Spotlight on a Chamber Music Festival concert,
July 28, 2006
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Members of the Turtle Island String Quartet and the Ying Quartet set their instruments aside to give us the following insights into the pieces they will play in one of the Chamber Music Festival concerts. |
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809): String Quartet Op. 71 #2 in D Major (“Apponyi” Quartet #2)
Haydn is sometimes described as the “inventor” of the string quartet. That’s not quite true—the form actually began to emerge in the Baroque era of classical music. But it was indeed “papa” Haydn that gave the genre the form and structure that was to endure at least into the late Romantic era, and in which we most often hear it today: four instruments (two violins, viola and cello) playing four movements. The first and fourth movements are usually in a relatively fast tempo; the second one is slow, frequently with a long-lined melody; and the third is a lively dance—a minuet in the early quartets, a scherzo in the later ones.
In 1793, Haydn wrote a set of six string quartets dedicated to Hungarian nobleman Count Anton George Apponyi (it was the same Apponyi who some years later encouraged Beethoven to try his hand at the genre). Three of the quartets are catalogued as Opus 74 and three as Opus 71. The
quartet heard in this program is the second from Opus 71.
In Vienna, string quartets were intended for performance in private concerts played in stately homes. But the Apponyi quartets were written for public performance in the concert halls of London, and that’s where, in 1794, they first were played by a quartet headed by German violinist Johann Peter Salomon.
Because of the larger venues for which they were intended, the six quartets are more robust than some of their predecessors. The D Major composition relies heavily upon the first violin and incorporates a third movement which, although titled “minuet,” foretells the scherzos that are to follow.
Darius Milhaud (1892–1974): The Creation of the World (La Création du Monde)
Born in Aix-en-Provence, France, Darius Milhaud produced some 443 opus numbers worth of music over a 63-year career, making him one of the most prolific of 20-century composers. His reputation principally rests, however, on the works he composed in the decade following World War I.
During that time, “Dada” was flourishing, talking pictures were coming on the scene, American jazz had made it across the Atlantic, Jean Cocteau and surrealism were making waves—and all of those events had an impact on “Les Six,” the group of young French composers of which Milhaud was a member.
Besides all that, Milhaud spent some time at the French legation in Rio de Janeiro, absorbing, while he was there, the harmonies, instrumental sounds and rhythms of Brazil.
These factors loom large in the music Milhaud composed during that period, and their influence is apparent in The Creation of the World, a ballet that employs an African myth (which Milhaud came upon during a visit to New York City’s Harlem) as the basis of its story line.
Originally scored for 17 instruments with a solo role for alto saxophone, “Creation” premiered in Paris in 1923. The arrangement for string octet presented during the festival is by former Turtle Island violist Danny Seidenberg.
Mark Summer: Julie-O
Turtle Island cellist Mark Summer wrote Julie-O in 1988, originally for solo cello. Drawing some of its inspiration from American fiddle tunes, the piece has been described as suggestive of the works of Aaron Copland. In its latest incarnation as a work for two cellos, both players are given the opportunity to fully exploit and display the wide-ranging capabilities and characteristics of their instruments.
David Balakrishnan: Mara’s Garden of False Delights
Composed in 2002, Turtle Island violinist Balakrishnan’s composition for two string quartets takes its themes from the story of Mara, the king of the demons who tempted the Buddha with all of life’s pleasures. Each of the work’s three movements corresponds to the three states of being in Hindu philosophy: “Sri-jo,” denoting love; “Doughboy,” the self-pity with which we sometimes indulge ourselves; and “Snakes and Ladders,” the children’s board game of Indian origin, stands as a symbol of the roller-coaster ride of life.
In the process, the differing natures of the two quartets—Turtle Island and Ying—come into play, but in such a way as to demonstrate the futility of stereotyping and the “wholeness” that can come from diversity.
| Evan Price: Variations on an Unoriginal Theme Think the “unoriginal” theme with which Turtle Island violinist Price starts his piece is by Haydn? Maybe Mozart? Wrong on both counts—but it sure sounds like a product of the Classic era of music—the “first Viennese school.” |
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It’s not long though, before it wends its way into an Irish jig, or perhaps something by Mendelssohn, or maybe a gospel shout—all the while creating a sort of “battle of the bands” between the two quartets involved in the proceedings, and not so incidentally, a short history of the evolution of the string quartet.
Turtle Island String Quartet & Ying Quartet
Sunday, July 30, 5pm, Teatro Ángela Peralta, Mesones & Hernández Macías
Remembering Bill Porter
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Music brought William Lent Porter to live in San Miguel de Allende 15 years ago. He had served on the board of the December Festival, founded by Gilberto Munguia, first in San Francisco where he had lived all his life and then in SMA when Munguia brought his series here. As musical activities expanded in the community, Bill was just as active. He was a founding member of Pro Musica at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, an active participant in the restructuring of the Festival de Música de Cámara, and even of the short-lived Opera San Miguel. |
It was music, the cultural life in San Miguel, and especially concern for the Mexican people that filled his days. His ashes are interred at the Panteón, where he’ll be surrounded by the sound of church bells, mariachis, guitars and singing.
Bill read poetry and cookbooks daily, and he was a voracious reader of science fiction and political books. He spoke fluent Spanish and read Latin and French. He loved to walk and hated to shop. He loved his dogs and cats. He was a good sport.
Most importantly, he never said no to a request for contributions to help the Mexican people. He was the sole benefactor to support the daily hot meal program at a school of 60 mentally and physically disabled children, administered by Feed the Hungry.
