From the Victorian Garden
​to the English Countryside

This Concert is sponsored by Ariel Premium Supply, Inc.

April 16
​​7:30 PM

Free Admission 

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church
1919 S 7th St, St. Louis, MO 63104

Free street parking ​
PROGRAM

Malcolm Arnold: Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 29 
Gabriel Pierné: Canzonetta, Op. 19 
Eugène Bozza: Fataisei Italienne 
Paul Reade: Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden
Ralph Vaughan Williams: String Quartet No.1 in G minor
FEATURED ARTISTS

Danny Goldman, Clarinet
Brian Woods, Piano
Angie Smart, Violin
Jessica Cheng Hellwegei, Violin 
Susan Gordon, Viola
Melissa Brooks, Cello
Program notes by Ann Fink
Malcolm Arnold: Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 29
Malcolm Arnold, (1921- 2006) is one of England’s most important and influential composers to come out of the 20th century. He was born into a wealthy family, who were successful shoemakers and also accomplished musicians. Both of his parents were pianists, his aunt a violinist, and his grandfather a composer. When Arnold was 12, he saw a performance by Louis Armstrong, the famous jazz trumpet player, and decided to learn the trumpet himself. Five years later, he entered the Royal College of Music. From 1943-8, Arnold was the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s principal trumpet. However, by the time Arnold was 30 he was focused solely on his compositions. During his life Arnold composed a large library of works including concertos, chamber works, theatre and ballet music, and nine symphonies! He won an Oscar for his film score for the Bridge on the River Kwai. Sadly, Arnold struggled often with bouts of mental instability, even during periods of career success . He spent time in a mental hospital and was placed under care of the British Court of Protection after two suicide attempts. Ultimately, he lived a long life and died at the age of 84 from a chest infection.

His Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano was composed in 1951, and premiered by Sir Colin Davis playing clarinet with Geoffrey Corbett on piano. Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937) was a French composer, conductor, and organist. He studied at the Paris Conservatory where he had organ lessons with Cesar Franck and composition lessons with Jules Massenet. In 1882, he won the Prix de Rome. As a conductor he is most famous for premiering Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird, at the Ballets Russes in Paris in 1910.

Gabriel Pierné: Canzonetta, Op. 19
Pierné completed Canzonetta for clarinet and piano in 1888 when he was 25 years old! Gene Joseph Bozza (1905-1991) was a French violinist, conductor, and composer. He is most famous for his chamber music compositions for wind instruments. However, he also composed symphonies, operas, ballets, choral works, wind band music, concertos, and brass ensembles. Many include his works in the Neo-Classicist genre, which includes composers such as Darius Milhaud and Igor Stravinsky.

Eugène Bozza: Fantaisie Italienne
Bozza was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1934 for his cantata, La Legende de Roukmani. In 1950, Bozza became the director of the École National de Musique, a conservatory in Valenciennes, France, where he worked until his retirement in 1975. During his tenure at the conservatory, Bozza composed over 18 etude and method books for a wide range of instruments. The Fantaisie Italienne was an earlier work, composed around 1939. Many believe that the fantasy pays tribute to his Italian roots from his father’s side of the family.

Paul Reade: Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden
Paul Geoffrey Reade (1943-1997) was an English composer and pianist. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Reade was best known for the works he wrote for television and movies, but he also composed ballet scores as well as vocal, orchestral, and chamber works. He composed the theme music for Antique Road Show alongside Tim Gibson. In 1991, Reade won the Ivor Novello Award for best TV theme music for the BBC television series Victorian Kitchen Garden. Reade arranged the incidental music into a five part suite for clarinet and piano later that year.

Ralph Vaughan Williams: String Quartet No.1 in G minor
Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer who lived from 1872 until 1958. His composition career was prolific and varied. His works included operas, ballets, chamber music, vocal pieces, and orchestral works. He composed his last symphony at the age of 85, only months before he died. In 1903-1904 Vaughan Williams began collecting folk songs from the English countryside, and he loved finding ways to incorporate the folk melodies into his compositions. It was important to Vaughan Williams to make his music more accessible to his fellow citizens. He felt that music was meant to be enjoyed by everyone, so he often composed simpler works that could be played and performed by students and amateur musicians.

Vaughan Williams always admired his French contemporary, Maurice Ravel, so it’s no surprise that Vaughan Williams jumped at the chance to study with him. Ravel was picky about which students he took and was known to be a demanding teacher, but for three months in the winter of 1907-1908 Vaughan Williams met with Ravel five times a week. Vaughan Williams composed
his first string between 1908-9, soon after the lessons ended with Ravel. Scholars argue about what their interactions really entailed, but some believe that Ravel’s influence is apparent in the slightly elevated style of Vaughan Williams first string quartet.