12 OUT | THURSDAYFARO | AUDITÓRIO DA ESGHT, CAMPUS DA PENHA 19H00

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BAROQUE INSPIRATIONSCHAMBER MUSICString Quartet

CYCLE “OUTONO MUSICAL NO CAMPUS”

MOZART (1756-1791)

Adagio e Fuga em Dó menor, Kv 546

Mozart became fascinated by Bach’s polyphony, arranged several Bach fugues for string ensembles and wrote some of his own, many of which survive only as fragments. The complex “Fugue in C minor” could never be mistaken for Bach, but in it one can hear Mozart both paying tribute and straining for Baroque grandeur. Some commentators have suggested that the original two-piano version of the “Fugue, K. 426” is non pianistic. As if in acknowledgement, Mozart refashioned it for string quartet (or string orchestra) in June 1788, adding what he called “a short Adagio” as an introduction. The resulting “Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546” is thus an unusual addition to Mozart’s string quartet canon, nestled along with the 1786 “’Hoffmeister’ Quartet, K. 499” between the renowned “Six Quartets Dedicated to Haydn” (1782-1785) and the final trio of so-called “Prussian” Quartets (1789-1790). Solemn and dignified, the “Adagio” recalls old French overtures with its dotted rhythms. The four-part fugue, marked “Allegro,” is busy with all manner of Baroque effects: stretto, inversion, augmentation. Its subject embraces both a dashing and a resigned element, coming off as very Mozartean in spite of its vintage inspiration.

PROGRAMNOTES

TELEMANN (1681-1767)

Abertura Overture from Suite “Burlesque de Quixotte”

A remarkably prolific, skillful, and forward-thinking German composer, one of the foremost of his day, who wrote a great many sacred and secular vocal works as well as orchestral, chamber, and keyboard music. A contemporary of Bach and Handel, Telemann shared many of their musical techniques and wrote for many of the same genres; and though his music is overshadowed by theirs, it has many charms, perhaps more evident in Telemann’s modest instrumental works (of which the concerto in D for trumpet 2 oboes & Strings is a good choice) than in his 40 operas, 600 overtures, 44 liturgical passions, and other large works. Handel said Telemann could write an eight-part motet with the ease that someone else would write a letter.

BRITTEN (1913-1976) Sinfonia Simples Op. 4 (Simple Symphony Op. 4) Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft, England, in 1913. He began his study of composition at the age of thirteen, writing music while waiting for breakfast at the kitchen table. Four years later he entered the Royal College of Music to study piano and composition under Harold Samuel and Arthur Benjamin. Though Britten lived in an age of atonality, he insisted on composing music that was rich with harmony. Quite fittingly, he was criticized by a majority of theorists but beloved by a majority of audiences. Britten’s Simple Symphony is a modest work but one that gained him a large amount of popularity very quickly. Britten wrote the piece in 1934 at the age of 20. The years that have followed have seen the piece become a useful element in string orchestra repertoire. Most interesting are the third and fourth movements. The Sentimental Saraband preserves a leisurely 3/2 time, while the Frolicsome Finale is reminiscent of Haydn.

PROGRAM MOZART Adagio e Fuga em Dó menor, Kv 546 TELEMANN Overture from Suite “Burlesque de Quixotte” BRITTEN Simple Symphony Op. 4I. Boisterous BourreeII. Playful PizzicatoIII. Sentimental SarabandIV. Frolicsome Finale Agrupamento:Emil Chitakov, violinEmilian Petrov, violinAngela Silva, violaPedro Silva, cello

Founded in 2002 under the designation of Orquestra do Algarve, the orchestra changed its name to Orquestra Clássica do Sul (OCS) in September 2013 in order to enhance its mission of offering a high artistic quality programme to the regions of Algarve, Alentejo and the Setubal peninsula, as well as to the Spanish region of Andalusia.Besides the Turismo do Algarve and the University of Algarve, the original founders of OCS include the regional municipalities of Albufeira, Faro, Lagos, Loulé, Portimão and Tavira. Subsequently, the municipalities of Alcoutim, Castro Marim, Olhão, Lagoa, São Brás de Alportel, Vila Real de S. António, Silves, Vila do Bispo and the University of Évora also joined as associates of OCS. In addition, the orchestra is pleased to count on ‘Caixa Geral de Depósitos’ as its sponsor.The Orquestra Clássica do Sul is composed by musicians selected in international public competitions, gathering 14 different nationalities. The OCS programme includes chamber music concerts, opera productions, Promenade concerts (for families), concerts in association with different musical genres (e.g., jazz, fado) and other artistic expressions (e.g., dance, literature), workshops and master classes. Along with its musical activity, the orchestra dedicates a special effort to pedagogical actions in schools, promoting the musical taste of younger audiences.

The OCS 2017’s season will maintain the investment in traditional projects, such as the case of the Promenade Concerts and the Pedagogic Concerts, the concerts included in the cycles of the orchestra regular programme, like the chamber music concerts, the “Loulé Clássico”, and the “Clássica na Santa Casa”, as well as the reactivation of other cycles, such as the “Solistas da OCS”, “Música e Natureza”, “Clássicos Light” and “Grandes Sinfonias Clássicas”. This season, in addition to the co-production of the usual Festival Caixa a Sul during the summer, the OCS will also participate in 11 concerts in the 32nd edition of the FIMA - Festival Internacional de Música do Algarve (Algarve’s International Festival of Music), with presentations that will include chamber music, choral singing, piano concerts, and a gastronomic event coupled with music.The artistic team has Rui Pinheiro as Principal Conductor, with John Avery as Associate Conductor and Luís Soldado as Associate Composer.

ORQUESTRACLÁSSICA DO SUL