PROGRAM

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVENTH SEASON

Chicago Symphony OrchestraRiccardo Muti Zell Music Director Yo-Yo Ma Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant

Sunday, May 20, 2018, at 3:00South Shore Cultural Center

All-Access Chamber Music Series

MERIDIAN STRING QUARTETCornelius Chiu ViolinKozue Funakoshi ViolinDanny Lai ViolaDaniel Katz Cello

BartókString Quartet No. 3Prima parte: Moderato—Seconda parte: Allegro—Ricapitulazione della prima parte: Moderato—Coda: Allegro molto

INTERMISSION

BrahmsString Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51Allegro non troppoAndante moderatoQuasi minuetto, moderato—Allegretto vivaceFinale: Allegro non assai

Global Sponsor of the CSO

The All-Access Chamber Music Series is generously underwritten by an anonymous donor, who attended similar concerts forty-five years ago.

All-Access Chamber Music concerts at South Shore Cultural Center are presented in partnership with the Advisory Council of South Shore Cultural Center and the Chicago Park District.

Artists, prices, and programs subject to change.Artists, prices, and programs subject to change.

Presented in partnership with St. Sabina Church Presented in partnership with St. Sabina Church

Join CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma, Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Children’s Choir and the St. Sabina Band for a concert of music that celebrates and inspires a more peaceful Chicago.

Purchase tickets at cso.org/concertforpeace or call 312-294-3000.

St. Sabina Church 1210 W. 78th Place, Chicago, IL 60620Free parking in lot adjacent to the church

All donations and net ticket proceeds will benefit St. Sabina’s Strong Futures program. *$5 per ticket service fee applies.

Tickets $25*

SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 4:00

Yo-Yo Ma cello | Musicians from the CSO and Civic Orchestra of Chicago Chicago Children’s Choir | Josephine Lee artistic directorSt. Sabina Band | Takesha Kizart soprano | Sarah Ponder mezzo-soprano

Program to include chamber music and new songs written by parents in St. Sabina’s Purpose Over Pain program

A C O N C E R T F O R P E A C E

F E A T U R I N G Y O - Y O M A

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COMMENTS by Eric Bromberger

Bela BartókBorn March 25, 1881; Nagyszentmiklós, Transylvania (now part of Romania)Died September 26, 1945; New York City

String Quartet No. 3

COMPOSED1927

In the fall of 1927, just as he was leaving on his first concert tour of America, Bartók submitted the manuscript for his Third String Quartet to a chamber music competi-

tion sponsored by the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia. After waiting nearly a year without hearing any updates on results, he gave up and began to make arrangements to have the quartet published in Europe. At just that point, the news arrived: Bartók had split first prize with Italian composer Alfredo Casella. His share of the prize was $3000, which came as welcome news for a composer who was never wholly free from financial worries throughout his life. Bartók had powerful friends on the awards committee, including Willem Mengelberg, Fritz Reiner, and Frederick Stock.

The shortest of Bartók’s six quartets, his third has proven the thorniest among critics, who invariably refer to it as “anti-romantic.” Its music is marked by a fierce concentration of material and Bartók’s refusal to use traditional melodic themes. In their place, he employs short motives that are almost consciously athematic in their brevity. The work’s basic thematic cell is a three-note figure announced by the first violin. That motive, and a handful of others, are subjected to rigorous and compressed forms of musical development which include canon, fugato, inversion, and simultaneous presenta-tion of material. The work’s overall structure

is equally condensed, and the movements are performed without pause.

Bartók enlivens this music with one of the richest sound palettes in any of his quartets. The Third Quartet journeys through an array of string sonorities: slithering sul ponticello passages (a direction to play on the bridge of the instru-ment), heavy accents snapped off at the bottom of the bow, passages tapped out with the wood of the bow rather than bowed with the hair, quick glissandos that span more than an octave, and portions played entirely over the fingerboard to produce whispery textures.

