03/27/2021

Bach Suite Marathon - Clarinet

Bela Kovacs: Hommage a Manuel de Falla

Bach Cello Suite No.6 in D Major arr. for Clarinet
Gavottes I&II

Handel Halvorsen: Passacaglia arr. for Violin and Double Bass

About the Program

The “Homages” of clarinetist/composer Bela Kovacs is a collection of short pieces written “in the style” of several composers of varying regions from different time periods. The full compilation, arranged in chronological order, begins with an excerpt from a Bach sonata. I'll be playing the fifth Homage — "to De Falla", the highly regarded 19th century Spanish composer known for his neo-classical adaptations of Spanish folk music and Andalusian flamenco. In this short little piece, Bela Kovacs, a Hungarian, captures the spirit of both, expertly.

Odd as it may sound, the Sixth Cello Suite of J.S. Bach was not actually written for the cello. At least not as we know it today. The original manuscript calls for a violone, or "big viola", with 5 strings. (The modern cello has only 4.) As for which 5-stringed instrument of the time Bach had in mind, it's most likely that the Sixth Suite was first performed on a violone piccolo. That's right, a "little big viola." Considering all this, I've decided to just go ahead and arrange it for clarinet. Why not? The Gavotte from this suite is both buoyant and graceful, it's lightness well-suited to the airy flights of the clarinet. It also has this rousing sort of hoe-down near the end, saddled by an underlying drone which happens to fit perfectly on the clarinet.

Disclaimer: Bach is renowned for his ability to create rich fabrics of polyphony with only a single instrument. On the cello, for example, written chords can be broken over the strings in pairs, allowing them to be executed rather smoothly. The clarinet, on the other hand, can only play one single note at a time. Naturally, any arrangement involving chordal writing leaves the clarinet player at a major disadvantage, so in order to overcome this unfortunate obstacle, I will have to create the illusion of chordal motion by cramming the notes of written chords together in rapid succession. Hearing it played this way might be rather jarring — even a point of distraction — for some cellists. I would like to take this opportunity to remind them, tongue-in-cheek: Bach didn’t write this suite for cello.

-Robert Walker

Johan Halvorsen was born in Norway towards the end of the 19th century. He had a long career as a composer, violinist and conductor. Today he is mostly remembered for his duos Passacaglia and Sarabande and his orchestral compositions Entry March of the Boyers and Bergensania. However, he had quite a prolific career as a composer. He wrote a number of symphonies and rhapsodies, an operetta, a violin concerto, a string quartet, incidental music for theatre, choral music, and band music!

The Passacaglia was originally written for violin and viola, but it is often performed with violin and cello or violin and bass. Halvorsen created a musical journey with variations on a theme from the last movement of Handel’s Harpsichord Suite in G minor. The musicians transform the simple harpsichord theme through a series of technical feats on their instruments. The drama and emotion that passes between players is not unlike dialogue in a play and will leave the listener captivated from beginning to end.

-Ann Fink

Concert Artists

Robert Walker/Clarinet
Originally from Queens, NY, Robert Walker is currently the 2nd Clarinetist of the Louisville Orchestra in Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville, Robert was a member of the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, OH, and the Sarasota Opera Orchestra in Florida. He has also performed as a substitute with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Robert is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received his Master's Degree in Clarinet Performance, studying with Yehuda Gilad, and a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where he completed his Bachelor's Degree, studying with Alan R. Kay and Charles Neidich. When not playing Clarinet, Robert spends most of his time reading and writing music.

Autumn Chodorowski/Violin
After spending three years as a violin fellow with the New World Symphony in sunny Miami, FL, Autumn Chodorowski has finally returned to her roots in the great Midwest. She is the Principal 2nd violinist of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, as well as Assistant Principal 2nd violin in the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Glenn Gould School studying with Paul Kantor, a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University Bienen School of Music studying with Almita Vamos, and an Artist Diploma in Chamber Music from San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying with Ian Swensen. Her first violin teacher, however, was her mother, Lisa Chodorowski, who started her at the age of three, and to whom she could not be more grateful.

Autumn has been a fellowship recipient at the Tanglewood Music Centre, Aspen Music Festival, Round Top Music Festival, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, National Orchestral Institute, National Repertory Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, and Spoleto Festival USA. She has enjoyed a thriving career in chamber music, having played alongside the Pacifica Quartet, Geoff Nuttall of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Robert DeMaine of the LA Philharmonic, and pianist Jeremy Denk, in association with SFCM and Music Academy of the West. In addition, Autumn loves to teach, and currently serves as assistant faculty at the Stringwood chamber music camp in Lanesboro, Minnesota.

Brendan Fitzgerald/Bass
A San Diego native and avid disc golfer, Brendan Fitzgerald joined the St. Louis Symphony in September 2019 after spending two seasons with the Seattle Symphony. During this time, he performed on numerous recording projects with Ludovic Morlot, including the recent commercial releases of Marc-André Dalbavie’s Cello Concerto, John Luther Adams’ Become Desert, and Berlioz’s Requiem.

Fitzgerald began his musical studies in elementary school on piano and trumpet before discovering the electric bass in eighth grade. He played in multiple punk, metal, and acoustic folk bands before deciding to devote himself more fully to the study of orchestral literature, studying with Travis Gore, a current member of the Seattle Symphony. After some time in the San Diego Youth Symphony, he attended Interlochen Arts Academy as a senior, before pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Double Bass Performance at Northwestern University. In 2012, he enjoyed a revelatory summer at Domaine Forget, where he worked closely with renowned pedagogues Paul Ellison and David Allen Moore. He then attended the Aspen Music Festival in 2016 and 2017 as a fellowship recipient, performing alongside members of the Pittsburgh, Dallas, St. Louis, and San Francisco symphonies.