at Carnegie Hall on January 21, 1985, with Walter Trampler, viola, and the Juilliard String Quartet: Robert Mann and Earl Carlyss, violins; Samuel Rhodes, viola; and Joel Krosnick, cello.

That Mozart invented or perfected the string quintet is a common misrepresentation. Notwithstanding earlier consort music in five parts, string quintets were first written in the 1750s in Austrian monasteries. Originally called divertimentos, quintets were written in a variety of styles and characters. In the 1770s Boccherini wrote his influential quintets, which, in addition to being immensely popular, established the genre as an important relative of the string quartet. Mozart did not pioneer the string quintet, but he did write the finest ever composed.

Mozart had attempted his first quintet back in 1773--an elegant, texturally refined piece, written upon his return from Italy and influenced by Giuseppe Sammartini’s quintets. Italian composers such as Boccherini and Sammartini were attached to the Mediterranean courts (Spain and Naples) and thus had cultivated assiduously a string quintet that was in a more melodic and placid vein than the string quartet. A sign of the lesser degree of popularity of the quintet in Germany may be found in Haydn’s account that he did not write a string quintet simply because he had never been asked.

Mozart’s next quintet (K. 408) was a transcription for strings of his Serenade for Winds in C Minor, K. 388. This was followed by the two masterpieces in C Major and G Minor, K. 515 and K. 516, written in 1787 as a subscription offer; string quintets must still have been out of favor at the time, as Mozart’s offer went unanswered. Still, these quintets represent a summit of Mozart’s output; within these works, Mozart tested and successfully resolved a formal expansion that remained unequalled until the late works of Beethoven. (The exposition of K. 515 was to be the longest exposition written until Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony--even the gigantic exposition of the “Eroica” is shorter.)

The years following 1787 were a difficult period for Mozart, and by 1790 his financial situation was grave. Among his projects for raising money were two more string quintets, K. 593 and K. 614, which he sold for publication in the summer of 1790. This last set, though it did not further the genre, also ranks with Mozart’s supreme achievements in chamber music.

The Quintet in D Major is the more experimental of the two. The first movement’s Allegro is preceded by a slow introductory section that is repeated at the end of the movement. Since the Adagio ends on the dominant, the first theme of the Allegro is also repeated by itself as the conclusion, thus coming full circle. “Experimental” is not quite the word to describe the second movement’s audacious harmony, which in the development defies classification and has definite Impressionistic hues.


FELIX MENDELSSOHN Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66
Born February 3, 1809, in Hamburg, 3 Feb 1809; died November 4, 1847, in Leipzig.

Composed in 1845, Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2 received its Carnegie Hall premiere in Recital Hall (now Weill Recital Hall) on March 26, 1960, with the Beaux Arts Trio: Daniel Guilet, violin; Bernard Greenhouse, cello; and Menahem Pressler, piano.

Mendelssohn wrote his Second Piano Trio, Op. 66, in 1845. His first Trio, composed in 1839, had been hailed by Schumann as--“at last”--a Romantic masterwork, and Mendelssohn himself had been called “the Mozart of the 19th century; the one who most clearly recognized the contradictions of our time, and the first to reconcile them.” Those very contradictions (expression vs. form, subjective vs. universal, etc.) are more pronounced in the Second Trio and even more startlingly reconciled. But the merits of this piece are not equal to its favor among the general public. Yet, Op. 66’s slightly more speckled surface is less congenial than the first Trio’s marmoreal exterior.

The first movement opens with a mysterious rising theme in the piano, played in unison by both hands. From this material, Mendelssohn constructs a large exposition with three themes. Typical of Schubert’s late works, the three-key exposition often contained remote keys; here it is a vessel for three contrasting themes that are not distantly related harmonically.

The second movement is a lyrical Lied in the vein of Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words. This melodious instrumental style is idiomatic of Mendelssohn’s style and is essentially a vocal utterance treated by instruments instead of a voice. In this case, the piano provides chordal accompaniment while the violin and cello engage each other in a sort of “duet without words.”

The crisp Scherzo in G minor is even more idiomatic to Mendelssohn. The dizzying figurations, repeated notes, tremolos, and gossamer textures are patented features of the Mendelssohnian scherzo; as early as his Octet, his first masterpiece, composed at the astonishing age of 17, Mendelssohn developed the distinct form and sound of his scherzos. Their originality is evident; however, an influence may be found in Carl Maria von Weber, whom Mendelssohn knew and appreciated. Weber was responsible for the multiplication of notes, especially in his piano music, which, though virtuosic in aim, was quite different from Czerny or Hummel’s technical flair. The present Scherzo has evanescent colors, which dissolve, in the misty air that produced them, in the blurry and pizzicato conclusion.