Although he died of lung cancer at the age of 80, he never smoked a cigarette in his life.
A descendant of a pioneer California family and a native of San Francisco, Bill attended Stanford University as an undergraduate and for law school. He was a member of the Stanford Law Review, and he was graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
As a member of the celebrated law class of 1952, which included the future U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist (they sat next to each other and drank beer together after class) and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, he and his wife Barbara Bladen Porter attended class reunions every five years. One reunion dinner was held in the rotunda of the Supreme Court building in Washington, DC.
A founding member of the first board of directors of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, he also founded the boards of the Actors’ Workshop, which went east to become Lincoln Center Repertory Company, and the Berkeley Stage Company. He did pro bono legal work and fund raising for many of the Bay Area theaters, including the Magic Theater, and various Chicano theaters. He was a lifelong subscriber to the San Francisco Opera, Symphony and Ballet and attended musical and theatrical events everywhere he and Barbara traveled.
He will be remembered for his loyalty, generosity, sensitivity and abundant joy of life. His devotion to Barbara was noted and admired by all who ever met him.
Barbara and Bill traveled extensively and had many friends all over the world. He was a good sport, his wry sense of humor was infectious, and he cherished his friends. A Brooks Brothers man to the end, he was kind, generous, brilliant and unassuming.
His epitaph will be: “He was a true gentleman.”
Barbara Bladen Porter
As is well known in these parts, Bill Porter was a gentleman of great generosity and goodwill. When I moved to San Miguel last year, Bill and Barbara kept a promise (made when we met through mutual friends in California) to make sure I’d feel at home in my new community. Bill’s open-hearted hospitality encompassed everything from invitations and thoughtful counsel to perfect martinis and lamb chops. There was much to be learned from his devotion to Barbara and to San Miguel, and from his deep concern for the struggling, complicated world we live in. He’d seek out a quiet corner at busy social gatherings, preferring to discuss the news, or the book he was reading. His wide-ranging interests—literature and politics, poetry and football—made for lively conversation, leavened always by his rueful, uniquely skewed sense of humor.
Lulu Torbet
Of all the parties, comidas, board meetings, outings and trips with Barbara and Bill Porter that Marion and I recall with such pleasure, the 1999 river cruise with them from St. Petersburg to Moscow stands out. I can still see the two of them walking back toward our ship in a little river town somewhere in Russia, together with almost 100 other friends from San Miguel. It was easy to pick them out of the crowd, of course, with Barbara wearing her latest acquisition in hats and Bill trudging along amiably with a bemused smile on his face, heavily laden with all of Barbara’s other purchases of the day. Bill was truly a gentleman, kind and overly generous with his time, talents and treasure, always willing to step up and “do the right thing” in any situation. From my perspective, Bill Porter had a marvelous attitude toward life, observing all that was going on and making his dry, humorous comments along the way. His devotion to Barbara was always heart-warming to experience, and their generous support in many ways for so many causes in San Miguel and elsewhere was and is remarkable. We all miss you, Bill.
Russ Archibald
Bill Porter Memorial concert
Tuesday, August 1, 8pm, Las Monjas Church, 300 pesos
Chamber Music Festival Calendar
Saturday, July 29
Turtle Island String Quartet, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Opening of the Antique Instruments Exhibit, 2pm
Salón de Alumnos, Bellas Artes
Sunday, July 30
Turtle Island String Quartet & Ying Quartet, 5pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Monday, July 31
Ying Quartet, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Free Student Concert, 4pm
Jardín kiosk (weather permitting)
Tuesday, August 1
Ying Quartet & Vega String Quartet, 8pm
Bill Porter Memorial Concert
Las Monjas Church
Free student concert, 4pm
Jardín kiosk (weather permitting)
Wednesday, August 2
Vega String Quartet, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Free student concert, 1pm
Sala Quetzal, Biblioteca Pública
Free student concert, 4pm
Jardín kiosk (weather permitting)
Conference: “Chamber Music in the 20th century,” 5pm
With Maestro Francisco Nuñez Montes
Bellas Artes auditorium
Free
Thursday, August 3
Free Student Concert, 4:30pm
Bellas Artes auditorium
Friday, August 4
Olga Kern, piano, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Public market of strings, 10am–7pm
Bellas Artes patio
Saturday, August 5
Vega String Quartet, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Public market of strings, 10am–7pm
Bellas Artes patio
Sunday, August 6
Free concert by the Vega String Quartet, 7:30pm
Jardín (weather permitting)
Public market of strings, 10am–1pm
Bellas Artes patio
Monday, August 7
St. Petersburg String Quartet & Olga Kern, piano, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Free student concert, 4pm
Jardín kiosk (weather permitting)
Conference: “The Art of the Luthier,” 5pm
With Maestro Fernando Corzantes
Bellas Artes auditorium
Free
Tuesday, August 8
St. Petersburg String Quartet & Vega String Quartet, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Free Student Concert, 4pm
Jardín kiosk (weather permitting)
Wednesday, August 9
Timothy Fain, violin & Will Ransom, piano, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Free student concert, 1pm
Sala Quetzal, Biblioteca Pública
Free student concert, 4pm
Jardín kiosk (weather permitting)
Thursday, August 10
Free concert by the St. Petersburg String Quartet, 7:30pm
Bellas Artes auditorium
Free student concert, 4:30pm
Bellas Artes auditorium
Friday, August 11
Timothy Fain, violin & Will Ransom, piano, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Saturday, August 12
St. Petersburg String Quartet, Vega String Quartet, Timothy Fain, violin & Will Ransom, piano, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta