Program
​

Claude Debussy: Preludes for Solo Piano
I. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir
II. Ondine
III. La cathédrale engloutie

Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G minor Op.10
I. Animé et très décidé
II. Assez vif et bien rythmé 
III. Andantino, doucement expressif 
IV. Très modéré – En animant peu à peu – Très mouvementé et avec passion

Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F Major
I. Allegro moderato 
II. Assez vif, très rythmé 
III. Très lent 
IV. Vif et agité

Date: March 7, 2025
​Time: 7:30pm
Location: Steinway Piano Gallery Saint Louis 
Address: 12033 Dorsett Rd, Maryland Heights, MO 63043 
Admission: Free

Concert Artists

Brian Woods, Piano

Ann Fink, Violin

Yin Xiong, Cello

XiaoXiao Qiang, Violin

Alvin McCall, Cello

Eva Kozma, Violin

Nathan Lowry, Violin

Shannon Farrell Williams, Viola

Chris Tantillo, Viola

Ravel's String Quartet

---

---

Ravel attended the Paris Conservatoire, but his unconventional ideas had incurred the displeasure of its ultra-conservative director Théodore Dubois and some other faculty members. His friend and teacher Gabriel Fauré continued to encourage and advise him, and Ravel made continual efforts to win the country's top musical award, the Prix de Rome, in the face of resistance from the Conservatoire regime. By 1904, it was becoming clear to the musical public that Ravel was the outstanding French composer of his generation. Among his works by that date were the piano pieces Pavane pour une infante défunte and Jeux d'eau, and 1904 saw the premieres of his orchestral song cycle Shéhérazade and the String Quartet.

The quartet's structure is modeled on that of Claude Debussy's String Quartet, written in 1893, although Ravel's musical ideas strongly contrast with Debussy's. Debussy admired Ravel's piece rather more than did its dedicatee, Ravel's teacher Gabriel Fauré.

Claude Debussy: Préludes 
Debussy composed two books of solo piano works, which he titled Preludes. There are 24 preludes in total, but it is common practice for the pianist to pick and choose which to perform and not to follow any specific order. Debussy composed the preludes in a relatively short period of time, completing both books within a matter of months. The first book was completed in 1910 and the second in 1912.
La cathédrale engloutie is the tenth prelude of Book One and is based on an old Breton (native of Brittany, France) legend. According to the myth, there is an old cathedral that is submerged underwater off the coast of the Island of Y’s. However, when the weather is good, it can be seen rising to the surface of the sea. Priests can be heard chanting, as well as bells chiming, and an organ playing. Debussy uses musical symbolism to evoke these images throughout the prelude.

Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G minor Op.10
Claude Debussy was a French composer who lived from 1862-1918. He was one of the first composers of the Impressionist era. As one of the most influential composers of all time he inspired composers such as Bela Bartok, Oliver Messian, George Benjamin, and even jazz musician Bill Evans. Debussy began musical studies at a young age at The Paris Conservatory. He won the Prix de Rome in 1884. Debussy was greatly influenced by poetry, especially poems of the Symbolist movement of the late 19th century. Debussy based his symphonic poem, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, on poetry by Stephane Mallarme. His opera Pelleas et Melisande, inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck’s symbolist play, was completed in 1902 when Debussy was 40 years old. This opera was the turning point in his career at which he would finally reach international acclaim. Debussy’s String Quartet, written in 1893, is considered one of the most important works to come out of the era of French Impressionism. Similar to paintings by the Impressionist painters such as Renoir or Monet, the music evokes elements in nature such as water, air, and light. Debussy was influenced by non-Western music. His use of pentatonic and whole-tone scales creates exotic harmonies and otherworldly soundscapes.

Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F Major
Maurice Ravel, born in 1875, was a French composer. He was born in a Basque town, Ciboure, very near the Spanish border. His mother was Basque, although she grew up in Madrid. Ravel’s Spanish heritage was often an inspiration for his compositions. They contain many references to Spanish folk tunes and traditional Spanish music. Ravel, greatly influenced by Debussy’s string quartet, wrote his own quartet in 1903. The two composers often met in the same artist circles in Paris, although it’s debatable how close their friendship actually was. When listening to Ravel’s quartet, it’s noticeable that Ravel, like Debussy, loved non-Western modalities and scales and was also into creating sound textures and musical atmospheres. While his quartet was more traditional in form than Debussy’s, Ravel was more innovative with his use of compositional techniques and further pushed the boundaries of the string quartet genre.