The substantial finale is in Rondo form and is propelled by the cello’s spirited leap of a ninth. A choral section gives the movement a spiritual element, but when it re-appears in the conclusion in C major, it crowns the Trio’s spirit of high drama and reconciliation.

Copyright © 2007 by The Carnegie Hall Corporation

Ensemble ACJW
Featuring Fellows of The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute

Elizabeth Janzen, Flute
A native of Newfoundland, Canada, flutist Elizabeth Janzen is rapidly establishing herself in the New York City area as a prominent teacher and performer. After competing at a national level while still in high school, Elizabeth pursued formal studies at the University of Toronto and at the Manhattan School of Music, where she is presently a doctoral candidate. Elizabeth has participated in internationally renowned programs such as the National Academy Orchestra, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Sarasota Music Festival. She has also collaborated with such conductors as Pierre Boulez and David Robertson, and in 2005 she gave her New York debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Elizabeth works actively as a freelance musician for orchestras, shows, and special events, and is currently on the faculty at the Manhattan and Diller-Quaile schools of music. As part of her fellowship program, Elizabeth teaches in Brooklyn at PS 135.

Angelina Gadeliya, Piano
Ukrainian pianist Angelina Gadeliya has performed throughout the US, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, and Ukraine. She has appeared as soloist with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Sinfonia of Colorado, Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, and South Dakota Symphony, and has performed in venues including Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, the New-York Historical Society, Banff Centre for the Arts, and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago, among others. For the past two summers she has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. In June 2007 she was invited to perform as part of the Emerson String Quartet’s Beethoven Project in Weill Recital Hall. Angelina received her Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin, her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes College of Music. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at SUNY–Stony Brook, where she studies with Gilbert Kalish. As part of her fellowship program, Angelina teaches in Brooklyn, at PS 130.

Michael Mizrahi, Piano
Michael Mizrahi has appeared as concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician with Leon Fleisher and the Curtis Chamber Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and Sioux City Symphony. He won First Prize and the Audience Choice Award in the 2004 Ima Hogg Competition, as well as first prizes in the Berkeley Piano Club Competition, the International Bartok-Kabalevsky Competition, and the Iowa International Piano Competition. He is a founding member of NOW Ensemble, a group devoted to the commissioning and performance of new music by emerging composers, as well as the Moët Trio, which is quickly establishing itself as one of today’s most exciting young piano trios. Michael joined the Astral Artistic Services artist roster in 2005. He received his B.A. degree in music and religion from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in piano performance from the Yale School of Music. As part of his fellowship program, Michael teaches in Queens at The Judge Charles J. Vallone School, PS 85Q.

Andrew Beer, Violin
A native of Canada, violinist Andrew Beer has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and his performances have been broadcast on NHK Japan, Vietnamese television, CBC Radio-Canada, Minnesota Public Radio, and WQXR in New York. As a soloist, he has performed with leading orchestras in Vancouver, Montreal, New York, Boston, and Catania (Sicily), and he has appeared in chamber concerts with members of the Emerson String Quartet as well as Midori. Humanitarian and outreach concerts have also played an important role in Andrew’s musical output, and through such endeavors he has been awarded a Congressional commendation and has performed for dignitaries including Queens Rania and Noor of Jordan, Princess Haifa al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia, and First Lady Laura Bush. He holds degrees from the Vancouver Academy of Music, Stony Brook University, and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he spent three years working with Donald Weilerstein. As part of his fellowship program, Andrew teaches in Brooklyn, at PS 282.

Owen Dalby, Violin
Violinist Owen Dalby has performed throughout North America and Europe as a solo artist and as an orchestral and chamber musician. With pianist Alexander Rabin, Owen was a top prizewinner at the 2007 Lyon International Chamber Music Competition for violin and piano duo. Owen received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale, where he served as concertmaster of both the Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale and the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as first violinist in the Norfolk Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, and has appeared with the Oakland East Bay Symphony (California) and in Europe with the Festival Orchestra of Sofia. Festival appearances include Aspen, Adriatic, Accademia Musicale Chigiana (Siena, Italy), Music at Menlo, Norfolk, Salzburg, and the Gros Morne Chamber Music Festival in Newfoundland. Owen is the co-founder and artistic director of The Hindemith Ensemble, a chamber group dedicated to promoting new music, music by Yale composers, and neglected chamber works from earlier times. As part of his fellowship program, Owen teaches in Manhattan, at the Choir Academy of Harlem.

