Chamber Music Series
FRIDAY March 14 7pm
SUNDAY March 16 2pm
Season Sponsor
DR. BRICE ADDISON
Concert Sponsors
Wilkinson Law | Mick & Suzie Taleff
2024 – 2025
Journey through Italy’s rich musical landscape with a delightful quartet by Boccherini, a poignant elegy by Puccini, and a Respighi quartet that captures the essence of Italian musical brilliance. Bellissimo!
Italian wines and desserts will be offered by Pizazz at Friday's concert.
FRIDAY
History Museum
422 2nd St S (Ozark Club)
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SUNDAY
First Congregational Church
2900 9th Ave S
Cascade Quartet
PROGRAM NOTES
BY CHRISTINE SHERLOCK
Enrico Toselli
1883 – 1926
"Serenade"
1900
2 MINUTES
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Mary Papoulis VIOLIN
Enrico Toselli’s Serenata Rimpianto "Serenade" is one of the most beloved examples of Italian salon music. Written during the height of his career, this short, lyrical work captures the bittersweet emotions of love, nostalgia, and longing.
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Toselli, a gifted Italian pianist and composer, achieved fame both for his musical talents and his dramatic personal life. His brief but notable marriage to the Archduchess Luise of Austria-Tuscany drew public attention, though it ended in scandal and separation. These personal experiences may have informed the poignant sentimentality that permeates Serenata.
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Serenata is a tender, romantic miniature, blending elegance and emotional depth. The melody is simple yet deeply expressive, evoking feelings of wistful yearning. It flows with a cantabile style, characteristic of Italian arias, making it especially beloved among singers, violinists, and other instrumentalists.
Luigi Boccherini
1743 – 1805
String Quartet in D Major
Op. 8, No. 1
1768
14 MINUTES
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I. Allegro Assai
II. Adagio
III. Rondeau
15 MINUTE
Luigi Boccherini, an Italian cellist and composer, was one of the most prolific and innovative contributors to the string quartet repertoire in the Classical era. While he was often compared to his contemporary Joseph Haydn, Boccherini brought a distinctly lyrical and virtuosic touch to his works, particularly influenced by his own background as a virtuoso cellist and the refined elegance of the Spanish court, where he spent much of his career.
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The String Quartet in D Major, Op. 8, No. 1 is part of a set of six quartets published in the early 1770s, during a time when the string quartet as a genre was still evolving. Boccherini, along with Haydn, played a significant role in developing the quartet into a sophisticated and balanced ensemble form.
Boccherini’s quartets, including this work, embody the refinement and grace of the Classical era while also foreshadowing some of the Romantic expressiveness that would emerge in the 19th century. His distinct voice as a composer, marked by a focus on beauty and elegance, distinguishes his quartets from those of Haydn or Mozart.
Giacomo Puccini
1858 – 1924
Chrysanthemums
1890
6 MINUTES
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Giacomo Puccini, best known as one of opera’s greatest composers, also wrote several smaller instrumental works early in his career. Among these is Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums), a single-movement elegy for string quartet composed in 1890. Puccini wrote this piece as a heartfelt tribute to the passing of the Duke of Savoy, Amedeo di Savoia, a member of the Italian royal family.
The work’s title, Crisantemi, references chrysanthemums, flowers traditionally associated with mourning in Italian culture.
The string writing is lush and lyrical, with rich harmonic textures that reflect Puccini’s mastery of orchestration and his innate understanding of the human voice. Indeed, elements of Crisantemi later found their way into the final act of his opera Manon Lescaut, showcasing its dramatic potential.
Ennio Morricone
1928 – 2020
Cinema Paradiso, Love Theme
1988
5 MINUTES
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The Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso is one of the most iconic pieces by Ennio Morricone, the legendary Italian composer whose music elevated countless films to timeless works of art. Composed for Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso, the theme is part of a lush and evocative score that plays a crucial role in the film’s emotional impact. The movie, a nostalgic masterpiece, tells the story of a filmmaker reflecting on his youth, his love for cinema, and his bittersweet romance in a small Sicilian village.
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The Love Theme is a tender, heartfelt melody that captures the essence of love, memory, and longing central to the film’s narrative. Co-written with Morricone’s son, Andrea Morricone, the theme is both hauntingly beautiful and universally relatable, making it a staple in Morricone’s celebrated body of work.
Ottorino Respighi
1879 – 1936
String Quartet No. 3 in D Major
P. 53
1907
14 MINUTES
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I. Allegro Moderato
II. Tema con variazioni
III. Intermezzo
IV. Finale
Ottorino Respighi, renowned for his vividly orchestrated tone poems such as The Pines of Rome and The Fountains of Rome, also made notable contributions to chamber music. His String Quartet No. 3 in D Major is a compelling work that blends his fascination with early music styles with the lush harmonic language of the late Romantic tradition. Composed in 1927, it reflects the mature style of a composer who had by then fully embraced his identity as both a modernist and a revivalist of Italian musical heritage.
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Respighi’s String Quartet No. 3 is a sophisticated and richly textured work that exhibits his deep understanding of counterpoint, his interest in early music, and his penchant for vibrant melodic lines. The quartet is structured in four movements, each showcasing a distinct mood and character.
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Respighi’s interest in Renaissance and Baroque music—evident in his other works like Ancient Airs and Dances—is subtly present in the quartet, particularly in its contrapuntal passages and refined textures.
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Though not as widely performed as his orchestral works, Respighi’s String Quartet No. 3 in D Major is a hidden gem of the chamber music repertoire, offering audiences a glimpse into the intimate and lyrical side of one of Italy’s most beloved composers. It stands as a testament to Respighi’s versatility and his dedication to both innovation and tradition.
