The works chosen for the Quartet Nouveau and Nouveau Ensemble programs highlight the unique flair of each featured composer's aesthetic style. We begin light-heartedly with Josef Haydn's "The Joke", Opus 33 No. 2 in E Flat Major. Dubbed a "musical prankster", Haydn often wove humorous elements into his music. This is an aspect of Haydn's signature as a composer- his willingness to be silly. Part of being a good joke teller is understanding the importance of timing and context. Though there are brief moments of whimsy sprinkled throughout the piece, the general quality of this quartet is an earthy groundedness. This is in part due to the key signature containing three flats, which softens the timbre. But the tone of the musical writing itself is warm and earnest: more rounded and pastoral than, say, the quirky character of Opus 33, No. 5.  And so, the audience is caught off guard when Haydn upends the final moments of what is otherwise a straightforward rondo. 

Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 2 was composed at an artist's retreat in the Russian countryside. Shostakovich purportedly wrote the piece within the span of 19 days: an example of his "lightning speed" work manner.There is a bold deftness to the opening material of the piece which aligns with the image of a composer writing without hesitation. The year was 1944, World War II in full force. In four movements, the piece is one of Shostakovich's longer string quartets. This may be to due to what writer Paul Epstein called the "epic mood of those years." Shostakovich had already composed some of his most famous music- the 5th Symphony, for example- and had incorporated a distinct blend of neoclassical, romantic, and folk aesthetics into his work. Folk melodies and rhythms are especially prominent in String Quartet No. 2, possibly due to the rustic setting in which the piece was conceived. 

It is thrilling to present David Baker's Sonata for Tuba and String Quintet, not only because the piece is rarely performed- but also to introduce more audience goers to a fascinating musical character of the 20th and 21st centuries. David Baker was born in Indianapolis, in 1931. Of African American heritage, he grew up playing both classical and jazz music, later incorporating the two genres into his compositions. Initially a trombonist, he hoped to earn a living as a symphonic musician only to be turned away from orchestras due to his race. Undeterred, Baker continued to work in the classical field as a professor while remaining a jazz musician. In 1968 he founded the now renown jazz studies program at Indiana University, a field of study virtually banned at universities at the time. The Sonata for Tuba and String Quartet operates in both classical and jazz contexts. In some cases, the two genres are presented distinctly while in other places their qualities are seamlessly merged. Beyond its genre blending characteristics, the work is significant in bringing together a low brass instrument and a string ensemble. Different instruments face different challenges, and it is exciting to encounter these issues in the context of chamber music. Sadly, David Baker died very recently, in March of 2016, at the age of 84.

After finishing the String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Opus 111 in 1890, Johannes Brahms declared that he had "said all he could say" with music and intended for it to be his final piece. Brahms actually went on to write some of his most lauded compositions up until his death in 1897. But there is a finality to String Quintet No. 2, a grandeur of style that seems to extend beyond the capacity of five instruments. The piece was commissioned by the famous Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim as a companion to Brahms' earlier Opus 88 String Quintet, also featuring two violas. The "Slavonic" characteristics of the work are said to honor Joachim's heritage as well as Brahms' own previous works in that style. This can be heard in the dark, gypsy lament of the 2nd movement and the dance-like rhythmic motives in the 4th. The 1st movement is written in a complex meter, allowing Brahms to shift the emphasis of the beat and create dramatic tension between voices. Alongside this is a soft, pastoral character, another specialty of Brahms, that hints at shadows and gentle landscapes. 

1. Paul Epstein, "Paul Epstein's Notes on Shostakovich String Quartets", Saint Paul Sunday, http://saintpaulsunday.publicradio.org/features/0004_shostakovich/epstein_notes.shtml.

2. Kelly Dean Hansen, "Opus 111 Listening Guide", http://www.kellydeanhansen.com/opus111.html.