The first and second parts are sonata-form movements without recapitulation sections. The Prima parte is built on the aforementioned seminal three-note figure, which recurs in countless iterations. Three strident chords mark the transition to the second subject, and here, the lower strings incorporate the basic shape of this quartet, as does the violin duet above them. At the very end of the movement, the second violin and viola have a sustained duet using this same figure. The Seconda parte begins with a sustained trill; passed on between different instruments, it goes on for thirty-nine measures and returns numerous times. This movement is built on two ideas: the cello’s strummed pizzicato chords near the opening and the first violin’s hurtling dance tune that is draped over asymmetric meters. As part of the vigorous development, Bartók treats these themes fugally and even combines them at one point. The brief concluding sec-tions introduce the missing recapitulations, as dance rhythms race ahead to a conclusion of stinging dissonances hammered out by all four instruments.

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Johannes BrahmsBorn May 7, 1833; Hamburg, GermanyDied April 3, 1897; Vienna, Austria

String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 51

COMPOSED1865–73

In one of his most famous remarks, Brahms complained to a friend about the strain of having to compose under the shadow of Beethoven: “You have no idea how

the likes of us feel when we hear the tramp of a giant like him behind us.” This comment is usually taken to refer to the overpowering example of Beethoven’s symphonies, for Brahms put off writing his first symphony until he was forty-three years old. He waited nearly as long in the string quartet genre, and did not publish his first quartets until he was forty. Brahms was not uninterested in writing them; on the contrary, he had been attempting to write quartets for years. He also was incredibly self-critical, and at one point disclosed that he had written and destroyed at least twenty quartets before he wrote two that he liked well enough to publish in 1873 as his op. 51. One of Brahms’s friends reported seeing sketches for these quartets as early as 1859, which means that the composer worked on them for fourteen years before he felt they were finished.

The lyrical and genial Quartet in A minor was completed in the summer of 1873, and much of its overall material grows directly from the first violin’s opening theme. Brahms wrote this quar-tet for his violinist friend Joseph Joachim, and he incorporated Joachim’s personal motto, Frei aber einsam (Free but lonely), into the notes that shape the opening theme: F-A-E. Three more rising eighth notes also return in various forms in the

first and subsequent movements. The quartet is not an exercise in crabbed motivic manipulation, however. Brahms also supplies a second, glowing subject: a long duet for the violins marked to be played sweetly, charmingly, and gracefully. From these contrasting materials, he fashions an extended sonata-form movement that concludes with evocations of Joachim’s motto. The Andante moderato takes its shape from the beginning segment of the quartet’s main theme. Most striking is the ensuing first violin and cello duet at the center. Over buzzing tremolos from the middle voices, the two sing a Hungarian-tinged duet in close canon before the movement closes on another turn of the opening material.

In the third movement, Brahms bends tradi-tional minuet form and calls it a “quasi-minuet.” Rather than building the music on a standard minuet-and-trio sequence, he presents a lilting, ghostly dance contrasted with two sections in which the music suddenly flashes ahead on a steady patter of sixteenth notes, only to be reined in to resume a more stately tempo. Many have heard the influence of Hungarian music in the finale; the first violin’s vigorous, strongly inflected dance seems to have its origins in gypsy fiddling. Full of energy and snap, this theme recurs throughout, with subtle evolutions each time, and the wild dance speeds to its close with a coda.

A preconcert lecturer for the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1999, Eric Bromberger also writes program notes for the Minnesota Orchestra and the San Diego Symphony.

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PROFILES

Cornelius Chiu Violin

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Cornelius Chiu joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1996. Born to Chinese parents in Ithaca, New York, he began violin lessons at the age of six. His older brother Frederic is a successful concert pianist and

recording artist, with whom Cornelius collabo-rates on a regular basis. Chiu received bachelor’s and master’s degrees with high distinction, as well as a performance certificate and a fellowship from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Josef Gingold, Franco Gulli, and Yuval Yaron. Chiu has worked with many acclaimed artists, including Joseph Silverstein, János Starker, and Menahem Pressler. He received special recognition from Isaac Stern after a performance in his honor. A winner in the

Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the Indianapolis Symphony Young Musicians Contest, and the National Society of Arts and Letters Competition, Chiu also has performed as a soloist with the Indianapolis and Washington chamber symphonies and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. An avid chamber musician, he frequently appears on the CSO Chamber Music series. He has performed at the Sarasota and Aspen music festivals, the Rencontres Musicales Festival, and in France and Germany with the Ensemble Villa Musica. He also participated in the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute. A dedicated teacher, Chiu has maintained a private studio for more than thirty-five years. He also teaches on the faculty of Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. Chiu and his wife Inah, a pianist on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago, have performed together on many Chicago concert series as the Corinah Duo.

