Ravinia_2018_Issue_7_Week

transformation occurs at several levels in this

score.

e theme itself contains an internal

variation, its rst six notes being manipulated

to produce the latter part. Knussen expanded

this material into variations grouped into

ve character variations, four passacaglia vari-

ations, and three etude variations.

is densely

integrated composition is characterized not by

austerity but by sumptuous piano sonorities.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-91)

Adagio in B minor, .

In addition to the keyboard sonatas and fan-

tasies, Mozart le a large body of autonomous

movements for the piano. Some of these are

the fragmentary remains of un nished sonatas.

Others were composed in a lighter, popular style

that would have appealed to the general pub-

lic and earned Mozart much-needed income,

a growing concern during the ve years before

his death. e Adagio in B minor, .

—com-

posed on March ,

—is a highly chromatic

work with the character of a fantasy.

Piano Sonata No. in B- at major, .

Two mysteries surround the .

sonata. First

is the occasion of its composition. According to

the dated manuscript, Mozart wrote the sonata

in February

, shortly before taking a round-

about tour of Germany. Little else can be stat-

ed with certainty. No commission has come to

light, and the score lacks a dedication. A second

question pertains to the correct instrumenta-

tion. Mozart, in his personal works catalogue,

called this “a sonata for solo piano.” However,

when Artaria published the rst edition in

a er Mozart’s death, a solo violin was added.

e duo tradition continued well into the th

century, but today deference is given to Mozart’s

piano sonata designation.

e Sonata No. in B- at major, .

, is writ-

ten in the same congenial vein as the Sonata

No.

in C major, .

, “für Anfänger” (for

beginners) and the nal “leichte” (easy) Sonata

No. in D major, .

, for Princess Friederike

of Prussia. An opening unison lends a re ned

manner to the

Allegro

. An abrupt modulation,

punctuated by four loud chords, prepares for

the lyrical second theme. Mozart develops the

themes in reverse order, leading them through

distant keys, then restores the sequence in the

recapitulation.

Adagio

spins long, symmetrical lines in its

refrain. A dreamy, minor-key melody is con-

structed of fragmented gestures.

e abridged

refrain is followed by a new theme in major, and

the refrain is stated a nal time. A spirited trio

of themes alternates in Mozart’s compact ron-

do nale.

e rst unfolds in several balanced

strains. A er a full stop, the syncopated con-

trasting melody is introduced. Chromatic two-

part writing characterizes the third theme.

original idea draws the sonata to a close.

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810–56)

Waldszenen

, op.

Battling depression in

—no doubt a re-

sponse to Clara’s pregnancy, as Peter Ostwald

has suggested—Schumann thrust himself into

compositional work.

is concentrated activity

produced the nine-piece piano cycle

Waldszenen

(

Forest Scenes

) in nine short days, beginning on

December . His original conception matched

each piece with a poetic motto, employing

texts by Friedrich Hebbel and Heinrich Laube.

Schumann removed all but one inscription (on

No. , based on Hebbel’s poem “Die Blumen, so

hoch sie wachsen”) before publication.

Waldszenen

capitalized on the Romantic love of

wooded settings and their haunting combina-

tion of beauty, danger, and the supernatural. e

original mottos outlined a vague story line, be-

ginning with the hunters’ peaceful entrance into

the forest on a path lined with r trees (No. ).

e music becomes more excited as the hunt-

ers lie in wait for their prey (No. ). oughts of

OLIVER KNUSSEN (1952–2018)

Variations, op.

e prodigious English composer and conduc-

tor Oliver Knussen grew up in a musical house-

hold; his father was the principal double bassist

of the London Symphony Orchestra. As a child,

Knussen developed a passionate interest in com-

position, producing his rst work at age . His

conducting debut occurred at the remarkably

young age of , when he replaced István Kertész

on short notice and conducted the LSO in the

world premiere of his First Symphony. Knussen

studied composition with John Lambert at the

Royal College of Music before moving to the

United States for ve years to participate in the

composition program at the Tanglewood Music

Center and take private lessons with Gunther

Schuller.

Over the past four decades, Knussen’s music has

been presented by major performing organiza-

tions and solo artists worldwide. His two fantasy

operas based on children’s books by Maurice

Sendak—

Where the Wild

ings Are

and

Hig-

glety Pigglety Pop!

—have enjoyed particular

success since their premieres in the early

Conducting activities continued unabated since

his debut. Knussen was principal guest conduc-

tor of Het Residentie Orchestra in

e Hague

(

– ), artistic director of the Aldeburgh

Festival ( – ), coordinator of contempo-

rary music activities at the Tanglewood Music

Center (

– ), and conductor laureate of

the London Sinfonietta. Other honors include

the Elise L. Stoeger Composer’s Chair with

the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

(

– ), honorary membership in the Amer-

ican Academy of Arts and Letters (

), and

being named a Commander of the British Em-

pire (

). e Northwestern University School

of Music named Knussen the

recipient of

the

Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in

Musical Composition. Knussen died on July ,

, following a long illness.

Knussen dedicated the solo-piano Variations,

op.

, to Peter and Regina Serkin.

ematic

Recently discovered portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus

Mozart, presumably by Joseph Hickel

Robert Schumann by Carl Jäger

Oliver Knussen

R$9,1,$ 0$*$=,1( _ 6(PT(0%(R ɰ 6(PT(0%(R

106