Anna Elashvili, Violin
Violinist Anna Elashvili has performed in the US, Europe, and Israel in such venues as Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall, Stadttheater Lindau, and Mann Auditorium. She recently performed as soloist with Maxim Vengerov, and has also collaborated with such artists as Peter Serkin, Lynn Harrell, Donald Weilerstein, and the Peabody Trio. As a founder of the Fountain Chamber Music Society and former member of the Fountain Ensemble, she is a prizewinner of several international chamber music competitions. Ms. Elashvili has served as concertmaster of the Tanglewood and Verbier Festival Orchestras under James Levine, Claudio Abbado, and André Previn. Currently, she is a member of the String Orchestra of New York City and the Fantasy Duo. Ms. Elashvili is on the faculty at the Third Street Music School Settlement. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School. As part of her fellowship program, Anna teaches in Corona, Queens, at The Fairview School, PS 14.

Joanna Marie Frankel, Violin
A 2007 recipient of a Career Grant from the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation, and of The Juilliard School’s prestigious William Schuman Prize for artistic excellence, violinist Joanna Frankel performs as guest soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout the US and abroad. Highlights of Joanna’s upcoming seasons include solo recitals in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC; chamber music appearances at La Jolla’s SummerFest; and her European recital debut tour, which will include solo recital engagements at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw as well as at various additional distinguished concert halls across Eastern Europe. Joanna made her Carnegie Hall recital debut in January 2007. A recent scholarship graduate of The Juilliard School in New York, Ms. Frankel has collaborated with mentors Jascha Brodsky, CJ Chang, Robert Chen, Masao Kawasaki, Joseph Kalichstein, and Cho- Liang Lin. As part of her fellowship program, Joanna teaches in Brooklyn, at PS 167.

Meena Bhasin, Viola
Violist Meena Bhasin has performed throughout the US, Japan, China, and Israel in such venues as Lincoln Center, the United Nations, the Hammerstein Ballroom, and Mann Auditorium in Tel-Aviv. She received instruction and guidance from Itzhak Perlman at the Perlman Music Program, which led to engagements including an appearance with Mr. Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and the Israel Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. In 2007 Meena completed a dual degree program at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory, where she was the recipient of the 2006 Presser Award. Her teachers have included Patinka Kopec and Martha Strongin Katz. Meena hopes to forge a career that uses music to facilitate crosscultural dialogue. As part of her fellowship program, Meena teaches in Queens, at MS 72.

Brenton Caldwell, Viola
Since beginning viola studies at the age of 12, Brenton Caldwell has performed on three continents. He has appeared as a soloist with the Curtis and Banff chamber ensembles and the East Texas Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated chamber musician, Brenton has performed alongside artists such as Roberto Díaz, Gary Graffman, Ida Kavafian, Menahem Pressler, and Steven Tenenbom. Festival appearances include Banff, Verbier, Angel Fire, Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Tanglewood, and the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. With an ardent devotion to education, Mr. Caldwell has participated in numerous outreach projects and served as teaching assistant to his longtime mentor Karen Tuttle. Other major influences include Susan Dubois, Jeffrey Irvine, Lynne Ramsey, Roberto Díaz, Misha Amory, and Pamela Frank. A native of Tyler, Texas, Brenton is a graduate of the Cleveland and Curtis institutes of music. As part of his fellowship program, Brenton teaches in Queens, at PS 62.

Claire Bryant, Cello
Cellist Claire Bryant has appeared as a soloist with the Kuopion Orchestieri of Finland, the National Symphony of Honduras in Tegucigalpa, the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, and the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she has collaborated with Donald Weilerstein, the Peabody Trio, Roger Tapping, Maria Lambros, and members of the St. Lawrence, Orion, Mendelssohn, and Pacifica string quartets. She is a founding member of the TETRAS Quartet, a string quartet dedicated to the study, performance, and promotion of repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries. She is the founder, producer, and artistic director of the acclaimed chamber music series With Strings Attached, which has raised over $10,000 for arts education in her native state of South Carolina. Claire received her Bachelor of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School. As part of her fellowship program, Claire teaches in the Bronx at the Grove Hill School, PS 157X.

Caitlin Sullivan, Cello
Cellist Caitlin Sullivan is gaining widespread recognition as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. She is a winner of numerous prizes and awards, and has performed extensively with groups as diverse as the Argento New Music Project and Symphonic Eurythmy, and in venues ranging from Trinity Church to Jazz at Lincoln Center. As a winner of the 2006 Artists International Audition, Ms. Sullivan gave her Carnegie Hall recital debut last December. Committed to outreach and music education, Ms. Sullivan has been a Teaching Artist for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and a faculty member of the Belvoir Terrace summer performing arts camp in Lenox, Massachusetts; she has also taught in the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School. Ms. Sullivan received her bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Steven Doane, and her master’s degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Timothy Eddy. As part of her fellowship program, Caitlin teaches in Manhattan, at PS 153.