Kozue Funakoshi Violin

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After three years with the Cleveland Orchestra, Kozue Funakoshi joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2000. A former concert- master of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, she studied with

Hideyuki Nimura, Joseph Genualdi, and Sando Shia.

A native of Yokohama, Japan, Funakoshi grew up in Kamakura. Her father was a rock musician who played guitar and piano, and her mother was a kindergarten teacher. In 1987,

she received first prize at the All Japan Young Musicians Competition and was awarded a full scholarship to the Tokyo College of Music, where she received a bachelor’s degree.

Funakoshi has appeared on the Cleveland Orchestra’s chamber music series, at conductor Takashi Asahina’s Kurashiki Music Festival, and as a soloist on the Thüringer Philharmonic’s 1993 German concert tour. She also served as concertmaster for the Tokyo College of Music Symphony’s 1993 U.S. concert tour, which included performances in Orchestra Hall, Carnegie Hall, and at the Kennedy Center. In 2008, Funakoshi performed with the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra under Myung-Whun Chung.

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Danny Lai Viola

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Danny Lai was appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2014 by music director Riccardo Muti. He began his musical studies on the piano at the age of six and picked up the viola when he was ten. Lai

studied at Northwestern University with Roland Vamos while taking orchestral repertoire classes with former CSO principal viola Charles Pikler. After graduating with degrees in economics and music, he joined the viola section of the Colorado Symphony. Lai has been appointed to multiple orchestral leadership positions, including

principal viola of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and assistant principal of the Aspen Chamber Symphony. He has performed around the world with orchestras such as the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra in Japan, the Lucerne Festival Academy in Switzerland, and the YouTube Symphony Orchestra in Australia. Lai also has won several competitions and fellowships, including the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra International Young Artists Competition, the Thaviu String Scholarship Competition, and the Luminarts Union League Strings Fellowship. In 2013, he cofounded the Music Heals Us project with his wife, which brought music and music education workshops to several international cities. Lai plays a viola made in Chicago by Stanley Kiernoziak.

Daniel Katz Cello

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A Chicago native, Daniel Katz was appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2011 by music director Riccardo Muti. Prior to joining the Orchestra, he was a regular substitute with

the CSO and the Cleveland Orchestra, and also was a member of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. Under the guidance of Hans Jensen, he received a doctor of musical arts degree with honors from Northwestern University, a master’s

degree from the New England Conservatory under Laurence Lesser, and a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University with Marc Johnson. Other teachers include Paul Katz, Richard Hirschl, and Gilda Barston. As a dedicated teacher, Katz serves on the faculty at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts and maintains a private studio. Previously, he was an adjunct assistant professor and artist-in-residence at the University of Notre Dame. Katz has participated in a number of major music festivals, including Tanglewood, Verbier, Sarasota, and Norfolk. He also has performed for live solo and chamber music broadcasts on WFMT-FM Chicago.

*$5 per-ticket service fee applies.

The 2017/18 Civic Orchestra of Chicago season is generously sponsored by The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

Major support for the Civic Orchestra of Chicago is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Negaunee Foundation, Julian Family Foundation, Alphawood Foundation, Robert and Joanne Crown Income Charitable Fund, Barbara and Barre Seid Foundation, Michael G. Woll Fund at the Pauls Foundation, Ellen and Paul Gignilliat, and by anonymous donors.

Free symphony orchestra concerts by the nation’s most outstanding young professional musicians

MONDAY, JUNE 4, 8:00

HOLST THE PLANETSFrancesco Lecce-Chong conductorMaya Lahyani mezzo-sopranoWomen of Bella Voce chorusAndrew Lewis Bella Voce artistic directorBERNSTEIN Symphony No. 1 (Jeremiah)HOLST The Planets

Newly appointed music director of the Eugene Symphony, Francesco Lecce-Chong conducts this program beginning with Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony, a work that explores the composer’s Jewish heritage. Holst’s enduringly popular orchestral suite The Planets, influenced by the astrological significance of Earth’s seven neighbors, concludes the 2017/18 Civic Orchestra season.

