1. Allegro moderato
2. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
3. Schäfers Klage (Shepherd's Lament). Andante espressivo
4. Finale. Allegro

As Italian Opera dominated stages throughout Europe in the early decades of the nineteenth century, Carl Maria von Weber fervently championed German opera making him a darling of the nationalist movements of later generations. He held numerous opera directorships, including prestigious positions in Dresden and Berlin, and ensured that German opera was a repertoire focal point. As a composer, he was a pioneer of the genre in the early Romantic period with such works as Der Freischütz (1821), Euryanthe (1823), and Oberon (1826), exploring German folklore and song. A particular interest in wind writing appears in numerous concert works, as with two clarinet concertos and a bassoon concerto.

While serving as Prague’s Opera Director from 1813-1816, he enjoyed the social circles of such characters as physician and flutist Philipp Jungh and cellist Johann Baptist Gänsbacher. By 1819, he was the opera director in Dresden and was enjoying a vacation at his summer residence when he was putting the final touches on his Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano. The work was dedicated to Jungh and paid homage to the memory of the group’s social evenings in Prague.

The opening establishes a skillful balance in the orchestration with each instrument contributing equally to the conversation. Although chilly and melancholic, welcome moments of peaceful sunniness are abandoned in the stormy development. Dramatically exploring many moods in the Allegro Moderato, Weber bookends the movement in a poignant repeat of the opening measures.

The Scherzo playfully juxtaposes two musical ideas: the first is heard right away as the piano pounds out a disorienting rhythmic figure, and the second features the flute for a rustic birdlike melody. The two ideas collide as if the demands of urban life are interrupting his rural escape.

The third movement is titled “Schäfers Klage” (Shepherd's Lament) after Gothe’s 1802 poem of the same title and is likely an adaptation of an early setting of the poem. Here, the flowing melodies portray an idyllic bucolic life uninterrupted. The finale is a joyous exchange of jovial melodies. The development is moody and brief but a return to the opening exuberance leads to a warm and celebratory conclusion.

—Chaz Stuart    

Polish violinist Paul Kochanski was on a European recital tour with pianist Arthur Rubinstein when he ran into a young Igor Stravinsky, who was enjoying enormous success following the 1910 Ballet Russes production of his groundbreaking Firebird. Kochanski and Stravinsky were fast friends, with the composer assembling a suite from the ballet for violin and piano for Kochanski.

Stravinsky became a major figure in post-World War I musical aesthetics, championing the new neoclassicism in another Ballet Russes collaboration in the 1920 Pulcinella. Taking old musical ideas and spinning them with modern harmonies and rhythms, the ballet revisits the 18th-century commedia dell’arte character while using melodies that were at the time attributed to baroque composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. This music was compiled into another suite dedicated to Kochanski in 1923.    

—Chaz Stuart

1. Grave - Allegro ma non troppo
2. Andante cantabile
3. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo

When Beethoven was given a stipend to leave Bonn for Vienna in 1792, there was a lofty expectation that he would fill the void left by the recently deceased Mozart. Beethoven, a brilliant pianist with a knack for improvisation, was green as a composer. Under the watchful instruction of Franz Joseph Haydn, he developed his technique and a voice that gained traction with local funders, which was especially helpful when Bonn fell to the French leaving him without a stipend.

Beethoven’s lasting reputation as a groundbreaking Romantic and radical symphonist would have to wait, and the 1790s were spent studying with masters and delving into Mozart’s scores. The 1796 Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat major seems to be a direct response to Mozart’s K. 452 of 1784, composed for the same ensemble in the same key. But the project wasn’t a matter of facsimile and served as an important exercise in wind writing that would bear fruit in future orchestral projects. While his voice at the time was firmly rooted in the Classical styles of his pedagogues, the work provides a glimpse of his emotive style to come.

The opening, marked “Grave,” is playfully dramatic, starting with a quiet unison fanfare as if heard in the distance. It quickly becomes evident that the piano is the star of the show with the winds providing color and rhythmic ensemble support with melodic lines providing contrast and demonstrating the ensemble’s range. Following the opening dramatics, the piano sets out on a sunny, swaying Allegro melody that is echoed by the winds. The development section is announced with unsettling key changes but ultimately settles in the home key for a final hearing of the primary theme with sparkling virtuosity from the pianist.

The second movement is a lyrical exploration of each instrument’s soloistic capabilities. While the movement begins with the piano alone, Beethoven traverses many combinations and textures with the piano often providing rhythmic support. The lively Rondo opens again with the piano announcing the vibrant theme, but the winds quickly join the conversation. 

—Chaz Stuart