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6:00 PM SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2018
BENNETT GORDON HALL
LINCOLN TRIO
DESIRÉE RUHSTRAT,
violin
DAVID CUNLIFFE,
cello
MARTA AZNAVOORIAN,
piano
BEETHOVEN
Piano Trio No. 1
Allegro
Adagio cantabile
Scherzo: Allegro assai
Finale: Presto
FAURÉ
Piano Trio
*
Allegro, ma non troppo
Andantino
Allegro vivo
DARON HAGEN
Piano Trio No. 4 (“Angel Band”)
*
Morning
Waltz: The Violinist on the Pont Neuf
Rondo
Blue Chaconne [
attacca
]
Finale: Angel Band
There will be no intermission in this program.
*
First performance at Ravinia
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Piano Trio in E-flat major, op. 1, no. 1
The pianistic phenomenon from Bonn—Ludwig
van Beethoven—swept through Viennese musi-
cal society like a storm in 1792. His fantasy-in-
spired improvisations reached near-legendary
proportions. However, his proficiency in matters
of technique and form remained, by his own ad-
mission, underdeveloped. Beethoven’s primary
reason for visiting Vienna was private study with
Joseph Haydn, the city’s most esteemed compos-
er. As a performer, though, Beethoven became
an immediate star with aristocratic music lov-
ers. Prince Carl von Lichnowsky and his wife
welcomed him into their home as a lodger and
generally supported his developing career. Bee-
thoven expressed gratitude by dedicating several
works to Lichnowsky, including the three op. 1
piano trios. In his
Biographical Notices of Ludwig
van Beethoven
(1838), Ferdinand Ries described
the premiere of the trios—featuring Beethoven,
violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, and cellist Niko-
laus Kraft—in late 1793 or early 1794.
“Beethoven’s three trios op. 1 were to be intro-
duced to the musical world at a soirée at Prince
Lichnowsky’s. Most of Vienna’s artists and mu-
sic lovers had been invited, in particular Haydn,
whose verdict all were eager to hear. The trios
were played and at once made an extraordinary
impression. Haydn, too, said many fine things
about them, but advised Beethoven not to pub-
lish the third one in C minor. This surprised
Beethoven greatly, for he thought it the best,
and, in fact, to this day it is the one that always
makes the greatest impression. Haydn’s remark,
therefore, made a bad impression on Beetho-
ven, and left implanted in his mind the idea that
Haydn was envious and jealous and wished him
ill. I must admit that when Beethoven told the
story I did not put much faith in it. So I took
occasion to ask Haydn himself about it. His an-
swer, however, confirmed what Beethoven had
said, for he told me he had not imagined that the
trio would be so rapidly and easily grasped and
so favorably taken up by the public.”
Ludwig van Beethoven
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2018 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE
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