The appearance of conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong is generously sponsored by Lisa and Paul Wiggin.

cso.org/civic | 312-294-3000FREE *Tickets required

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*$5 per-ticket service fee applies.

The 2017/18 Civic Orchestra of Chicago season is generously sponsored by The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

Major support for the Civic Orchestra of Chicago is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Negaunee Foundation, Julian Family Foundation, Alphawood Foundation, Robert and Joanne Crown Income Charitable Fund, Barbara and Barre Seid Foundation, Michael G. Woll Fund at the Pauls Foundation, Ellen and Paul Gignilliat, and by anonymous donors.

Free symphony orchestra concerts by the nation’s most outstanding young professional musicians

MONDAY, JUNE 4, 8:00

HOLST THE PLANETSFrancesco Lecce-Chong conductorMaya Lahyani mezzo-sopranoWomen of Bella Voce chorusAndrew Lewis Bella Voce artistic directorBERNSTEIN Symphony No. 1 (Jeremiah)HOLST The Planets

Newly appointed music director of the Eugene Symphony, Francesco Lecce-Chong conducts this program beginning with Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony, a work that explores the composer’s Jewish heritage. Holst’s enduringly popular orchestral suite The Planets, influenced by the astrological significance of Earth’s seven neighbors, concludes the 2017/18 Civic Orchestra season.

The appearance of conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong is generously sponsored by Lisa and Paul Wiggin.

cso.org/civic | 312-294-3000FREE *Tickets required

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Jazz: May 18Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective -Antonio Sánchez & Migration

Chamber Music: May 20 south shore cultural center Meridian String Quartet Cornelius Chiu violinKozue Funakoshi violinDanny Lai violaDaniel Katz cello Works by Bartók & Brahms

Piano: May 20Yefim BronfmanWorks by Schumann, Widmann, Debussy & Prokofiev

MusicNOW: May 21Esa-Pekka Salonen ConductsMusicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Esa-Pekka Salonen conductorKaren Gomyo violinSamuel Adams & Elizabeth Ogonek Mead Composers-in-Residence

CSO: May 24–26Salonen & Uchida Plays Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3 Esa-Pekka Salonen conductorMitsuko Uchida piano

CSO: May 31–June 3Beethoven 4 & Music from Wagner’s Tannhäuser & Die Meistersinger von NürnbergMarek Janowski conductor

Jazz: June 1Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Memphis -The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart

Civic Orchestra: June 4Bernstein Symphony No. 1 & Holst The PlanetsFrancesco Lecce-Chong conductor Maya Lahyani mezzo-sopranoWomen of Bella Voce chorusAndrew Lewis artistic director

CSO: June 7–9Mandolin Masterpieces with Avi AvitalGiovanni Antonini conductor and flautinoAvi Avital mandolin

Chamber Music: June 10fullerton hall, art institute of chicago Trailblazing American ArtistsLincoln Quartet Lei Hou violinQing Hou violinLawrence Neuman viola Kenneth Olsen celloWorks by Haydn, Walker, Chihara & Schubert

Piano: June 10Martin HelmchenWorks by Schumann & Beethoven

CSO: June 11Gregory Porter sings Nat King Cole and Me with the CSO and Special Guest Marc-André Hamelin Performs Rhapsody in BlueEdwin Outwater conductor

CSO: June 14–16Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 &Prokofiev Symphony No. 3 Riccardo Muti conductorYo-Yo Ma cello

CSO: June 21–24Muti Conducts Rossini Stabat materRiccardo Muti conductorKrassimira Stoyanova sopranoEkaterina Gubanova mezzo-sopranoDmitry Korchak tenorEnea Scala tenorEric Owens bass-baritoneChicago Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe chorus director

Film: June 27–30Star Wars: A New Hope In ConcertChicago Symphony Orchestra Richard Kaufman conductor

For complete programming, visit cso.org.

May & June CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA RICCARDO MUTI Zell Music Director

SYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

Visit cso.org or call 312-294-3000 for more information or to order tickets.S Y M P H O N Y C E N T E R | 2 2 0 S O U T H M I C H I G A N A V E N U E | C H I C A G O , I L 6 0 6 0 4

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