Ravinia 2023 Issue 1

MARCO BORGGREVE (CALIDORE) String Quartet No. in A minor, op. A er completing his Symphony No. in May , Beethoven entertained a request from Russian Prince Nikolai Golitsïn (Galitzin) for “one, two, or three new quartets.” Golitsïn, an amateur cellist, had mailed his petition in but eagerly waited three years for the ful- llment of his commission: “I am really impa- tient to have a new quartet of yours, neverthe- less, I beg you not to mind and to be guided in this only by your inspiration and the dis- position of your mind, for no one knows bet- ter than I that you cannot command genius, rather, that it should be le alone.” Beethoven devoted the nal years of his life to string quartet composition with an uncom- mon singleness of mind, resulting in ve high- ly personal and intensely expressive quartets: op. in E- at major; op. in A minor; op. in B- at major (with the Grosse Fuge , op. , as its original nal movement); op. in C-sharp minor; and op. in F major. He dedicated the rst three to Golitsïn. ese late quartets—nearly incomprehensible in their day and still the subject of considerable artis- tic and aesthetic discussion—are monuments of Beethoven’s creative genius. A serious illness a icted Beethoven in , interrupting the composition of Quartet No. in A minor, op. . When health - nally returned, the composer penned an e u- sive note of gratitude, translated into musical substance in the quartet’s autobiographical third movement, Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart (Hymn of thanksgiving to the divin- ity of an invalid on his convalescence, in the Lydian mode). e ve-movement quartet begins with a poi- gnantly introspective Assai sostenuto theme. Rapid rst-violin guration signals the be- ginning of the Allegro sonata form, now and then broken by a return of the slow intro- ductory material. e Allegro ma non tanto possesses the character and form of a scherzo. A short motive undergoes considerable vari- ation in the outer portions of the movement; the middle is a rustic dance with a drone accompaniment. At the center of the quartet is the immense Heiliger Dankgesang . For the a ecting cho- rale-like opening, Beethoven chose the Lyd- ian mode, a scale built on F with a B-natural instead of B- at. A lyrical Andante theme in D major, described as “feeling new strength,” provides emotional relief. e fourth-move- ment march proceeds directly into a connect- ing passage, a recitative for the rst violin. A Romantic, lyrical theme returns several times like a refrain in the Allegro appassionato na- le. Beethoven’s eet coda propels the quartet to a spirited close. –Program notes © Todd E. Sullivan CALIDORE STRING QUARTET Founded at the Colburn School in , the Calidore String Quartet has enjoyed hold- ing performances and residencies at many of the world’s major venues and festivals over the past decade, and they have also released multiple critically acclaimed recordings. Now based in New York, the ensemble retains its reverence for its original home: California, the “Golden State” (in French, “doré”). Calidore is currently a resident ensemble of the Cham- ber Music Society of Lincoln Center, having earned a Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award a er rst making international headlines as winner of the M-Prize International Chamber Music Competition. e quartet has since been the only North American ensemble to win the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and become a BBC Radio New Generation Artist. rough appearances at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, e Kennedy Center, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Brussels’s BOZAR, Cologne’s Philharmonie, Seoul’s Kumho Arts Hall, and such festivals as Verbier, Mostly Mozart, and Music@Menlo, Calidore has become recog- nized as foremost interpreters of a vast reper- tory, from the complete quartets of Beethoven and Mendelssohn to works from Caroline Shaw, Anna Clyne, Hannah Lash, Huw Wat- kins, andMark-Anthony Turnage, among oth- ers, in world premieres. is past season has included the quartet’s debuts in Prague, Ma- drid, and Vancouver, as well as at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and such highlights as a con- cert in memorial of André Previn at Carnegie Hall with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Ca- lidore has also collaborated with such artists as clarinetist David Shifrin, violinist Joshua Bell, violist Lawrence Power, guitarist Sharon Isbin, and pianists Jean-Yves ibaudet, Marc-An- dré Hamelin, Je rey Kahane, and Inon Barna- tan, most recently appearing with clarinetist Anthony McGill, bassist Xavier Foley, violist Matthew Lipman, and harpist Bridget Kibbey. In February, the ensemble released the rst disc of a complete cycle of Beethoven’s quartets on Signum, where they have previously issued Babel with music by Schumann, Shaw, and Shostakovich, and Resilience with works by Proko ev, Janáček, Golijov, and Mendelssohn. e Calidore String Quartet rst performed at Ravinia in and previously returned in alongside the Emerson Quartet. PAVILION 8:00 PM FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2023 8:00 PM SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2023 1,001 RAINBOWS TOUR SANTANA A MESSAGE FROM WINTRUST Wintrust is proud to support Ravinia Festival and the joy it brings to so many during the summer season. At Wintrust, we believe in supporting local organizations, such as Ravinia, that help make a positive di erence in the communities where our customers and employees live and work. We are an enthusiastic patron of the arts in Chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods and are proud to serve as a Ravinia corporate sponsor again this year. Wintrust is a financial holding company providing commercial and community banking, wealth management and treasury management services, and mortgage origination. Wintrust Community Banks have more than locations around the Chicagoland, southern Wisconsin, and Northwest Indiana areas, including in Ravinia’s neighborhood in Highland Park, Glencoe, Deer eld, Lake Forest, Northbrook, and Winnetka, to name a few. At a Wintrust Community Bank, you get the resources of a big bank with the exceptional service and community focus that can only come from a local community bank. We value our partnership and are pleased to join Ravinia in welcoming you here tonight and to the season. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JUNE 6 – JULY 2, 2023