PROGRAM NOTES

Kenji Bunch (b. 1973)
NOCTURNE

Though the nocturn originated within the traditions of the Roman Catholic church, it appears in various forms across the span of centuries. In the classical era, Mozart was composing works under the title of “notturno.” Its popularity surged notably in the 19th century thanks to John Field, and then Frédéric Chopin. They led the charge of romantics using the nocturne to capture emotions and moods so readily invoked by summoning the mysteries of nightfall that were enticingly elusive in the rational light of day. By the 20th century, Béla Bartók was not only writing works bearing the title notturno but was also known for a more broadly felt “night music” style that permeates many of his works. 

Bunch’s Nocturne from 1996 is a gorgeously plush addition to the longstanding genre with tender melodies lacing across intensely dense harmonic dissonances yearning for resolution. It was written during the first decade of published work for the Juilliard-trained composer, whose vast catalog of music has now been performed by over sixty American orchestras.

Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
SUITE FOR STRING ORCHESTRA, H. 93

A vastly under-appreciated figure in 20th century music, Frank Bridge is often spoken of only in relation to his most famous student, Benjamin Britten. For some reason, his accomplishments were coolly disregarded despite his many accomplishments as a talented violist who played in Joseph Joachim’s string quartet, a prolific composer, and a conductor. Bridge felt it keenly. In May 1933, he wrote to the director of his alma mater, the Royal College of Music, in exasperation: “…I have been bitterly hurt at the almost complete indifference to my existence in London Music.” 

The Suite for String Orchestra represents a melodically driven winsome style from the first part of his career—one that Bridge would move away from. By around 1913 he made a distinct and permanent shift toward modern angularity in line with Schoenberg’s dodecaphonism. The change of mood in Bridge’s work is also sometimes attributed to the sustained trauma he suffered observing the atrocities of the First World War. Bridge was a pacifist, and Britten recalled the “utter horror and revulsion” Bridge felt about the “catastrophe.” 

The Suite was composed during the holiday season of 1909-1910, in a world that was yet to experience the Great Wars. Interestingly, Bridge included the exact dates of composition for three of the four movements almost like a series of entries in a diary: Prelude, Dec. 26, 1909, Intermezzo, January 5, 1910, Nocturne, Dec. 31, 1909. Structurally, he largely abandoned the more traditional dance-inspired movements that some other composers typically maintained when writing suites (e.g., allemande, sarabande that harken to Baroque origins), but did maintain an opening prelude in line with convention.

Ulvi Cemal Erkin (1906-1972)
SINFONIETTA FOR STRING ORCHESTRA

The aftermath of World War I brought an enormous amount of change as Empires increasingly existed only in memories and societies grappled with who to be in the new modern world. In Turkey, the project of forming a Republic was piloted and engineered by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. His method of modernization was aimed at integrating elements of European society including separating the affairs of church and state, improving the education system, and securing liberties for women like the ability to be educated equally, hold government office, and be in public unveiled. Another project of Atatürk’s government was centered on arts and culture, including the establishment of music education centers. For this, they enlisted the help of Paul Hindemith, who first visited the country in 1934. 

Into this environment Turkish composer Ulvi Cemal Erkin launched his career. In 1925, two years after Atatürk was installed as President, Erkin began his studies at the Paris Conservatoire and the Ecole Normal de Musique and also joined the illustrious studio of Nadia Boulanger. By 1930 he was back in Turkey, and between 1949-51 rose to take on both roles of director and head of the piano department at the Ankara State Conservatory. Alongside Erkin were four contemporaries (Alnar, Akses, Saygun and Rey) who also spearheaded the amalgamation of European and Turkish music traditions. Collectively, they were referred to as the “Turkish Five.” 

Occupied with leading the education of young Turkish musicians, Ulvi’s output is limited but varied, including concertos for piano and violin, sonatas, quintets, and a handful of works for orchestra. With two symphonies already completed in 1946 and 1951, respectively, Ulvi turned toward the sinfonietta for strings. It is a work of focused intensity throughout with idiomatic Turkish writing highlighted toward the end of the piece.

Guillaume Lekeu (1870-1894)
ADAGIO POUR QUATUOR D’ORCHESTRE

Belgian composer Guillaume Lekeu didn’t intend to become a composer. Though he studied violin, piano, and cello, and started writing music as a teenager, his university days in Paris were spent pursuing a degree in Philosophy. Soon drawn back to the arts, at age 19 he began studying composition with fellow Belgian César Franck who imbued in Lekeu, and all his students, an intense passion for dedicating body and soul to the art of producing music. Sadly, Franck died the following year, leaving Lekeu feeling unmoored. Fortunately, Lekeu quickly found another mentor in Vincent D’Indy, and continued composing at an astonishing rate. 

Surrounded by contemporary talents such as Debussy, Satie, and Schoenberg, each of whom explored unique new avenues of sound, Lekeu was an avid admirer of Beethoven (whom he referred to as a god) and Wagner. As such, his music is a potpourri of late Romantic fervor that is in full expression in the Adagio pour quatuor d’orchestre from 1891.

Introduced with the inscribed words “Les Fleurs Pales du Souvenir” (“The Pale Flowers of Memory”) by the French author, Georges Vanor, the music is unique particularly for its structure. The “string quartet” alluded to in the title consists of solo parts for violin, viola, cello, and bass. Filling out the ensemble textures are violins divided into 4 separate parts, and violas and cellos both divided into 2 parts each. Around the midpoint of the work an even more dramatic split occurs, until the total number of individual parts is around 18. It’s unclear if Lekeu wrote the work for a specific occasion, or if it was written simply out of pure inspiration. 

With works like the Adagio and many others, Lekeu was well on his way to becoming a force when it was all tragically cut short. He had some sorbet that was found to be made from water contaminated with typhoid, and died just one day after his 24th birthday.

Kathryn J Allwine Bacasmot is a pianist/harpsichordist, musicologist, music and cultural critic, and freelance writer. A graduate of New England Conservatory, she writes program annotations for ensembles nationwide.