Julia Fischer, violin; Jan Lisiecki, piano. April 1, 2025.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.  Orchestra (Seat Y105, $67).

Program

Sonata for Piano and Violin in B-flat major, K.378 (317d) (1779) by Mozart (1756-91).

Sonata in F major for Piano and Violin, Op. 24, Spring (1800-01) by Beethoven (1770-1827).

Sonata in D minor for Piano and Violin, Op. 121 (1851) by R. Schumann (1810-56).

What is this "NY Phil Artist Spotlight?"

Most violin students at the intermediate/advanced level would have learned several of Mozart's and Beethoven's sonatas, and then move on to Brahms.  At least that was the case when I was learning the instrument many decades ago.  Indeed I don't recall encountering any Schumann violin concertos or sonatas before today (he wrote one concerto and two sonatas).  Fischer describes the concertos as a progression from where the piano takes the lead to the instruments are equal partners to where the violin comes on its own.  One can debate how correct her assessment is; I note in the Program they are all called sonatas for piano and violin.  It must be noted Fischer is also a concert pianist, although I believe she is better known as a violinist.

To most people the sound of the violin dominates in a "violin sonata," regardless of which instrument is carrying the load, so to speak.  That is even true of the Mozart sonata, even though it is from Mozart's mature period.

It was a delight to see how the two artists work together, at times challenging each other, at times simply enjoying the banter between the instruments.  Of the three pieces on the Program, I am most familiar with the Spring sonata, and I appreciated how clean and refreshing the two artists sounded - just as spring should be.

The movements of the sonatas are as follows.

Mozart.  Allegro moderato; Andantino sostenuto e cantabile; Rondo: Allegro.

Beethoven.  Allegro; Adagio molto expressivo; Scherzo: Allegro molto; Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo.

Schumann.  Ziemlich langsam - lebhaft (Rather slowly - lively); Sehr lebhalt (Very lively); Leise, einfach (Gentle, simply); Bewegt (Agitated).

I bought this ticket when I was in Hong Kong and found out it was on sale.  Anne had class commitments so she couldn't join - and she was no keen on doing it between trips anyway.  I took the train in, and caught the 9:38 pm train back to NJ.

Photo from Lisiecki's Instagram page.  From a concert in Chicago a couple of days prior.   Some soloists would change during the intermission.  Fischer is more practical.

Julliard String Quartet. March 30, 2025.

Town Hall, New York City.  Orchestra ($15).

Program

Selections from Cypresses, B. 152 (1865/1887) by Dvorak (1841-1904).

String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters" (1928) by Janacek (1854-1928).

String Quartet in E Minor "From My Life" (1876) by Smetana (1824-1884).

Quartet members

Areta Zhulia, violin; Ronald Copes, violin; Molly Carr, viola; Astrid Schween, cello.

This concert would be the last in the series of Peoples' Symphony Concerts subscription I got for this season.  Attendance was a lot better than usual.  As usual, I sat in one of the last rows so I could make a swift exit after the concert.

All the composers were Czech.  Dvorak of course still has a huge repertoire performed often.  I know a couple of compositions by Smetana, most notably Ma Vlast, and other than the opera Janufa, I can't recall a single work of Janacek's.  (Well, I can find a couple of additional entries in this blog.)

Sure enough, Dvorak was quite easy to get, Smetana was okay, and Janacek was a bit puzzling.  Particularly if one bears in mind the titles given to the compositions by the composers themselves.

Dvorak wrote 18 love songs for the voice and piano under the collective name "Cypresses" in 1865 (there is a story there) and arranged twelve of them for a string quartet in 1887.  The ones selected for today's performance are V. The Old Letter in My Book; II.  Death Reigns in Many a Human Breast; VII.  I Wander Often Past Yonder House; XII.  You Ask Why My Songs; and III.  When Thy Sweet Glances Fall on Me.  I guess one can use one's imagination to associate the music with the titles, but I found it quite difficult.  Perhaps if I had read up on the lyrics I would have appreciated it more.  As far as I could tell, the string players played close to the bridge (sul pontecello) to produce an eerie sound.

Smetana's "From My Life" has four movements: I.  Allegro vivo appassionato; II.  Allegro moderato a la Polka; III. Largo sostenuto; and IV. Vivace.  Perhaps a biography?  Indeed the Wikipedia entry on this work describes it as an autographical work with nationalistic elements, and premiered with Dvorak as the violist.  The third movement was specifically written in memory of the composer's first wife.

Per Wikipedia, Janacek wrote his second string quartet to reflect his relationship with a married woman 38 years his junior.  The two exchanged over 700 letters, so Janacek probably had a lot of "source material" to draw on.  The love was unrequited, yet Stosslova was by his side when Janacek died.  Someone probably could compose an opera based on this story.

In any case, all three pieces have significant viola solos, which the violist Molly Carr brought out beautifully.  Overall the concert was very enjoyable.  The second violin was a substitute for Ronald Copes, who was sick.

I did left right after the concert, the train downtown pulled up just as I got to the subway station, and caught the 4:07 pm train back to South Amboy with a couple of minutes to spare.